Boonsboro’s top-ranked senior Tanner Halling (132), Centennial’s second-ranked senior Calvin Kraisser (150) and Williamsport’s third-ranked senior Adin Hastings (215) are all A-students headed for Frostburg State University.
The trio was in action last Saturday at Manchester Valley, where Kraisser earned a Class 2A-1A West regional crown representing his fourth championship in that event a week after having also won his fourth straight Howard County Tournament title.
Kraisser improved to 39-1 thanks to falls in 54 and 86 seconds followed by a forfeit in his championship bout with Brunswick sophomore C.J. Watts, and will take aim at his fourth straight state title at Show Place Arena this weekend.
“I do feel pressure like anyone does, but I do embrace it, especially when I get to wrestle someone who is good,” Kraisser told Legacy Wrestling earlier this season. “Wrestling is hard, but when you go out for a match, that’s when it gets fun. That’s when you get to use all of the things you’ve been working on to go out and try to win.”
Kaiser earned last year’s Class 2A-1A version after doing so twice as a freshman and sophomore in Class 4A-3A, and is the sixth wrestler and the fifth sibling in a legacy of brotherhood that has spanned four decades and produced 15 individual state titles for Centennial.
His 17th-year coach and father, Cliff, was a state title winner for the Eagles in 1983, and Calvin’s elder brother, Nathan, 31, earned four each in county, regional and state crowns before graduating in 2012.
Austin Kraisser won four each in county and regional crowns as well as three state titles in four championship berths through 2016, and Jason graduated in 2019 with four each in county, region and state titles.
The eldest Kraisser sibling, Brian, graduated in 2010 with two county titles and fifth and sixth place finishes at states. Brian was also second and third at counties and twice a runner-up at regions, where he also placed third and fourth.
Calvin’s career record is 138-4, Jason's is 159-4, Austin's is 154-8, Nathan's, 152-6, and Brian’s, 126-39.
“For me to win a 16th state title would be amazing, and my family would be proud,” Calvin Kraisser said. “But as I’ve said before, that just comes as a perk from working as hard as I can right now in the training room.”
Halling is 45-0 on the season with a career record of 175-2, having added his fourth straight regional title to as many Washington County crowns, and placed third, second and first in the past three Class 2A-1A state tournaments.
Halling rolled through Saturday's completion on three technical falls comprising those by scores of 16-1, 19-3 and 21-5, the latter over third-ranked junior Devon Opel of Northern Garrett, a three-time Bi-County champion.
Opel was a regional runner-up to Halling for the second straight season, falling by 18-3 technical fall at regions a year ago before losing, 8-4, to Halling in last year’s state final bout.
Already the Warriors’ first-ever four-time regional champion, Halling can become their program’s first-ever two-time state title winner this weekend.
Halling became Washington County’s All-Time Career victories leader, surpassing the mark of 163-2 previously held by North Hagerstown’s four-time Class 4A-3A state champion Aaron Brooks.
Brooks went 45-1 as a freshman, 43-1 as a sophomore, 46-0 as a junior, and 22-0 as a senior in 2018. Brooks also won his fourth straight NCAA title at Penn State in March, and defeated Jabrail Shapiev of Uzbekistan, 5-0, to earn an Olympic Freestyle bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Games in August.
“My college major will be communications,” Halling told Legacy Wrestling earlier this year. “I will be going to Frostburg State because the coaches made it feel like home and the atmosphere just spoke to me in a different way.”
Hastings ran his record on the year to 42-3, improving his career mark to 172-10 a week after winning his fourth straight Washington County title.
“Breaking the county record [by Aaron Brooks] is cool, but ultimately that wasn’t ever the goal. I want to win states and continue to build,” Hastings said. “The county record doesn’t mean much when it’s going to be broken again.”
On Saturday, Hastings dominated with a 15-0 technical fall and a pin in 1:50 of his semifinal match before taking just 23 seconds to deck Winters Mill junior Victor Tejada, a Carroll County runner-up.
Hastings earned his third regional crown in four championship berths and was a Class 2A-1A state runner-up last season after winning states as a sophomore.
“Potentially being a state champion again is the next best thing,” Hastings said. “I’m grateful to be in position to be able to win another state title. That would be an awesome feat.”
At Frostburg, Hastings will pursue his “RN-BSN [Registered Nurse Bachelor of Science in Nursing] degree in nursing,” according to his father, Jimmy Hastings.
“Adin’s long-term goal is to become a nurse anesthetist, which means that he will have to attend another school after Frostburg,” Jimmy Hastings said. “That’ll most likely be Johns Hopkins University to get the education he needs to achieve nurse anesthetist training and certification.”
Named to The All-Academic Team in June 2024 by the Maryland State Wrestling Association, Adin Hastings is presently enrolled full-time at Hagerstown Community College and expects to graduate in May with his associates degree and high school diploma.
“Going to Frostburg with Tanner Halling and Calvin Kraisser is going to be an amazing experience,” Adin Hastings said. “They are both very hard workers, and I can’t wait to fuel myself alongside them and other hard-working teammates.”
Seventh-ranked senior Alex DeVriendt (144) of Middletown improved his record on the year to 40-2, starting with a forfeit which preceded his 10-2 major decision over Walkersville’s 11th-ranked junior Rhys Ferguson, a former Frederick County champion whose record is 32-3.
A four-time Frederick County champion, dominated his title match by 17-0 technical fall over Damascus’ 15th-ranked senior Gabe Hernandez, a three-time Montgomery County Tournament runner-up who has twice placed fourth at regions and whose record is now 48-3.
DeVriendt has won four Frederick County titles, three regional crowns in four championship berths, and finished third once and second twice at the Class 2A-1A state tournament.
Winning titles for Northern Garrett were fourth-ranked senior Matthew Beitzel (120), sixth-ranked senior Caleb Brenneman (157) and ninth-ranked sophomore Mason Glotfelty (126), each doing so a week after earning titles in their Bi-County Tournament.
Brenneman earned a 41-second pin and another in 3:18 of his semifinal before winning his regional title match, 9-5, over Walkersville’s 14th-ranked senior Jack Birth, a Frederick County champion whose record is 30-1.
A week earlier, Brenneman won his fourth Bi-County crown after being second and third at regions at states last year.
Beitzel pinned all three opponents comprising those in 82 and 46 seconds before nailing down a third in 2:24 of his championship match dethroned 18th-ranked sophomore Cooper Spoales of Damascus, a two-time Montgomery County title winner whose record is 44-6.
Beitzel won his third Bi-County title a week earlier and has now won his second regional crown as he looks to improve on last year’s runner-up finish at states.
Glotfelty’s record is 34-6 in the wake of a 19-3 technical fall that preceded his pin in 3:41 of a semifinal bout that helped him reach his title match with freshman county runner-up Ryker Keeney of Middletown, whom he edged by 7-5 decision.
Glotfelty earned his second Bi-County championship a week earlier and improved on last year’s runner-up finish at regions and looks to do better than last season’s fourth place effort at states.
Brunswick crowned eighth-ranked junior Seth Crawford (138), ninth-ranked senior Evan Mullen (106) and freshman Carter Mullen (113).
Crawford has a record of 39-3 after nailing down a 64-second pin, a 16-1 technical fall and a 68-second pin in his championship match that dethroned sixth-ranked Manchester Valley junior Bradyn VanDerVoort.
Crawford was a week away from earning his second straight crown in Frederick County, having won last year’s regional crown and placed third at states.
VanDerVoort slipped to 46-5 on the year, having finished second and first in the past two Carroll County Tournament and placed third at states last season.
Evan Mullen is 39-3 on the year following an 83-second fall, an 8-1 decision and an 11-1 major decision over 15th-ranked freshman Kayden Reid of Manchester Valley, a runner-up in Carroll County’s tournament.
Evan Mullen won the previous weekend’s county title after being a runner-up as a junior and improved on last year’s second place finish at regions as he looks to do the same with last season's sixth place effort at states.
Carter Mullen raised his record on the year to 41-3, improving on a fourth place finish at counties.
Carter Mullen earned a 16-1 technical fall, pin in 3:31 of his semifinal bout, and won his title match by 9-1 major decision over 18th-ranked sophomore Liam Soe of Middletown, who was a Frederick County runner-up.
Joining DeVriendt on the victory podium was 12th-ranked junior Carter Canale (175), who added his regional crown to his county title from a week earlier.
Canale began with a fall in 2:55 before winning his semifinal bout, 12-3, over 18th-ranked senior Ben Nazelrod of Southern-Garrett, a Bi-County champion whose record is 33-4.
Canale won his title match by fall in 3:49 over 11th-ranked sophomore Zoya Wexler of Poolesville, a Montgomery County champion whose record slipped to 34-4.
Other champions were 12th-ranked junior Xavier Nichols (190) of Hammond, 14th-ranked senior Shimma Wexler (165) of Poolesville, and 17th-ranked senior Cru Boog (285) of Manchester Valley.
Wexler has a record on the year of 33-2, doing so over the course of a difficult field, starting with a quarterfinal, 11-1 major decision over Glenelg senior Gavin Barvik, a Howard County champion.
In his semifinal, Wexler earned a 5-4 decision over third-ranked Chris Gaeng of Winters Mill, whose record slipped to 39-1. Gaeng is a repeat runner-up at regions who placed third at states last year.
Wexler won his title match by injury default over fourth-ranked senior Trevor Sowers of Boonsboro, a Washington County Tournament champion whose record is 40-5.
Wexler won the previous weekend's Montgomery County Tournament crown after placing third as a junior when he also finished fourth at regions.
Nichols improved to 39-2 starting with a 91-second pin and a 13-10 semifinal victory over senior Gerald Hayden Smith of Middletown, who was third in Frederick County’s tournament.
Nichols won his title match, 4-1, in overtime against Centennial senior Matt Sedor, whom he defeated, 11-3, for the Howard County title the previous weekend.
“I had wrestled Matt Sedor twice before counties. The first time was during the season, and he pinned me during the last seconds of the match after I had made a mistake,” Nichols said of Sedor, who was third at counties as a junior. “But then we wrestled again during the regional duals, and I won by a 19-3 technical fall. I spent a lot of time training during the offseason, and I went from placing fifth at counties last year to being first this year.”
Boog earned falls in 3:15, 3:12 and 84 seconds, the last in his title bout with 14th-ranked Walkersville senior Wyatt Weinrich, a Frederick County runner-up.
A repeat champion in the Carroll County Tournament, Boog has a record on the year of 48-1, having improved on last year’s regional runner-up finish.
Tournament Results
106
1st Place Match
Evan Mullen (Brunswick) 39-3, Sr. over Kayden Reid (Manchester Valley) 42-9, Fr. (MD 11-1)
3rd Place Match
Luke Bucheimer (Boonsboro) 34-10, Fr. over Eli Stein (Century) 39-7, Fr. (Fall 2:21)
5th Place Match
Cam Bowman (Middletown) 33-9, So. over Ryan Krumpach (Mountain Ridge) 21-13, Fr. (Fall 3:36)
113
1st Place Match
Carter Mullen (Brunswick) 41-3, Fr. over Liam Soe (Middletown) 32-11, So. (MD 9-1)
3rd Place Match
Mason Day (Allegany) 21-13, So. over Jacob Fulerton (Northern-G) 22-17, So. (MD 14-6)
5th Place Match
Blake Nalley (Boonsboro) 26-10, Fr. over Hunter Mahoney (Southern-AA) 28-10, So. (For.)
120
1st Place Match
Matthew Beitzel (Northern-G) 37-2, Sr. over Cooper Spoales (Damascus) 44-6, So. (Fall 2:24)
3rd Place Match
Cody Mimnall (Boonsboro) 29-5, So. over Brayden Brassell (Century) 23-10, Jr. (Dec 10-4)
5th Place Match
Dalton Sines (Fort Hill) 28-10, Jr. over Racer Anderson (Poolesville) 27-14, Sr. (Fall 4:02)
126
1st Place Match
Mason Glotfelty (Northern-G) 34-6, So. over Ryker Keeney (Middletown) 33-10, Fr. (Dec 7-5)
3rd Place Match
Phil Key (Glenelg) 33-7, Jr. over Colton Wasmer (Winters Mill) 35-10, Jr. (Dec 8-2)
5th Place Match
Bradley Hamilton (Southern-G) 26-12, Jr. over Ethan Dimmerling (Poolesville) 27-11, So. (MD 12-3)
132
1st Place Match
Tanner Halling (Boonsboro) 45-0, Sr. over Devon Opel (Northern-G) 34-3, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:40 (21-5))
3rd Place Match
Cayden Boedecker (Brunswick) 41-5, So. over Sam Vissers (Hammond) 31-3, Sr. (Fall 1:26)
5th Place Match
Xavier Ford (Middletown) 28-14, Jr. over Chris Brooks (Century) 36-11, Sr. (Dec 7-6)
138
1st Place Match
Seth Crawford (Brunswick) 39-3, Jr. over Bradyn VanDerVoort (Manchester Valley) 46-5, Jr. (Fall 1:08)
3rd Place Match
Ashton Thompson (Catoctin) 43-5, So. over Jake Beaumont (Walkersville) 32-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:36 (16-0))
5th Place Match
Jonathan Sexton (Glenelg) 30-9, Jr. over Landon Yoder (Northern-G) 28-13, Jr. (Fall 2:38)
144
1st Place Match
Alex DeVriendt (Middletown) 40-2, Sr. over Gabe Hernandez (Damascus) 48-3, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:15 (17-0))
3rd Place Match
Rhys Ferguson (Walkersville) 32-3, Jr. over Beau Snell (Manchester Valley) 45-6, So. (Dec 5-0)
5th Place Match
Asa Wexler (Poolesville) 32-13, So. over Grady Conrad (Centennial) 30-8, Jr. (Fall 2:31)
150
1st Place Match
Calvin Kraisser (Centennial) 35-1, Sr. over CJ Watts (Brunswick) 39-4, So. (For.)
3rd Place Match
Josh Choi (Glenelg) 34-6, Jr. over Lucas Wolf (Northern-G) 35-5, So. (Dec 10-5)
5th Place Match
Vinnie Volpe (Poolesville) 28-8, Sr. over Landon Buchman (Winters Mill) 33-7, Jr. (For.)
157
1st Place Match
Caleb Brenneman (Northern-G) 36-3, Sr. over Jack Birth (Walkersville) 30-1, Sr. (Dec 9-5)
3rd Place Match
Henry Graham (Middletown) 32-7, Sr. over Dylan Brown (Manchester Valley) 40-11, Sr. (Dec 7-1)
5th Place Match
Evan Willis (Damascus) 34-16, Sr. over Anthony Juarez (Poolesville) 26-16, Fr. (Dec 4-0)
165
1st Place Match
Shimma Wexler (Poolesville) 33-2, Sr. over Trevor Sowers (Boonsboro) 40-5, Sr. (Inj. 5:26)
3rd Place Match
Chris Gaeng (Winters Mill) 39-1, Sr. over Porter Gruner (Damascus) 45-7, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:22 (18-2))
5th Place Match
Gavin Baravik (Glenelg) 32-8, Sr. over Evan Graham (Northern-G) 26-11, Jr. (Fall 2:03)
175
1st Place Match
Carter Canale (Middletown) 37-3, Jr. over Zoya Wexler (Poolesville) 34-4, So. (Fall 3:49)
3rd Place Match
JT Ferguson (Century) 42-3, Sr. over Ben Nazelrod (Southern-G) 33-4, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match
Nick Riley (Northern-G) 32-8, Sr. over Ben Kaetzel (Williamsport) 37-10, Jr. (For.)
190
1st Place Match
Xavier Nichols (Hammond) 39-2, Jr. over Matthew Sedor (Centennial) 29-7, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)
3rd Place Match
Gino Dolan (Walkersville) 30-4, Sr. over Gerald Hayden Smith (Middletown) 33-11, Sr. (Dec 5-4)
5th Place Match
JT Griffith (Boonsboro) 33-12, So. over Ben Guyton (Brunswick) 25-21, Jr. (Fall 0:19)
215
1st Place Match
Adin Hastings (Williamsport) 42-3, Sr. over Victor Tejada (Winters Mill) 28-13, Jr. (Fall 0:23)
3rd Place Match
Austin Curry (Brunswick) 37-10, Sr. over Wyatt Walker (Fort Hill) 30-7, Sr. (Fall 4:23)
5th Place Match
Mark Martin (Damascus) 42-9, Jr. over Dasean Butts (Middletown) 28-10, Sr. (Dec 7-3)
285
1st Place Match
Cru Boog (Manchester Valley) 48-1, Sr. over Wyatt Weinrich (Walkersville) 33-7, Sr. (Fall 1:24)
3rd Place Match
Lane Riggleman (Brunswick) 41-4, Jr. over Xavier Bowie (Williamsport) 29-14, So. (Fall 1:56)
5th Place Match
Tanner Christ (Smithsburg) 22-16, Sr. over Mason Knapp (Glenelg) 23-20, So. (Fall 1:39)
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