Calvert’s top-ranked sophomore Ethan Valdisera (113) won the Class 2A-1A South Regional crown on Saturday, running his record on the year to 33-0 with 22 pins and five technical falls on a pin in 2:31 and a 20-3 technical fall over Patuxent senior Jeremiah Young in the finals.
Valdisera was coming off a title-winning effort in the previous weekend’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference, where he pinned Young at 2:25 of their semifinal bout as Young placed third at SMAC.
Valdisera won his SMAC championship match by 20-4 technical fall over 14th-ranked North Point senior Dylan Robey, whose record is 36-3 after his third-place finish last weekend’s Class 4A-3A East Region.
“I’m really looking forward to getting a couple of kids at the state tournament this weekend,” said Valdisera, referring to the Class 2A-1A state tournament at Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro. “There are guys I haven’t wrestled since we were little kids. There are also a couple whom I’ve never wrestled, so it’s pretty exciting.”
A transfer from St. Mary's Ryken, Valdesera was a 113-pound champion in both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournaments, earning a 1-0 decision over Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titlist Jayden Jackson of Loyola in the latter.
“Wrestling at Calvert’s been different from wrestling on a schedule like I did at St. Mary’s Ryken last year, but my teammates and coaches have been very welcoming,” Valdisera said. “The adjustment has been good. I’ve never considered the possibility of being a four-time state champ, but since I won [private schools states] last year, that’s definitely a goal now.”
Among Validisera’s teammates at St. Mary’s Ryken was Eli Gabrielson, a WCAC champion and private schools state tournament runner-up who placed fourth in the National Preps tournament all at 106 pounds.
Now a top-ranked 120-pounder at third-ranked South Carroll, Gabrielson is a favorite to win a Class 2A-1A state title with a record of 37-0 that includes titles in the Carroll County and Class 2A-1A North Regional tournaments.
Validisera and Gabrielson were introduced as youngsters by Gabrielson’s father, Jason, who was a state champion at Riverdale Baptist before becoming Northern-Calvert’s first-ever state champion over the course of back-to-back seasons in 1996 and 1997.
Jason Gabrielson won his first title by fall in 1:41 over DuVal’s Warren Thompson, and his second by pin in 1:50 over Walters Johnson’s Chris Ghal.
“Ethan met Eli when Coach Gabrielson brought Eli to a practice one night at the recreation team,” said Valdisera’s father, Justin, a 1997 McDonough of Charles County graduate who placed first and third at SMAC, and first and third at regions. “Ethan was in his first year of wrestling nine years ago. As soon as that recreation season was over, Ethan went over to the Southern Maryland Wrestling Club. Ethan and Eli have been friends ever since, beating on one another.”
Among those who trained alongside Valdisera and Gabrielson were third-ranked senior Austin Wood (120) and 10th-ranked senior Gable Pauole (138), each of whom is a champion at North Point in their SMAC and Class 4A-3A East Regional Tournaments.
There was also top-ranked Drew Montgomery (144) of Northern-Calvert, who is pursuing his third Class 4A-3A state title and his fourth championship appearance.
“Eli and the other kids their size and ages they grew up in that room practicing with over the years,” Justin Valdisera said. “We couldn’t have been more blessed to have met the Gabrielsons. Everything Ethan has become is because of Coach Gabrielson.”
Huntingtown crowned third-ranked senior William Buckler (157), seventh-ranked senior Blake Ashley (165), sixth-ranked sophomore Landen Vercoe (126), seventh-ranked sophomore Owen Hayden (106), ninth-ranked freshman Kyler Kiessling (120), 10th-ranked junior William Stewart (132) and 23rd-ranked senior Luke Johnson (144) among their seven champions.
Ashley, Hayden and Vercoe are repeat regional title winners, with Ashley having placed fourth at states, Vercoe, third, and Owen, fifth.
Ashley, Butler, Hayden, Stewart and Vercoe were among the Hurricanes’ school-record six champions toward winning the previous weekend’s SMAC tournament title for the second straight year.
Their performances come two weeks after the Hurricanes (29-5) dethroned 17th-ranked Stephen Decatur, 51-22, for the Class 2A state dual meet championship during a season which marks the second time the Hurricanes are dual and tournament champions of the SMAC along with being state dual title winners.
The feat was first accomplished in 2018 where that team still holds the record for the most points scored in the SMAC tournament with 288. That team had 12 place-winners in the top three and all 14 finished within the top five.
Buckler improved his record on the year to 201 on a 17-1 technical fall and a 62-second fall against Gwynn Park junior Jordan Davis, who was third in Prince George’s County’s tournament and has a record of 22-4.
Buckler transferred from St. Mary’s Ryken where he placed third, second, and fourth in the private schools state tournament and seventh at the National Prep Tournament as a sophomore.
Ashley has a record of 41-3 after earning a 15-0 technical fall, an 84-second pin and an 18-5 major decision in his title bout with 19th-ranked LaPlata senior Max Meiser.
Meiser won his semifinal, 4-1, over Lackey’s 12th-ranked senior Brandon Catherine, who lost his SMAC title match to Ashley, 8-6, and whose record slipped to 19-4.
Vercoe has a record of 39-5 following consecutive technical fall victories of 18-1 and 18-2, the latter in his championship match with Frederick Douglass senior Noah Walker, a Prince George’s County Tournament runner-up whose record is now 23-4.
Hayden improved to 41-2 on technical falls of 18-0 and 17-2, the last against Lackey sophomore Luke Baldwin, a 17-1 technical loser to Hayden in the previous weekend’s SMAC finals.
Kiessling ran his record on the year to 32-3 as he improved on the previous weekend’s third-place finish at SMAC.
Kiessling registered pins in 1:41, 62 seconds and 61 seconds, the latter against Patuxent sophomore Hayden Marrero, who was fourth at SMAC after being decked by Kiessling in 2:04.
Stewart nailed down a 97-second pin and another at the 2:00 mark before defeating LaPlata freshman Owen Hannah by the score of 8-3 in the finals.
Johnson used a 57-second fall and a 15-0 technical fall to reach the title match, where he earned a 12-4 major decision over Lackey senior Giovanni Posey, who was a runner-up at SMAC where Johnson finished third.
Lackey had a pair of champions in second-ranked sophomore Ethan Vayro (175) and junior William Chism (150), with the latter improving on the previous weekend’s fourth place finish at SMAC.
Vayro’s record on the year is 38-1 as he followed his 53-second fall with a 10-1 major decision over fifth-ranked Huntingtown junior Tyler Haden, who was a regional runner-up for the second second year.
In the previous weekend’s SMAC finals, Vayro used a 7-2 decision victory to dethrone Tyler Hayden, who placed third at states last season.
Chism decked all three opponents with falls in 78 seconds, 4:43 and 3:44. The third pin was in Chism’s championship match against 23rd-ranked freshman Ezekias Perez, a SMAC runner-up who defeated Chism by 12-2 major decision in the previous weekend’s quarterfinal bout.
Other champions were seventh-ranked senior Glen Vinson (190) of Frederick Douglass, seventh-ranked junior Sima Saavedra (285) of LaPlata, 25th-ranked junior Kaosisochu Ukiwe of McDonough, and senior Mason Furl (138) of Patuxent, all of whom improved on their runner-up finishes at the SMAC tournament.
Vinson improved his record on the year to 12-1 thanks to a fall in 2:37, a 13-2 major decision and a 4-3 title bout victory over Hutingtown’s ninth-ranked senior Chase Brooks, who was a SMAC tournament champion a week earlier.
Vinson’s semifinal 13-2 win was against Patuxent junior John Edwards, who was third in the SMAC tournament.
Vinson won the Prince George’s County Tournament title after having finished third as a junior when he was also a regional champion and fourth-place finisher at Class 2A-1A states.
Saaverda raised his record on the year 28-3 with pins in 1:42 and 2:33, the latter in his title match with Patuxent junior Jahkiye Dixon, who was third at SMAC.
Ukiwe has a record of 28-4 after nailing down a 53-second fall before winning his title match, 9-2, over Huntingtown senior Ryan Smith, a fourth-place finisher at SMAC.
Furl earned pins in 50 seconds and 2:52, the second one against LaPlata junior AJ Cave in the finals.
Tournament Results
106
1st Place Match
Owen Hayden (Huntingtown) 41-2, So. over Luke Baldwin (Henry E. Lackey) 34-7, So. (TF-1.5 4:31 (17-2))
3rd Place Match
Jacob Jones (Calvert) 29-6, Fr. over Jasper Wilson (Maurice J. McDonough) 13-18, So. (Fall 2:10)
5th Place Match
Nathan Raley (La Plata) 16-18, So. over Walter Perez Perez (Loch Raven) 12-18, Fr. (Fall 4:48)
113
1st Place Match
Ethan Valdisera (Calvert) 33-0, So. over Jerimiah Young (Patuxent) 26-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:59 (20-3))
3rd Place Match
Michael Kunz (Henry E. Lackey) 23-16, Fr. over Logan Jones (Huntingtown) 26-12, Fr. (Fall 0:33)
5th Place Match
Oliver Ferguson (Potomac) 16-13, Fr. over Oscar David Avalos Oroman (Loch Raven) 10-14, Fr. (Fall 4:11)
120
1st Place Match
Kyler Kiessling (Huntingtown) 32-3, Fr. over Hayden Marrero (Patuxent) 12-12, So. (Fall 1:01)
3rd Place Match
Artice Gonzales High (Potomac) 15-8, So. over Marcus Jones (Carver A&T) 16-16, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:21 (19-2))
5th Place Match
Christian Galvez (Frederick Douglass-PG) 25-6, Sr. over Carlos Vasquez (International Largo) 10-6, Jr. (Fall 1:00)
126
1st Place Match
Landon Vercoe (Huntingtown) 39-5, So. over Noah Walker (Frederick Douglass-PG) 23-4, Sr. (TF-1.5 1:53 (18-2))
3rd Place Match
Deegan Woomer (La Plata) 27-13, Jr. over Sterling Addison (Carver A&T) 28-8, Jr. (Dec 11-4)
5th Place Match
Cole Cranford (Calvert) 14-15, So. over Daniel Seger (Patuxent) 8-12, So. (TF-1.5 4:21 (21-1))
132
1st Place Match
Will Stewart (Huntingtown) 33-7, Jr. over Owen Hannah (La Plata) 36-7, Fr. (Dec 8-3)
3rd Place Match
Braylon Pippins (Frederick Douglass-PG) 17-7, Jr. over James Kunz (Henry E. Lackey) 25-19, So. (Fall 0:49)
5th Place Match
Jacob Fufezan-Seck (Carver A&T) 26-9, Fr. over Cyrus Felton (Potomac) 22-8, So. (Fall 0:35)
138
1st Place Match
Mason Furl (Patuxent) 30-11, Sr. over AJ Cave (La Plata) 20-13, Jr. (Fall 2:52)
3rd Place Match
Paolo Cardarella (Carver A&T) 24-13, Sr. over Liam Cochran (Calvert) 6-13, So. (Fall 1:44)
5th Place Match
Mason Long (Gwynn Park) 12-5, Fr. over Anthony Lotz (Loch Raven) 13-25, So. (Fall 1:31)
144
1st Place Match
Luke Johnson (Huntingtown) 15-6, Sr. over Giovanni Posey (Henry E. Lackey) 36-10, Sr. (MD 12-4)
3rd Place Match
Israel Smith (Frederick Douglass-PG) 13-1, Sr. over Devin Creitz (Loch Raven) 34-10, So. (MD 14-4)
5th Place Match
Logan Cookson (Patuxent) 13-20, Sr. over Landon Wade (Thomas Stone) 18-14, Jr. (M. For.)
150
1st Place Match
William Chism (Henry E. Lackey) 38-8, Jr. over Ezekias Perez (Huntingtown) 20-10, Fr. (Fall 3:44)
3rd Place Match
Nathan Sands (Patuxent) 14-9, Jr. over Brett Wilkinson (La Plata) 18-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:48 (17-1))
5th Place Match
Gerald Carter (Frederick Douglass-PG) 25-7, Jr. over Pablo Garcia (Calvert) 15-13, So. (MD 13-3)
157
1st Place Match
William Buckler (Huntingtown) 17-1, Sr. over Jordan Davis (Gwynn Park) 22-4, Jr. (Fall 1:02)
3rd Place Match
Grant Winkler (La Plata) 33-11, Sr. over Ryan Wilson (Calvert) 11-17, So. (Fall 1:42)
5th Place Match
Manhattan Doles (Frederick Douglass-PG) 20-10, Sr. over Jonathan Foster (Friendly) 10-9, So. (TF-1.5 3:23 (19-3))
165
1st Place Match
Blake Ashley (Huntingtown) 41-3, Sr. over Max Meiser (La Plata) 34-7, Jr. (MD 18-5)
3rd Place Match
Brandon Catherine (Henry E. Lackey) 19-4, Sr. over Alston Fitch (Frederick Douglass-PG) 17-12, Sr. (Fall 4:42)
5th Place Match
Rafael Williams (Thomas Stone) 28-10, Sr. over Tino Barone (Patuxent) 21-17, Sr. (MD 18-9)
175
1st Place Match
Ethan Vayro (Henry E. Lackey) 38-1, So. over Tyler Hayden (Huntingtown) 34-7, Sr. (MD 10-1)
3rd Place Match
Ayden Dudley (La Plata) 35-10, Sr. over Robert Donohue (Maurice J. McDonough) 7-20, So. (TF-1.5 4:06 (19-4))
5th Place Match
Nicholas Holland (Loch Raven) 21-19, Sr. over Kennard Pollock (Surrattsville) 11-15, Fr. (TF-1.5 1:15 (17-1))
190
1st Place Match
Glen Vinson (Frederick Douglass-PG) 9-1, Sr. over Chase Brooks (Huntingtown) 28-9, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
3rd Place Match
Julian Reyes (Potomac) 23-11, Jr. over Ronald Johnson (Henry E. Lackey) 33-9, Jr. (Dec 6-2)
5th Place Match
John Edwards (Patuxent) 19-14, Jr. over Edward Holt IV (La Plata) 22-10, Sr. (Dec 5-3)
215
1st Place Match
Kaosisochu Ukiwe (Maurice J. McDonough) 28-4, Jr. over Ryan Smith (Huntingtown) 25-9, Sr. (Dec 9-2)
3rd Place Match
Nicholas Christie (Frederick Douglass-PG) 20-7, Sr. over Sebastian Rodriguez (Friendly) 14-7, Sr. (M. For.)
5th Place Match
Taizay Mathews (Potomac) 13-7, Jr. over Jon Vogt (La Plata) 17-21, Sr. (M. For.)
285
1st Place Match
Sima Saavedra (La Plata) 28-3, Jr. over Jahkiye Dixon (Patuxent) 28-7, Jr. (Fall 2:33)
3rd Place Match
Aubrey Melvin (Gwynn Park) 21-8, Sr. over Jeremiah Reynolds (Frederick Douglass-PG) 24-7, Jr. (Dec 3-1)
5th Place Match
Jaiden Johnson (Crossland) 13-9, Sr. over Ahmir Wilkerson (Friendly) 10-13, Jr. (Fall 0:37)
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