Gilman junior Emmitt Sherlock had the Mount St. Joseph match locked in his mind for two reasons: An opportunity to face a formidable foe in fellow junior Nick Barnabae, and to be a part of a triumph his Greyhounds had not experienced in decades.
Sherlock keyed the accomplishment of both goals against the top-ranked visiting Gaels on Wednesday night, being a critical reason his Greyhounds earned a 43-22 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference victory.
In a dual meet the Greyhounds led from start to finish, Sherlock (165) scored a second-period fall for his 100th career victory against Barnabae, a fellow MIAA and private schools state champion, and freshman Liam McGettigan (113) rose up a weight for an 8-5 decision over sophomore MIAA runner-up and fifth place state finisher, Joseph Cooper.
“This match is all we’ve been talking about, even before the Gilman Duals," said Sherlock, whose Greyhounds were runners-up at last weekend's Gilman Duals following a 51-10 loss to Green Farms Academy from Connecticut. "We were sort of locked in as a team in this match with St. Joe. We were excited since we believe we’re one of the best teams in the state this year. Tonight I believe we proved that."
Sherlock’s fall came amid a three bout sweep for an insurmountable, 37-13 lead with three matches remaining as the Greyhounds’ Arthur Konshak (157) won a major decision over William Hudson, Sherlock pinned Barnabae, and the Greyhounds' 175-pounder Nick Haughey received a forfeit.
“I just went after him with pressure from the opening whistle, cutting him and taking him down twice with sweep singles," said Sherlock, whose Greyhounds won nine of 14 bouts. "I got three back points in the last few seconds of the first period on a [power half-nelson.] I got a reversal in the second period, put the legs on top and used a power-half to pin him.”
In the final three matches, MIAA and private schools champion Austin Lewis (190) of Mount St. Joseph earned a 5-3 decision over Gabriel Smith, the Greyhounds' Sebastian Chaney (215) received a forfeit and the Gaels' Thomas Brandel (285) pinned Jameson Maumenee in 3:47.
In victory, the Greyhounds (7-1) vanquished the six-time MIAA champions, MSJ, who is 4-1 in duels, who narrowly defeated fifth-ranked conference rival Archbishop Spalding, 32-30, earlier this month.
The Gael were without two-time MIAA and private schools state champion Carter Nogle (138), who is out with the flu, according to his father, John Nogle.
“Tonight Gilman was a better team," said Gaels' coach Harry Barnabe, a former Maryland Scholastic Association champion for Mount St. Joseph. "We have improvements to make if we expect to be competitive by year’s end. I fully anticipate that our wrestlers will make the necessary adjustments.”
The Greyhounds led, 9-0, following a pin by JD Vassar (106) in 3:26 over Angelo Kibby and McGettigan’s decision, but the Gaels, were within, 9-6, after a fall in 3:08 by Rafael Campos (120) over the Greyhounds’ Anders Martin.
“I knew we hadn’t beaten Mount St. Joseph in many years, and I was asked by coach Holmes a few weeks ago if I would bump up to help the team,” said McGettigan, who regularly goes at 106 pounds. “I was confident, but I knew it would not be an easy match to wrestle a really good opponent. I gave up a lot of weight, but I did it for the team. This was not only a big win for me, but also for our team and for our school.”
The score was 12-10, Gilman, after the teams swapped victories in the next two bouts: Zach Glory (126) earned a 3-2 decision over the Gaels’ Bryan Santangelo before Connors Allison (132) scored a 10-2 major decision over the Greyhounds' Sawyer Enright.
The Greyhounds stretched their advantage to 21-10 with victories in the next two bouts as Buck Franklin (138) handled the Gaels’ Tyler Stephens, 12-7, and MIAA and private schools champion, Tyler Sherlock (144), decked Jaden Diggs in 1:54.
“Buck Franklin gave us a huge win over Tyler Stephens, who is a really good wrestler. Buck wrestled his butt off and won a huge match for us,” said 13th-year Greyhounds’ head coach Bryn Holmes, a 2006 graduate of McDonogh who won three MIAA titles and earned consecutive Outstanding Wrestler honors as a two-time National Preps Tournament champion.
“We haven’t won an MIAA title since 1990, and we’ve only beaten Mount St. Joseph three times in the past 48 years. But there is a lot of parity with good, healthy teams in the league this year, including St. Joe, Loyola, Archbishop Spalding and St. Frances."
The Gaels pulled to within, 21-13, following a 7-4 decision by Cameron Cannaday (150) over John Jurkovic only to watch the Greyhounds win the next three bouts for an insurmountable, 37-13 lead, with three matches remaining.
"This is definitely a big win and a great accomplishment for our team," Holmes said. "Next week, we wrestle Loyola, which beat Spalding, and then Spalding, which almost beat St. Joseph. It’s an exciting time with a lot of good dual meets."
Box Scores for the Full Dual Meet
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