JJ DiMonte's Path to Glory

McDonogh’s 12th-ranked JJ DiMonte wrestled for redemption and respect during Saturday’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association “A” Conference Tournament at ninth-ranked Gilman.

DiMonte reached the finals following falls in 15 and 23 seconds as well as another at the three-minute mark of his semifinal bout with ninth-ranked sophomore Luke Winker of Archbishop Spalding, the eventual fourth-place finisher whom he decked for the third time in as many meetings.

DiMonte looked even more impressive while nailing down a fall in 1:54 of his title match with fifth-ranked senior Hayden Myers of St. Paul’s, a repeat finalist and returning Maryland Independent/Private Schools’ State runner-up.

“I went to my signature high-crotch and picked him up,” said DiMonte, who received the tournament’s Edward T. Russell Award for Most Team Points Scored. “He tried to scramble out, but I was able to just keep wrestling, not lose my position, and he just gave up. I had never wrestled Hayden Myers before, which felt even better.”

But after charging and hugging 32nd-year coach Pete Welch, the fiery fury in DiMonte’s eyes was replaced by tears of elation as the muscular wrestler fell into an emotional embrace with his parents, Giuseppe and Christine.

That was because DiMonte was a MIAA runner-up and sixth-place finisher at states as a 165-pound freshman who was also doing well as a 175-pound sophomore before suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in January.

“My freshman year was the last time I wrestled in this tournament. I was a finalist and I got pinned in 30 seconds. I didn’t get to wrestle most of my sophomore year because I tore my ACL,” said DiMonte, who experienced another season-ending ACL tear in his right knee as a junior.

“I tore my other ACL in the first match of my junior year, so this was a lot of work for me, coming back and then also having shoulder surgery. So, there were three surgeries in 14 months, but now I’m here, and I just won the MIAAs. This took a lot of time, and a lot of hard work, and this really feels nice.”

DiMonte’s lone setbacks to Maryland wrestlers this year are against Gilman’s third-ranked, 175-pound senior Arthur Konshak and Good Counsel’s second-ranked, 190-pound senior George Tate.

DiMonte lost, 13-3, to Tate, a returning fourth-place finisher at states, and 4-1, to Konshak, a returning private schools state champion.

On Saturday, Konshak won his second straight MIAA crown by 16-5 major decision over Calvert Hall’s seventh-ranked junior Izaac Robertucci, who improved on last year’s third-place finish after being fourth at states.

“People have been disrespecting me all season in the rankings and whatever,” said DiMonte, whose 39-7 record comprises 37 pins and two major decisions. “But I just know that I have to keep on winning and I have to keep on proving people wrong, and it just feels so good.”

As a sophomore, DiMonte earned identical 12-10 overtime decisions over then-junior Sepanta Ahanj-Elias of Bullis and then-senior Nate Furgeson of Landon as well as a third decision over current fourth-ranked senior Aaron Moccia of C. Milton’s Wright, who was then at John Carroll.

Furgeson graduated in 2024 as a private schools’ state champion after having placed third as a junior, Ahanj-Elias graduated last year as a two-time private schools’ state runner-up.

“I can’t say enough about the character and commitment of JJ DiMonte. It was great to see all his hard work come together in the MIAA championship. JJ has shown tremendous resilience over his journey. After a tough freshman year, he set high goals for himself,” Welch said.

“He worked hard between his freshman sophomore year in the off-season, wrestling whomever and wherever he could. The work paid off with an amazing sophomore season that was unfortunately cut short with an ACL tear. JJ put the same effort into his rehab that he did with his wrestling the summer before.”

DiMonte owns a 6-1 decision over Moccia, a returning champion in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference and Class 2A-1A Regional Tournaments. Last month, Moccia became the Mustangs’ first-ever War On The Shore champion.

“I started the season with a tough loss to a tough kid, but they put me way down in the rankings,” DiMonte said. “I don’t really know because I try not to check them. But then I see that as I keep on winning matches, my rankings keep dropping, and that just made me want to win even more.”

Other notable victories for DiMonte are those against Walkersville’s eighth-ranked junior Max Birth, and Archbishop Curley’s 10th-ranked senior Bailen Boutz.

A repeat third-place finisher at MIAAs, Boutz trailed, 17-2, before being pinned by DiMonte.

DiMonte is the owner of a Fall Brawl preseason, 11-8, decision over Birth, who has placed third and second in two appearances at the Frederick County Tournament, and finished fifth in the Class 2A-1A West Regionals.

Birth owns a 66-second pin over Frederick’s ninth-ranked senior Ian Tumi, whose 40-2 record of a year ago included winning the Frederick County and Class 4A-3A West Regional tournaments and being a Class 4A-3A state runner-up.

“Thanks to the commitment of our amazing athletic training staff, JJ was able to start back on the mats at the beginning of his junior season. His resilience was tested again with another ACL tear and a shoulder injury needing surgery. Again, our athletic trainers went to work. I think most would have moved on to something else,” Welch said.

“Not JJ. He stayed determined and by his team the entire time. It was emotional for all of us yesterday to see JJ climb back to the top of the mountain after such a challenging journey. He is such a great kid. I know so many people were pulling for him, even our competitors. It was great to see it all come together yesterday. I’m so proud of him.”

DiMonte was joined on the victory podium by eighth-ranked junior teammate Dominic Manna (165), who rose from the 157-pound weight class.

“Dominic Manna has been a workhorse all year and really the past three years for us. He’s had great success this year against really tough competition at both 157 and 165. We knew the competition would be tough in the MIAA at either weight,” Welch said.

“We wanted to put him in the best position to score team points and win an individual title. He wrestled really well and got it done. Caden Gardner also being willing to go to 157 and place third was a boost as well.”

After fishing fourth and fifth at states last year, Manna used falls in 4:36 and 5:01 to reach the title match, where he earned a 10-5 decision over Gilman’s 14th-ranked junior Sawyer Peck before emphatically pointing a finger at Welch.

“Our plan was to do what was best for the team as we tried to win the MIAA championship. We were talking about moving me up about a week ago after looking at all of the other teams and who they had on their roster. I drank a couple of protein shakes, ate a couple of pieces of chicken, and I was just telling my coach, ‘I told you so,’” said Manna, referring to his finger-pointing gesture at Welch.

“I had never wrestled Sawyer before, but I studied some film of his matches and made a little bit of a game plan. But from there, it was just knowing how to wrestle in the moment and doing the work to deal with his attacks. I got fourth at this tournament last year, so it’s a huge improvement, and I’m pretty proud of myself. I also want to thank my coaches, my dad, my mom, and my little brother [freshman] Damian [fourth at 126] for pushing me.”

The third-ranked Eagles (237 points) finished third behind repeat champion Archbishop Spalding (274.5) and second-ranked runner-up Mount St. Joseph (266) in advance of next week’s MIS tournament at McDonogh.

“Now I have a chance to win a state title next weekend,” DiMonte said. “After beating the fifth-ranked kid in the state [Hayden Myers,] this feels amazing.”