top of page
Search

Gilman defends #1 Rank, beats MSJ

Writer's picture: Lem SatterfieldLem Satterfield

Visiting top-ranked Gilman trailed by two points entering the final bout against fifth-ranked Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday night when the Greyhounds’ 14th-ranked junior Isaiah Trusty was informed that he would rise in weight to face the Gaels’ Thomas Brandel.

“I came into the match thinking I would wrestle my regular weight, but I was told before the dual meet there was a possibility that I might move up. At around five minutes prior to my match, I was told I would be bumping up to 285,” said Trusty, who regularly competes at 215 pounds.

“Coach [Bryn] Holmes confirmed it right before my match. All he said was, ‘go out there and win.’ It’s as simple as that. I definitely felt the pressure coming up to the match, but once the whistle blew, the only thing I could think of was winning for the team.”


Trusty did just that, hoisting the defending champion Greyhounds to a come-from-behind, 37-35 Maryland Interscholastic Association Dual meet victory over the Gaels (2-1). Trusty scored a 12-4 major decision over Brandel, whose team was ahead, 35-33, entering the 285-pound bout.


“Move-wise, the double-leg takedown wasn’t working that well, so the single-leg takedown was working instead. That was the first match I’ve won by a decision,” said Trusty, whose record improved to 9-1 with eight pins. “My opponent definitely had the size advantage. It feels great knowing that I could win it for the team, but I could only do it because of their support and of course because of God.”


Trailing, 35-15, after the Gaels’ William Hudson (165) decked Sawyer Peck in 3:53, the Greyhounds (4-0 MIAA, 7-0 overall) swept the last four bouts. The run began with a pin in 2:47 by 12th-ranked sophomore Arthur Konshak (175) over William Ennis, bringing them within, 35-21.


The Greyhounds were within, 35-33, after consecutive forfeits to top-ranked senior Emmitt Sherlock (190) and teammate Milan Heath (215).


That set up Trusty’s finish.


“Mount St. Joseph was a great match for us. They have a lot of great wrestlers, and I knew we would need everyone to beat them,” said Holmes, whose Greyhounds dethroned the Gaels last year as champions in the MIAA dual meet and tournament as well as titlists in the Maryland Private Schools State Tournament. “We were down by two points entering the last match, and it came down to just that. That was a ton of pressure on Isaiah, but I knew that Isaiah would rise to the challenge.”


Top-ranked freshman Corey Brown (106) set the tone for the Gaels, giving them a 5-0 lead with his 15-0 technical fall over eighth-ranked freshman Christian Wirts.


But the Greyhounds swept the next two bouts for a 9-5 lead following a 40-second fall by top-ranked sophomore Liam McGettigan (113) over Angelo Kibby, and a come-from-behind, 7-5 decision by eighth-ranked sophomore JD Vassar (120) over freshman CJ Votta, a 14-and-under All-American last summer.


“We had a huge win by JD Vassar at 120, and that, to me, was the difference in the match,” Holmes said. “He was down for most of the match, and he battled back against a very strong opponent, winning, 7-5.”

It was, 11-9, Gaels after an 86-second pin by top-ranked junior Jake Tamai (126) over Noa Restencourt, but the Greyhounds regained a brief lead of 12-11 following an 8-6 decision by third-ranked senior Zach Glory (132) over 14th-ranked junior Ben Scheiner.


However, the Gaels swept the next three bouts for a lead of 29-12 comprising a forfeit to Connor Allison (138) and consecutive pins by fifth-ranked sophomore Tyler Stephens (144) and third-ranked freshman Brooklyn Pickett (150) in 20 and 67 seconds over Brandon Yoon and Michael DeCosta.


That set up a 157-pound grudge match between Gilman’s top-ranked senior John Jurkovic and MSJ’s second-ranked senior Cameron Cannaday, whose 6-3 loss evened their series record at 2-2, according to Jurkovic.


“Close matches like JD’s, Isaiahs and my own are what ultimately became the deciding factors in the match. I wanted to solidify my No. 1 spot in the state rankings, so I was personally pumped up to wrestle Cannaday, who is ranked No. 2 in the state,” said Jurkovic, a MIAA and private schools state runner-up. “I was able to execute my offense early, which is what ultimately led to my victory. This dual meet had been on our radar all year, so I’m thrilled that we secured the win, especially as a senior. I felt confident about how our team would perform heading into our match with MSJ."


Hudson’s fall stretched the Gaels’ lead to 35-15, setting up the closing sequence and Trusty’s heroics.


“The match ended up being much closer than we anticipated due to some last-minute injuries and lineup changes,” Jurkovic said. “But I’m incredibly proud of how our team stepped up in response. Every win and bonus point was critical to securing Gilman’s victory.”


The Greyhounds play host to this weekend’s Haswell M Franklin ’50 Gilman Duals before traveling to second-ranked Archbishop Spalding next Wednesday and playing host to fourth-ranked Loyola on Friday, the 24th, in consecutive MIAA league dual meets.


The Gaels were coming off Tuesday’s 57-20 victory at 12th-ranked MIAA rival St. Frances.


“We enter each dual meet with a young, but seasoned team. We knew the Gilman match was going to be close. The bonus points are always important, and a couple of swing matches went in favor of the Gilman wrestlers,” Gaels’ coach Harry Barnabae said. “The plan is to learn from tonight, to improve, and build momentum going into the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament and the National Preps. My congratulations To Gilman. They wrestled well tonight.”


Gilman 37, Mount St. Joseph 35


106 No. 1 Corey Brown (Mount Saint Joseph) over No. 8 Christian Wirts (Gilman School), Technical fall, 15-0 (5-0, MSJ)


113 No. 1 Liam McGettigan (Gilman School) over Angelo Kibby (Mount Saint Joseph), Fall 0:40 (6-5, Gilman)


120 No. 8 JD Vassar (Gilman School) over CJ Votta (Mount Saint Joseph), Decision, 7-5 (9-5, Gilman)


126 No. 3 Jake Tamai (Mount Saint Joseph) over Noa Restencourt (Gilman School), Fall 1:26 (11-9, MSJ)


132 No. 3 Zach Glory (Gilman School) over No. 14 Ben Scheiner (Mount Saint Joseph), Decision Dec 8-6 (12-11, Gilman)


138 Connor Allison (Mount Saint Joseph) over Unknown Forfeit (17-12, MSJ)


144 No. 5 Tyler Stephens (Mount Saint Joseph) over Brandon Yoon (Gilman School), Fall 0:20 (23-12, MSJ)


150 No. 3 Brooklyn Pickett (Mount Saint Joseph) over Michael DeCosta (Gilman School) Fall 1:17 (29-12, MSJ)


157 No. 1 John Jurkovic (Gilman School) over No. 2 Cameron Cannaday (Mount Saint Joseph) Decision, 6-3 (29-15, MSJ)


165 William Hudson (Mount Saint Joseph) over Sawyer Peck (Gilman School) Fall 3:53 (35-15, MSJ)


175 No. 12 Arthur Konshak (Gilman School) over William Ennis (Mount Saint Joseph) Fall 2:47 (35-21, MSJ)


190 No. 1 Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman School) over Unknown Forfeit (35-27, MSJ)


215 Milan Heath (Gilman School) over Unknown Forfeit (35-33)


285 No. 14 Isaiah Trusty (Gilman School) over Thomas Brandel (Mount Saint Joseph) Major Decision, 12-4 (37-33, Gilman)

552 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentarios


© 2023 by Legacy Wrestling. Created by Maryland & Washington D.C. Wrestling Superfans.

  • Facebook
bottom of page