The NHSCA duals were 🔥

Over the Memorial Day Weekend a large number of Maryland Wrestlers made the voyage to the warmer climate of Virginia Beach, Virginia, leaving behind cool temps and rain for fun in the sun that led to two Maryland Teams qualifying for the Main Championship Bracket – Team Diamond Fish and The Mailmen, and a third, Mavericks, move into the first round of championship action.

THE FINEST FISH ARE DIAMONDS

Team Diamond Fish had the best showing of the three clubs by going 3-0 in their initial pool (Pool 42). In fact, the Fish smacked every team in that pool, beating the pants of all three clubs they encountered. North Hunderton fell 62-9 in round one, Capital City Wrestling Club (not the local one) was discarded with a 57-6 count, and Patton Trained Red retreated after a 64-9 defeat.

Diamond Fish’s lineup was filled out with three Pennsylvania kids (Jameson Shawver at 113, Erik Carlile at 138, and Tripp Watson at 144), plus Jax Smith from Virginia (195) and Ethan Turner (285), who it seems is from North Carolina.

Four Marylanders went undefeated in the opening pool, Eli Gabrielson (126), Will McDonough (152), Ethan Vayro (182), and Evan Gavin (220). Gabrielson comes in at number 45 nationally in the latest rankings by High School on SI. Gavin sits just on the outside of that report.

Going 2-1 in the first set of matches were Daniel Stefko (106), Becket Geary (120), David Dansou (132), Soshiant Ahanj-Elias (160), and Chris Millard (170).

After winning Pool 42, the Diamond Ones were dropped into Championship Pool O. After wins over Filipe Trained Wrestling Academy, 64-6, and Claw & Conquer, 48-18, the Fish suffered their first loss of the tournament at the hands of Superior Elite, 39-24.

Once again Gabrielson, Dansou, and Gavin went unscathed at 3-0. Likewise, Stefko, Geary, and Ahanj-Elias repeated their 2-1 records of the first pool. Vayro joined them in the 2-1 club this time.

The team’s second place finish in Pool O was good enough to earn entry to the Big Boy Championship Bracket. Unfortunately for the Diamond Fish, they couldn’t get anything going over their last two matches, losing to GT 4238 in bracketed action, 44-19, and hitting the mats one final time versus Doughboy Black, who edged them by one point, 29-28.

In those final matches, only two came out without a loss – Ahanj-Elias and Gavin. Gabrielson and Millard were 1-1. Gabrielson’s overtime loss to AJ Dubendorfer, 8-5, was fluky in that, through the course of the tournament, Gabrielson beat other wrestlers that had handled or had a common opponent with Dubendorfer, so it barely impacted Gabrielson’s national standing.

Gavin was the only unbeaten Marylander on Diamond Fish’s roster going 8-0. Putting up 7-1 tallies were Gabrielson and Vayro. Ahanj-Elias was 6-2. Dansou finished at 5-3. Splitting matches at 4-4 were Stefko, Geary, and Millard. McDonough was 3-5.

THE MAILMEN’S DELIVERY CAME SECOND, TWICE

The Mailmen only had one out-of-towner on their bench in West Virginia’s Kam Carr (126). The rest were all Maryland Boys, and they had their fair share of success while coming in second in two consecutive pools to reach the coveted Championship Bracket.

Finishing in the top two of your beginning pool allowed you to stay in championship contention, where you were then placed into one of the many Championship Pools. A top two finish there kept you in the winner’s circle. If you didn’t finish in the top two of the Championship Pools, you were eliminated.

In Pool 44, The Mailmen started with a 37-26 win over Mat Assassins Silver, then lost their second match, 48-18, to Michigan Mafia Wrestling Club, before finishing on a high not by beating 84 Athletes Red, 56-6.

Ryker Keeney (145) and Tobias White (160) were 3-0 in these matches. Completing the pool with 2-1 records were, Logan Ardinger (106), Carter Mullen (113), Liam Soe (132), Seth Crawford (152), Carter Canale (170), Zach Landis (182), Max Birth (195), and JT Griffith (220).

A one-point win over St. Paris Graham in the first Championship Pool N Bracket, 34-33, would allow The Mailmen to stay alive after losing to Grizzly Wrestling Club, 44-20, and defeating Elite NJ Black, 49-16.

Mullen went 3-0 during those matches and was the only one to not taste defeat. Putting forth 2-1 tallies were Ardinger, Keeney, White, Landis, and Birth.

Like Diamond Fish, The Mailmen were taken off their route following the opening challenge as they fell to Mat Assassins main team, 49-21, in the Championship Bracket. They had an extra showdown like the Fish, but The Mailmen delivered one last win in theirs’, 35-29, over Gotenks GT.

Birth and Jack O’Neal (285) were 2-0 to close. Splitting the final bouts were Luke Bucheimer (120), Cayden Boedecker (138), Crawford, White, Canale, and Griffith.

Overall, Birth and White went 6-2. Ending with 5-3 records were Mullen and Keeney. Coming in at 4-4 were Ardinger, Crawford, Landis, Griffith, and O’Neal. Soe and Canale were 3-5. Boedecker and Bucheimer added two wins each.

MAVERICKS GIVE IT CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND EFFORT

The Mavericks had two kinds of runs as they came out of Pool 5 in second place then hit a wall in the first championship round. The 2-1 record in Pool 5 came on two straight wins to start it off, 48-20, against North East Vipers, and 56-11 versus BHWC Florida Supreme. Prestige Worldwide gave them a taste of what was the come with a 70-0 blanking in the closing round of Pool 5.

Due to the shutout to close the round, no Mavericks were undefeated. Gaining two wins were Lucas Heffner (106), Rory Sweeney (132), Owen Barratt (138), Harrison Sherly (145), Dempsey Moss (195), and Owen Stewart (285).

Two from other parts were temporary Mavericks, Braden Boardman (PA, 120) and Chase Lewis (DE, 220).

Their efforts earned them a shot in the championship rounds but came to an end in Pool O as they could not solve any of their opponents.

It was time to take it on the chin in the early matches as Gotenks GT took out Mavericks, 72-6, and TNWC Silver Fox did the same at 72-5. The last match with Shamrock Wrestling was more favorable but still not to their liking with a 46-27 loss.

It was tough sledding in that final pool as the best any of the Maryland Mavericks could do was add one additional win to their count, picking up victories were Heffner, Logan Layne (152), Salah Dusmukhamedov (160), and Stewart.

Heffner and Stewart’s 3-3 records were tops for the Mavericks. Placing two wins in the books and finishing 2-4 were Sweeney, Barratt, Sherly, Layne, Dusmukhamedov, and Moss. Adding one win in aiding their team’s journey were Liam Rose (113) and Alexander Stockson (126).