Hereford wins Franklin Tournament

Hereford's wrestlers need only look to their coaching chairs for inspiration.

That’s where the Bulls will find two of their program’s most decorated alumni in third-year head coach Josh Asper and Rob Hough, who is among Asper’s five assistants.

While competing for the Bulls over the course of 2005-through-2008, Asper earned three Baltimore County Tournament Titles and finished third once, three regional crowns in four title-match berths, and became only the third of Maryland’s current nine four-time state champions.

Asper graduated from the University of Maryland in 2013 as a two-time ACC champion in four title match appearances and earned All-American status for placing sixth twice in the NCAA tournament.

In addition, Asper ranked second all-time for the Terps in career victories with a record of 152-28 behind Hudson Taylor (165-28), a 2010 graduate and two-time ACC champion who twice placed third in the NCAA Tournament.

Asper finished his high school career with a record of 152-7, and, for the Terps, was named ACC Wrestler of the Year in 2011.

“I also have the best people helping me build this program,” said Asper, 35. “It’s a community effort with coaches Brett Baier, Alex Usztics, Adam Bell, John Walter and Robert Hough.”

Hough graduated from Hereford in 1990 after having become the county tournament’s first four-time champion and the Bulls’ first grappler to earn 100 wins with a career record of 108-5-1.

Hough, 54, also has 32 years of decorated service in the military, including those as member of the Maryland Army National Guard, former Infantry Dragon Gunner and a deployment as a First Sergeant on a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2019

“I’ve been at Hereford as an assistant for about 25 years, and I think that Josh’s accolades have influenced our wrestlers,” said Hough, Maryland’s 2023 inductee into the Maryland Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall Of Fame as an Outstanding American.

“But his presence in the room is just as impressive. The time Josh has spent in the room at both the junior league and high school levels is showing tremendously. From Josh, Brett, John Walter, Adam Bell and Alex Usztics, our coaching staff is well-rounded.”

The proof was in the wrestling at last weekend’s Franklin Invitation Tournament, where the Bulls (258 points) overcame runner-up Churchill (246) of Montgomery County (246), placing all 14 wrestlers within the top four of their divisions and with champions in juniors Connor Cline (120) and Thomas Mallon (132) along with sophomore Daniel Casey (138).

“It was an up and down tournament for us. We had some young guys really surprise us with some outstanding performances,” Asper said. "We also had a few hiccups, but what I’m most proud of is the way every one of them picked themselves back up and went back to battle.”

Runners-up were freshman Landon Wilt (106), sophomore Wyatt Ulshafer (144) and senior Max Kramer (175), with sixth-ranked senior Adam Keever (215), sophomore James Schissler (126), senior Ollie Etchison (157) and junior Reilly Bellows (190) being third, with freshman Chase Utz (113), junior Chris Westra (285) and seniors Andy Burton (150) and Owen Roberts (165) all being placing fourth.

“It was a fun day, and I think we saw some breakthrough performances in terms of confidence,” Asper said. “I’m encouraged by what I’m seeing, and I’m grateful to have an opportunity to coach this great group of kids who are really starting to buy in.”

Cline earned a fall in 3:55 before scoring a 12-0 championship bout major decision over Brandon Bates of Mount Carmel.

“The tournament was great. We had a lot of fun and achieved the goal that the team and I were aiming for. We wouldn’t have reached that goal if we didn’t push one another during practice. People often only see the result at the tournaments and matches,” Cline said.

“But in reality, it’s each individual wrestler pushing one another to become better and more successful. This team’s main goal is to continue building this mindset and to pass it down to the next generation of Hereford High School wrestlers.”

Mallon decked all three opponents with consecutive pins in 23 seconds, 3:46 and 1:49, the last in his title match against Churchill’s David DeCastro.

Casey managed a 15-0 technical fall, an 11-1 major decision and a fall in 2:18 of his title bout with Guilford Park’s Alvin Pinkney.

“The Franklin Tournament shows how much our program has grown since last year,” Casey said. “Everyone is buying in, pushing one another every day, and it’s showing and paying off in our performances. I want to continue to get better.”

Cline improved his record on the year to 15-2, having placed second, third and sixth in counties, regions and states last year. Keever has a record of 17-2 after taking third at counties, fourth at regions and third at states.

Burton has a record of 15-3 nearly a year after being second at counties and fourth at regions, and Ulshafer is at 14-2 after finishing fifth at both counties and regions last season.

Westra’s record is 15-4 after being fourth at counties last year, and Casey’s is 13-3 after placing sixth at counties and fifth at regions a year ago.

Third-place Mount Carmel (189 points) is also thriving under second-year coach Joshua Laubach, whose Cougars crowned five champions in eleventh-ranked sophomore Samora Wolokolie (113) and juniors Evan Clarke (150), Jeffery Harris (157), Jakeveon Burton (175) and Cole Bryant (285).

Laubach is a 2018 Archbishop Curley graduate who placed second, third, fourth and fifth in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament, and first, third, fifth and sixth at private school states.

“The beauty of our performances is regarding the adversity our kids at Mount Carmel are facing,” said Laubach, a four-time National Preps All-American who was twice an All-American before graduating from Division II Alderson Broaddus University in 2023.

“The team is starting to be recognized for their toughness and grit, which is something last year’s team had no problem displaying. The wins and losses are just words to the nine young men we entered into the tournament. They enjoy wrestling, embracing the sport and they are willing to do what it takes.”

Wolokolie used a 95-second pin and another in 2:29 to reach his championship bout, where he earned a 20-4 technical fall over North Point’s Ryan Pickerall. A returning sixth-place finisher from last year’s Maryland Independent/Private Schools’ State Tournament, Wolokolie improved his record on the year to 19-4.

Clarke scored a 23-second fall and a 9-1 major decision to reach the finals for a come-from-behind, 8-7 decision over Josh Gray, a sixth-place finisher in the Baltimore County Tournament.

Harris used a 10-1 major decision and a semifinal pin in 2:39 over Etchison before edging Churchill’s Ryan King, 7-5, in their title match. Jakeveon Burton registered pins in 23 seconds and 3:02 before defeating Kramer by 22-6 technical fall.

Bryant won his semifinal, 4-3, over Franklin’s Jordan Adams before decking Churchill’s Cole Nelson at 1:53 of their championship match.

“Samora went unscored upon during the entire tournament. Evan won a nail-biter with a six-point reversal into a near-fall in the final minute of his finals’ match,” Laubach said. “Jeffery won a barn-burner in his semifinal [against Etchison] before picking up the fall in the third period. Jakeveon scored 12 takedowns in his three matches.”

The runner-up Bulldogs crowned a pair of wrestlers in Aakash Ho (106) and Noam Kisin (190), as did fourth-place Guilford Park in Leo Saravia (126) and McDonald Omonogor (144).

Ho used a semifinal fall in 2:22 to reach the finals, where he scored a 16-1 technical fall against Wilt. Kisin earned pins in 39, 27 and 22 seconds, the last in his championship match with Divine Ikeako of Western Tech.

Omonogor earned a 9-3 decision and a fall in 1:57 to reach the title bout, where he won a 3-1 decision over Ulshafer. Saravia’s title run comprised a 16-0, a 35-second pin and a fall in 1:54 of his championship match with Churchill’s Parsa Shakeri.

Saravia improved his record on the year to 15-2 with six pins and four technical falls, this, nearly a year after he and senior teammate Elijah Fields made history by becoming the first- and second Howard County champions in their school’s second year of existence.

By becoming a county champion, Saravia improved on his record-setting fourth place finish at counties from as a sophomore, when he became the first Panthers' wrestler to place in that event.

Saravia also became the Panther’s first male to qualify for states two years ago, when he finished as a Class 2A-1A South Regional runner-up.

Franklin’s Chris Leveille (165) and 20th-ranked Mount Hebron senior Iyanuoluin Ogunsakin (215) were the lone champions for their programs, with Ogunsakin being a returning Howard County Tournament runner-up who was third at regions.

Ogunsakin earned a fall in 3:25 and a 19-2 technical fall before winning his overtime title match, 9-8, against Tavon Mitchell of Mount Carmel. Mitchell reached the finals after consecutive upsets, decking Fields in 1:57 and edging Keever, 2-1.

Leveille took just 87 seconds to deck Abdul Khan of Mount Hebron. Leveille reached the finals following a fall in 3:02 and a 13-12 semifinal victory over Churchill’s Noah Zhang.

Team Scores

1 Hereford High School, 258.0

2 Churchill High School 246.0

3 Our Lady of Mount Carmel School 189.0

4 Guilford Park High School 153.0

5 Franklin High School 110.5

6 Mt Hebron High School 110.0

7 Western School of Technology 70.0

8 North Point High School 64.5

9 Severn School 49.0

10 St Andrew`s Episcopal School 25.0

11 Bell Multicultural High School 14.0

12 Mergenthaler 0.0

13 Eleanor Roosevelt High School 0.0

14 South Hagerstown High School 0.0

Varsity - 106

1st Place Match

Aakash Ho (Churchill High School) won by tech fall over Landon Wilt (Hereford High School) (TF 16-1)

3rd Place Match

Tyson Pope (Guilford Park High School) won by fall over Muhammad Naeem (Franklin High School) (Fall 0:41)

5th Place Match

Benjamin Burk (Western School of Technology and Environmental Science) received a bye () (Bye)

Varsity - 113

1st Place Match

Samora Wolokie (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by tech fall over Ryan Pickerall (North Point High School) (TF 20-4)

3rd Place Match

Noah Hernandez (Churchill High School) won by tech fall over Chase Utz (Hereford High School) (TF 16-1)

5th Place Match

Colin Schwab (Severn School) won by decision over Luis Galo-Orellana (Guilford Park High School) (Dec 2-0)

Varsity - 120

1st Place Match

Connor Cline (Hereford High School) won by major decision over Brandon Bates (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) (Maj 12-0)

3rd Place Match

Augie Whiteside (Churchill High School) won by fall over Franklin Ramos (Western School of Technology and Environmental Scie) (Fall 2:01)

5th Place Match

Solomon Prince (North Point High School) won by forfeit over Byrne Olson (Severn School) (FF)

Varsity - 126

1st Place Match

Leo Saravia (Guilford Park High School) won by fall over Parsa Shakeri (Churchill High School) (Fall 1:54)

3rd Place Match

James Schissler (Hereford High School) won by fall over Safi Afzal (Western School of Technology and Environmental Science) (Fall 1:59)

5th Place Match

Vineet Gouri (Mt Hebron High School) won by major decision over Will Tweed (Severn School) (Maj 10-1)

Varsity - 132

1st Place Match

Thomas Mallon (Hereford High School) won by fall over David DeCastro (Churchill High School) (Fall 1:49)

3rd Place Match

Mark Leary (St Andrew`s Episcopal School) won by fall over Matthew Perez-Espino (Guilford Park High School) (Fall 4:17)

5th Place Match

Quanzou Song (Bell Multicultural High School) won by fall over Macai Dorliae (North Point High School) (Fall 2:27)

Varsity - 138

1st Place Match

Daniel Casey (Hereford High School) won by fall over Alvin Pinkney (Guilford Park High School) (Fall 2:18)

3rd Place Match

Ian Baucum (North Point High School) won by decision over Timmy Zink (Mt Hebron High School) (Dec 5-1)

5th Place Match

Lucas David (Churchill High School) won by fall over Chase Morgan (Severn School) (Fall 1:36)

Varsity - 144

1st Place Match

McDonald Omonogor (Guilford Park High School) won by decision over Wyatt Ulshafer (Hereford High School) (Dec 3-1)

3rd Place Match

Cavin Whiteside (Churchill High School) won by tech fall over Jason Ace (Mt Hebron High School) (TF 16-0)

5th Place Match

Chourie Harris (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by fall over Kareem Mifahuddin (Western School of Technology and Environmental Science) (Fall 2:40)

Varsity - 150

1st Place Match

Evan Clarke (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by decision over Josh Gray (Franklin High School) (Dec 8-7)

3rd Place Match

Mason Hu (Churchill High School) won by decision over Andy Burton (Hereford High School) (Dec 6-5)

5th Place Match

Cael Killo (Mt Hebron High School) won by fall over Rowan Ward (Severn School) (Fall 2:45)

Varsity - 157

1st Place Match

Jeffery Harris (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by decision over Ryan King (Churchill High School) (Dec 7-5)

3rd Place Match

Ollie Etchison (Hereford High School) won by fall over Zeno Ban (Guilford Park High School) (Fall 1:41)

5th Place Match

Idris Miller (Western School of Technology and Environmental Science) won by fall over Griffin Storrer (Mt Hebron High School) (Fall 2:18)

Varsity - 165

1st Place Match

Christian Leveille (Franklin High School) won by fall over Abdul Khan (Mt Hebron High School) (Fall 1:27)

3rd Place Match

Noah Zhang (Churchill High School) won by fall over Owen Roberts (Hereford High School) (Fall 3:29)

5th Place Match

Logan Savage (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by fall over Micah Roogow (Guilford Park High School) (Fall 1:56)

Varsity - 175

1st Place Match

Jakayveon Burton (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by tech fall over Max Kramer (Hereford High School) (TF 22-6)

3rd Place Match

Tommy Trenkamp (Churchill High School) won by fall over Cooper Dawson (Guilford Park High School) (Fall 1:31)

5th Place Match

Chibuikem Ezeani (Franklin High School) won by fall over Muhammad Ahmad (Mt Hebron High School) (Fall 2:41)

Varsity - 190

1st Place Match

Noam Kisin (Churchill High School) won by fall over Divine Ikeako (Western School of Technology and Environmental Science) (Fall 0:22)

3rd Place Match

Reilley Bellows (Hereford High School) won by fall over Akezhan Robles (North Point High School) (Fall 0:43)

5th Place Match

Carlos Franco Zacarias (Franklin High School) won by fall over Jaylin Bryan (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) (Fall 0:48)

Varsity - 215

1st Place Match

Iyanuoluinmi Ogunsakin (Mt Hebron High School) won in tie breaker - 1 over Tavon Mitchell (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) (TB-1 9-8)

3rd Place Match

Adam Keever (Hereford High School) won by fall over Talin Krashoc (Severn School) (Fall 2:40)

5th Place Match

Elijah Fields (Guilford Park High School) won by tech fall over Caleb Gray (Franklin High School) (TF 19-4)

Varsity - 285

1st Place Match

Cole Bryant (Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) won by fall over Cole Nelson (Churchill High School) (Fall 1:53)

3rd Place Match

Jordan Adams (Franklin High School) won by major decision over Chris Westra (Hereford High School) (Maj 8-0)

5th Place Match

Dylan Brew (Guilford Park High School) won by fall over Joseph McHale (Mt Hebron High School) (Fall 0:39)