Northern junior Drew Montgomery won a Class 4A-3A state title last year after having been a runner-up as a freshman, and the fourth-ranked 138-pounder can achieve other milestones for the Patriots.
Montgomery became the first sophomore from Northern to win a state title and can become the Patriots' first four-time finalist, if not, their first three-time state champion.
Montgomery won his third straight Southern Maryland Athletic Conference crown last weekend with a 10-1 major decision over third-place Class 4A-3A state place winning senior Brian Davis of Calvert, who slipped to 16-1.
Montgomery reached the finals on falls in 69 seconds and 2:42, improving his record on the year to 39-4 with 19 pins, two technical falls and three major decisions, and his career mark to 126-4.
Montgomery could meet a stiff challenge at next weekend's Class 3A-4A East Regionals at Old Mill in Northeast's Class 2A-1A state runner-up Beau Schmidt, who is 32-2 with 20 pins and six technical falls after having earned his second straight Anne Arundel County title last weekend at Broadneck.
Schmidt has three career losses, all of them coming by narrow decision against state champions.
Schmidt lost last year's 132-pound Class 2A-1A state championship bout, 5-2, in March to Stephen Decatur senior Logan Intrieri. This season, Schmidt has lost, 3-2, to Centennial's two-time Class 4A-3A state champion junior Calvin Kraisser, as well as, 4-2, to defending Class 2A-1A state champion sophomore JoJo Gigliotti of South Carroll.
Gigliotti is ranked No. 1 by Legacy Wrestling at 132 pounds, Kraisser, No. 3 at 144 pounds, and Schmidt, No. 2 at 138 pounds behind top-ranked senior Carter Nogle, a two-time Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and Maryland Independent Schools champion.
Going 44-1 as a 106-pound freshman, Montgomery won his first SMAC and regional crowns before finishing second at states. Montgomery went 3-1 at states as a ninth-grader, pinning his first-round opponent in 1:58, winning a 12-3 major decision in the quarterfinals, and decking his semifinal rival in 2:38.
In the state finals as a freshman, Montgomery lost, 4-2, to junior Ayden Smith of Springbrook, whose reversal with 10 seconds remaining secured a victory that improved his record to 37-1.
As a sophomore Montgomery was even more determined, winning his second consecutive SMAC and regional titles before adding the 113-pound state championship with a dominant, 10-4, decision over Einstein sophomore Stone Yuen, who slipped to 35.3.
Montgomery used falls in 60 and 66 seconds to reach the quarterfinals as a 10th grader before blanking senior female wrestler and eventual fourth-place finisher, Alexandra Szkotnicki of South River, 4-0, after having twice pinned her earlier in the season.
Northern's first-year coach is Cam Watkins, a former champion in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, Maryland Independent Schools States and Class 4A-3A State tournaments who was once a National Preps Tournament runner-up.
"Drew is a tremendously talented wrestler and a hard worker," said Watkins. "I know that he has all of the ingredients that you need to be successful."
Northern's Individual Male Champions
1996 Jason Gabrielson
1997 Jason Gabrielson
2004 Randy Oates
2006 Collin Leadbeter
2007 Collin Leadbeter
2009 Jeff Williams
2012 Brant Leadbeter
2013 Brant Leadbeter
2013 Eric Hoffman
2014 Brendan Coughlin
2022 Emma Hardeman
2022 Brianna Holcomb
2023 Brianna Holcomb
2023 Drew Montgomery
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