The 2A-1A State Championships were 🔥

After the Elijah Collick/Corey Brown showdown was out of the way on Friday evening, the focus turned to Collick’s and JoJo Gigliotti’s pursuit of their fourth MPSSAA State Championships. Both achieved their goals. The great Lem Satterfield has your coverage of Collick under control.

The ghost writer of Legacy will tell the tale of the 2A/1A State Finals with the help of our man on the scene, Daniel Casey III, who provided the interviews we will use below. Casey was a state ranked wrestler for Hereford who suffered a season-ending injury. He expressed an interest in working with us, so we signed the young man up.

NILs and all that were thrown by the wayside, and we explained we didn’t have the duckets to provide cars like SC Prep, so he just needed to do it for the love of the game…Casey acquiesced and played a vital role in our coverage.

JOJO IS THE MAN!

With the way the finals were laid out, Collick’s date with history came before Gigliotti as the 4A/3A started at 106 pounds and the 2A/1A kicked off at heavyweight. When the South Carroll senior’s time to shine arrived he was more than ready for the moment.

It took 12 seconds to acquire the first takedown and with the way JoJo was rolling, Middletown’s Brodie Burdette was lucky to only be down 6-1 after the first period. That rapidly changed in the next round as Gigliotti went into another gear and put up a whopping 11 points on a reversal, takedown, and six back points to gain a 17-2 tech of Burdette.

“It feels good, a lot of hard work,” Gigliotti said. "At regions, I stuck him (Burdette). I wanted to prove a point that I was the best in the gym and tech everybody. Domination (was my mindset), show these people I’m the best in this gym and one of the best to ever do this.”

For the first time in his run of championships, Gigliotti had an easy time of it. Well, that’s not entirely true, the sophomore crown was won on an injury default by Francis Scott Key’s Nate Taylor, but the others went the distance and the first was in question going down to the wire.

As a freshman, the University of Maryland commit, edged Boonsboro’s Tanner Halling, 3-2. Last year resulted in a 4-1 decision of Middletown’s Alex DeVriendt. Gigliotti completed his only undefeated campaign this year at 47-0. There were two losses as a freshman and one as sophomore at the Trojan Wars Tournament in PA, and then last year’s loss to Northern Calvert’s Drew Montgomery, a wrestler he defeated the previous season.

Gigliotti walks off with an 188-4 career tally and owns a head-to-head win from this year over Collick at the War on the Shore in the 138-pound finals. Collick raised in weight to meet that challenge.

CAVALIER’S CHAMPIONSHIP COLLECTIVE

It wasn’t just Gigliotti shining, the Cavaliers put three more atop the podium with the coaches’ son, Landon Hamper, proving to be more than just a chip-off-the-ol’-block, as he exceeded Bryan’s two titles by earning his third with a 4-3 decision of Hammond’s Xavier Nichols at 215 pounds. He too, will join Gigliotti in College Park next fall.

Anthony Rodrigues won a state championship as a sophomore after finishing sixth as a freshman. The senior lost his junior campaign due to injury and entered his state finals bout with Middletown’s Carter Canale as the clear underdog. Canale captured the West Region crown a week ago and handled Northern Garrett’s Lukas Wolf in the finals. Wolf kicked Rodrigues to the consolation rounds at regions with a 7-1 decision.

Rodrigues took out Kent County’s Scottie Ford, 9-7 in OT, after Ford downed Wolf in the quarterfinals. The final with Canale was scoreless after one until Canale recorded a second period escape. Rodrigues answered that with what would end up being the winning takedown as he added one in the third on an escape to make the final, 4-1.

“I got it my sophomore year, but I took a year off, I had surgery,” explained Rodrigues. “Coming back, after taking off a whole year and winning another state title feels good. A little nerve wracking (with 30 seconds left), I just had to trust my defense.”

The Cavaliers’ fourth champ, Davy Snyder, improved upon last season's third place showing when he claimed the 157-pound gold. Snyder beat his final foe, Middletown’s Tobias White, 7-3, in the regional final but needed overtime here to get it done after exchanging escapes in regulation, Snyder got in on a single in the first overtime frame and finished it for the 4-1 win.

VALDISERA REPEATS (THREE-PEATS?)

Calvert’s Ethan Valdisera cruised to his second consecutive 2A/1A state championship with a relatively easy 13-3 major decision of Sparrows Point’s defending state champ, Wyatt Rossi at 113 pounds. The junior was a state champ at St. Mary’s Ryken as a freshman under the guidance of Jason Gabrielson.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Valdisera. “There’s nothing really like it. I’ve done it a few times before but it’s still great. (Asked what he learned from last year) Don’t warm up for super long, last year I warmed up too long and felt terrible in my finals, so I felt better this year.”

ADDING TO THE GARVIN LEGACY

Zach Garvin put another state title on the Garvin name with his second in a row, this one at 175 pounds. The Rising Sun senior’s brother, Tyler, was a three-time champ during his Tiger tenure. Garvin blanked Lackey’s Ethan Vayro, also a returning state champ, 7-0. Garvin used a double leg in the first and third periods for his two takedowns and added an escape in the third.

“This is my last year wrestling, so my last match ever,” Garvin added. “(Getting the first takedown) took all the pressure off my back. I knew I could ride him out on top, so getting that first takedown, I just knew I could win.”

CATCHING LIGHTNING FOR THE FIRST TIME

Sophomore Dominic Esposito made Long Reach history with his unexpected victory over South Carroll’s former state champ, Grayson Barnhill. Esposito did not place as a freshman and appeared to be on his way to a disappointing performance.

Barnhill struck first with takedowns in both periods to start out with a 6-2 advantage after giving up one on a locked hands call. That was when the tide started to shift as Esposito began the third on bottom and escaped then secured a takedown. Barnhill attempted to headlock Esposito but that was easily slipped for another takedown and suddenly, the lead changed hands. Another takedown was added for Esposito to run the final count to 11-7.

“It feels great,” remarked Esposito. “I worked so hard my whole wrestling career to get here and today it showed up. I was ready, that’s what I expected in the third period. It happened last match (with him), so I just kept it going.”

MOUNTAINTOP MUSTANGS

C. Milton Wright was the only team besides South Carroll with more than one titlist and both of theirs failed to place here in 2025. But Aaron Moccia (190) and Cameron Stepp (285) gained retribution and went out on top as seniors.

The expectation for each couldn’t have been more divergent as Moccia came in as a conference and region champion who was favored to deliver a crown to the Mustangs and came through on that promise when quickly after securing a takedown, Moccia ran an arm bar on Jacob Endzel (South Carroll) and stuck the freshman in 1:26.

“I’ve been working with my coach, Chris Almony, and of course I’ve been practicing with my C. Milton Wright coach, John Thornton,” Moccia elaborated. “I’ve been practicing neutral, getting that down. I’ve been dominating on top and I go for that quick escape on bottom. That’s it.”

Stepp has been battling an undisclosed injury and from our understanding was close to packing it up for the year when a decision was made to “see what will happen”.

In one of those crazy twists that sports, and especially wrestling provides, Stepp had fallen in the UCBAC and Region finals to Bel Air’s returning state placer Ethan Reilly. So, of course, Reilly fails to reach the state podium and Stepp ascends to the top of it.

If anyone says they saw that happening….they are lying! Maybe once Stepp reached the finals but not when the first whistle blew on Thursday. Stepp took out Brunswick’s Lane Riggelman, a state placer in 2025, in his semifinal.

Stepp’s finals opponent, Parkside’s Dontray Fuller, was another grappler who had making a finals appearance on his belief list only. Fuller won the Bayside title but was just third at his region. Upon advancing to the semis, Fuller was set to see the state’s top ranked heavyweight, Jahkiye Dixon (Patuxent).

Since we let it out of the bag that Fuller made the finals, we’ll now tell you he did it by a 5-4 margin over Dixon. Fuller defeated Reilly in the quarters. Stepp and Fuller each put up escapes in the regular rounds and Stepp would add one more in overtime for the 2-1 win.

“I’ve been working for this for a long time, and it feels so good to finally have the dream come true,” Stepp said.

VERCOE

Landen Vercoe (144) is a man who is all about marked improvement and has incrementally elevated his state status. The Huntingtown grappler was third at states as a freshman and finished as a runner-up a year ago. Eastern Tech’s surprise finalist, Chase Ullmann, didn’t stand a chance against a motivated Vercoe as he hit Ullmann with a Hurricane of moves that resulted in a 15-0 tech fall in 3:11. Ullmann picked off Middletown’s Ryker Keeney, 10-5, in the semis. Vercoe has split with private school state champion and national prep placer, Tyler Stephens (Mt. St. Joe), winning their last encounter.

CHAMP AT LAST

Like Vercoe, Brunswick’s Seth Crawford (150) came in second last year and jumped one more spot in 2026. Vercoe will be back next year to add to his collection, but this was it for Crawford as he ends up with one title amongst his four state placements. It didn’t come on a tech, but it was still rung up rather easily, with a one-sided 11-2 major decision of Francis Scott Key’s Jesse Owings.

“It feels great,” Crawford continued. "It feels like something I’ve been working for, for four years. I didn’t wrestle as well (at regions) and I almost let him come back when I was up big, so it feels good to be up big and keep it up good.”

KURTZ UPSETS STEIN

Another SMAC competitor, Northern Calvert’s Jake Kurtz brought home the 106-pound state championship in a hotly contested bout that wasn’t over until the whistle blew as Century’s Eli Stein was close to gaining a takedown as time expired.

Kurtz picked up two takedowns to start out with a 6-1 lead only to watch Stein get back in with reversals in the second and third periods. With the score at 6-5 for Kurtz, the Patriot hit a reversal to briefly go up 8-5, before Stein came up with another reversal to get back within one point, 8-7. Stein let him up and it ended 9-7 with Stein on the attack.

TWO FOR THE BAYSIDE BOYS

We travel to the Eastern Shore to acknowledge the last two champs, Parkside’s Canaan Cornish (126) and Kent County’s Tye Bellarin (132).

Cornish was fourth in his region and failed to place in 2025. The road was different this year as it was paved with Bayside and Region Titles where he beat his finals rival, Andre Kimball (Queen Anne’s) at both stops. The junior used that familiarity to gain an 11-1 major decision over Kimball in the state finals.

Bellarin transferred in from Delaware, where he was a state champ for Red Lion Christian. He too, would face a guy he beat at Baysides and regions, Landon Shanks (Queen Anne’s). To reach the finals, Bellarin needed to beat two-time state runner-up Devon Opel (Northern Garrett), who was considered the favorite for the title, and overwhelmed him before sticking him in 4:17.

The finals wouldn’t have that kind of electricity, though, as Bellarin worked to a 6-5 win over Shanks, who he had pinned at regions and beat 4-1 at the Bayside affair.

106-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Jake Kurtz (Northern-Cal) 50-2, Fr. over Eli Stein (Century) 48-4, So. (Dec 9-7)

3rd Place Match

Lincoln Shanks (Queen Annes County High School) 37-8, Fr. over Joey Day (Manchester Valley) 47-6, Jr. (MD 16-3)

5th Place Match

Luke Baldwin (Henry E. Lackey) 39-7, Jr. over Daerin Curry (Forest Park) 32-2, Fr. (M. For.)

113-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Ethan Valdisera (Calvert) 47-0, Jr. over Wyatt Rossi (Sparrows Point) 32-4, So. (MD 13-3)

3rd Place Match

Jake Simione (South Carroll) 49-5, So. over Owen Hayden (Huntingtown) 46-7, Jr. (Fall 1:49)

5th Place Match

Luke Bucheimer (Boonsboro) 48-4, So. over Isaiah Chase Washington (Havre de Grace) 34-11, Fr. (Fall 2:02)

120-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Dominic Esposito (Long Reach High School) 36-1, So. over Grayson Barnhill (South Carroll) 44-6, Sr. (Dec 11-7)

3rd Place Match

Kyler Kiessling (Huntingtown) 46-5, So. over Giovanni Barone (Patuxent) 44-4, Fr. (Dec 3-0)

5th Place Match

Esteban Velasquez (Easton) 34-6, Sr. over Connor Cline (Hereford) 35-7, Jr. (Dec 4-1)

126-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Canaan Cornish (Parkside) 43-4, Jr. over Andrew Kimball (Queen Annes County High School) 35-10, Fr. (MD 11-1)

3rd Place Match

Colton Wasmer (Winters Mill) 36-7, Sr. over Liam Soe (Middletown) 44-5, Jr. (Fall 1:57)

5th Place Match

Bradly Hamilton (Southern-G) 35-10, Sr. over Brayden Brassell (Century) 45-7, Sr. (For.)

132-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Tye Bellarin (Kent County) 11-2, Jr. over Landon Shanks (Queen Annes County High School) 40-5, Sr. (Dec 6-5)

3rd Place Match

Devon Opel (Northern-G) 44-3, Sr. over Phil Key (Glenelg) 37-5, Sr. (Dec 14-7)

5th Place Match

Deegan Woomer (La Plata) 41-8, Sr. over Brody Henry (South Carroll) 45-5, Jr. (M. For.)

138-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Jojo Gigliotti (South Carroll) 47-0, Sr. over Brodie Burdette (Middletown) 43-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:22 (17-2))

3rd Place Match

Logan Boyle (Huntingtown) 46-6, So. over Evan Alexander (Colonel Richardson) 40-7, Jr. (MD 10-0)

5th Place Match

Conner Frank (North Caroline) 37-6, Sr. over Angelo Ciriaco (Patuxent) 39-12, Jr. (Fall 3:58)

144-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Landen Vercoe (Huntingtown) 52-1, Jr. over Chase Ullmann (Eastern Technical) 38-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:16 (15-0))

3rd Place Match

Ashton Thompson (Catoctin) 52-5, Jr. over Bradyn VanDerVoort (Manchester Valley) 48-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:23 (15-0))

5th Place Match

Ryker Keeney (Middletown) 43-6, So. over Vincent Kirby (Havre de Grace) 39-6, Jr. (Dec 5-3)

150-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Seth Crawford (Brunswick) 47-1, Sr. over Jesse Owings (Francis Scott Key) 31-3, Jr. (MD 11-2)

3rd Place Match

Owen Hannah (La Plata) 39-6, So. over Asa Wexler (Poolesville) 36-8, Jr. (Fall 0:29)

5th Place Match

Andy Burton (Hereford) 37-8, Sr. over Josh Choi (Glenelg) 32-10, Sr. (SV-1 4-1)

157-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Davy Snyder (South Carroll) 48-2, Jr. over Tobias White (Middletown) 36-6, Jr. (SV-1 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Joseph Watts (Brunswick) 42-6, Jr. over Tyler Henderson (Rising Sun) 47-7, Sr. (Fall 1:28)

5th Place Match

Brett Wilkinson (La Plata) 41-6, Sr. over Anthony Alexander (Colonel Richardson) 41-9, Jr. (Dec 3-2)

165-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Anthony Rodrigues (South Carroll) 38-8, Sr. over Carter Canale (Middletown) 42-3, Sr. (Dec 4-1)

3rd Place Match

Lukas Wolf (Northern-G) 45-4, Jr. over Scottie Ford (Kent County) 35-2, Sr. (Dec 7-2)

5th Place Match

William Chism (Henry E. Lackey) 43-4, Sr. over Beau Snell (Manchester Valley) 41-7, Jr. (Dec 11-9)

175-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Zach Garvin (Rising Sun) 50-2, Sr. over Ethan Vayro (Henry E. Lackey) 43-1, Jr. (Dec 7-0)

3rd Place Match

Chase Swiger (Lansdowne) 37-2, Sr. over Zoya Wexler (Poolesville) 29-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:31 (16-1))

5th Place Match

Zach Landis (Middletown) 33-5, So. over Jacob Jenkins (St Michaels) 38-11, Jr. (Fall 3:47)

190-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Aaron Moccia (C. Milton Wright) 42-2, Sr. over Jacob Endzel (South Carroll) 48-3, Fr. (Fall 1:26)

3rd Place Match

Ben Kaetzel (Williamsport) 40-7, Sr. over Jaden Asaah-Timothy (Hammond) 37-5, Sr. (Dec 5-2)

5th Place Match

Nathaniel McLeod (Winters Mill) 45-7, Sr. over Kevin Kern (Liberty) 31-7, Sr. (M. For.)

215-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Landon Hamper (South Carroll) 50-2, Sr. over Xavier Nichols (Hammond) 37-3, Sr. (Dec 4-3)

3rd Place Match

Adam Keever (Hereford) 39-5, Sr. over JT Griffith (Boonsboro) 46-7, Jr. (Dec 5-0)

5th Place Match

Iyanuoluinmi Ogunsakin (Mt. Hebron) 37-7, Jr. over Kaosisochukwu Ukiwe (Maurice J. McDonough) 26-6, Sr. (Fall 2:12)

285-2A/1A

1st Place Match

Cameron Stepp (C. Milton Wright) 16-4, Sr. over Dontray Fuller (Parkside) 34-9, Sr. (TB-1 2-1)

3rd Place Match

Jahkiye Dixon (Patuxent) 34-3, Sr. over Jermiah Allen (North East) 34-9, Sr. (UTB 3-3)

5th Place Match

Lane Riggleman (Brunswick) 38-4, Sr. over Jake Hall (Snow Hill) 36-12, Sr. (Fall 2:50)