Noah was Dominant -- Wrestler of the Year!

Bullis wrestler Noah Tucker went after bigger fish at last weekend’s National High School Coaches' Association Wrestling Championships, and the top-ranked junior reeled in the prize catch.

Competing at a career-high 182-pounds against naturally larger opponents at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Tucker escaped with 23 seconds remaining for a 6-5 title match decision over previously unbeaten Everett Joyce of Maize High School in Maize, Kansas.

"I weighed in at 181 pounds after not having to cut a single pound," said Tucker, whose regular-season 175-pound class was higher than the 165 he wrestled as a sophomore. "I went into this tournament completely undersized for this weight.

Ranked 33rd nationally at 190 pounds, Joyce entered with a record of 43-0 against Tucker, who is ranked 24th nationally at 175 pounds and had twice placed third at NHSCA's as a freshman and sophomore.

Joyce has won a pair of 190-pound Class 6A state crowns in Kansas after being a runner-up as a 165-pound freshman. Joyce won this year's crown with a 17-2 technical fall over senior title-bout rival Zane Shaw of Free State.

"By comparison to me, every other wrestler was cutting hard to reach 185," said Tucker, who has been named a Wrestler Of The Year by Legacy Wrestling. "But I knew that if I wrestled my best, I would get the job done, no problem."

Tucker won his round of 64 bout over his Georgia opponent by 48-second fall after leading 7-0. He then vanquished his South Carolina rival by 17-0 technical fall in the round of 32. before winning his round of 16 match by 14-3 major decision.

Tucker won his quarterfinal by 17-2 technical fall over Ohio's Noah Sandlin of Springboro, who entered with a record of 38-10 after having lost two of three bouts at states.

"Going into the second day of the tournament, I knew that the level of competition would begin to pick up, so I stepped it up a notch myself,” Tucker said. "I earned a technical fall in the quarterfinals, which prepared me for my next match against a very good opponent in JT Smith."

A two-time Pan American champ out of Creighton Prep, Nebraska who is ranked 31st nationally at 190 pounds, Smith entered their semifinal clash with a record of 32-3, having won a pair of state titles in three championship berths.

After a scoreless first period, Tucker followed a second period escape with an immediate takedown and rode Smith out throughout the third period of an eventual 4-0 decision victory.

"Going into the match against JT Smith, I had a great level of confidence where I knew that if I wrestled my match, nobody could hang with me," Tucker said. "I pushed the pace on Smith, which got me an escape in the second period followed by a takedown. Then I put together a tough ride on top to finish the entire third period and in complete control of the match."

Tucker initially had similar success in the finals against Joyce after a scoreless first period. After countering a single leg sweep takedown attempt by Joyce, Tucker barely had one toe inbounds when he was awarded a takedown for a 3-0 lead with 1:25 left in the second period.

Trailing by as much as 5-1 after yielding a third-period reversal to Tucker, Joyce escaped to make it 5-2 before tying the match at 5-5 on a takedown with 40 seconds remaining.

Joyce then cut Tucker with 23 seconds left in an attempt to secure a bout-winning takedown only to have Tucker parry several attempts before the bout-ending buzzer of the Bulldog wrestlers' 6-5 triumph.

"For the finals, I kept it all consistent where I kept good positioning and remained calm to earn a 6-5 victory," Tucker said. "I remain grateful for all of the support from all of the Maryland wrestlers and coaches in my corner out there and all of the people watching through the screens and supporting."

Winning NHSCA’s made up for his runner-up finish at National Preps, where he lost his title bout by 17-3 major decision to Lake Highland's Nadav Nafshi.

Tucker’s path to the National Prep finals included pins in 46 and 65 seconds and consecutive major decisions by scores of 11-3 over Wyoming Seminary's Lucas Parietti and 14-2 against Roxbury Latin's Declan Bligh.

“I’m proud of my overall performance but not satisfied. I made a huge jump in my level of wrestling from last year. Although I didn’t get the result I wanted, I see myself improving and growing as a wrestler," said Tucker, who has also placed fourth at The Under-17 US Open.

"This placement [at National Preps] is not going to slow me down but only motivates me to go even harder. I want to thank all my Bullis coaches along with Coach Elijah Oliver for helping me get better as a wrestler and a human being.”

Tucker is coached by Drew Robertson, a 1999 DeMatha graduate who is a four-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion, winner of three state titles in four final appearances, and two National Preps crowns after having placed fifth and third.

"Noah is a true ambassador for wrestling in the state of Maryland. Everybody knows who he is because he takes the time to care. Noah has the drive to constantly perfect his craft, but he also wants to make everybody around him better at the same time. I believe that's why he continues to progress and do well in national tournaments," Robertson said.

"At least three times a week during the high school or summer wrestling seasons, you will find Noah working out at The Capitol Wrestling Club. I would also attribute his success to their incredible staff and the intense environment they have built there. Noah gets the opportunity to work with other wrestlers from all of the state. Noah has created great relationships and is very well respected."

Over the course of his three years wrestling for the Bulldogs, Tucker’s career record of 139-15 comprises marks of 40-7 as a freshman, 44-6 as a sophomore and 55-2 this season.

Tucker has won three straight Interstate Athletic Conference titles, placed first, third and fourth in the Maryland Independent Schools' State Tournament, second and fourth at the National Preps, and third at The Beast Of The East Tournament in Delaware in December.

On the way to finishing fourth at last year’s The National Prep tournament, Tucker defeated Gilman’s MIAA champ and private school runner-up John Jurkovich as well as Mount St. Joseph’s MIAA runner-up and private schools champ Cameron Cannaday.

"Noah's currently working as a team captain to put together a roster to represent Maryland at the Battle Of The Border event on April 25 at Marymount University. Noah constantly put himself in position to grow and to learn," Robertson said. "Noah always wants to compete against higher caliber competition. When he attends these national events, you will also see him coaching in a corner quite frequently as he knows the strengths and tendencies of fellow Maryland wrestlers and wants to see them succeed as well."

Tucker was named Outstanding Wrestler at February's MIS tournament, where he used pins in 6 and 44 seconds to go with a 19-3 technical fall over 23rd-ranked freshman Max Solis of Mount St. Joseph to make the finals. That's where Tucker decked Gilman’s third-ranked MIAA and state champion senior Arthur Konshak for the second time this season in 3:02.

A defending 175-pound state champion, Konshak was pinned at 2:59 of his title match against Tucker at the season-opening Ray Oliver Tournament at McDonogh, where Tucker also flattened three other opponents and scored a technical fall against the other.

On the way to placing third at the prestigious Beast of the East, Tucker defeated Virginia High School League (VHSL) state champion Jake Robie of Christiansburg, who is ranked 27th nationally.

A two-time winner of the War On The Shore Tournament title, Tucker won last year's War On the Shore with a 6-2 decision over then-Huntingtown senior Will Buckler, the eventual winner of last year's Class 2A-1A state title.

Tucker also owns decisions of 7-0, and 14-6 over Rising Sun's second-ranked senior Zach Garvin, who has earned four straight Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference titles, three regional crowns in four championship berths, and has placed sixth, fifth and first twice at the past four Class 2A-1A state tournaments. Garvin finished this year at 50-2, winning a clash of defending Class 2A-1A state title winners, 7-0, over Lackey's previously unbeaten junior Ethan Vayro, who ended the year with a record of 43-1.

In addition, Tucker has scored a second period fall against Poolesville's eighth-ranked junior Zoya Wexler, who at the time was a returning champion in the Montgomery County and Class 2A-1A West Regional tournaments who was fourth at Class 2A-1A states last season. This season, Wexler was a runner-up this year at counties and regionals who finished fourth at states once again.

Tucker’s resume also includes last year's second period fall over Northwest's second-ranked junior Logan Brown, who finished second, first and third in last year's Montgomery County, Class 4A-3A West Region and Class 4A-3A state tournaments a year ago. Top-ranked at 165 this year, Brown finished at 40-0, winning his state title match in a clash of returning runners-up, 17-8, over Oakland Mill's second-ranked previously unbeaten Raul Rodriguez, who finished at 44-1.

Armed with a 3.7 grade point average, Tucker is still undecided where he will wrestle in college after graduating from Bullis in 2027.

"My favorite charter trait about Noah is the fact that he is an exceptional human being who puts that attribute above everything else. I am so proud of the young man he has become,” Robertson said. “I can't wait to see how his high school career finishes up as he enters his senior year. We just got confirmation that Noah has been accepted to compete at the Ironman Tournament next year, so we’re hoping to catch some more big fish there.”

Freshman Year Record: 40-7

McDonogh Raymond Oliver Tournament

7-1

Magruder Mad Mats Tournament

4-0

Beast Of The East

0-2 DNP

Damascus Holiday Tournament

6-0

Landon Quad Meet

3-0

War On The Shore

5-1

Episcopal Quad Meet

3-0

IAC Tournament

3-0

Maryland Independent Schools States

4-1

National Preps

3-2 DNP

Sophomore Year Record: 44-6

Magruder Mad Mats Tournament

3-0

McDonogh Raymond Oliver Tournament

5-1

Beast Of The East

3-2 DNP

Damascus Holiday Tournament

7-0

War On The Shore

5-0

Landon Quad Meet

2-0

St. Albans Dual

1-0

Patriot Classic Tournament

3-0

Georgetown Prep Quad

2-0

IAC Tournament

2-0

Maryland Independent Schools States

5-1

National Preps

6-2

Junior Year Record: 55-2

McDonogh Raymond Oliver Tournament

5-0

Georgetown Prep Dual

1-0

Magruder Mad Mats Tournament

3-0 (Outstanding Wrestler)

Beast Of The East

6-1 DNP

Damascus Holiday Tournament

8-0

War On The Shore

5-0

Episcopal Quad

1-0

Dorsey Duals

9-0 (Outstanding Wrestler)

Bubba Bunting Duals

4-0

Landon Quad

2-0

Bullis Home Tri

1-0

IAC Tournament

2-0 (Outstanding Wrestler)

Maryland Independent Schools States

4-0 (Outstanding Wrestler)

National Preps

4-1