Team Rankings are Live!
- Legacy Wrestling
- 4 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Last year’s tie for the number one spot between Archbishop Spalding and Gilman, and the subsequent tie-breaking National Prep Tournament placing for the Greyhounds, showed how week-to-week intricacies dictate the outcomes between two power teams.
Gilman won the dual meet that was seconds away from being a Spalding win, then saw Spalding comfortably win the MIAA Tournament, only to show grit and come back from a huge deficit in the team race to tie at MIS and then step up at preps to remain number one for a second consecutive season.
We point that out, as this year; it seems pretty cut and dry that Archbishop Spalding is the top team in the state. Last year, after injuries rolled through the lineup, Gilman came back to the pack. But even before that, they weren’t as loaded as the previous season when they swept all the titles. Unless something like that befalls Spalding this year, they should end the year as they begin it – No. 1 in Maryland.
South Carroll Prep finished 2025 as the highest rated public school and they hold that honor again to begin the season. We are placing South Carroll at No. 2 in our initial report. The reason being it seems the private schools behind them, namely No. 3 Mt. St. Joseph have some holes in their lineup.
The departure of Corey Brown hurts, but more on the national level as the freshman sliding into his spot is none other than Nathan Matthis, a highly acclaimed and decorated youth wrestler, with some serious wins on his resume. Where St. Joe seems to be lacking is in the upper weights. That was the book on them last year, but somehow, they overcame it and were the number three private school team when the dust settled.
On paper, it appears No. 4 Loyola-Blakefield and No. 5 McDonogh have the means to down the Gaels. We are taking a “do it” approach since coach Harry Barnabae always seems to get the most out of his guys.
Loyola was favored heading into the dual with St. Joe a year ago and ended up losing in surprising fashion. In recent years, the expectation has been that the Dons will take down the Gaels this time, and it has yet to come to pass. Therefore, we feel St. Joe’s tenacity and resilience earn them the nod until someone other than Spalding defeats them (yes we know they lost to Gilman).
Pete Welch’s McDonogh squads have given St. Joe fits over the years and after a few years out in the wilderness, the Eagles came on strong at the end of last year, even handing Spalding a late season dual meet loss, and showing a lot of promise for the future.
Some new recruits and returnees have McDonogh on the upswing and it would certainly surprise no one if the crafty Welch elevates his squad above the others and battles Spalding for the top position.
Gilman at No. 6 is a reflection of what they lost to graduation and Liam McGettigan’s migration south to Lake Highland Prep. Gilman has handled the Gaels and Eagles in duals the last two years, but they just don’t seem to have the same firepower as the last two seasons. Perhaps their young bucks will step up and change that perception.
The next block of teams represents the other three defending state champs with Walt Whitman coming in ahead of the others at No. 7. We gave Whitman that nod because they have won two titles in a row, while our next two won last year only with their current groups, No. 8 Chesapeake of Anne Arundel County and No. 9 Huntingtown.
We placed Chesapeake ahead of Huntingtown based off last year’s ranking. In addition, Chesapeake beat South River twice last year and Linganore in the 4A state title bout, while Huntingtown lost to those teams. Both seem to have brought back the same number of kids.
The last team in our top ten is St. Mary’s Ryken. With a lot of changeovers recently it’s been tough to gauge Ryken. With what we know they have coming back and their additions, they along with No. 11 Bullis, appear to be the next best private school teams.
Perhaps new Knight Coach Cam Watkins will steady the ship and stop the revolving door at the head coaches’ office? The talent is there and a climb up these rankings would probably not be shocking to many, in fact, likely even expected.
Will this be the year Bullis can compete in duals? This is what hurts their rating in most campaigns. They are always near the top of the tournament standings, especially the bigger affairs. But then will post dual meet losses to teams perceived to be lesser based on Bullis’ tournament performances. Since both count in these rankings, their dual endeavors cannot be discounted.
At No. 12 Middletown is probably going to outperform that positioning as they tend to do. Year after year, I see their lineup early in the season and don’t know half of the names. By the end, those guys are in the rankings and expected to place at states. More of the same is probably coming this year from Coach Strube.
Northern of Garrett County sits at No. 13 as we begin. They are operating with a solid core that is always sharpened due to their close proximity to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They tend to be a mystery team for most of the year as they hit tournaments in those two states and mostly stick to their neck of the woods.
Brunswick and Linganore give Frederick County a trio of top 15 state-ranked squads with Brunswick at 14 and Linganore starting at No. 15. Brunswick gained the upper hand on Linganore a year ago in a match at the Iron Horse Duals, but we’ve learned to never underestimate what Linganore will do. They are like Middletown with the unknown kids stepping up every season.
No. 16 Stephen Decatur was knocked off their dual meet throne last year and it wasn’t unexpected. The Seahawks were down a bit by their lofty standards. After a down year, they have the base to get back on top, including welcoming home nationally ranked Peter Snyder (No. 24 in High School on SI’s latest national rankings) from the Blair Academy in New Jersey. Will their depth prove sufficient this time around?
Teams 17, 18, and 19 fall into the category of “They are always one of the top teams and in the mix every year”, Damascus, Manchester Valley and South River respectively.
Lastly, we are placing Archbishop Curley at No. 20. Paul Boettcher is committed to building that team up and we imagine he’s added some junior leaguers to the mix as he’s done the last few seasons. They were right there last year, and we expect them to be improved for this campaign.
The Rankings are Live!