MIAA was epic! Check out the full results

Top-ranked Archbishop Spalding won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament crown for the second straight year at ninth-ranked Gilman on Saturday, but the Cavaliers’ collective tasks were anything but easy.

Top-ranked sophomore Charlie Mutschler (113) improved on his third-place finish of a year ago, but only after winning his title match over a rival who had pinned him once during their four-bout series.

Come-from-behind victories were required by second-ranked junior Eli Gabrielson (126), third-ranked junior Taina Fernandez (138) and top-ranked senior Zane Leitzel (157), the latter in overtime to earn his second straight crown as the Cavaliers (274.5 points) overcame second-ranked runner-up Mount St. Joseph (266).

LEITZEL’S LEGACY GROWS

But that's not only what Leitzel expected, it's what he wanted and prepared for.

"I never overlook anyone I have to face. You never want to go out there and have an easy match," Leitzel said. "I always want a fight. I want a scrap. I want to make it as hard as possible for myself."

The four champions were among seven finalists and 10 wrestlers who finished within the top three of their weight classes for the Cavaliers, with runners-up in third-ranked sophomore Isaac Cicchetti (132), third-ranked senior Ryder Kolat (150) and 19th-ranked junior Luke Barulli (215), and third-place efforts from fourth-ranked freshman Lane Gowl (106), third-ranked senior Eli Chesla (120) and 15th-ranked senior Josh Taylor (165).

Guided by 24th-year coach Mike Laidley, whose Cavaliers tied Gilman at last year’s Maryland Independent/Private Schools’ State title and will try to defend it next weekend at third-ranked McDonogh.

“The kids in our room are as tough as nails," Laidley said. "They wrestled hard, they displayed great technique, and I give all of the credit to my assistant coaches.”

The Cavaliers led the Gaels, 260.5 to 260, in the team race before Leitzel escaped for an overtime, 2-1 decision victory in a clash of defending state champions with second-ranked sophomore Brooklyn Pickett of Mount St. Joseph.

Leitzel used falls in 56 and 82 seconds to go with another in 2:31 to reach the finals against Pickett, who was top-ranked at 150 pounds before rising in weight to face Leitzel as he had done at least twice in the past to defeat higher-ranked seniors.

"For the most part, things went according to my plans. I wanted to keep it to the point where either I scored first, or else no one scored in the first period. I knew that Brooklyn was going to come after me, but we work hard on defense in our room from every position every day," said Leitzel, who trailed, 1-0, entering the third period.

"Brooklyn was able to get in on some deep shots that I was able to defend them. I don't get out of position a lot when I wrestle, and I have really good hips, which is why I didn't give up the takedown. I try not to have to rely on that, but that's what really matters in wrestling. You have to have really good hips when it comes to not getting taken down."

Last month, Pickett bumped up for an 8-3 decision over then-top-ranked senior Beau Schmidt of Northeast-Anne Arundel County, a winner of three Anne Arundel County titles and one regional crown in three title match appearances who has placed second twice and fifth once at public school states.

In January 2025, Pickett rose up from 144 to 150 pounds for a 6-1 decision over then top-ranked senior Evan Boblits of St. Mary’s Ryken, a four-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title-winner who earned two private schools state crowns in three championship appearances and placed fourth, fifth and third in the National Preps Tournament.

But against forward-moving, pressuring Leitzel, Pickett was countered and deflected to the point where he couldn't finish a takedown.

"When your opponent gets in on your legs like that and it doesn't work or you can't finish, they can [become frustrated] that they didn't get the takedown. I wanted to be the one who dictated and who wrestled my match, and that's what I did," Leitzel said.

"We're the best conditioned guys and you'll see that we can go hard, non-stop. We have guys on our team who are not even starters who make it a battle in our room every day. We beat the hell out of each other every day in the room and that's what was displayed out there on the mats from every one of our guys."

MUTSCHLER TAKES ANOTHER VERSUS NAYLOR

Mutschler recorded falls in 30 and 47 seconds to go with a third in 4:40 over Gilman’s sixth-ranked junior Miles Molina, who transferred from Poly where he was a two-time Baltimore City champion, placed fourth and second at regions and fifth at states.

Mutschler improved his series lead to 3-1 with his 10-2 major decision against McDonogh’s second-ranked sophomore Jacob Naylor, who was fifth and fourth at MIAAs and private school states last season.

“I’ve wrestled him four times and beat him three times. When we wrestled in a dual meet last year, I got caught and pinned,” said Mutschler, a returning private schools state runner-up. “Since then, I’ve just wrestled my match against him and not his. After I got the first takedown, I think everything went according to plan. I just kept up the pace against him and never let up. I got third here last year, so it feels great to improve on that.”

GABRIELSON KEEPS JACKSON FROM FOURTH MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Gabrielson reached the finals on falls in 37 and 65 seconds, the latter against Mount St. Joseph’s seventh-ranked sophomore CJ Votta, who finished third for the second straight year after also placing fourth at states.

In the championship bout, Gabrielson overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat Loyola’s third-ranked senior Jayden Jackson, a returning MIAA and private schools state champion and an earlier loser to Gabrielson by scores of 4-0, 10-0, and, 8-0.

“Those are the first points [Jackson] has scored on me all year, but I think I needed to be scored on. I was able to feel him out and to get into some scrabbles and different positions, but he’s a great opponent, so I knew it was going to be a great match no matter what happened,” said Gabrielson, who vanquished Jackson in the finals of December’s Ray Oliver Tournament, a dual meet, and last month’s War On The Shore.

“I was taking most of the risks after he scored in the first period, using my fakes and controlling the tie-ups. I was out for three weeks [with an illness,] so my conditioning wasn’t where it normally is. But I missed this sport, and I’m so glad to be back. It was a blessing to be able to be out on the mat and able to wrestle and win this.”

Gabrielson transferred from fourth-ranked South Carroll, where his 43-0 record included winning last year's Carroll County, region and Class 1A state titles and finishing second in the National High School Coaches' Association Tournament.

As a 106-pound freshman at St. Mary's Ryken, Gabrielson earned a title in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, was a private schools' state runner-up and placed fourth at National Preps.

“The momentum is there, obviously, and I’m excited to be able to wrestle at states next weekend,” Gabrielson said. “I am blessed to be a part of a team that feels like a family in the way that we push each other and get each other ready.”

Gabrielson has dedicated his career to his late grandmother, Kim Gabrielson, who was 71 years old when she passed away on March 20, 2024, after a long battle with cancer.

“I’m so glad that I could honor [Kim Gabrielson,] in this manner,” Gabrielson said. “She’s super happy up there in heaven and glad that I could accomplish this.”

TAINA ADDS ANOTHER HISTORY MAKING FIRST TO HER ACCOLADES

A four-time Super 32 title-winner and two-time World Champion who is top-ranked among girls at 140 pounds both nationally by High School on SI and by Legacy Wrestling, Fernandez scored a takedown with 25 seconds left in a 5-4 decision over seventh-ranked Mount St. Joseph junior Ben Scheiner after trailing, 4-2.

Fernandez’s win makes her the first-ever female to become a MIAA Tournament Champion following her rematch of an earlier 4-1 regular-season dual meet victory over Scheiner, a returning MIAA runner-up who was fourth at last year’s Maryland Independent/Private Schools State Tournament.

ST. JOE LED BY TAMAI, ALLISON, AND STEPHENS

The runner-up Gaels crowned top-ranked senior Jake Tamai (132) and second-ranked juniors Tyler Stephens (144) and Connor Allison (150).

Tamai earned his second straight crown nearly a year after finishing second at states. His dominant run comprised a 40-second fall, another in 2:13 and a semifinal 12-3 major decision over Loyola’s 15th-ranked sophomore Brendan Tobin before blanking Cicchetti, 8-0, in their title match.

“I lost in the finals my sophomore year, so this means everything to me,” Tamai said. “I appreciate my coaches and my team and everything they’ve done for me. As hard as we work in the room, I’m just glad I could get the job done.”

Stephens’ run included a 22-second fall and a semifinal 17-0 technical fall over Calvert Hall’s 11th-ranked senior Joshua Jackson. Stephens won his title match by 6-0 decision over Loyola’s third-ranked senior Josh Hale, who was third and third last year at MIAAs and states.

“I just wanted to go out there and to dominate my opponents and to give them no chances to win,” said Stephens, a returning MIAA and private schools state runner-up following decision losses to Leitzel by scores of 5-4, and, 4-2. “I made the finals last year where I lost to Zane in the last five seconds, and I also lost in the finals as a freshman. So, for me to win this the way I did really feels great.”

Allison’s run to the finals comprised pins in 38 and 61 seconds before a semifinal 16-1 technical fall over Archbishop Curley’s 11th-ranked junior Oscar Davis. Davis improved only last year’s fourth-place effort by finishing third and will look to improve on last season’s fourth place finish at states.

Allison was fourth at states and sixth at MIAAs last year, the latter following a 1-0 loss to Kolat. He trailed Kolat by as much as 7-2, in the first period, tied the bout at 8-8 early in the third, and overcame a 9-8 deficit with a three-point takedown before recording the fall at the 5:48 mark.

“When my coaches told me to let him up in the third period, from there I just had to trust in my coaches and in my abilities to create openings,” Allison said of Kolat, who was seventh at states. “Once I got the takedown, I felt like the half-nelson I got in was really tight, and that he wasn’t going anywhere. Now my record is 2-1 against him after we went 1-1 against each other last year.”

MCDONOGH TAKES TWO TITLES INCLUDE REDEMPTION FOR DIMONTE

Third-ranked McDonogh (237 points) finished third, crowning 12th-ranked senior JJ DiMonte (190) and eighth-ranked junior teammate Dominic Manna (165), who rose from the 157-pound weight class.

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.

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 won his title match with a fall in 1:54 over fifth-ranked senior Hayden Myers of St. Paul’s, a repeat finalist and returning Maryland Independent/Private Schools’ State runner-up.

A MIAA runner-up and sixth-place finisher at states as a 165-pound freshman, DiMonte received the tournament’s Edward T. Russell Award for Most Team Points Scored.

COOPER AND VERCELES CROWNED FOR THE DONS

Eighth-ranked Loyola (fourth) had a pair of champions in top-ranked freshman Charles Cooper (106) and second-ranked sophomore Tyler Verceles (120).

Cooper’s run comprised a 16-3 major decision over 14th-ranked freshman Alessandro Barrios of Mount St. Joseph followed with his ninth technical fall by the score of 20-4 over McDonogh’s third-ranked Braidyn Taby. Cooper had twice pinned Barrios and had already beaten Taby by 1-0 decision and 18-3 technical fall.

“My re-attacks were working very well, and I was really able to get my offense going against [Taby.] I had wrestled him three times this year,” said Cooper, who scored five takedowns against Taby.

“The first time, it was a very close match, when I was able to beat him 1-0 the first time we wrestled. But I really went to work on moving my feet a lot more and being faster. This feels really good.”

A returning MIAA runner-up, private schools champion and fifth place National Prep finisher, Verceles’ come-from-behind, 8-5, title match victory over top-ranked freshman Nathan Matthis of Mount St. Joseph gave him the series at 2-1 against his former workout partner and junior league rival.

Verceles reached the finals following a 94-second fall and a 6-2 semifinal victory over Chesla, a returning runner-up at MIAAs and private schools states.

Verceles trailed, 3-0, in the first period, and secured the decisive three-point takedown with 10 seconds left against Matthis and the match tied at 5-5.

“Nathan and I have wrestled so many times throughout junior league and twice this year,” Verceles said. “We wrestle at the same club during the offseason, so we know each other’s styles. He’s a great training partner, he’s gritty, really powerful and really strong.”

Verceles was a runner-up last year to the Gaels’ Corey Brown, who is currently a top-ranked 126-pounder at Chesapeake-Anne Arundel County.

“I lost in the finals last year to a guy from Mount St. Joseph, but I was motivated to avenge both that loss from last year and the one against Nathan this year,” Verceles said. “But I prepared really well after my loss to him, and I came out really motivated.”

Verceles credited the defense of Matthis, who successfully countered his five takedown attempts.

“I got stopped on the first two of my shots, and that was great defense by Nathan, but I have to continue to have confidence in my shots and my finishes,” Verceles said “The difference was that instead of stopping midway through, even though I was surprised I had gotten in so quickly, I knew exactly where I needed to get to, and I was able to get up and finish that last shot.”

GOLDEN GREYHOUNDS

The host Greyhounds crowned a pair of title-winners in third-ranked junior Arthur Konshak and seventh-ranked senior Noah Lawrence (285), with Konshak returning to the 175-pound division he competed in last year toward winning MIAAs and private school states.

Konshak earned pins in 30 and 79 seconds to go with another in 5:49 to reach his title bout. That’s where he won by 16-5 major decision over Calvert Hall’s seventh-ranked junior Izaac Robertucci, who was third and fourth at MIAAs and states last year.

“This feels really good, but it’s what I expected [against Robertucci,]” said Konshak. “Repeating as a state champion and placing in the top five at National Preps is what I really want to get done.”

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Lawrence used a 16-1 technical fall and pinned Byrne in 3:10 to reach the finals. That’s where Lawrence secured a late takedown for a 4-2 decision victory over McDonogh’s eighth-ranked sophomore Logan Brown, who was third and seventh at MIAAs and states last year.

The match was tied 1-1 with 41 seconds left when Lawrence scored the decisive three-point takedown against Brown, against whom he earned a one-point victory earlier this year.

“My coach [Henry Franklin] told me that every time he comes back to the center, he reaches up and moves his head, which leaves him open to the slide-by. I saw the opportunity and went for it. It was the same thing as last week,” Lawrence said.

“I was losing to him, 4-2, and beat him, 5-4, with one second left on the clock. I’d rather get it done more decisively, but it still feels good to win the close ones. I came in as the second-seed last year and I went 0-2. This year I came in as the top seed, and I was able to handle my business.”

MITCHELL BECOMES FIRST MIAA CHAMP FOR MOUNT CARMEL

Mount Carmel’s eighth-ranked junior Tavon Mitchell (215) became his program’s first-ever finalist and champion with a come-from-behind, 4-1 overtime decision over Barulli.

Mitchell reached the finals after nailing down his 27th pin of the year against Calvert Hall senior Mac Ridgely in 68 seconds, and his third technical fall of the season by the score of 19-3 technical over Archbishop Curley’s 17th-ranked sophomore Josiah Williamson.

A second-year wrestler whose record on the year is 33-7, Mitchell won a rematch of an 11-9 victory over Barulli, which happened during their freshman seasons.

MIAA Tournament Team Scores

1 Archbishop Spalding 274.5

2 Mount Saint Joseph 266.0

3 McDonogh School 237.0

4 Loyola-Blakefield 165.5

5 Gilman School 153.5

6 Archbishop Curley 135.0

7 Calvert Hall College 116.5

8 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 67.5

9 Boys` Latin School 51.5

10 The Saint Paul`s 33.0

11 St. Vincent Pallotti 25.0

12 Friends of Baltimore 23.0

13 Severn School 15.5

14 John Carroll 11.0

15 Saint Mary`s 0.0

Tournament Results

106

1st Place Match

Charles Cooper (Loyola-Blakefield) 30-3, Fr. over Braidyn Taby (McDonogh School) 40-7, Fr. (TF-1.5 4:08 (20-4))

3rd Place Match

Lane Gowl (Archbishop Spalding) 16-9, Fr. over Alessandro Barrios (Mount Saint Joseph) 21-12, Fr. (Fall 1:52)

5th Place Match

Dominic Blocker (Archbishop Curley) 31-10, Fr. over Tyler Saville (The Saint Paul`s School for Boys) 15-13, Fr. (Fall 2:39)

113

1st Place Match

Charlie Mutschler (Archbishop Spalding) 28-3, So. over Jacob Naylor (McDonogh School) 44-4, So. (MD 10-2)

3rd Place Match

Miles Molina (Gilman School) 29-8, Jr. over James Wright (Mount Saint Joseph) 18-5, Sr. (Dec 7-1)

5th Place Match

Liam Rose (Archbishop Curley) 39-14, So. over Logan Myers (Loyola-Blakefield) 13-13, Fr. (Dec 7-3)

120

1st Place Match

Tyler Verceles (Loyola-Blakefield) 30-4, So. over Nathan Matthis (Mount Saint Joseph) 36-8, Fr. (Dec 8-5)

3rd Place Match

Eli Chesla (Archbishop Spalding) 19-8, Sr. over Christian Wirts (Gilman School) 20-10, So. (SV-1 6-3)

5th Place Match

Cody Lehman (Calvert Hall College) 22-12, Jr. over Robbie Garcia (Boys` Latin School) 9-14, Sr. (M. For.)

126

1st Place Match

Eli Gabrielson (Archbishop Spalding) 23-4, Jr. over Jayden Jackson (Loyola-Blakefield) 31-7, Sr. (Dec 5-3)

3rd Place Match

CJ Votta (Mount Saint Joseph) 27-12, So. over Damian Manna (McDonogh School) 20-7, Fr. (Fall 0:31)

5th Place Match

Evan Kaliakoudas (Archbishop Curley) 41-14, So. over Noa Restencourt (Gilman School) 11-11, So. (TF-1.5 4:16 (16-0))

132

1st Place Match

Jake Tamai (Mount Saint Joseph) 32-4, Sr. over Isaac Cicchetti (Archbishop Spalding) 16-6, So. (MD 8-0)

3rd Place Match

Wes Baumgartner (McDonogh School) 37-9, So. over Brendan Tobin (Loyola-Blakefield) 23-10, So. (MD 12-4)

5th Place Match

Cooper Monroe (Boys` Latin School) 22-6, Jr. over JD Vassar (Gilman School) 16-11, Jr. (M. For.)

138

1st Place Match

Taina Fernandez (Archbishop Spalding) 15-1, Jr. over Ben Scheiner (Mount Saint Joseph) 33-12, Jr. (Dec 5-4)

3rd Place Match

Mason Comegys (McDonogh School) 33-9, So. over Reef Kneidl (Archbishop Curley) 26-20, Sr. (Fall 2:45)

5th Place Match

Evan Durand (Loyola-Blakefield) 6-3, Fr. over Devon Pringle (Boys` Latin School) 17-8, So. (MD 23-11)

144

1st Place Match

Tyler Stephens (Mount Saint Joseph) 39-6, Jr. over Joshua Hale (Loyola-Blakefield) 26-8, Sr. (Dec 6-0)

3rd Place Match

Cole Genua (McDonogh School) 37-9, Jr. over Joshua Jackson (Calvert Hall College) 7-4, Sr. (Fall 2:51)

5th Place Match

Will McDonough (Archbishop Spalding) 18-10, So. over Lincoln Holmes (Friends of Baltimore) 31-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:36 (17-2))

150

1st Place Match

Connor Allison (Mount Saint Joseph) 35-7, Jr. over Ryder Kolat (Archbishop Spalding) 8-1, Sr. (Fall 5:48)

3rd Place Match

Oscar Davis (Archbishop Curley) 45-8, Jr. over Blake Taylor (McDonogh School) 33-13, Fr. (Dec 11-6)

5th Place Match

Evan Clarke (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) 46-13, Jr. over Seth Perks (The Saint Paul`s School for Boys) 19-11, Jr. (Dec 8-4)

157

1st Place Match

Zane Leitzel (Archbishop Spalding) 30-5, Sr. over Brooklyn Pickett (Mount Saint Joseph) 34-5, So. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Caden Gardner (McDonogh School) 24-12, Sr. over Michael DeCosta (Gilman School) 11-14, Sr. (Dec 8-4)

5th Place Match

Keegan Wengert (Loyola-Blakefield) 12-8, Fr. over Bradlee Anderson (Archbishop Curley) 26-18, Fr. (Fall 2:07)

165

1st Place Match

Dominic Manna (McDonogh School) 40-8, Jr. over Sawyer Peck (Gilman School) 20-10, Jr. (Dec 10-5)

3rd Place Match

Josh Taylor (Archbishop Spalding) 18-11, Sr. over Kayden Tyler (Mount Saint Joseph) 25-14, Fr. (Fall 2:03)

5th Place Match

Jack Garland (Calvert Hall College) 13-8, Fr. over Ammar Muhammad (Friends of Baltimore) 21-12, So. (TF-1.5 4:03 (16-0))

175

1st Place Match

Arthur Konshak (Gilman School) 26-6, Jr. over Izaac Robertucci (Calvert Hall College) 13-7, Jr. (MD 16-5)

3rd Place Match

Max Solis (Mount Saint Joseph) 34-12, Fr. over Jakayveon Burton (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) 41-15, Jr. (Fall 2:54)

5th Place Match

Adeoluwa Adewuyi (Archbishop Curley) 39-16, Sr. over Jay Greene (Boys` Latin School) 12-13, Sr. (Fall 0:12)

190

1st Place Match

Giuseppe DiMonte (McDonogh School) 39-7, Sr. over Hayden Myers (The Saint Paul`s School for Boys) 23-4, Sr. (Fall 1:54)

3rd Place Match

Bailen Boutz (Archbishop Curley) 40-9, Sr. over Riley Miller (Loyola-Blakefield) 25-12, Jr. (Fall 2:34)

5th Place Match

Luke Winkler (Archbishop Spalding) 19-7, So. over William Ennis (Mount Saint Joseph) 24-20, Jr. (Fall 1:46)

215

1st Place Match

Tavon Mitchell (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) 36-7, Jr. over Luke Barulli (Archbishop Spalding) 19-10, Jr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Josiah Williamson (Archbishop Curley) 47-8, So. over Mac Ridgely (Calvert Hall College) 19-12, Sr. (Fall 2:23)

5th Place Match

Jonah Selassie (Mount Saint Joseph) 18-21, Jr. over Foster Anderson III (St. Vincent Pallotti) 26-3, Sr. (Dec 9-6)

285

1st Place Match

Noah Lawrence (Gilman School) 23-10, Sr. over Logan Brown (McDonogh School) 20-3, So. (Dec 4-2)

3rd Place Match

Owen Stewart (Calvert Hall College) 25-5, Fr. over Christian Mcleer-Irons (St. Vincent Pallotti) 2-2, Sr. (Fall 0:50)

5th Place Match

Mike Byrne (Archbishop Spalding) 15-10, Jr. over Cole Bryant (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) 39-14, Jr. (Dec 1-0)