Evan Boblits woke up at 8 a.m. this past Sunday. The St. Mary’s Ryken senior then drove an hour and 10 minutes from his home in Hughesville, Maryland, of Charles County, to the HeadHunters’ wrestling practice in Columbia, of Howard County.
Boblits spent the next 90 minutes drilling and wrestling against Centennial senior Calvin Kraisser, who is projected to win his fourth straight public schools state title, and Gilman senior John Jurkovic, who is a defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion and a Maryland Private Schools state runner-up.
“There’s a great benefit in wrestling with other high level wrestlers,” Boblits said. “Wrestling guys in Maryland like John or Calvin is something that gets you better whether you realize it or not.”
Boblits, who is committed to continuing his wrestling career at the Naval Academy, is no slouch himself as a three-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title-winner who has earned one Maryland Private Schools state title in a pair of championship bout appearances, and placed fourth and fifth in the National Preps Tournament.
Named Legacy Wrestling’s Middleweight Wrestler Of The Year last season, Boblits’ career record is 113-14 with 76 pins and two technical falls.
Boblits is ranked No. 1 at 150 pounds by Legacy Wrestling ahead of the second-ranked Kraisser, with Jurkovic being top-ranked at 157. Boblits and Jurkovic are both honorable mentions in the National Rankings.
“I’m planning on making it to Headhunters every Sunday if I am able to,” Boblits said. “I’ve always followed the quote, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ I’ve always tried to get with the best partners possible to get better.”
Kraisser, 18, won a pair of Class 4A-3A state titles during his freshman and sophomore years, and improved to 36-1 on the year and 97-3 for his career with last season’s Class 2A-1A state title. Kraisser is the sixth wrestler and the fifth sibling in a family legacy that has spanned four decades and produced 15 individual state titles for Centennial.
Calvin’s father, Cliff Kraisser, was a state champion for the Eagles in 1983, and elder brother Nathan, 31, earned four each in county, regional and state crowns before graduating in 2012. Austin Kraisser, 27, won four each in county and regional crowns as well as three state titles in four championship berths through 2016, and Jason, 24, graduated in 2019 with four each in county, region and state titles.
The eldest Kraisser sibling, Brian, 32, graduated in 2010 with two county titles and fifth and sixth place finishes at states. Brian was also second and third at counties and twice a runner-up at regions, where he also placed third and fourth. Jason's career record is 159-4, Austin's is 154-8, Nathan's, 152-6, and Brian’s, 126-39.
Boblits’ first-year coach happens to be Austin Kraisser, who competed at 157, 165 and 174 at Campbell University from 2017 through 2020, and Iowa State University in 2021. Austin Kraisser was a Southern Conference runner-up at Campbell University in 2017.
“I know that Austin Kraisser is a great wrestler, and I’m excited to have him as a coach,” Boblits said. “I know he is a great coach and mentor with him having been at a high level and a dedicated wrestler himself.”
Calvin’s losses were by narrow decisions to graduated former MIAA and private schools champion Judah Aybar of Loyola and Gilman senior Emmitt Sherlock, a University of Virginia-bound, 6-foot-3, 175-pounder.
Emmit Sherlock is top-ranked by Legacy Wrestling, sixth-ranked nationally by SB Live, and is in pursuit of his third straight titles in both the MIAA’s A Conference and the private schools state tournaments.
Sherlock has also placed third, fifth, sixth and second at the National Preps Tournament as an eighth grader, freshman, sophomore and junior, meaning he can become a rare five-time All-American by placing in this year’s event.
Tyson Sherlock is a common opponent shared by Boblits and Calvin Kraisser, who is 0-1 against Sherlock. Now a freshman at Davidson University, Sherlock finished second, first and first at MIAAs as a sophomore, junior and senior, third, first and second at private school states during those same three years, and fourth, second and first as a freshman, sophomore and junior at the National High School Coaches’ Association National Wrestling Tournament.
Austin Kraisser broached the subject of his younger brother facing Boblits at the January 3-4 War On The Shore Tournament at Stephen Decatur High in Berlin, Maryland.
“As for a possible matchup with Calvin this year, it would definitely be a fun, competitive match,” Austin Kraisser said. “I look forward to the possibility of them wrestling this season. It would be one that is guaranteed to have two guys fighting hard to come out on top.”
Boblits’ series with Tyson Sherlock is one for the ages, with his three, one-point victories including a pair of overtime rideouts to counter a 3-1 overtime loss to his Greyhounds’ nemesis.
Their first-ever meeting transpired in McDonogh’s Ray Oliver Tournament final in December 2023.
“I had practiced with Tyson on the Maryland Team. But this was going to be the first time I would be in a full match with him, and I knew it was going to be tough. (The) first period was scoreless, but in the second period, I got a quick escape to go ahead, 1-0. In the third period, Tyson got an escape. After we both held each other down for two overtime periods, I chose top for the ultimate rideout,” Boblits said.
“That’s when the final period was broken into two breaks of 15 seconds each. First 15 seconds, I used an inside chop into a claw, and he tried to use a Granby to get out of it and stood up. So, I dropped down to a leg to take him back down, but we ended up in a stalemate. On the restart, I did the same thing, and he kept trying to do a Granby to get out of it. But I was able to follow him, stay in control and wait as the time ran out.”
Boblits next faced Sherlock in the private schools’ state finals on February 16-17, this time, winning their overtime ultimate tiebreaker, 1-0.
“Tyson got called for stalling in states in the second UTB. I had gotten a stand-up and was kicking away. Tyson got called for stalling from holding onto my leg, and since it was his second stall call, I got a point and won,” Boblits said. “In our first two matches, the deciding factor for me winning, in my opinion, was just the flip of the coin. Both were back and forth matches, I just happened to get the draw and the opportunity to get out from being on the bottom in the UTB.”
Boblits and Sherlock met for the third and fourth time later that month on the weekend of February 23-24 at the National Preps Tournament, with Sherlock winning their quarterfinal bout, 3-1, in overtime, only to fall, 3-2, in their fifth-place bout.
“I lost in the quarterfinals because Tyson’s a very funky wrestler. I took a shot in overtime and almost scored, but then, he was able to get out and get the takedown. For fifth place, I was able to pull the win off with a regulation takedown off an outside dump in the third period,” Boblits said. “That was the deciding factor in the match. My last match against Tyson for fifth place at National Preps felt as if it was the most rewarding. I felt like I wrestled with more of an open style, and I just wrestled better in general. It was also the fact that I was able to finish the match before overtime.”
As a freshman at 113 pounds, Boblits went 34-5 with 21 falls, winning his first crown in the WCACs, finishing second at states and fourth at National Preps.
Boblits rose into the 126-pound weight class for his sophomore year, finishing with a record of 31-3 with 22 pins and a technical fall and winning his second straight WCAC crown. Boblits missed the states and National Preps due to an illness.
Last year’s 48-6 record included a career-high 33 pins along with his third straight crown at the WCACs, his first private schools state title and a fifth-place finish at National Preps.
Boblits looks forward to his return to action in the Knights’ first dual meet at WCAC rival Bishop McNamara on Wednesday, December 4. The Knights will engage in their first tournament at McDonogh’s Ray Oliver Invitational on December 13.
“Evan is a great competitor and the type of kid you can count on. Evan’s always working hard when no one is looking,” Austin Kraisser said. “He also has the unique ability to be coachable and make adjustments in the middle of matches, listens well and is not afraid to try something new.”
Evan Boblits: At A Glance
Freshman: 113 lbs (34-5 record, 21 pins)
WCAC: 1st
States: 2nd
Preps: 4th
Sophomore: 126 lbs (31-3, 22 pins, two technical falls)
WCAC: 1st
States: Didn’t wrestle (sick)
Preps: Didn’t wrestle (sick)
Junior: 144 lbs (48-6, 33 pins)
WCAC: 1st
States: 1st
Preps: 5th
Evan Boblits’ Record Against Tyson Sherlock: 3-1
McDonogh’s Ray Oliver Tournament: Ultimate Rideout 1-1 win
Maryland Private Schools States: Ultimate Rideout 1-0 win
National Preps Quarterfinals: 1-3 overtime loss
National Preps 5th place: 3-2 win
First Dual Meet: 12/4/24 @ McNamara High School
First Tournament: 12/13/24 @ McDonogh High School
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