FIRST LOOK: MIAA Seeds are Finalized

The MIAA Seeds were officially chalked up on Tuesday evening over pizza and small talk at the Gilman Middle School. The meeting, which lasted just a bit more than an hour, was purposeful and brisk with little wasted time. Heavy debate was only used at one weight with a few others being slightly altered from their pre-seeded positions.

The results of the discussions set the table for some highly interesting finals matchups (assuming all the ones and twos advance – how often does that happen, though?). There will be upsets. There always are. We never know where they’re coming from and that is their charm – surprising and delighting fans, and honestly, even the competitors and coaches.

“THE BIG ONE”: LEITZEL VS PICKETT

No one is upset proof, but when it comes to the MIAA field, the two nationally ranked gentlemen occupying the top two spots at 157 pounds are probably safe from unforeseen chaos. Both placed the Beast of the East, St. Joe’s Brooklyn Pickett at 150 pounds, where he is ranked 25th in the nation by High School on SI, and Spalding’s Zane Leitzel at this weight where he comes in at No. 36 in that report.

They have no recent history. They haven’t been in any of the same brackets at any stop this season. They were in different weights last year when Leitzel collected his first MIAA and MIS Titles. Pickett missed the MIAAs but was crowned a state champion a week later. Leitzel is a two-time National Prep placer. Pickett failed to reach the podium a year ago as a freshman.

Who ya got? What’s your pick? Who will win the BIG ONE?

WILL FERNANDEZ MAKE HISTORY

While Leitzel hopes to repeat, his teammate Taina Fernandez will be looking to make history by becoming the first female wrestler to win a MIAA Championship. Fernandez, who is ranked No. 1 at 140 pounds in High School on SI’s Girls National Rankings, was granted the top seed based on wins over two of her possible finals’ opponents.

McDonogh’s Mason Comegys was seeded second and fell to Fernandez, 10-5, in a early-season third-place match at Ray Oliver. Fernandez dished a 4-1 loss to the Gaels’ Ben Scheiner in their dual encounter. Comegys and Scheiner have a back-and-forth history, with Comegys owning the most recent win to position himself ahead of Scheiner.

Fernandez tends to win everywhere she goes around the world, earning two world championships, and more accolades. Will a MIAA Crown be her next jewel?

GABRIELSON/JACKSON IV: STAKES ARE HIGH

Spalding’s stable contains another nationally ranked boy, No. 38 Eli Gabrielson at 126 pounds. Gabrielson earned his top spot on the bracket by posting three wins over Loyola-Blakefield’s Jayden Jackson. The first in the Ray Oliver Finals, 8-0. The second was another shutout major decision, 10-0, in a dual. The War on the Shore final was closer, but Gabrielson still came out ahead with yet another scoreless outcome for his rival, 4-0.

What adds a heap load of intrigue to this potential rematch is what is on the line for Jackson. The senior will walk into Gilman on Saturday morning as a three-time defending MIAA Champ. They say after you beat an opponent for a third time, you own them moving forward. Will that hold, or will Jackson shock the Cavalier and pocket title number four?

RUBBERMATCH FOR MATTHIS AND VERCELES

Defending state champion, Tyler Verceles of Loyola gets a quick turnaround to deal with his 7-4 loss to Mt. St. Joseph’s Nathan Matthis on Saturday the 31st in a tri-meet with Archbishop Curley. Verceles defeated Matthis at December’s Beast of the East, 8-3.

Verceles is out for revenge and his first MIAA Gold after finishing second as a freshman to St. Joe’s Corey Brown at 106 pounds. Matthis was seeded number one with Verceles in the two spot at 126 pounds.

TWO MORE WITH REPEAT BIDS

Mt. St. Joseph’s Jake Tamai (132 pounds) and Gilman’s Athur Konshak (175) captured their first crowns a year ago. Tamai didn’t wrestle here as a freshman then was second as a sophomore before last year’s championship run. Tamai’s likely final foe will be Spalding’s second-seeded Isaac Cicchetti. The two met in their dual with Tamai winning on an injury default. Cicchetti teched third-seeded Wes Baumgartner (McDonogh) earlier this season.

Konshak was second as a MIAA Freshman then came back in his next campaign and took top honors. The chances of the state champion repeating seem highly likely given his two outcomes with the number two seed, Izaac Robertucci (Calvert Hall), which encompasses a pin at the 2025 state tournament and a dual this season.

BIG BOYS COMMAND BIG DEBATE

In the intro we mentioned one weight much deliberation – that was heavyweight. It was one of those dreaded situations that goes beyond A>B>C>A. This one involved a D, E, F, and G. The G in the scenario is the unseeded Cole Bryant from Mt. Carmel. When debate on this group began, it was mentioned that with this much chaos, one or more persons win(s) are going to be ignored. It’s impossible to honor all the head-to-head wins.

285

1-Noah Lawrence (Gilman)(Spit with Stewart, beat Beck and Brown. Lost to Mt. Carmel’s Cole Bryant)

2-Logan Brown (McDonogh)(Beat Byrne, Condon, and Stewart. Lost to Lawrence)

3-Owen Stewart (Calvert Hall)(Split with Lawrence, beat Condon. Lost to Brown)

4-Mike Byrne (Archbishop Spalding)(Lost to Brown, beat Lawrence)

5-Jacob Condon (Mt. St. Joseph)(Beat Bryant)

6-Carter Beck (Boys’ Latin)(Beat Bryant)

That’s not all the matches on their resumes, but it’s a taste, and why it was suggested to begin the meeting with this weight as many of the others were moved through with no debate. But 285 bucked that trend.

HOW THE TEAMS STACK UP

All 14 of Spalding’s wrestlers were seeded in the top four of their weight classes. The Cavaliers’ four top seeds are tied with Mt. St. Joe for the most on the brackets. Spalding’s number ones are Charlie Mutschler (113 pounds), Gabrielson, Fernandez, and Leitzel.

St. Joe’s top seeds are Matthis, Tamai, Tyler Stephens (144), and Connor Allison (150 pounds). Overall, 13 Gaels received seeds. McDonogh’s 12 seeds were the third highest. Although, they only received one top seed, Dominic Manna at 165 pounds, five Eagles set in the number two perch – Braidyn Taby (106), Jacob Naylor (113), Comegys, Giuseppe DiMonte (190), and Brown (285).

Those three teams were informed at the seeding meeting that it was officially decided they would end in a three-way tie for the MIAA “A” Conference Dual Crown. Spalding beat St. Joe. St. Joe beat McDonogh. McDonogh beat Spalding.

That kind of nonsense means despite Spalding’s edge with the seeds, no one can be declared a clear favorite in this team race. Spalding beat St. Joe for the MIAA Tournament Title in 2025. Can they do it again? If so, who will be in second? Or will the Cavaliers be toppled?

Curley fell to Gilman and Loyola in duals but have more seeded wrestlers with nine. Loyola has eight seeded with Charles Cooper the top man at 106 pounds. Gilman has seven with seeds and two at the top, Konshak and Lawrence.

St. Paul’s Haden Myers (190 pounds) and St. Vincent Pallotti’s Foster Anderson III (215) are the other number one seeds.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Note: No admission to Gilman will be allowed prior to 7:30 AM on Saturday.

7:00 AM Doors Open for Wrestlers and Coaches

7:30 AM Doors Open for Spectators

8:00 AM Weigh-ins, Skin Check, Hair and Nails

9:00 AM Tournament workers arrive

9:15 AM Coaches meeting

9:30 AM Matches begin on 4 Mats

(1st Round, Quarter Finals, 1st Round Consolations, Quarter Final Consolations)

Championship Semi Finals on 2 mats and

3rd Round Consolation on 2 mats (Remove one mat)

12:30 PM Consolation Semi Finals (2 Mats)

3:00 PM Finals (1st , 3rd , 5th on 3 mats)

Seeds

106

1-Charles Cooper (Loyola-Blakefield)

2-Braidyn Taby (McDonogh)

3-Lane Gowl (Archbishop Spalding)

4-Alessandro Barrios (Mt. St. Joseph)

5-Dominic Blocker (Archbishop Curley)

6-Tyler Saville (St. Paul’s)

113

1-Charlie Mutschler (Archbishop Spalding)

2-Jacob Naylor (McDonogh)

3-James Wright (Mt. St. Joseph)

4-Miles Molina (Gilman)

5-Samara Wolokolie (Mt. Carmel)

6-Liam Rose (Archbishop Curley)

120

1-Nathan Matthis (Mt. St. Joseph)

2-Tyler Verceles (Loyola-Blakefield)

3-Eli Chesla (Archbishop Spalding)

4-Christian Wirts (Gilman)

5-Reid Swirnow (McDonogh)

6-Cody Lehman (Calvert Hall)

126

1-Eli Gabrielson (Archbishop Spalding)

2-Jayden Jackson (Loyola-Blakefield)

3-Damian Manna (McDonogh)

4-CJ Votta (Mt. St. Joseph)

5-Evan Kaliakoudas (Archbishop Curley)

6-Noa Restencourt (Gilman)

132

1-Jake Tamai (Mt. St. Joseph)

2-Isaac Cichetti (Archbishop Spalding)

3-Wes Baumgartner (McDonogh)

4-JD Vassar (Gilman)

5-Brendan Tobin (Loyola-Blakefield)

6-Cooper Monroe (Boys’ Latin)

138

1-Taina Fernandez (Archbishop Spalding)

2-Mason Comegys (McDonogh)

3-Ben Scheiner (Mt. St. Joseph)

4-Devon Pringle (Boys’ Latin)

5-Evan Durand (Loyola-Blakefield)

6-Reef Kneidl (Archbishop Curley)

144

1-Tyler Stephens (Mt. St. Joseph)

2-Josh Hale (Loyola-Blakefield)

3-Will McDonough (Archbishop Spalding)

4-Joshua Jackson (Calvert Hall)

5-Cole Genua (Calvert Hall)

6-Lincoln Holmes (Friends School)

150

1-Connor Allison (Mt. St. Joseph)

2-Ryder Kolat (Archbishop Spalding)

3-Blake Taylor (McDonogh)

4-Oscar Davis (Archbishop Curley)

5-Evan Clarke (Mt. Carmel)

6-Seth Perks (St. Paul’s)

157

1-Zane Leitzel (Archbishop Spalding)

2-Brooklyn Pickett (Mt. St. Joseph)

3-Caden Gardner (McDonogh)

4-Bradlee Anderson (Archbishop Curley)

5-Jeffrey Harris (Mt. Carmel)

6-Luke Layden (Severn)

165

1-Dominic Manna (McDonogh)

2-Sawyer Peck (Gilman)

3-Josh Taylor (Archbishop Spalding)

4-Kayden Tyler (Mt. St. Joseph)

5-Jack Garland (Calvert Hall)

6-Jimmy Lazzati (Loyola-Blakefield)

175

1-Arthur Konshak (Gilman)

2-Izaac Robertucci (Calvert Hall)

3-Max Solis (Mt. St. Joseph)

4-Rudolph Berry (Archbishop Spalding)

5-Jakayveon Burton (Mt. Carmel)

6-Adeoluwa Adewuyi (Archbishop Curley)

190

1-Hayden Myers (St. Paul’s)

2-Giuseppe DiMonte (McDonogh)

3-Luke Winkler (Archbishop Spalding)

4-Bailen Boutz (Archbishop Curley)

5-Riley Miller (Loyola-Blakefield)

6-William Ennis (Mt. St. Joseph)

215

1-Foster Anderson III (St. Vincent Pallotti)

2-Tavon Mitchell (Mt. Carmel)

3-Josiah Williamson (Archbishop Curley)

4-Luke Barulli (Archbishop Spalding)

5-Talin Krashoc (Severn)

6-Declan Vaughan (McDonogh)

285

1-Noah Lawrence (Gilman)

2-Logan Brown (McDonogh)

3-Owen Stewart (Calvert Hall)

4-Mike Byrne (Archbishop Spalding)

5-Jacob Condon (Mt. St. Joseph)

6-Carter Beck (Boys’ Latin)