South Carroll wins Carroll County Championship

South Carroll sophomore Landon Hamper (165) sounded like his father and coach, Bryan, when discussing the eighth-ranked Cavaliers’ performance on Friday in the Westminster High School gymnasium.

Landon was among the Cavaliers’ school-record-tying eight champions and milestone 10 finalists as South Carroll (212 points) won its fourth straight Carroll County Tournament, overcoming 16th-ranked runner-up Manchester Valley (125).

“Having 10 out of our 14 make the finals is a goal we’ve worked for all season,” said Landon Hamper, who improved his record to 35-1 on the season. “We have a great coaching staff and a great amount of action and talent in our wrestling room, so while this feels really good, it’s nothing that’s surprising or unexpected.”

The Cavaliers were led by sophomore defending Class 2A-1A state champion JoJo Gigliotti (132), junior state runner-up Evan Owen (120) and sophomore state runner-up Grayson Barnhill (106), all of whom pinned their opponents to earn their second consecutive titles.

Landon Hamper was among the Cavaliers' first-time county title winners along with freshmen Brody Henry (126) and Davy Snyder (138), sophomore Anthony Rodrigues (175) and senior Decklen Logan (285).

Finishing second for the Cavaliers were Angelo Marchany (144) and senior Kaden Cyrus (150). Marchany lost, 3-2, to Liberty junior Dylan Ohler, and Cyrus was pinned in 3:49 by junior Chris Gaeng of Winters Mill.

Landon Hamper earned his crown following a semifinal 13-3 major decision and a championship bout, 6-1 victory over sophomore Josh Little of Westminster.

“I had never wrestled him before, but I went into this with an open mind and just wrestled my style,” said Hamper of Little. “There’s no one in my weight class who I’m worried about. I’ll keep an open mind and the outcome will be the same whenever I do that.”

Gigliotti improved to 44-1 on falls in 2:16 and 30 seconds, the latter in the title match with freshman Beau Snell of Manchester Valley.

"I just try to step up and I try to be a leader for our team helping everyone in the room. I always say it's 'We over Me.' That's what it is and what it should be,” Gigliotti said. “I feel like as a team we're really executing that right now. With the freshmen and the young guys on our team that are winning, I'm really happy about how things are going.”

Owen improved to 42-3 on falls in 2:27 and 2:40, with his second pin being against sophomore Colton Wasmer of Winters Mill in the championship match.

“There are high expectations for our team, and if one of us loses, there's a target because everyone's excited that one of us lost,” Owen said. “To come out and dominate like this feels really good. We're trying to keep it going all the way to the states.”

Barnhill rose to 24-0, taking just 15 seconds to finish off sophomore title-bout rival Kyle Reid of Manchester Valley after having decked his semifinal opponent in 22 seconds.

“Quick pins are becoming my thing,” said Barnhill, who won last year’s county title with a pair of 12-second falls. “I’m a two-time county champion, but I took a little longer to get it done this year.”

A sixth-place finisher at Class 2A-1A states, Rodrigues had pins in 2:44 and 3:17, the latter being in his title bout against Century junior JT Ferguson, whom he defeated for the third time.

Rodrigues was a county runner-up last year to then-senior Travis Green of Manchester Valley, a two-time third-place finisher at Class 2A-1A states.

“I’ve wrestled JT three times this year. First time was a decision, the second time was a major decision,” said Rodrigues, whose overall record is 40-3. “This time, I was able to pin him. I’ve made a big step from last year when I got second in the county to this year.”

Henry used pins in 3:15 and 5:33 to improve his record on the year to 38-0. Henry’s championship pin was against Manchester Valley junior Ryan Hydorn.

"It feels good to be undefeated. Working with Grayson and Evan helps me to get better,” Henry said. “There are a bunch of great guys on this team. I feel good and I’m happy just to be among them.”

Snyder’s record improved to 35-8 after he avenged an earlier loss with his 5-4 championship match decision which dethroned Bradyn VanDerVoort of Manchester Valley.

“Last time Bradyn beat me last time by about six points. I gave up some takedowns and back points after getting caught in a move, but I had a game plan going into the match. It was all about executing it and wrestling my best,” said Snyder, who won his semifinal bout by 13-3 major decision. "This time, I was ready for everything, and he wasn't able to get in on me. I wanted to be the aggressor and to stay comfortable and in a good stance on my feet. I was mostly getting to my attacks before he could, staying in positions where I couldn't get caught and where I could make good attacks and score.”

Logan improved to 2-3 against Century senior Chidima Iziogo thanks to a 93-second pin in the championship match.

“This was my fifth time wrestling Chidima, and he has beaten me the majority of the time,” said Logan, who won his semifinal with a fall in 1:58 and improved his record on the year to 20-6. “I didn’t think I would be here because he pinned me the first time we wrestled. This is only my second win against him, but I beat him when it counted so it feels good to get that kind of a victory back.”

The Cavaliers’ (27-0) effort came a week after earning their third straight Class 1A state duals crown at North Point High representing their 34th consecutive dual meet victory. South Carroll finished at 33-1 last season, winning that crown with a 46-30 triumph over a Northern-Garrett County Huskies squad which entered at 25-0. Last year’s title-winning effort marked the Cavaliers’ seventh straight dual meet victory following a 36-25 loss on Feb. 2, 2023.

Cavaliers coach Bryan Hamper is a 2001 South Carroll graduate who was twice a state champion and twice placed fourth at the states.

Hamper coached his alma mater to Class 2A-1A state tournament titles in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 before the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association ceased scoring the state tournament in 2018.

Barnhill, Owen and Gigliotti were among eight county champions a year ago as the Cavaliers totaled 228 points to eclipse second place Manchester Valley (179).

Last year's Cavaliers also received county titles from eventual three-time state champions Mike Pizzuto (145) and A.J. Rodrigues (160), two-time state title-winner Gage Owen (138), and state champ Rylan Moose (182) -- all of whom won their third straight county titles.

Then-sophomore Manny Rodrigues (195) was the eighth to win a county championship last year.

Other champions were Century sophomore Brayden Brassell (113), Winters Mill junior Chris Gaeng (150), Westminster senior Braden Vacca (157), Liberty sophomore Kevin Kern (190) and Manchester Valley junior Cru Boog (215).

Brassell improved to 20-4 on a fall in 2:41 and a championship bout, 10-2, major decision over Francis Scott Key junior Jackson Rilley. Brassell became the first champion for first-year head coach Zach Blessing.

“To finish third out of seven is an awesome accomplishment for our program,” said Blessing, whose Knights were third behind Manchester Valley. “We’re excited to get back into the room and to train for regionals and states. I am so proud of our team and their effort this season. We’re peaking at the right time.”

Kern raised his winning mark to 34-5 by avenging an earlier loss to junior Adam Knox of Francis Scott Key with his 6-5 decision in their finals bout.

“I lost to him, 9-7, in overtime earlier this year,” Kern said. “I’m happy to have taken him down for the county championship. Revenge is sweet.”

Boog raised his record to 44-2 with a 10-3 championship victory over Liberty senior Dylan Rubin, which followed his semifinal fall in 3:44.

“I beat Dylan 3-1 earlier this year by scoring in the last few seconds of the match,” said Boog, a repeat county champion. “I got first place here last year but unfortunately did not place in the regions. We’ll change that this year. I’m planning to finish the job.”

Boog is the continuation of a family legacy of wrestlers. His father, Chris, was a three-time Carroll County champion, one-time regional champion and placed third and fourth at states before graduating in 1994.

His uncle, Adam, won two county titles, one regional crown and placed fifth and sixth at states before winning a state title as a senior in 1998.

Boog is also the younger brother of Jake, who graduated last year as a two-time Class 2A-1A state champion.

“The pressure of the family legacy gets me going and keeps me going. It makes the expectations higher,” Boog said. Gaeng improved on last year’s runner-up finish with pins in 3:37 and 3:49, the second being over Cyrus as he improved to 32-2 on the year.

"Last year I was second, losing to Bradyn VanDerVoort. I came out and executed my game plan. To come back and to win this really feels good,” Gaeng said. “I was second at the regional last year and fifth at states last year. I'm hoping to improve on those finishes. For regionals and states, there are going to be some really good scraps along the way."

Vacca used falls in 71 and 59 seconds to reach the finals, where he improved to 43-1 after winning a battle of seniors, 11-6, over Century's Joey D`Orsogna.

Team Scores

1 South Carroll 212

2 Manchester Valley 125.0

3 Century 108.0

4 Winters Mill 93.0

5 Liberty 91

6 Francis Scott Key 90

7 Westminster 78

Guaranteed Places

1st Place - Decklen Logan of South Carroll

2nd Place - Chidima Iziogo of Century

3rd Place - Sam Richmond of Winters MIll

4th Place - Craig Hardsock of Francis Scott Key

1st Place Match

Decklen Logan (South Carroll) 20-6, Sr. over Chidima Iziogo (Century) 27-4, Sr. (Fall 1:33)

3rd Place Match

Sam Richmond (Winters MIll) 24-12, Sr. over Craig Hardsock (Francis Scott Key) 15-18, Jr. (Dec 6-4)

South Carroll wins Carroll County Championship

Team Scores

Individual Results

113

120

126

132

138

144

150

157

165

175

190

215

285

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