South Carroll tops Gilman

Falls by 10th-ranked freshman Jacob Endzel (190) and second-ranked senior Landon Hamper (215) were among five first-period pins to go with a pair of technical falls by second-ranked South Carroll during last Saturday’s 46-32 non-league dual meet victory at 12th-ranked Gilman.

Endzel (20-0 record, 19 pins) put the match out of reach, 40-26, with two bouts left with a 16-second pin before Hamper took 39-seconds to flatten 12th-ranked Greyhounds’ senior Isaiah Trusty, a returning Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association runner-up who was third at the Maryland Independent/Private School States last season.

“We clinched the dual meet,” said Hamper, a University of Maryland-bound wrestler whose record rose to 19-0 with 13 pins. “We came out with a good win over a team that was ranked No. 1 in the state last year.”

Hamper competed while having risen into the 215-pound weight class to allow Endzel to go at 190, and was outweighed by Trusty, 215 to 200, according to his father and coach, Bryan Hamper.

“We started the match at 106 and we had a bumpy start. We knew that we had to go out there and step up and get six points, no matter who was out there on the,” said Landon Hamper, who is in pursuit of his third straight Carroll County and Class 2A-1A state titles after having finished second and first in the past two regional tournaments.

“The match had been closer before it became time for me to wrestle [Isaiah Trusty.] Our match started with me trying to push the pace and open him up, but nothing was working. So, I went to my snap-down to spin behind. I saw that the cradle was there, cradled him up and stuck him. The match went quickly and as planned with a quick, first-period pin,”

Gilman’s 19th-ranked senior Noah Lawrence (235) closed out the dual meet for the final margin with a fall in 1:58 as the Cavaliers improved to 17-0 with their 32nd straight dual meet victory.

Bryan Hamper is in his 13th-year guiding the Cavaliers, who are in pursuit of their sixth consecutive Carroll County Tournament title as well as their fifth straight Class 1A state dual meet championship.

The Cavaliers overcame a squad in the Greyhounds (2-1) which tied top-ranked Archbishop Spalding for last year’s Maryland Independent/Private Schools' title a week after being dethroned by the Cavaliers as MIAA Tournament champions.

Gilman (284.5 points) was coming off a runner-up finish at their own Adam Janet Tournament to 14th-ranked Archbishop Curley (322 points), where the Greyhounds crowned fourth-ranked junior Arthur Konshak (175), sixth-ranked junior Miles Molina (113), 14th-ranked junior Sawyer Peck (165) and eighth-ranked sophomore Christian Wirts (126).

The Greyhounds are coached by 2006 McDonogh graduate Bryn Holmes, who won three each in MIAA and private school state titles after being second in each as a freshman, and twice earned National Preps crowns after placing third and fourth as a sophomore and freshman.

Holmes said the Greyhounds were minus four starters against the Cavaliers, including eighth-ranked junior JD Vasser (120), a returning fourth- and third-place finisher at MIAAs and private school states. Also missing were sophomore Noa Restencourt (126/132), senior Anders Martin (138) and junior Paul Tomayko (144/150).

“We would love to see South Carroll when we’re at full strength,” said Holmes, a former three-sport athlete who also played football and lacrosse. “Paul is out for the season after breaking his wrist last weekend, but the others should be back soon.”

Gilman trailed, 6-0, following a 92-second fall by 106-pound Cavaliers’ freshman Brandon Hostler, but the Greyhounds were within, 6-5, following Molina’s 16-0 technical fall over the Cavaliers’ seventh-ranked sophomore Jake Simione (113).

Molina transferred from Poly, where he was a two-time Baltimore City champion, placed fourth and second at regions and fifth at states. Simione was first at counties, second at regions, third at states and slipped to 19-1 with 12 pins.

The Greyhounds trailed, 12-5, after a 16-second pin from the Cavaliers’ seventh-ranked senior Grayson Barnhill (120), a three-time county and regional champion who has placed second, first and fifth in the past three state tournaments.

Barnhill has a record on the year of 18-2 with 18 pins, bringing his career total to 109 career falls.

Gilman enjoyed its only lead, 17-12, after consecutive first-period pins by freshman James Liu (126) and Wirts (132), the latter in 64 seconds.

But the Cavaliers won the next three bouts for a commanding lead of 29-17 comprising a forfeit to top-ranked senior Jojo Gigliotti (138), a 15-0 technical fall by fifth-ranked junior Brody Henry (144), and a 51-second pin by 13th-ranked freshman Quin Regnier (150).

Committed to the University of Maryland, Gigliotti is in pursuit of his school-record fourth straight Class 1A state championship to go with as many county and regional crowns and improved his record on the season to 18-0 with 11 pins.

Henry has earned a pair of county and regional titles, placed fifth and fourth at states, and improved his record to 20-0 with 10 pins, whereas Regnier is 19-1 with 11 pins.

Senior Michael DeCosta (157) brought the Greyhounds to within, 29-23, but the score was, 34-23, after the Cavaliers’ sixth-ranked junior David Snyder (165) dominated Peck by 21-6 technical fall.

Snyder is a two-time county champion who has placed first and fourth at regions and fifth and third at states who is 20-0 with 11 pins. Peck is a returning seventh-place finisher at private school states.

Gilman had pulled to within 34-26, with three bouts remaining after Konshak won a 175-pound battle of state champions, 7-2, over the Cavaliers’ second-ranked Anthony Rodrigues.

Konshak was an MIAA and private schools state champion last season, and Rodrigues has returned after earning county, regional and state titles as a sophomore before missing last year with a back injury.

The Cavaliers’ effort followed their domination of last week’s Damascus Tournament, where Landon Hamper, Endzel, Gigliotti, Henry, Regnier, Simione and Snyder won titles.

South Carroll also went 8-0 to win the Jefferson Duals Tournament at Jefferson High, where Landon Hamper, Barnhill, Endzel, Gigliotti, Henry, Simone, and Snyder won all of their eight bouts, Rodrigues was 4-0, and Regnier and Little finished at 7-1.

The Cavaliers will receive a stiff test during the Jan. 9-11 War On The Shore Tournament at 14th-ranked Stephen Decatur in Ocean City.

“I am very proud of the guys on the team,” Landon Hamper said. “We stepped up when we had to, showing that we can put our trust in them the way we were able to.”

South Carroll’s last loss to a private school was on Feb. 2, 2023, to Maryland Interstate Athletic Association power Mount St. Joseph, currently ranked third by Legacy Wrestling. The Cavaliers suffered their lone defeat of last season in January against state champion Grassfield High of Chesapeake, Virginia.

South Carroll over Gilman, 46-32

106

Brandon Hostler (South Carroll) over Maverick Moller (Gilman School) (Fall 1:32), 6-0, South Carroll

113

Miles Molina (Gilman School) over Jake Simione (South Carroll) (TF 16-0 2:45), 6-5, South Carroll,

120

Grayson Barnhill (South Carroll) over Emmett Melluish (Gilman School) (Fall 0:16), 12-5, South Carroll

126

James Liu (Gilman School) over Lane Cady (South Carroll) (Fall 2:00), 12-11, South Carroll

132

Christian Wirts (Gilman School) over Luke Blanchard (South Carroll) (Fall 1:04), 17-12, Gilman.

138

Jojo Gigliotti (South Carroll) over Unknown (For.), 18-17, South Carroll

144

Brody Henry (South Carroll) over Brandon Yoon (Gilman School) (TF 15-0 2:00), 23-17, South Carroll

150

Quin Regnier (South Carroll) over Karl Foland (Gilman School) (Fall 0:51), 29-17, South Carroll

157

Michael DeCosta (Gilman School) over Alexander Little (South Carroll) (Fall 2:30), 29-23, South Carroll

165

David Snyder (South Carroll) over Sawyer Peck (Gilman School) (TF 21-6 6:00), 34-23, South Carroll

175

Arthur Konshak (Gilman School) over Anthony Rodrigues (South Carroll) (Dec 7-2), 34-26, South Carroll

190

Jacob Endzel (South Carroll) over Cullen Keelty (Gilman School) (Fall 0:16), 40-26, South Carroll

215

Landon Hamper (South Carroll) over Isaiah Trusty (Gilman School) (Fall 0:39), 46-26, South Carroll

285

Noah Lawrence (Gilman School) over Mason Pollack (South Carroll) (Fall 1:58), 46-32, South Carroll