Senior Gabe Hernandez (144) registered pins in 62 and 72 seconds to lead 16th-ranked Damascus past visiting Montgomery County tri-meet rivals Poolesville and Quince Orchard on Saturday.
Hernandez’s 29th and 30th falls improved his record on the year to 38-1 as the Swarmin’ Hornets (17-3) vanquished the Poolesville Falcons, 48-21, and the Quince Orchard Cougars, 57-14.
The action took place on senior day for the Swarmin’ Hornets, whose triumph over the Falcons clinched their division record at 12-0. The Cougars defeated the Falcons, 48-29.
Ranked 16th at 144 pounds, Hernandez is a two-time returning county runner-up who has also placed fourth at regions during each of the past two seasons.
Hernandez’s only loss was in the finals of December’s Damasus Holiday Invitational, where he was upended, 8-4, by 13th-ranked freshman Soshiant Ahanj-Elias of Bullis. Ahanj-Elias is an Interstate Athletic Conference champion.
The 6-foot-1 Hernandez is also a young man who is competing with a tremendous amount of gratitude, having suffered an injured right shoulder during a wrestling event in June.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be wrestling again after tearing my labrum in my right shoulder,” said Hernandez, who was also a starting wideout on the Swarmin’ Hornets’ football team. “I played football with a brace on it. No surgery, but I’m good now. I’m finally feeling like this is a season where I’m able to display my talents and my potential. I’m showing everyone the wrestler I can really be.”
Hernandez is among eight seniors in the Swarmin’ Hornets’ lineup who have been competing under the pressure of their program’s past accomplishments.
Damascus earned its 10th county tournament title last year under coach John Furgeson, who is in his 17th year guiding the Swarmin’ Hornets. Furgeson’s program is also an eight-time state dual-meet title winner.
In addition, Furgeson coached the Swarmin’ Hornets to Class 4A-3A state tournament titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 before the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association ceased scoring the state tournament in 2018.
“As a team, I feel as if we’ve dealt with a lot of doubt throughout my years here, but it hasn’t done anything but motivate us to become the contenders we are,” Hernandez said. “I’m not the only one on this team with something to prove. We all do, as a team, have something to prove to the state that Damascus is still a force.”
Also pinning twice on Saturday for the Swarmin’ Hornets were sophomores Grady Potcner (113) and Logan Romeo (132), 14th-ranked senior Porter Gruner (165) and freshman Michael Patton (106).
One of Potcner’s pins lasted 76 seconds, one of Romeo’s took only 87 seconds, and one of Patton’s only 98 seconds.
Gruner’s record rises to 35-4 with 25 pins thanks to falls in 49 and 87 seconds against seniors Gavin Hill of Quince Orchard and Carter Rice of Poolesville.
Gruner has 127 career wins, having placed third at counties and fourth at regions as a sophomore, and fifth-place finisher at counties last season. Gruner finished sixth in the 4A/3A states at 113lbs when he was a freshman.
“Going into my match I was told to be ready for a battle from QO [Hill,] since last year, I only beat the same kid by two points,” Gruner said. “I was thrilled to be able to pin him. That match showed how much I have improved from last year. I’m really grateful for my performances this season.”
Ranked 22nd, the Swarmin’ Hornets’ senior Mike Martin (215) earned a 67-pin and a 9-1 major decision, the latter against Cougars’ senior Alex Lee to improve his record to 32-5 with 22 pins.
“I am having a way better season than I thought I would. Among the reasons I’m having an amazing season this year is the coaches,” Martin said. “They have been teaching me how to wrestle better. My teammates have been pushing me to get better, and they help me with everything they can.”
Also winning twice for the Swarmin’ Hornets were seniors Evan Willis (157) and Owen Jaramillo (190), each with a pin and a decision.
Willis earned a 51-second pin against Poolesville and defeated Cougars’ senior Josue Ticas, 2-1, on a reversal with 40 seconds left.
A third-place finisher at counties, Jaramillo earned a 5-3 decision over Falcons’ junior Gianluca Radice before registering a fall in 5:33 against Cougars’ sophomore Ryan Frost. Radice edged Frost, 8-6.
“I didn’t wrestle the way I wanted to wrestle during my first match [with Radice] and should have had a pin,” Jaramillo said. “I locked in and got a good warm up before my second match, went out looking for the pin, and I was able to get it.”
Swarmin’ Hornets’ sophomore Cooper Spoales (120), who is ranked 21st, received a forfeit after having earned a 4-1 decision over Falcons’ senior Racer Anderson. Spoales is a returning county and regional champion who placed third at states and whose record on the year is 33-5 with 17 pins.
Damascus senior Tanner Harman (175) lost his first bout by fall in 4:50 to 14th-ranked sophomore Zoya Wexler of Poolesville, but he rebounded to score his 101st career victory against Quince Orchard thanks to a 40-second pin.
“Going into the first match I knew I had one against Zoya. I tried my best against him, but in the end, he got the better of me,” said Harman, a fifth-place county finisher whose record on the year is 32-7 with 23 pins. “I knew I had to go out in my second match and take it to my next opponent, especially since it was my senior night and the whole team was counting on me to get a pin. So, I just went out there and did what I had to do.”
Also splitting bouts was Swarmin’ Hornets’ senior Caleb Pickering (150), who rebounded from an 8-1 loss to Falcons’ sophomore Asa Wexler with an 8-6 decision over Cougars’ freshman Ethan Watson.
Swarmin’ Hornets’ senior T.J. Gottesman (126) lost a pair of overtime heartbreakers, 10-7, to 10th-ranked senior Harry Spadoni of Quince Orchard, and, 14-11, to Poolesville sophomore Ethan Dimmerling.
Gottesman trailed by as much as, 7-0, against Spadoni, and,11-4, against Dimmerling, a third-place county and regional finisher who was pinned in 5:32 by Spadoni.
Spadoni is a returning third-place finisher at counties who was third at regions and whose record improved to 30-3.
Other double winners for the Cougars (21-10) were senior Tommy Peluso (138) and 23rd-ranked junior Tristan Cabugwas (285), each of whom pinned twice.
Peluso’s record rose to 33-2, with one of Saturday’s falls lasting only 91 seconds. Cabugwas improved to 27-7 on the year thanks to pins in 28 and 51 seconds.
The Falcons (8-5) had double-winners the sophomore Wexler twins, Asa (144/150) and Zoya.
Zoya improved his record on the year to 26-3 by registering his 19th and 20th falls of the season, with one of his pins taking only 30 seconds. Zoya has also earned a pair of technical fall victories.
Asa improved his record on the year to 25-8, including his triumph over Pickering. But Asa had a much more difficult and dramatic victory before nailing down his own 20th pin of the year against Cougars’ senior Julian Pollard.
Down 4-0, entering the second period against Pollard, Asa’s rallied to tie the score at 6-6 entering the third. There, Asa’s takedown drove Pollard directly to his back for the fall at 5:09.
Damascus 48, Poolesville 21
215- Mark Martin (D) p. Johnny Smith, 1:07
285- Behr Schickler (P) p. Callum Hughes, 2:26
106- Michael Patton (D) p. Josh Miller, 1:38
113- Grady Potcner (D) p. Jack Mddox, 1:16
120- Cooper Spoales (D) d. Racer Anderson, 4-1
126- Ethan Dimmerling (P) d. T.J. Gottesman, 14-11, OT
132- Logan Romeo (D) p. Ben Schneider, 3:42
138- Nicholas Hoehiler (P) d. Tobin Gruner, 7-2
144- Gabe Hernandez (D) p. Matan Radel, 1:11
150- Asa Wexler (P) d. Caleb Pickering, 8-1
157- Evan Willis (D) p. Anthony Juarez, 0:51
165- Porter Gruner (D) p. Carter Rice, 1:27
175- Zoya Wexler (P) p. Tanner Harman, 4:50
190- Owen Jaramillo (D) d. Gianluca Radice, 5-3
Damascus 57, Quince Orchard 14
106- Michael Patton (D) p. Izzy Peluso, 2:31
113- Grady Potcner (D) p. Ben Hersh, 5:04
120- Cooper Spoales (D) by forfeit
126- Harry Spadoni (Q) d. T.J. Gottesman, 10-7, OT
132- Logan Romeo (D) p. Curtis Harris, 1:27
138- Tommy Peluso (Q) p. Tobin Gruner, 5:27
144- Gabe Hernandez (D) p. Julian Pollard, 1:02
150- Caleb Pickering (D) d. Ethan Watson, 8-6
157- Evan Willis (D) d. Josue Ticas, 2-1
165- Porter Gruner (D) p. Gavin Hill, 0:49
175- Tanner Harman (D) p. Aaron Brezovec, 0:40
190- Owen Jaramillo (D) p. Ryan Frost, 5:33
215-Mike Martin (D) mj. Alex Lee, 9-1
285-Tristan Cabugwas (Q) p. Callum Hughes, 0:51
*Each team deducted a point for unsportsmanlike conduct
Quince Orchard 48, Poolesville 29
285- Tristan Cabugwas (Q) p. Behr Schickler, 028
106-Izzy Peluso (Q) p. Ava Shelburne, 2:22
113-Ben Hersh (Q) p. Jack Maddox, 4:49
120- Racer Anderson (P) by forfeit
126- Harry Spadoni (Q) p. Ethan Dimmerling, 5:32
132- Ben Schneider (P) d. Curtis Harris, 4-3.
138- Tommy Peluso (Q) p. Nico Hoehler, 1:31.
144- Asa Wexler (P) p. Julian Pollard, 5:09.
150-Ethan Watson (Q) p. Matan Radel, 2:49
157- Josue Ticas (Q) p. Anthony Juarez, 1:59
165- Gavin Hill (Q) p. Carter Rice, 3:10
175- Zoya Wexler (P) p. Aaron Brezovec, 0:30
190- Gianluca Radice (P) d. Ryan Frost, 8-6
215-Johnny Smith (P) by forfeit
*Team point deducted from Poolesville for unsportsmanlike conduct
コメント