Maryland @ Journeymen

On Saturday and Sunday at Union College in Schenectady, New York the Journeymen Fall and Women’s Classic was held. Age groups ranged from Elementary to High School and Maryland had a rep place in all.

MT. ST. JOSEPH’S BROOKLYN PICKETT CONTINUES HIS STELLAR FALL

Sophomore Brooklyn Pickett will be the top-rated 150-pounder in Maryland this year and the Gael keeps climbing up the national list after starting the preseason listed as an honorable mention grappler at 144 pounds.

The move up to 150 has been beneficial for Pickett as he has made big noise at two recent national events, The Journeymen and last weekend’s Grappler Fall Classic. Pickett’s Journeymen run ended with a 152-pound championship final loss to Pennsylvania’s No. 7 Michael Turi (Wyoming Seminary), 7-2.

“It was honestly one that I want to get back at Beast, PowerAde, or Preps,” remarked Pickett. “I’m looking forward to making adjustments off that match. I feel like I learned a lot about myself and my hand fighting. He was an older guy, and I could definitely feel with the hand fighting he was a little more experienced, a little more active in there and that’s just something I’m going to have to implement in my game plan the next match I wrestle him and throughout my wrestling career.”

To reach the finals, Pickett took out No. 27 Jackson Weller (Delran, NJ), 11-8 in overtime. Pickett was holding a late lead when Weller got a takedown leaving mere seconds for Pickett to earn an escape, which he did to force OT. In the quarterfinals, Pickett handled California’s Sergio Gomez (Monster Garage/St. John Bosco), 4-1.

“It (Weller) was a tough match honestly,” reflected Pickett. “I really had to dig down deep. Overall, I just trusted my coaches, coach Eli, Elijah Oliver, really helped guide me throughout the match and keep me tough mentally. It was a tough match, and I was happy I was able to go out there and finish hard.”

Winning Pool E by going 2-0 placed Pickett in the Championship Bracket. The two Pool E wins came over New Jersey’s James Jakub (Christian Brothers Academy), 7-1, and Aaron Ellison (Lumberton), by 17-2 technical fall.

Pickett will be moving into the numbered portion of the 150-pound rankings based on his past two national outings. At the Grappler Fall Classic in Ohio, the St. Joe grappler, beat two nationally ranked foes en route to a third-place finish in the Elite High School Division at 150 pounds. Pickett’s consolation final was won over West Virginia’s Dominic Way, who had a breakout at GFC, too, 8-3.

“I felt really confident the whole tournament,” Pickett said. “My gas tank was a lot better than last year. I really worked on my conditioning. I really emphasized pushing the pace on those guys. In all my matches I got the first takedown. I wanted to keep that type of pace, that energy for the rest of the preseason and the season.”

The consolation semis provided Pickett with his biggest test of the preseason when he squared off with No. 20 Jeffrey Huyvaert (New Prairie, IN) and came away with a 7-6 victory.

“And specifically, against Huyvaert, he got to my legs early, but I just stayed composed the whole match,” Pickett continued. “I got to my attacks, scored easily. Honestly, next time I wrestle a match against a ranked opponent or someone like him, I know I can score more points. I put him in some danger zone positions that I can capitalize on. I’m really just looking to score more points next time I wrestle a competent opponent like that.”

The sophomore ran into a fellow classmate from Pennsylvania in the semis, Jason Dube, who competes for the Spire Academy in Ohio, and fell 7-4.

“It wasn’t what I wanted,” said Pickett. “I had a hard loss in the semis, losing in the final seconds. It was a good lesson to close out matches hard, wrestle matches hard the whole way through and always look to score points. That’s something I need to keep emphasizing and keep working on, even when I’m tired, even when I’m hurting, just keep on going, keep on scoring.”

A match prior to that resulted in a dominant quarterfinal win against Michigan’s Dallas Korponic (No. 24 at 157 pounds), 8-2. Pickett posted three other wins to reach the quarters with two techs and a 15-4 major decision.

“He (Korponic) was real scrambly, but once again just staying composed and trusting my training and knowing that even in the scrambles or the tough positions, I’m still going to score, I’m going to come out on top. I put myself in bad positions in matches on purpose and in practice on purpose, so in matches I can go and score those tough points. It was a fun match overall.”

Watching Pickett over the last two weeks has been a treat as it’s apparent to the eye that he has taken his wrestling to another level. Three big-time national wins back that assertion up.

“I’m definitely a lot more focused,” Pickett added. “I spent a lot of time on positioning, a lot of stance and motion, and overall, just mindset. Just trusting myself. Trusting my training and believing I’m the best guy out there every time I step on the mat. That has obviously elevated me to be confident in my matches and pull the trigger, which I was missing on a lot last year.”

THE TSARNI DYNASTY

The Kraisser’s built their dynasty on a continuous streak of state titles. The Tsarni’s are going about things a bit differently as one does not have a state tournament to compete in (Kesi) and another has left Maryland to take on a more national level schedule. The Tsarni’s are more prominent on the national scene and their regular exposure to that has led to local domination and national reputations.

None greater than Salah Tsarni, who has left the Bullis School, and begins his junior year with the Blair Academy in New Jersey. Tsarni sits at No. 2 in the country at 175 pounds in High School on SI’s National Rankings and dominated the Journeymen field as he claimed the 185-pound title.

Tsarni’s toughest challenge came in the finals versus California state placer Mason Savidan (Monster Garage/St. John Bosco). Tsarni methodically took apart Savidan posting points at a steady clip until he wore Savidan down and put him away by simply overpowering him shortly into the third period with a fall at 4:21 while up 10-3.

Kesi (Bullis School) placed fifth in the Women’s Freestyle Classic with a 10-0 technical fall of New York’s Mackenzie Harbour (Journeymen WC). Tsarni’s weight began with two pools that led to placement bouts. Kesi was 1-2 in Pool B, which landed her in that fifth-place match.

Kesi’s pool losses came to No. 8 Faith Bane (New Bern, NC), 7-6, and New York’s Victoria Alvarado (Venom), 8-5. Her pool victory occurred versus another New Yorker, Aaliyah Morrow (Empire Girls), 10-0.

Zakey patrolled the Middle School Brackets, where he placed ninth at 112 pounds. Once in the placement rounds, Zakey put up a 16-1 tech fall of New York’s Andrew Uszenski (Kd Trained) and then decked Rocco Augello (Barn Brothers) in the placement match, 1:23.

Zakey was 1-2 in Pool C. The win came over Massimo Perentin (Frost Gang), 7-1, with both losses coming by fall to Pennsylvania’s Evan Restivo (28 seconds) and Ryder Walsh (Wrestlers Way), 1:15.

All three repped the Capital Wrestling Club as did Pickett.

NATIONALLY RANKED STARS

Perry Hall’s Victor Marks-Jenkins holds the No. 11 ranking at 190 pounds based on his previous year of action. The move to 215 presented some challenges at the Grappler Fall Classic but the ship was righted a week later at Journeymen with a fourth-place finish.

Marks-Jenkins was up on the scoreboard in his consolation final with Pennsylvania’s No. 28 Kendahl Hoare (DuBois) when Hoare turned the tide to end as the victor, 8-5. An 8-2 semifinal loss came at the hands of Michigan’s Connor Bercume, who was nationally ranked as a junior and senior. Bercume is enrolled at Blair this year as a Postgraduate and will be eligible to compete in Prep School only events such as duals, tournaments with just National Prep Teams (like Bissell), the prep qualifier and National Prep Tournaments.

Marks-Jenkins posted a 10-1 major decision of Arizona’s Hudson Koch (McQueen) in the quarterfinals after a 2-0 record in Pool E gave him a championship birth. Both of those wins were achieved with tech falls.

At the GFC, Marks-Jenkins was surprised by an incoming freshman from New York, Dominic Darch, 8-5 in OT, in his first match. Marks-Jenkins rebounded to reach the blood round when he lost another overtime bout to Oregon’s Landon Guilford, 3-2 TB 1. It was a similar national pattern to last spring for VMJ when tough sledding at NHSCAs led to winning ways down the road.

Bullis’ Aaron Tucker (CWC) came into the Journeymen as an honorable mention entry at 165 pounds and competed at 170, where he placed tenth. Before Tucker cracked the rankings, he was kept out because of some losses. That would also describe Tucker’s opponent from Pennsylvania in his placement match, Thomas Schechterly.

Both have been up and down with big wins on their resumes along with questionable losses. Schechterly won this showdown, 3-2. Tucker had previously beaten Schechterly a few weeks ago at the Waterway Duals, 5-1 in TB1. Tucker put a 7-2 semifinal decision on the bracket versus New York’s Gabriel English and a 11-0 major against Gunner Lopez (Black Fox).

In Pool H, Tucker was 1-1. The loss to New Jersey’s Cole Dunham (Iron Horse), 4-3, kicked him out of gold medal consideration and a 4-0 win over Ewan Olson (Derry Area, PA) placed him in the second-tier bracket.

DAMIAN DUCHEZ FOLLOWS UP FARGO AA

DuChez, who was at Urbana and will now compete for Bullis, came out of nowhere on the national scene to place eighth at the 16U Freestyle Nationals at 94 pounds in Fargo over the summer.

DuChez replicated that placement position at Journeymen landing eighth at 106 pounds. DuChez won Pool B to advance to the placement bracket where he drew nationally ranked No. 16 Luke Loren (St. John Bosco, CA) in his quarterfinal match and fell 17-2.

After being relegated to the consolation bracket, DuChez was tripped up, 5-0, by Onofre Gonzalez of Colorado, who was the 100-pound Junior Freestyle runner-up at Fargo. That dropped the sophomore into the seventh-place match, where he met Blair Academy’s incoming freshman, Jack Anello, who defeated him, 13-2.

GABRIELSON’S YEAR TO BREAK OUT

Like Tucker before him, Eli Gabrielson, now of Archbishop Spalding, has been dancing around the national rankings for a few years, even making a few honorable mention appearances. The move back to a private school after a year in the publics with South Carroll Prep will allow him a grander stage. The type he enjoyed as a freshman at St. Mary’s Ryken.

Gabrielson started out in Pool A at 125 pounds and a 1-1 record got him placed in the “C” Pool, which is outside the top eight. In Pool A, Gabrielson showed his tantalizing potential with a 7-4 win over Eamon Fry (Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ). The round of 16 saw Gabrielson succumb to the eventual champ from New Jersey, Mikey Bautista (St. Joe’s Regional), 14-5.

Pool C began with two straight wins to land the junior in that pool’s gold medal match where he met Massachusett’s Peter Rincan and dropped a 10-5 decision. Rincan is another wrestler sitting on the periphery of the ratings. The two wins were both close, 3-0, over New York’s Vincent Mastrianni in the semis, and a 5-3 quarterfinal with David Vazquez (Dr. Trained).

GERSHON MAKES WALTER JOHNSON PROUD

Walter Johnson’s heavyweight, Daniel Gershon, made the trek to New York and finished in the fifth position. Gershon’s weight class was like Kesi Tsarni’s in that there were two smaller pools that led directly to placement bouts. Gershon lost both of his pool matches to be placed in the fifth-place match where he defeated Gunner Haas (Iron Faith) by major decision, 10-0.

Gershon’s losses came to No. 26 Isaiah Taylor (AIM Academy, PA), who was seventh at the National Prep Tournament, and another Keystone Grappler, Josiah Rodriguez (Pocono Mountain Regional).

CAUSEY WINS OVERFLOW CHALLENGE

A talented young Marylander, Raymond Causey, chose to head north to Pennsylvania to begin his high school career at Wyoming Seminary and placed fifth in the Pool B bracket, the bracket Causey gained entry into by winning Saturday’s Overflow Challenge Tournament at 135 pounds. Pool B was comprised of Causey and wrestlers who lost their first match in Pool A’s main backet.

Causey won his opening match in Pool B by tech, 19-2, over Aidan Lee (Savage House), then fell in the quarters to Barn Brothers’ Vincent Augello, 3-1. Causey advanced to the fifth-place match on a medical forfeit by Ivan Rego (Yale St WC) and finished his day with a 9-6 win in the placement match over Aidan White (Darkhorse).

Causey’s championship bout in the Overflow portion resulted in a 1-0 win over Evan Boulard (Smitty’s Barn). Causey stuck his other three opponents as he advanced to the finals with pins of 1:00, 1:29, and 1:18.

MUTSCHLER SUFFERS LOSS TO NATIONALLY RANKED FODERA

Archbishop Spalding’s Summer Mutschler would be in the High School on SI rankings if it went past 20 (which will eventually happen) and beat everyone she faced except for No. 9 Ava Fodera (Poway, CA), who teched Mutschler, 13-1, in Pool D action. Mutschler teched her other foe in the pool, Gabriela Giacone (Edge), 10-0.

Once in her placement bracket, which was 9th-16th due to the Fodera loss, the sophomore reeled of three straight wins to finish ninth including a 1:23 pin of Virginia’s Samantha Van Der Weken in the finals. A tech and a semifinal pin were how she moved through the bracket.

Van Der Weken beat New Jersey’s Emilly Diaz Santos (No. 14 at 105 pounds) at the Ultimate Club Duals in September. Diaz Santos and Mutschler spilt wins over the spring and summer with Mutschler winning at the Northeast Regional and Diaz Santos getting her back at Fargo.

FLYNN RULES THE ELEMENTARY PLAYGROUND AT 100 POUNDS

Brian Flynn (SMWC Wolfpack) found himself in a Round Robin situation to decide the 100-pound Elementary School Champ. Flynn’s match with the runner-up, Eden Berrelleza (Savage House) came during the final round and resulted in a 14-9 Flynn win.

Flynn teched the third-place finisher, Steel Valley’s Cayden Carannante, 16-0, in the opening match, then tallied two falls over the fourth and fifth place finishers in order, Tyler Tuttle (NV), 1:57, and Little Falls’ Colton Logalbo, 36 seconds.