Marriotts Ridge senior Rocky Alabaddi built an early lead and fought off a late headlock for a 7-6 victory over Hammond senior Cody Johnson to win a 113-pound revenge match for the Howard County Tournament crown on Monday night at Wilde Lake.
Alabaddi was joined on the victory podium by senior Srivanth Saladi (106) and sophomore Boden Pistorio (120) among seven wrestlers who finished within the top four of their weight classes as the Mustangs (191 points) overcame runner-up Glenelg (178.5) to win their first-ever county tournament title.
Runners-up for the Mustangs were junior Jonah Obitz (165) and sophomore Cj Nyorkor (175), with junior Trip Bennett (144) finishing third, and a fourth-place effort from junior Alex Gladstone (138).
"For our first three guys to come out and win their titles was a great way to clinch it," said first-year Mustangs head coach Vince Muscato. "We've always had great lower weights. They know that if they're in our room, they're going to be scrapping and it's great to have them to help one another. They're really tough."
Alabaddi used pins in 41 seconds and 5:40 to reach the championship bout, with his semifinal victory representing his 100th career win. Alabaddi improved to 36-2 on the year and earned his 101st career win by dethroning Johnson, who won their county championship bout last year.
"I wrestled him in the finals last year and he beat me, but this year, I was a lot more locked in and I wanted it more. He got his two points at the end, but the better wrestler won, and I got my get-back," said Alabbadi, a fourth-place regional finisher last season. "I was able to counter his shuck throughout the match because I saw him use it throughout the tournament. I felt like he was one dimensional and I was able to stop it. I got injured and couldn't wrestle at the states last year, but this year I'm going for all three titles."
Saladi rose to 28-1 on the year with falls in 3:51, 2:00 and 2:58, the latter in the finals against River Hill's Josef Finn off a bar-arm pinning maneuver.
"I like running bars on guys, and when I get it in deep like that, I can usually finish them," said Saladi, who first stepped onto a mat as a sophomore. "I'm only a third-year wrestler and I was injured two weeks before this tournament last year so I couldn't participate. I believed that I could do it, and it feels great to be a county champion. Now the goal is states."
Pistorio improved his record to 30-3 on falls in 3:27 and 48 and 69 seconds, the latter for the crown against Timmy Zink of Mount Hebron. Pistorio was third at counties and second at regions before finishing 2-2 at states last year.
"I pinned him with a move that I call a Princeton stack, which I learned a few years ago," Pistorio said. "I wrestled him for the third time this year, but this was the first time I was able to pin him. It was really nice to have all three of us win county championships this year."
Third place Oakland Mills crowned five champions comprising repeat title-winner and Class 2A-1A state runner-up senior Joe Clark (165) and senior Brighton Barker (190) along with freshman Orlando Castelan-Cortez (126), Raul Rodriguez (150) and Diego Gambrill (157).
Clark used a fall in 2:45 and a semifinal 15-7 major decision to reach the finals, where he countered Obitz’s attempt at a takedown for a 3-2 decision that broke a 1-1 tie. Clark improved to 35-0, having beaten Obitz, 7-2, earlier this season.
"I've known Josh for years and he came to wrestle in this match. He got in on that double and had my leg up, but he left his leg exposed," Clark said. "I just drove really hard off of my one foot, snagged his ankle and scrambled through it. I wanted my second county title, so I wrestled conservatively. But I will probably see him in the regions next weekend, and I respect him."
Castelan-Cortez used a fall in 3:17 and a 6-2 decision to reach the finals, where he managed a 10-4 decision over Glenelg's Jonathan Sexton. Castelan-Cortez improved to 21-6 with his triumph over Sexton, who pinned him the last time they wrestled.
"Last time we wrestled it didn't go well because he was able to pin me in the third period," Castelan-Cortez said. "This time, I knew what I was in for, and I was able to counter what he did well. I can't believe that I'm a freshman and a county champion."
Rodriguez improved to 27-4 on pins in 5:21, 5:24 before gaining revenge against River Hill's Garin Jeng with his championship fall in 4:45. Rodriguez was a runner-up to Kraisser last year.
"The last time I wrestled him I got pinned in the third period, so I was watching out for his cradle. I worked on my defense against him putting the legs in and I worked on keeping my head up in order to counter his cradle. It was losing in the first period and then it was tied at 5-5," Rodriguez said. "But I just cleared my mind of what happened before. I've been practicing getting out of legs for the past two weeks. When he tried to put in legs again, I reached up and grabbed his head. When I turned, he was still trying to put his second leg in, so I reached up and almost had a cradle. I just pulled him over and stacked his body."
Gambrill pinned his first opponent in 3:05 then ground out a 3-2 semifinal victory over third-place finisher Josh Choi of Glenelg, against whom he gained revenge. Gambrill won his title bout, 5-1, in overtime against Mount Hebron's Connor Severino, whom he turned for three nearfall points in the final seconds of the last period.
Barker pinned all three opponents comprising falls in 1:47, 5:23 and 59 seconds, the last being in the title match with Howard's Isaac King. Barker earned his first county title in three championship berths, improving his record on the year to 35-1.
"I'm a two-time runner-up and a first-time champ. I've been waiting for this one," Barker said. "Sophomore year I got third at regions and last year I went 0-2. This year, I'm ready to give it a run."
Hammond had two title-winners in repeat champion senior Will Terry (138) and sophomore Jayden Timothy (175).
Terry won his first match by 12-0 major decision, pinned his semifinal opponent in 2:40, and improved his overall record to 38-3 with a fall in 5:22 of his championship bout with Atholton's Justin Soriano. Terry won his second straight title.
"Justin pinned my brother, Zachary, at 144 and came down from that weight to face me," Terry said. "This was a little bit of a get-back for my brother. I didn't want a decision tonight. I wanted bonus points, and I got the pin."
Timothy improved to 31-5 on an 84-second fall, a 7-2 decision in the semifinal and a 3-1 decision over Nyorkor for the championship.
"Watching Will win was definitely a big motivator for me. I'm really thankful and grateful for this," Timothy. "I was second in the junior varsity tournament last year, so to be a champion is a great accomplishment. I'm just trying to please my family and please the Lord."
Other champions were Centennial's three-time title winner and two-time Class 4A-3A state champion junior Calvin Kraisser (144), repeat champion and Class 4A-3A state runner-up Andrew Dolezel (132), of Reservoir, Mark Enamorado (215) of Atholton, and Nathan Faulkner (285) of River Hill.
Kraisser, a two-time regional and Class 4A-3A state champion, was named the event's Outstanding Wrestler for winning his third straight crown with a fall in 1:50 against Glenelg's Collin Szczepanski.
Kraisser used falls in 3:07 and 1:48 to reach the finals, improving his record to 29-1 and continuing a family legacy that has produced 14 individual state titles for the Eagles.
Calivn’s coach and father Cliff Kraisser was a state champion for the Eagles in 1983, elder brother Nathan earned four each in county, regional and state crowns before graduating in 2012, Austin won four each in county and regional crowns as well as three state titles in four championship births through 2016, and Jason graduated in 2019 with four each in county, region and state titles.
"It feels great to continue the legacy that my brothers started," Kraisser said. "I just try to focus on one match at a time and empty my head of any negative thoughts. The mentality is the most important part of wrestling."
Dolezel ran his record on the year to 34-0 on a pin in 1:52 and a 16-1 technical fall in the semifinals before pinning title-bout rival Isaac Choi of Glenelg in 4:29 after having built a 10-1 lead.
Dozeal was second at counties and regions and third at states as a freshman. A year ago at counties, Dolezel pinned his semifinal opponent in 61 seconds and finished off River Hill’s Jacob Cohen at 3:25 of their title match.
"As you saw tonight, this didn't really test me. Pinning someone in the finals of a tournament isn't really testing me, so I'm hoping that my regional and state tournaments will be a lot better," said Dolezel, regional champion last year. "I have 34 wins now and only three of them have not been either by pin or technical fall. I'm fully confident in my abilities and I know that in all of my heart I can win states this time."
Enamorado is 34-5 on the year following pins in 5:00, 2:28 and, finally, 5:15 of his title bout with Glenelg's Peter Danko.
"I knew he would be a really tough guy because we push each other during head-hunters' practices," Enamorado said. "I just tried to control the match, but as soon as I got that bar-arm in, I just ran it the way my coach taught me to do it."
Faulkner scored first-period pins against all three opponents comprising those in 97, 62 and 74 seconds, the last coming against Howard's Caleb Snype in the finals. Although just a second-year wrestler, Faulkner was a county runner-up last year.
"I just wanted to go in and wrestle the best that I could. Being a county champion feels pretty good," Faulkner said. "I beat the No. 1 seed last year, so I came into this tournament with a humble attitude because I know that upsets can happen."
Team Scores
1 Marriotts Ridge 191
2 Glenelg 178.5
3 Oakland Mills 168
4 Atholton, MD 160
5 Hammond 145
6 Mount Hebron 122
7 Reservoir 120
8 River Hill 118
9 Howard 107
10 Centennial 77
11 Wilde Lake 49.5
12 Long Reach 41
13 Guilford Park 14
Varsity - 106
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Srivanth Saladi of Marriotts Ridge
2nd Place - Josef Finn of River Hill
3rd Place - Bennett Custodio of Howard
4th Place - Philip Kim of Glenelg
5th Place - Jacob Higgins of Long Reach
6th Place - Ezra Lacron of Hammond
1st Place Match
Srivanth Saladi (Marriotts Ridge) won by fall over Josef Finn (River Hill) (Fall 2:58)
3rd Place Match
Bennett Custodio (Howard) won by fall over Philip Kim (Glenelg) (Fall 3:00)
5th Place Match
Jacob Higgins (Long Reach) won by fall over Ezra Lacron (Hammond) (Fall 4:01)
Varsity - 113
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Rocky Alabaddi of Marriotts Ridge
2nd Place - Cody Johnson of Hammond
3rd Place - Johnathan Maslan of Atholton
4th Place - Leo Saravia of Guilford Park
5th Place - Aaron Aquino of Reservoir
6th Place - Michael Cowen of Oakland Mills
1st Place Match
Rocky Alabaddi (Marriotts Ridge) won by decision over Cody Johnson (Hammond) (Dec 7-6)
3rd Place Match
Johnathan Maslan (Atholton) won by decision over Leo Saravia (Guilford Park) (Dec 3-2)
5th Place Match
Aaron Aquino (Reservoir) won by fall over Michael Cowen (Oakland Mills) (Fall 2:28)
Varsity - 120
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Boden Pistorio of Marriotts Ridge
2nd Place - Timmy Zink of Mount Hebron
3rd Place - Chase Garrison of Atholton
4th Place - Kadence Chau of Reservoir
5th Place - David Small of Wilde Lake
6th Place - Laith Zaghari of River Hill
1st Place Match
Boden Pistorio (Marriotts Ridge) won by fall over Timmy Zink (Mount Hebron) (Fall 1:09)
3rd Place Match
Chase Garrison (Atholton) won by fall over Kadence Chau (Reservoir) (Fall 2:00)
5th Place Match
David Small (Wilde Lake) won by fall over Laith Zaghari (River Hill) (Fall 0:41)
Varsity - 126
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Orlando Castelan-Cortez of Oakland Mills
2nd Place - Jonathan Sexton of Glenelg
3rd Place - Sam Vissers of Reservoir
4th Place - Kiv Mativo of Howard
5th Place - Jason Ace of Mount Hebron
6th Place - Tobias Bernstein of Atholton
1st Place Match
Orlando Castelan-Cortez (Oakland Mills) won by decision over Jonathan Sexton (Glenelg) (Dec 10-4)
3rd Place Match
Sam Vissers (Reservoir) won by decision over Kiv Mativo (Howard) (Dec 9-4)
5th Place Match
Jason Ace (Mount Hebron) won by decision over Tobias Bernstein (Atholton) (Dec 6-4)
Varsity - 132
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Andrew Dolezel of Reservoir
2nd Place - Isaac Choi of Glenelg
3rd Place - Gilberto Medina of Atholton
4th Place - Michael Perez-Romero of Hammond
5th Place - Jamie Kraft of Marriotts Ridge
6th Place - John Carpenter of Mount Hebron
1st Place Match
Andrew Dolezel (Reservoir) won by fall over Isaac Choi (Glenelg) (Fall 4:29)
3rd Place Match
Gilberto Medina (Atholton) won by fall over Michael Perez-Romero (Hammond) (Fall 1:41)
5th Place Match
Jamie Kraft (Marriotts Ridge) won by fall over John Carpenter (Mount Hebron) (Fall 1:53)
Varsity - 138
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Will Terry of Hammond
2nd Place - Justin Soriano of Atholton
3rd Place - Roy Jones Jr of Reservoir
4th Place - Alex Gladstone of Marriotts Ridge
5th Place - Abdel Gaballa of Howard
6th Place - Ben Schott of Glenelg
1st Place Match
Will Terry (Hammond) won by fall over Justin Soriano (Atholton) (Fall 5:22)
3rd Place Match
Roy Jones Jr (Reservoir) won by decision over Alex Gladstone (Marriotts Ridge) (Dec 9-8)
5th Place Match
Abdel Gaballa (Howard) won by fall over Ben Schott (Glenelg) (Fall 2:04)
Varsity - 144
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Calvin Kraisser of Centennial
2nd Place - Collin Szczepanski of Glenelg
3rd Place - Trip Bennett of Marriotts Ridge
4th Place - Zach Terry of Hammond
5th Place - Malachi Johnson of Atholton
6th Place - Michael Ukoh of Mount Hebron
1st Place Match
Calvin Kraisser (Centennial) won by fall over Collin Szczepanski (Glenelg) (Fall 1:50)
3rd Place Match
Trip Bennett (Marriotts Ridge) won by fall over Zach Terry (Hammond) (Fall 3:26)
5th Place Match
Malachi Johnson (Atholton) won by fall over Michael Ukoh (Mount Hebron) (Fall 0:45)
Varsity - 150
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Raul Rodriguez of Oakland Mills
2nd Place - Garin Jeng of River Hill
3rd Place - Sam Menefee of Glenelg
4th Place - Grant Mizer of Howard
5th Place - Thomas MacKenzie of Atholton
6th Place - Adrian Pinos of Marriotts Ridge
1st Place Match
Raul Rodriguez (Oakland Mills) won by fall over Garin Jeng (River Hill) (Fall 4:45)
3rd Place Match
Sam Menefee (Glenelg) won by decision over Grant Mizer (Howard) (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match
Thomas MacKenzie (Atholton) won by fall over Adrian Pinos (Marriotts Ridge) (Fall 4:16)
Varsity - 157
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Diego Gambrill of Oakland Mills
2nd Place - Connor Severino of Mount Hebron
3rd Place - Josh Choi of Glenelg
4th Place - Michael Amadiegwu of River Hill
5th Place - Malachi Patterson of Atholton
6th Place - John Louie of Hammond
1st Place Match
Diego Gambrill (Oakland Mills) won in tie breaker - 1 over Connor Severino (Mount Hebron) (TB-1 5-1)
3rd Place Match
Josh Choi (Glenelg) won by fall over Michael Amadiegwu (River Hill) (Fall 3:54)
5th Place Match
Malachi Patterson (Atholton) won in sudden victory - 1 over John Louie (Hammond) (SV-1 10-8)
Varsity - 165
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Joe Clark of Oakland Mills
2nd Place - Jonah Obitz of Marriotts Ridge
3rd Place - Will Schmitt of Centennial
4th Place - Gavin Harder of Glenelg
5th Place - Steven Aldo Rosas of Atholton
6th Place - Josh Beharry-Curry of Reservoir
1st Place Match
Joe Clark (Oakland Mills) won by decision over Jonah Obitz (Marriotts Ridge) (Dec 3-1)
3rd Place Match
Will Schmitt (Centennial) won by decision over Gavin Harder (Glenelg) (Dec 11-4)
5th Place Match
Steven Aldo Rosas (Atholton) won by decision over Josh Beharry-Curry (Reservoir) (Dec 2-1)
Varsity - 175
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Jayden Timothy of Hammond
2nd Place - Cj Nyorkor of Marriotts Ridge
3rd Place - Matt Sedor of Centennial
4th Place - Joshua Danso of Mount Hebron
5th Place - Brayden Fisher of Oakland Mills
6th Place - Madison Lawrence of Wilde Lake
1st Place Match
Jayden Timothy (Hammond) won by decision over Cj Nyorkor (Marriotts Ridge) (Dec 3-1)
3rd Place Match
Matt Sedor (Centennial) won by major decision over Joshua Danso (Mount Hebron) (Maj 14-6)
5th Place Match
Brayden Fisher (Oakland Mills) won in sudden victory - 1 over Madison Lawrence (Wilde Lake) (SV-1 7-5)
Varsity - 190
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Brighton Barker of Oakland Mills
2nd Place - Isaac King of Howard
3rd Place - Dax Haak of Mount Hebron
4th Place - Dylon Clarke of Long Reach
5th Place - Xavier Nichols of Hammond
6th Place - Kevin Sisk of Reservoir
1st Place Match
Brighton Barker (Oakland Mills) won by fall over Isaac King (Howard) (Fall 0:59)
3rd Place Match
Dax Haak (Mount Hebron) won by fall over Dylon Clarke (Long Reach) (Fall 2:38)
5th Place Match
Xavier Nichols (Hammond) won by medical forfeit over Kevin Sisk (Reservoir) (MFF)
Varsity - 215
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Mark Enamorado of Atholton
2nd Place - Peter Danko of Glenelg
3rd Place - Benjamin Blackerby of Mount Hebron
4th Place - Desmond Baker of Hammond
5th Place - Ja`Kaylen Love of Marriotts Ridge
6th Place - Hakim Antoine of Wilde Lake
1st Place Match
Mark Enamorado (Atholton) won by fall over Peter Danko (Glenelg) (Fall 5:15)
3rd Place Match
Benjamin Blackerby (Mount Hebron) won by decision over Desmond Baker (Hammond) (Dec 8-1)
5th Place Match
Ja`Kaylen Love (Marriotts Ridge) won by medical forfeit over Hakim Antoine (Wilde Lake) (MFF)
Varsity - 285
Guaranteed Places
1st Place - Nathan Faulkner of River Hill
2nd Place - Caleb Snype of Howard
3rd Place - Manny Oluremi of Oakland Mills
4th Place - Elijah Fields of Long Reach
5th Place - Kalen Mackall of Reservoir
6th Place - Galvin Lah of Wilde Lake
1st Place Match
Nathan Faulkner (River Hill) won by fall over Caleb Snype (Howard) (Fall 1:14)
3rd Place Match
Manny Oluremi (Oakland Mills) won by injury default over Elijah Fields (Long Reach) (Inj. 1:26)
5th Place Match
Kalen Mackall (Reservoir) won in sudden victory - 1 over Galvin Lah (Wilde Lake) (SV-1 7-5)