Perry Hall’s second-ranked junior Victor Marks-Jenkins, who is an honorable mention entry I Sports Illustrated’s national rankings, spent his offseason compiling a record of 18-9 in college open tournaments, at one point vanquishing four top-notch wrestlers on the same day at the preseason high school Journeyman Fall Classic in September.
Those victories included a fall against Robert Kucharczk of Lake Highland, Florida, a 2024 PowerAde Tournament champion, who is currently the seventh-ranked 190lber in the nation. There was also a victory over Maximus Morse of Xavier High School, whose title-winning effort at the January 3-4 War on The Shore Tournament comprised pins in 72, 87, 88 and 93 seconds to go with a 20-2 technical fall in the championship bout.
"Victor went 4-1 with all of his matches [at the Journeymen tournament] coming by decision with the exception of the pin Victor had against Robert Kucharczk. Victor lost to a two-time state champion from New York (Greyson Meak) who is a division one commit, so he placed third," said coach Doug Yoakum, a 1990 Perry Hall graduate, former Baltimore County champion and regional runner-up. "They put you in a pool of five and then you cross over for placement, so it's five matches that are super tough. We were still figuring out what weight to go for Victor. He went at 195 while weighing 185."
Potential Journeymen participants must apply for entry, but acceptance is not guaranteed by the tournament's organizers.
"You send an email explaining why you should be allowed to enter," Yoakum said. "If they agree, they send you a link to register."
Marks-Jenkins' offseason also included a technical fall over a 2024 champion in both Fargo freestyle and the National High School Coaches Association, Lake Highland Prep’s Lucas Boe (No. 12 at 157lbs in the country). There was also another victory over a Fargo Greco-Roman Bronze medalist, Ohio’s Zack Aquila. Marks-Jenkins has also handled third-ranked senior Adin Hastings of Williamsport, a Class 2A-1A state runner-up last season after winning states as a sophomore.
“On top of all of his wrestling, Victor is a 3.8 student within Perry Hall’s Bio-medical Science program," Yoakum said. "Victor actually has a much higher weighted grade-point average than that and plans to follow a medical career, hoping to allow wrestling to facilitate that. Victor is just a 16-year-old.”
Marks-Jenkins returned to action for last weekend’s Friar Duals Tournament at Archbishop Curley, where he was named Outstanding Upper Weight Wrestler. Although he plans to compete this season at 175 pounds this season, Marks-Jenkins was able to dominate much heavier wrestlers at 190- and 215-pounds at Archbishop Curley.
Marks-Jenkins went 8-0 with five pins and two technical falls, running his record on the year to 18-0 with 14 pins and three technical falls. The Gators finished with a 5-3 record at the Friar Duals, good for fourth place behind Century (8-0), runner-up Wilmington Charter (7-1) and the host and third-place Friars (6-2).
Mark-Jenkins has a career record of 115-1 with 96 falls and nine technical falls, having won two each in Baltimore County and regional crowns along with last year’s Class 4A-3A state title at 157 pounds after being a 145-pound runner-up as a freshman.
At Curley, among Marks-Jenkins' three victories at 190 pounds was a 39-second pin against 16th-ranked senior Carter Alexander of North County. A returning fourth-place finisher in the Anne Arundel County Tournament, Alexander went 7-1 with four pins and two technical falls at Curley, improving his record on the year to 29-2.
Another of Marks-Jenkins' 190-pound triumphs was a 17-2 technical fall over the Friars' 17th-ranked junior Bailen Boutz, a returning third-place finisher at last year’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournaments who went 6-2 with a technical fall and four pins in the duals.
Marks-Jenkins also registered an 18-3 technical fall over The Saint James School’s 23rd-ranked senior Derek Owumi, whose went 7-1 with pins in 19, 32 and 37 seconds to go with a fourth fall in 1:45 and a 17-2 technical fall. Marks-Jenkins' other tournament falls were in 19, 36 and 46 seconds to go along with another in 1:44, all of which happened at 215 pounds.
Going 7-1 for the Gators was junior Justin Kavanagh (150/157), whose four pins included those in 18 and 74 seconds. Kavanagh also had a pair of 15-0 technical falls with another of 18-0. Sophomore Clayton Hosier (150/157) split time with Kavanagh, going 6-1 with two technical falls and a 58-second pin.
The Gators’ third-ranked senior Alaina Kopalchick (113) went 6-2 with three pins at Curley, having become an all-girls’ state champion as a freshman and placed fifth and fourth in the past two state tournaments for females.
Kopalchick scored a 26-second pin over Century freshman rival Gram Knott for her 100th career victory, later receiving career win No. 101 by forfeit from North County. Kopalchick’s other falls were in 14 and 45 seconds, raising her record this season to 10-4, and her career mark to 101-42.
The Gators also featured nineteenth-ranked senior Hegan Chhantayal, a returning Baltimore County and regional tournaments runner-up whose tournament record of 6-2 included a 17-1 technical fall.
Gators’ senior Kaleel Brown (175) went 5-1 with falls in 58, 66 and 70 seconds to go along with a 20-4 technical fall. Junior teammate Ayden Mccain (285) went 4-2 with four pins, including those in 20, 31 and 51 seconds.
As a freshman, Marks-Jenkins went 50-1 with 42 pins and four technical falls, earning county and regional titles and finishing third at the state tournament. Marks-Jenkins was a repeat county and regional champion as a sophomore, ending with his first state title and a record of 47-0 that included 40 pins and two technical falls.
As a ninth grader, just 90 seconds separated Marks-Jenkins from a berth in the Class 4A-3A state championship match and potentially an undefeated season at 145 pounds. Marks-Jenkins led his semifinal match, 1-0, against state runner-up, Aidan Rivenburg, when the senior from North Point High of Charles County scored a reversal and three near-fall points for an eventual 5-1 victory.
Marks-Jenkins was positioned on the opposite side of the state brackets from the previous year’s senior state runner-up Sam Ditmars of South River, who finished at 49-1 after winning his title bout over Rivenburg by injury default. Rivenburg ended at 41-2, having lost to Ditmars for the second time in the same season.
Marks-Jenkins won his consolation semifinal, 12-0, and his third-place bout, 7-2, over Annapolis senior Nik Antonelli, a 6-4, quarterfinal loser to Rivenburg. The triumph over Antonelli was particularly impressive given that Antonelli had placed third at states the previous year, and had beaten Ditmars, 1-0, in the Anne Arundel County finals before falling to him, 3-1, in overtime of their Class 4A-3A East Region title bout.
Matt Green was a two-time All-Metro selection who became Perry Hall's previous state champion in 2013. Green went 31-0 as a 220-pound junior to earn his first Baltimore County, Class 4A-3A North and Class 4A-3A state titles in 2012 before finishing at 45-0 at 285 pounds in 2013 for his second straight crown in all three of those tournaments.
Green had transferred to Perry Hall from the private school St. Paul's, where he had placed second in the MIAA tournament and finished third at the private schools' state tournament.
"Victor's a monster. Comparing me to Victor is like comparing apples to oranges,” Green said. “Victor will be the best wrestler to come out of Perry Hall High School."
Century
Century seniors Chris Brooks (132) and JT Ferguson (175) had records of 8-0, senior Dylan Vroom (144) and freshman Eli Stein (106/113) finished at 7-1, and seniors Wyatt King (138) and Cameron Wagner (165) along with junior Brayden Brassell (120) were all at 6-2 as the Knights won the Friar Duals.
Senior Talin Evans (157) finished at 5-2 and senior Dominic Damico (190/215) went 4-2 for the Knights, who won their dual meet championship match, 38-31, over the runner-up The Charter School of Wilmington, Delaware.
Ferguson has a record of 28-2, Brooks is 26-4, Stein is 25-4, Wagner is 15-5, Vroom is 24-6, Evans, 19-9, and Brassell, 11-6. Stein, Brooks and Ferguson are ranked 18th, 20th and 22nd by Legacy Wrestling.
Brassell was first in the Carroll County tournament and fourth at regionals. Ferguson was second at counties and third at regions. Damico was third at counties, while Brooks, Vroom and Wagner were all fourth at counties.
Brooks had three technical falls, two pins and a critical 7-6 victory over Kaden Price of The Charter School, a wrestler who finished at 7-1 with five pins and a technical fall. Brooks also scored a 17-2 technical fall against North County senior Chris Cruz-Ville, who went 7-1 with three pins.
“Chris is one of our team captains,” said coach Zach Blessing, whose Knights improved to 21-9. “Chris won a decision against The Charter School of Wilmington to seal our dual meet against them.”
Stein’s three pins comprised those in 41, 42 and 58 seconds, with his 42-second fall being against Chhantayal. Stein had a 15-6 major decision victory over 24th-ranked Archbishop Curley freshman Liam Rose, whose tournament record of 6-1 included an 8-5 decision over Chhantayal.
Vroom had pins in all of his victories, including that in 1:59 over Curley’s 23rd-ranked freshman Reed Boettcher. Vroom also had a pair of 47-second falls along with others in 30, 92 and 96 seconds and another in 2:14.
Brassell and Wagner each had four pins and a technical fall, Ferguson had six pins and two technical falls, Damico had three pins, King had two each in pins and technical falls, and Evans had four pins and a technical fall.
Archbishop Curley
Fourth-ranked senior Khalil Regan (285), 20th-ranked senior Dylan Fish (165) and 23rd-ranked freshman Evan Kaliakoudas (113) all went 8-0. In addition, 17th-ranked sophomore Oscar Davis (138/144) finished 7-1, while 24th-ranked freshman Liam Rose (106) was 6-1 as the third-place Friars lost to Century, 39-35 and The Charter School of Wilmington, 48-33.
Regan had four pins, having finished fourth and fifth at last year’s MIAA and Maryland Private Schools State tournaments. One of Regan’s two major decisions was a 14-5 victory against Dulaney junior Brendan Taylor, who finished at 7-1 with five pins and a technical fall.
A returning third place finisher at MIAAs, Fish pinned twice and earned decisions over Wagner and Charter School junior Roman Cimorosi, each of whom went 6-2. Fish defeated Wagner, 8-2, and Cimorosi, 3-2, in overtime.
Davis earned three pins and a technical fall nearly a year after finishing fifth at MIAAs, with his lone defeat occurring as a result of an illegal slam against The Charter School.
Kaliakoudas had four pins and earned a 7-3 decision over Poly sophomore Miles Molina, who finished at 7-1 with three pins and a technical fall. Rose had pins in 70 and 79 seconds to go with an 8-5 decision over Chhantyal.
A third-place finisher at MIAA, 17th-ranked junior Bailen Boutz (190) went 6-2 with a technical fall and four pins, including those in 40, 48 and 64 seconds. Junior Adeoluwa Adewuyi (175) went 5-2, pinning in all his five victories, including one in 1:14 against the Gators’ Kaleel Brown.
Regan is 26-3 on the year, Kaliakoudas is 20-4, Fish is 23-6 and Boutz, 24-5. Davis’s record rose to 24-7, Rose is 21-5, and Adewuyi, 22-7.
North County
A returning fourth-place finisher in the Anne Arundel County Tournament, the 16th-ranked Alexander went 7-1 with two technical falls and pins in 49, 69 and 94 seconds to go with another in 4:37 against Boutz. Alexander trailed Boutz before countering his attempt at a roll-through cradle for the fall.
Seniors Chris Cruz-Ville (132/138) and Jeremiah Mitchell (150/157) each went 7-1, while senior Stephan Reynolds (126/132) was 6-2 for the Knights. Mitchell had pins in all of his victories, including a fall in 2:52 against Kavanagh. Cruz-Ville had three pins, while Reynolds pinned twice. Alexander leads the Knights with a record of 29-2, followed by Mitchell at 24-8, and Reynolds at 16-8.
Eastern Tech
Baltimore County champion senior Brayden Polley (138) went 7-1 with five pins and a technical fall, and freshman teammate Nikita Kalashnikov (106/113) went 4-1. The 21st-ranked Polley had falls in 60 and 92 seconds to go with a 15-0 technical fall against King.
Dulaney
Senior Gavin Hess (120) went 7-0 with five pins, including one in 3:44 against Poly freshman Conner Armwood, who went 5-2 with three pins and a technical fall. A third-place finisher in the Baltimore County tournament, Hess also earned a 19-8 major decision over Brassell. Taylor’s record of 7-1 included five pins and a technical fall.
Poly
Junior Derrell Davis (150) went 8-0 with three pins, running his record on the year to 16-3. Among Davis’ victories was a 10-2 major decision for Mitchell’s only loss, and a 5-0 decision for Hosier’s only setback.
Sophomore Miles Molina (113) went 7-1 with three pins and a technical fall, raising his record on the year to 19-1. Among Molina’s victories was a 16-6 major decision over Stein, an 18-0 technical fall against Kopalchick, and pins in 20, 39 and 54 seconds.
Junior Jaden White (132) went 6-2 with five pins and a technical fall, improving his record on the season to 15-2. White pinned Reynolds in 3:56.
Freshman Conner Armwood (120) went 5-2 with three pins and a technical fall, improving his season record to 9-2. Armwood had a 72-second pin.
Victor Marks-Jenkins At A Glance
Junior Year
Record: 18-0
Pins: 14
Technical falls:3
Forfeits 1
Sophomore
Record: 47-0
Pins: 40
Technical falls: 2
Forfeits 3
Freshman
Record: 50-1
Pins: 42
Technical falls: 4
Forfeits 1
Career Record:115-1
Career pins: 96
Career Technical falls: 9
Forfeits 5
College Opens Record: 18-9
Offseason Tournament Placements
3rd place Wilkes Open
3rd place East Stroudsburg Open
Final Team Standings
1. Century (8-0)
2. Wilmington Charter (7-1)
3. Archbishop Curley (6-2)
4. Perry Hall (5-3)
5. North County (3-5)
6. St. James (3-5)
7. Eastern Tech (1-7)
8. Dulaney (1-7)
9. Baltimore Polytechnic (1-7)
Century 54 Dulaney 16
Century 57 North County 21
Century 55 St. James 20
Century 38 Charter School of Wilmington (DE) 31
Century 56 Baltimore Polytechnic 16
Century 61 Eastern Tech 11
Century 58 Perry Hall 24
Century 39 Archbishop Curley 35
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