Milford Mill senior Armory Hills has a penchant for learning quickly.
Take cooking, for example.
“When I was eight years old, my father and sister told me how to cook very well. Now, I do it for fun,” said Hills, 17, who is of Jamaican descent. “If somebody is having an event, they will often pay me to cook for them. I can prepare oxtail, chicken marsala, curry chicken, rice and peas. I can do brown stew, snapper, ackee and saltfish. I can do a lot.”
Hills became hooked on playing guitar during a second-semester music class as a freshman.
“I was in a class with 30 students. I became so good at it that I ended up in second- and third-year honors with three other people,” said Hills, a 3.0 student. “I have a Yamaha [guitar.] I like to play studio one reggae baseline because I have definitely fallen to the bass more than the [regular] guitar, even though I can play both. I love reggae, but I cannot sing.”
Standing 6-foot-6, Hills was also a freshman when he was encouraged by family members to play football.
“Everybody thought I should give football a try,” Hills said. “So, my brother and sister took me to my first practice.”
They also considered wrestling to be a natural transition from the gridiron.
“I had already been playing football, and I really like aggressive sports, so I was encouraged to try wrestling,” said Hill, who wears a size 15 shoe, bench presses 365 and weighs 315-pounds or more during the football season. “Basketball used to be my favorite, but eventually, wrestling became the sport for me, especially because it became a way to improve myself as a football player.”
During Hill’s four seasons with Milford Mill’s football team, he led the Millers to a state title in 2022 and the state semifinals in 2023 and 2024
"Armory came to us with no football playing experience whatsoever, but he has worked tirelessly to get to the point where he is. Amory is a humongous two-way player who can excel at any position whether it's tackle, guard or center and who likes to finish every play all the way until the end,” said Millers coach Reggie White of Hills, who is committed to play football at the University of Maryland. “Amory's a good student, he's a chef, which he gets from his Dad. Wrestling and football are his passion but so is playing guitar. As it pertains to college recruiting, most colleges ask if your athlete plays any other sport. And when they heard that Amory wrestled, every college coach loved that about him. Those are two sports that go hand in hand. So, it's a plus."
Hills was back on the mats for last weekend’s SnOverlea Tournament at Overlea High, pinning his way to a title at 285-pounds and remaining unbeaten at 17-0, with eight pins and three technical falls, as the Millers (154.5 points) finished second to team champion Poly (161).
Hills had falls in 2:10, 91 and 51 seconds, with his last pin happening in his championship match with 12th-ranked senior Pascal Akuwugwe of Overlea, who placed fourth in last year’s Baltimore County Tournament.
Runners-up for the Millers were junior Jamal Epps (150) and sophomore Tristan Rich (165), with junior Carl Jennings (106) finishing fourth.
Hills has placed fourth and first in the past two Baltimore County Tournaments, third and second in the past two regional events, and third at each of the past two Class 2A-1A state tournaments.
“I felt very proud of myself,” said Hills, who was a junior varsity county champion as a freshman. “I’m so happy to be on the wall with the rest of the greats who have gone to my school.”
The Millers’ last state champion was 130-pound Adeleke Ibironke, who went 36-0 as part of a 41-match winning streak in 2009 on the way to winning the Class 4A-3A crown. Prior to Ibironke, Greg Forbes won consecutive Class 2A-1A titles at 189 and 275 pounds in 1996 and 1997.
Garry Harris earned a Class 2A-1A crown at 119 in 1993 for the Millers a year after being a 103-pound runner-up in 1992. Harris won a title at 125 pounds in 1994, but only after having transferred to Randallstown.
Pete Bayrodt became the Millers’ first state champion in 1971, one year after the inception of the event when it still was one tournament.
Hills can become the Millers’ sixth state champion.
“I’m extremely inspired,” said Hills, who is coached by Daymon Royster. “My goal is to give my coach another state champion on the wall before the both of us leave.”
The SnOverlea champion Engineers crowned sophomore Miles Molina (106), freshman Connor Armwood (120) and junior Jaden White (132), all of whom won their titles by either pin or technical fall as the Engineers produced four finalists and placed six wrestlers within the top three of their weight classes.
Molina earned a 43-second pin before scoring a 16-0 technical fall in his title bout with Pikesville senior Brendan Shepherd. Molina’s record improved to 26-1 with 11 pins and six technical falls against Shepherd, a returning third-place finisher from each of last year’s Baltimore County and regional tournaments.
“I feel like this season has gone well, but I can do better,” said Molina, who won the Baltimore City title and placed fourth at regions, ending with a record of 29-12 with 16 pins last season. “I feel like the Overlea tournament was something I was supposed to win. I think I’m gonna place pretty highly in the states.”
Armwood scored a 65-second pin, an 8-6 decision and a 17-1 technical fall over Potomac sophomore Article Gonzales. Armwood improved to 16-2 with seven pins and two technical falls.
“I feel like my season has been going well. I wrestled a bunch of different wrestlers from different schools. I feel like I’ve learned from my matches and improved on habits,” Armwood said. “Being on the high school team for the first time, it’s boosted my confidence that I have a chance at becoming something bigger than I have ever been. I feel like the Overlea tournament really taught me a lot.”
White won his first bout by an 18-0 technical fall and his next two by pins in 3:11 and 2:59, the last against Oakland Mills sophomore Orlando Castelan-Cortez. A defending Howard County and regional tournament champion, Castelan-Cortez’s record slipped to 11-2.
As a 132-pound sophomore White placed first in the city and fifth at regions, posting a record of 27-12 with 22 pins. As a 120-pound freshman, White earned his initial city crown and was fourth at regions, ending the year with a mark of 24-8 that included 20 pins.
“I feel as if my season so far has been pretty good,” said White, whose record on the year improved to 23-2 with 17 pins and two technical falls. “I’ve lost twice, but those have been learning experiences. I knew I wasn’t gonna lose at the Overlea tournament. I have more confidence in my abilities to win.”
Finishing second for the Engineers was junior Chonan Bell (138), with third-place efforts from junior Derrel Davis (150) and senior Ayden Paulay (165).
Davis has earned one city title in two championship berths and twice finished fourth at regions. Paulay has won a pair of city crowns and been a runner-up once, having also finished fifth at regions.
The Engineers are guided by coach Wavie Gibson, who graduated from Mardela in 1982 as a 138-pound state champion.
“I was very proud of the team for the way that they performed at Overlea. Some of the wrestlers really stepped up and gutted out some tough matches that they would have lost a month ago. I was excited for my veteran champions Miles and Jaden who both placed first,” said Gibson, whose 36 coaching seasons comprise 10 at Walbrook and 26 at Poly.
“I was especially pleased and happy with freshman Conner Armwood for winning his first high school tournament. I don't think that we have ever finished in the top five of Overlea, let alone finished first. It is always a tough and competitive tournament. It was a thrilling tournament with constant lead changes until the end. Hats off to Milford Mill and St. James School for their finishes in the tournament. They kept the pressure on. Hopefully this is not our peak.”
Crowning two champions apiece were third-place St. James (152.5) in 13th-ranked junior Michael Holmes (126) and senior Derek Owumi (215), sixth-place Patapsco in freshman Josiah Lynch (113) and senior Alex Hynes (144), and 10th-place Centennial in second-ranked senior Calvin Kraisser (150) and senior Matthew Sedor (190).
Holmes has a record of 26-2 after back-to-back technical falls of 18-3 and 17-2 to go with a fall in 5:11 against 16th-ranked sophomore Cooper Monroe of Boys Latin, whose record falls to 17-2.
Owumi used a fall in 5:01, a 20-3 technical fall and a semifinal pin in 2:41 to reach his title bout, where he earned a 7-3 decision over Woodlawn senior Irvon Charles.
A seventh-place finisher in last year’s Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament, Owumi’s semifinal victory was against Aberdeen senior Juan Rodgers, a fourth place finisher at regions last season.
Lynch scored falls in 26 seconds, 2:20 and 85 seconds, the latter against sophomore Jorge Garrido of St. James for the crown and an improved record of 19-3.
Hynes ran his record to 21-1 following a 12-8 first-round decision and pins in 3:39 and 38 seconds, the last over St. James junior Brodie Burdette.
A Baltimore County tournament runner-up last season, Hynes improved to 21-1, while Burdette slipped to 27-4.
Kraisser followed a 79-second fall with another in 3:09 to reach his title bout, where he also decked Epps in 2:55. Named Outstanding Wrestler, Kraisser is a three-time Howard County and regional champion who is projected to win his fourth straight Maryland Public Schools state title in March.
Sedor improved his season record to 23-3 following falls in 3:08, 51 and 76 seconds, the latter in his title bout against Potomac’s Julian Reyes. Sedor placed third in his county tournament last season, and Reyes finished third in last year’s Prince George’s County Tournament.
Also winning titles were 11th-ranked Marriotts’ Ridge senior Jonah Orbitz (175), Aberdeen senior Edward Calwell (138), Oakland Mills junior Raul Rodriguez (157) and Lansdowne senior D’Angelo Pellman (165).
Orbitz used a 97-second pin and a 17-1 technical fall to reach the finals, where he flattened Lansdowne junior Chase Swiger in 2:52 to improve his record on the year to 25-0.
Obitz was a runner-up in last year’s Howard County and regional tournaments to the eventual Class 4A-3A state runner-up, Joseph Clark of Oakland Mills, who has graduated. A fourth-place finisher in Baltimore County last season, Swiger’s record slipped to 12-2.
Rodriguez used falls in 2:23 and 1:14 to reach his semifinal match, where he earned a 14-9 decision over previously undefeated 18th-ranked senior Chase Lineberry of Aberdeen before pinning previously undefeated Lansdowne senior Sean Lippman in 2:55 of their title match.
Lippman is a returning Baltimore County runner-up whose record slipped to 22-1. Lippman had reached the title match following a semifinal pin in 2:28 over Patapsco’s previously undefeated Izaiah Wright, who finished third after defeating Lineberry, 13-12.
Wright’s record is 18-1, and Lineberry is 21-2. Lineberry was a runner-up in both last year’s Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference and his regional tournament before finishing sixth at the Class 4A-3A state tournament.
Rodriguez improved his record on the year to 26-3 with 22 pins and a technical fall, having returned to action after winning last year’s Howard County tournament crown and finished second at regions.
“My losses are one at 175 with two of them being at 165, so I haven’t lost at 157,” said Rodriguez. “It was a tough bracket with a lot of good wrestlers, but I came into the tournament ready to show how much I’ve grown as a wrestler this year, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Pellman has a record of 16-4 after pinning all four opponents comprising falls in 2:23, 3:43, 3:07 and 1:42, the last one being against Rich, whose record is 9-2.
Caldwell used a fall in 1:51 to reach his title match with Bell, whom he overcame following a wild, 22-15 decision. Caldwell’s record is 8-1.
SnOverlea Tournament Results
1 Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (161.0)
2 Milford Mill Academy (154.5)
3 St. James School (152.5)
4 Aberdeen (151.0)
5 Oakland Mills (129.5)
6 Patapsco (113.0)
7 Lansdowne (107.0)
8 Marriotts Ridge (103.0)
9 Boys` Latin (97.5)
10 Centennial (84.0)
11 Baltimore City College (56.0)
12 Fallston (54.0)
13 Calvert Hall (51.0)
14 Overlea (50.0)
15 Carver A&T (47.0)
16 Potomac (43.0)
17 Pikesville (36.5)
18 Chesapeake-BC (27.5)
19 Woodlawn (22.0)
20 Western (16.5)
21 St. Andrew`s Episcopal (7.0)
22 Mervo (4.0)
106
1st Place Match
Miles Molina (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 24-1, So. over Brendan Shepherd (Pikesville) 5-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:41 (16-0))
3rd Place Match
Justus Hwang (Centennial) 14-9, Jr. over Carl Jennings (Milford Mill Academy) 9-4, Jr. (Fall 0:49)
5th Place Match
Albert Guevara (Calvert Hall College) 5-7, Fr. over Miles Cannon (Baltimore City College) 3-5, Fr. (For.)
113
1st Place Match
Josiah Lynch (Patapsco) 19-3, Fr. over Jorge Garrido (St. James School) 7-11, So. (Fall 1:25)
3rd Place Match
Marco Rodriguez (Baltimore City College) 7-2, Fr. over Jacob Farley (Aberdeen) 6-10, Jr. (SV-1 16-13)
5th Place Match
Jefferson Gutierrez (Milford Mill Academy) 8-7, Jr. over Wynn Gardner (Boys` Latin School) 7-19, So. (Fall 2:29)
120
1st Place Match
Conner Armwood (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 14-2, Fr. over Artice Gonzales-High (Potomac) 6-5, So. (TF-1.5 4:34 (17-1))
3rd Place Match
Donovan Austin (Overlea) 21-2, Jr. over Jacob Versino (St. James School) 12-15, Jr. (Fall 0:59)
5th Place Match
Kendal Owens (Milford Mill Academy) 15-5, Sr. over David Jamison (Oakland Mills) 5-8, Fr. (Fall 0:43)
126
1st Place Match
Michael Holmes (St. James School) 26-2, Jr. over Cooper Monroe (Boys` Latin School) 17-2, So. (Fall 5:11)
3rd Place Match
Caiden Hargrove (Marriotts Ridge) 19-6, Fr. over Sterling Addison (Carver A&T) 22-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:31 (15-0))
5th Place Match
Matthew Cowen (Oakland Mills) 14-8, Jr. over Apollos Abdul-Whatab (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 16-9, Fr. (MD 13-1)
132
1st Place Match
Jaden White (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 21-2, Jr. over Orlando Castelan-Cortez (Oakland Mills) 11-2, So. (Fall 2:59)
3rd Place Match
EJ Hill (Boys` Latin School) 20-10, Sr. over Chase Pugh (St. James School) 21-9, Jr. (Dec 8-4)
5th Place Match
Jacob Fufezan-Seck (Carver A&T) 21-6, Fr. over Zoltan Pollock (Aberdeen) 9-8, So. (Fall 4:31)
138
1st Place Match
Edward Caldwell (Aberdeen) 8-1, Sr. over Chonan Bell (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 11-7, Jr. (Dec 22-15)
3rd Place Match
Juris Lastimosa (Chesapeake-BC) 13-10, So. over Samuel Rivera-Cifuentes (Oakland Mills) 6-4, Fr. (MD 18-6)
5th Place Match
Liam Watson (Fallston) 8-14, Jr. over Paolo Cardarella (Carver A&T) 19-10, Sr. (For.)
144
1st Place Match
Alex Hynes (Patapsco) 21-1, Sr. over Brodie Burdette (St. James School) 27-4, Jr. (Fall 0:38)
3rd Place Match
JD Matherly (Aberdeen) 19-5, Sr. over Seve Lombardo (Boys` Latin School) 20-8, Sr. (Dec 7-1)
5th Place Match
Grady Conrad (Centennial) 22-5, Jr. over Trip Bennett (Marriotts Ridge) 18-9, Sr. (Dec 9-3)
150
1st Place Match
Calvin Kraisser (Centennial) 25-1, Sr. over Jamal Epps (Milford Mill Academy) 11-3, Jr. (Fall 2:55)
3rd Place Match
Derrel Davis (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 23-4, Jr. over Alex Gladstone (Marriotts Ridge) 20-7, Sr. (MD 10-2)
5th Place Match
Jaden Bush (Oakland Mills) 17-12, Sr. over Max Ladenson (Boys` Latin School) 16-16, Sr. (MD 15-5)
157
1st Place Match
Raul Rodrigez (Oakland Mills) 18-3, Jr. over Sean Lippman (Lansdowne) 22-1, Sr. (Fall 2:50)
3rd Place Match
Izaiah Wright (Patapsco) 18-1, Sr. over Chase Lineberry (Aberdeen) 21-2, Sr. (Dec 13-12)
5th Place Match
Ethan Royster (Milford Mill Academy) 16-6, Sr. over Anthony Pierce (St. James School) 18-13, Jr. (MD 14-5)
165
1st Place Match
D`Angelo Pellham (Lansdowne) 16-4, Sr. over Tristen Rich (Milford Mill Academy) 9-2, So. (Fall 1:42)
3rd Place Match
Ayden Paulay (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 16-8, Sr. over Dhaled Chaves (Calvert Hall College) 11-4, So. (Fall 1:51)
5th Place Match
Aiden York (Oakland Mills) 7-10, Fr. over Isaiah Williams (Western School of Tech.) 6-11, . (Fall 5:00)
175
1st Place Match
Jonah Obitz (Marriotts Ridge) 25-0, Sr. over Chase Swiger (Lansdowne) 12-2, Jr. (Fall 2:52)
3rd Place Match
Abraham Stolbach (Baltimore City College) 16-1, Jr. over Michael Hillier (Aberdeen) 16-5, Sr. (Dec 7-6)
5th Place Match
Mac Ridgely (Calvert Hall College) 15-5, Jr. over Elijah Dunn (Pikesville) 7-3, Jr. (Fall 3:35)
190
1st Place Match
Matthew Sedor (Centennial) 23-3, Sr. over Julian Reyes (Potomac) 15-8, . (Fall 1:16)
3rd Place Match
Darius Simms (Lansdowne) 20-6, Jr. over Evan Conner (Fallston) 15-7, Sr. (Fall 1:32)
5th Place Match
Drey`an Pitts (Milford Mill Academy) 10-4, Sr. over Grant Akers (Aberdeen) 6-7, Jr. (Dec 6-4)
215
1st Place Match
Derek Owumi (St. James School) 24-8, Sr. over Irvon Charles (Woodlawn) 16-5, Sr. (Dec 7-3)
3rd Place Match
Juan Rodgers (Aberdeen) 19-5, Sr. over Logan King (Patapsco) 13-9, Jr. (Fall 1:00)
5th Place Match
Amari Lonesome (Baltimore City College) 12-4, Jr. over Bredon Payne (Marriotts Ridge) 17-7, Sr. (For.)
285
1st Place Match
Amory Hills (Milford Mill Academy) 14-0, Sr. over `Pascal` Chimemezue Akugwue (Overlea) 15-5, Sr. (Fall 0:51)
3rd Place Match
Carter Beck (Boys` Latin School) 17-5, Jr. over Azriel Moore (Patapsco) 14-7, Sr. (Fall 3:29)
5th Place Match
Daniel Cogdill (Aberdeen) 11-9, Sr. over Soma Casmir-Dike (Marriotts Ridge) 14-10, So. (Fall 1:50)
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