The Who's #1 Girls' Tournament is Tough... Very Tough

Last weekend’s “Who’s No. 1” Girls’ Tournament at Northeast High was so difficult that its winner, Walt Whitman, did not crown an individual champion, nor did any other team produce more than one.

Yet the Vikings (166.5 points) were able to win a tight race with second- and third-place Arundel (163) and Stephen Decatur (162) thanks to runner-up finishes from 10th-ranked junior Sophia Krause (120) and 11th-ranked junior Sydney Kantor (125) as well as third-place efforts from fifth-ranked junior Kelani Ramos (105), freshman Kohme Yamazaki (115), sophomore Dorothy Velez (100).

“This is an amazing group of young women. They are so young and eager to learn,” said 19th-year coach Derek Manon. “They love wrestling for and with each other. They are a right knit group, and they’re always cheering one another on.”

It was another successful effort for the Vikings, winners of last month’s Pat Briscoe Memorial Tournament at runner-up Parkside where Krause, Ramos, Velez and Yamazaki were among their six champions and eight finalists.

“With their continued hard work and focus, I believe that their best days are ahead of them,” Manon said. “They’re eager to improve, learn every day, and they’re seeing the value of their hard work every time they step on the mat.”

Dominating for the second straight week were Arundel’s third-ranked sophomore Layla Jefferson (235) and Stephen Decatur’s third-ranked junior Irie Carmack (125) as each added their “Who’s No. 1” crown to their War On The Shore titles.

Jefferson earned falls in 78 seconds and 3:08 to reach her championship match, where she pinned North Caroline’s eighth-ranked senior Yelena Torres Guzma in 5:54.

“Winning two major tournaments back-to-back has been an amazing experience for me,” said Jefferson, who was fifth at states last year. “I am a totally different wrestler this year, and I have worked so hard with my incredible Arundel coaches to earn these wins.”

At War On The Shore, Jefferson used falls in 42 seconds, 2:31 and 3:27 to reach the finals, where she pinned Oakdale freshman Nikki Arnold in 1:46.

“I have an awesome team of girls cheering me through each match. Facing the toughest opponents in Maryland at 235 has really challenged me,” Jefferson said. “Both competitively and mentally, I’ve come out all the better for it. I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my parents and my Arundel wrestling team.”

Jefferson’s coach, Greg Klingler, is a 1998 Arundel High graduate and former Anne Arundel County Tournament runner-up and regional champion.

Coached by Buddy Hepfer, Klingler was also a member of the Wildcats’ 1997 state dual meet champion and ‘98 state tournament title-winning squads.

Carmack planted Kantor at 3:56 of their title bout, this, after having advanced on major decisions by scores of 16-3, and, 18-8, over Sparrows Point’s 10th-ranked junior Tinsley Jones and North County’s eighth-ranked freshman Natalia Jimenez

A week earlier, Carmack’s run at War On The Shore comprised pins in 31 and 32 seconds, a 17-1 technical fall and a 93-second title match fall against sophomore Danielle Wood of Leonardtown.

Maryland’s top-ranked sophomore duo of female wrestlers in Summer Mutschler (110) of Archbishop Spalding and Kesi Tsarni (145) of Bullis each added this week’s crown to the one they earned last week at Girls’ War On The Shore Tournament

A repeat Who’s No. 1 Tournament champion who is Legacy Wrestling’s top-ranked 105-pounder, Mutschler used pins in 40 and 55 seconds to reach her title bout with Randallstown senior Wura Idowu.

A Beast Of The East runner-up who is ranked eighth nationally at 105 pounds, Mutschler took 4:55 to deck Idowu, who is Legacy Wrestling’s top-ranked 110 pound-pounder and a defending girls’ public schools state champion.

Tsarni registered falls in 8 and 21 seconds to reach her championship bout against Quince Orchard senior Amirah Abegesah, a returning third-place finisher at states who is top-ranked at 155 pounds by Legacy Wrestling.

Abegesah was pinned in 3:04 by Tsarni, who also decked her a week earlier at 3:27 of their War On The Shore championship match. Also a Beast Of The East Tournament runner-up, Tsarni is 12th-ranked nationally at 145 pounds.

Crofton’s fifth-ranked senior Isabella Coe (155) earned a 6-1 decision in her championship bout with Lackey’s second-ranked sophomore Fiona Ritchie, who finished third at states last season.

Coe had reached the finals on pins in 2:31 and 1:46, the latter against Winter’s Mill’s sixth-ranked senior Maiah Sweet, a third-place finisher at War On The Shore.

Manchester Valley’s fourth-ranked senior Chloe Chwang (135) scored a 90-second fall before winning her semifinal, 6-3, over sophomore Faith Gladfelter of Delone Catholic. Chwang won her title match by fall in 5:20 over seventh-ranked sophomore Grace Reilly.

Fourth-ranked North County junior Carmela Harris (120) decked all of her four opponents in 45 and 63 seconds to go along with pins in 3:37 and 3:14, the last in her title match with Krause.

After pinning her first opponent in 17 seconds, Randallstown’s eighth-ranked senior Daegan Bishop (190) won her semifinal by 6-1 decision over Richard Montgomery’s fifth-ranked junior Estrella Edwards.

Bishop required a 5-0 decision to win her title match against top-seeded junior Natalia Grace Allen of Northeast-Anne Arundel, who was runner-up at The War On The Shore.

Harford Tech crowned 13th-ranked freshman Sofie French (115), who won her semifinal by 44-second fall before winning her title bout by 10-3 decision over Patterson Mill’s fourth-ranked senior Sarah Alkhatib.

Patterson Mill’s second-ranked sophomore Kylie Buehler (130) scored first period pins in 72, 77 and 53 seconds, the last in her championship match with Westminster’s 15th-ranked freshman Micah Scott.

Fourth-ranked junior Jariah Washington (170) used a fall in 3:50 and a semifinal 6-3 decision over Frederick Douglass’ seventh-ranked junior Amirrah Butler to reach the title match.

A returning fifth place finisher at states, Washington flattened championship match rival Aubry Spadoni of Quince Orchard, a top-ranked junior who won last weekend’s War On The Shore Tournament.

Clarksburg’s seventh-ranked Elana Pelaez (105) earned four first-period pins comprising those in 23 and 92 seconds, another in 1:59 against Ramos, and the last 66 seconds into her title match with Westminster's fifth-ranked junior Scarlett Malinski.

1 Walt Whitman 166.5

2 Arundel 163.0

3 Stephen Decatur 162.0

4 Quince Orchard 130.0

5 Crofton 109.0

6 Manchester Valley 102.5

7 Westminster 98.5

8 Northeast - AA 97.0

9 North County 94.0

10 Winters Mill 91.5

11 James Hubert Blake 84.5

12 Harford Tech 83.5

12 Patterson Mill 83.5

14 Walter Johnson 79.0

15 Sparrows Point 70.0

16 Patuxent 69.0

17 Henry E Lackey 60.0

17 Poolesville 60.0

19 Clarksburg 58.0

20 Richard Montgomery 56.0

21 Randallstown 54.0

22 Frederick Douglas 52.5

23 Bullis School 48.0

23 Montgomery Blair 48.0

25 Great Mills 45.0

26 Colonel Richardson 42.5

27 Annapolis 39.5

28 Fairfax 37.5

29 Oakland Mills 36.5

30 Glen Burnie 36.0

Guaranteed Places

1st Place Match

Sophia Song (Fairfax) 11-1, Jr. over Pashince Gregory (Glen Burnie) 8-2, So. (Dec 6-0)

3rd Place Match

Dorothy Velez (Walt Whitman) 18-1, So. over Ava Quinlan (Arundel) 20-3, So. (UTB 6-5)

5th Place Match

Christina Padilla (Winters Mill) 17-7, Sr. over Emily Alvarez (Crofton) 14-4, Jr. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Calleigh McBride (Stephen Decatur) 16-4, So. over Mya Beaver (Westminster) 11-5, Sr. (Fall 1:30)

105

1st Place Match

Elana Pelaez (Clarksburg) 14-0, Fr. over Scarlett Malinski (Westminster) 13-2, Jr. (Fall 1:06)

3rd Place Match

Kelani Ramos (Walt Whitman) 18-1, Jr. over Kennedy Barnes (Arundel) 23-3, Jr. (Fall 1:46)

5th Place Match

Hailey Conwell (North County) 18-6, Jr. over Alexa Hresko (Winters Mill) 10-5, . (Fall 3:19)

7th Place Match

Melani Ruiz (Stephen Decatur) 14-7, Jr. over Sophia Babayev (Walter Johnson) 9-7, Sr. (Fall 4:12)

110

1st Place Match

Summer Mutschler (Archbishop Spalding) 15-2, So. over Wura Idowu (Randallstown) 17-2, Sr. (Fall 4:55)

3rd Place Match

Allegra Unger (Montgomery Blair) 16-3, Sr. over Makaiya Robinette (Stephen Decatur) 16-7, So. (Fall 0:46)

5th Place Match

Gabby Campbell (Sparrows Point) 11-5, Jr. over Priya Buie (Baltimore Polytech) 8-5, So. (Fall 0:29)

7th Place Match

Lena Mech (Walter Johnson) 6-8, Jr. over Lily McCaskill (Poolesville) 5-3, Jr. (Dec 13-11)

115

1st Place Match

Sofie French (Harford Tech) 14-1, Fr. over Sarah Alkhatib (Patterson Mill) 13-2, Sr. (Dec 10-3)

3rd Place Match

Kohme Yamazaki (Walt Whitman) 16-4, Fr. over Laila Womack (Richard Montgomery) 7-4, So. (Fall 4:52)

5th Place Match

Isabella Snyder (Manchester Valley) 10-7, Jr. over Leah Krensky (Walter Johnson) 7-7, Jr. (Fall 1:42)

7th Place Match

Enilvia Soressi (Crofton) 11-8, Jr. over Alessandra Lucas (Annapolis) 7-5, Jr. (Fall 2:28)

120

1st Place Match

Carmela Harris (North County) 16-4, Jr. over Sophia Krause (Walt Whitman) 11-1, Jr. (Fall 3:14)

3rd Place Match

Gabrielle Arguello (Northwest) 11-3, So. over Mary Tighe Dansby (Poolesville) 11-4, So. (Fall 1:52)

5th Place Match

Hildegard Zimmerelli (Annapolis) 10-4, Jr. over Andrea Hernandez Valle (Rockville) 6-3, So. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Sophie Amini (Bullis School) 12-8, So. over Mia Campos (Glen Burnie) 4-5, Jr. (Dec 7-1)

125

1st Place Match

Irie Carmack (Stephen Decatur) 18-0, Jr. over Sydney Kantor (Walt Whitman) 15-3, . (Fall 3:56)

3rd Place Match

Natalia Jimenez (North County) 17-2, Fr. over Amelia Boddie (Winters Mill) 17-3, Sr. (Fall 2:26)

5th Place Match

Isabella Banaszynski (Arundel) 18-5, Sr. over Layla Tao (Poolesville) 12-4, So. (Dec 2-0)

7th Place Match

Cheyenne Caple (Westminster) 10-5, So. over Tinsley Jones (Sparrows Point) 12-5, Jr. (MD 13-5)

130

1st Place Match

Kylie Buehler (Patterson Mill) 15-1, So. over Micah Scott (Westminster) 10-5, Fr. (Fall 0:53)

3rd Place Match

Brynn Ryan (Manchester Valley) 14-1, Sr. over Zoe Lewis (Jackson-Reed ) 19-7, Jr. (Fall 2:06)

5th Place Match

Nora Kelly (Crofton) 17-5, Sr. over Imani Walker (New Town) 9-5, . (Fall 4:49)

7th Place Match

Mya Macleod (Quince Orchard) 12-5, Fr. over Na`leyah Hodges (Paint Branch) 12-4, Sr. (Fall 2:28)

135

1st Place Match

Chloe Chwang (Manchester Valley) 14-0, Sr. over Grace Reilly (Bel Air) 7-3, So. (Fall 5:20)

3rd Place Match

Faith Gladfelter (Delone Catholic) 15-3, So. over Triniti Green (Edgewood) 12-2, Sr. (Fall 2:14)

5th Place Match

Kayla Jacques (Northeast - AA) 9-7, Fr. over Surya Vedpathak (Clarksburg) 6-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 5:00 (17-1))

7th Place Match

Elaina Winfrey (Patuxent) 9-5, Fr. over Giulia Bastos (Walt Whitman) 15-5, Fr. (Fall 0:19)

140

1st Place Match

Lily Oh (Riverside) 19-2, Jr. over Sophia Hodges (Northeast - AA) 16-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (16-1))

3rd Place Match

Sonia Pegoue (Walter Johnson) 13-1, Sr. over Esther Hernandez (Quince Orchard) 11-4, Sr. (Dec 1-0)

5th Place Match

Amari Purnell (Stephen Decatur) 18-4, Jr. over Eva Hart (Arundel) 11-8, So. (Fall 2:55)

7th Place Match

Laila Hasnaoui (Rockville) 10-3, So. over Samantha Hartmann (Patuxent) 10-7, Jr. (Fall 2:19)

145

1st Place Match

Kesi Tsarni (Bullis School) 28-4, So. over Amirah Abegesah (Quince Orchard) 10-2, Sr. (Fall 3:04)

3rd Place Match

Addie Grubb (Manchester Valley) 13-1, Sr. over Emily Wockenfuss (Harford Tech) 14-4, Jr. (Dec 12-8)

5th Place Match

Ryleigh Gittermann (Century) 11-4, So. over Yasmine Cedars (River Hill) 14-6, So. (Fall 1:46)

7th Place Match

Gema Serio (Northeast - AA) 12-5, So. over Khamarra Nickell (North County) 13-8, Sr. (MD 9-0)

155

1st Place Match

Isabella Coe (Crofton) 17-0, Sr. over Fiona Ritchie (Henery E Lackey) 10-3, So. (Dec 6-1)

3rd Place Match

Maiah Sweet (Winters Mill) 19-2, Sr. over Essence Clarke (Walter Johnson) 11-4, Jr. (Fall 3:50)

5th Place Match

Denna Momeni (Quince Orchard) 14-2, Sr. over Jeanette Koch (Arundel) 16-11, Fr. (Fall 2:01)

7th Place Match

Angelina Tapia (James Hubert Blake) 12-6, . over Amaira Flores (Harford Tech) 7-7, Sr. (For.)

170

1st Place Match

Jariah Washington (Henery E Lackey) 8-0, Jr. over Aubry Spadoni (Quince Orchard) 10-1, Jr. (Fall 2:50)

3rd Place Match

Amirrah Butler (Frederick Douglas - PG) 12-2, Jr. over Sophie Cobb Carrasco (Patuxent) 7-2, Jr. (Fall 2:16)

5th Place Match

Mya Johnson-Guerrero (Stephen Decatur) 12-4, Sr. over Lilah Pabon (Crofton) 16-2, So. (M. For.)

7th Place Match

Marie Yayo (Walt Whitman) 13-7, Fr. over Samantha Keithley (Harford Tech) 12-4, Jr. (M. For.)

190

1st Place Match

Daegan Bishop (Randallstown) 16-1, Sr. over Natalia Grace Allen (Northeast - AA) 13-3, Jr. (Dec 5-0)

3rd Place Match

Estrella Edwards (Richard Montgomery) 7-3, Jr. over Korede Ojaomo (Arundel) 20-4, So. (Fall 4:05)

5th Place Match

Amelia Gonzalez Ventura (Stephen Decatur) 14-2, Jr. over Yoki Shiferaw (Walt Whitman) 13-4, Fr. (Fall 2:08)

7th Place Match

Viandra Bryan (Great Mills) 5-4, So. over Estelle Lima (Colonel Richardson) 8-4, Jr. (M. For.)

235

1st Place Match

Laylah Jefferson (Arundel) 19-2, So. over Yelena Torres Guzman (North Caroline) 3-1, . (Fall 5:54)

3rd Place Match

Skylar Leopold (Sparrows Point) 14-4, So. over Ashley Fleurissaint (Colonel Richardson) 4-3, So. (Dec 5-4)

5th Place Match

Avah Taylor (James Hubert Blake) 13-4, . over Jasemine Lett (Westminster) 11-5, So. (Fall 1:27)

7th Place Match

Jaden Acheru (River Hill) 9-3, Fr. over Lailah Clarke (Frederick Douglas - PG) 9-4, Jr. (M. For.)