These Pinning Machines are Cousins

The wrestling Birth cousins, Madison of Bel Air, and Max of Walkersville, are on a pinning spree this season: Madison as a top-ranked 115-pound junior for the Bobcats, and Max, a ninth-ranked 190-pound junior for the Lions.

Madison’s record on the year is 10-4 with nine pins, and her career mark is 67-26 with 42 pins and one technical fall. Max has 90 career victories, including this year’s 23-1 mark with 21 pins.

“When we’re at family gatherings, we often talk about wrestling,” said Max of Madison, a returning two-time state champion in the girls’ tournament. “There were times when Madison might joke about how she could beat me, but she doesn't really do that anymore now that I’m 80 pounds heavier.”

The duo is continuing a family wrestling legacy: Madison’s father, Scott, Max’s father, Chris, and their uncle, Matt, are a trio of Birth siblings who competed for Bel Air High.

Chris was a Class 2A-1A state champion in 1989 and placed third at the Class 4A-3A states as a senior in 1990.

Scott finished third at Class 4A-3A states as a junior in 1991 before winning that classification as a senior in 1992.

Matt graduated in 1995 as a Harford County Tournament title winner and a second-place finisher at regions.

Madison has transferred to Bel Air after two seasons at Havre de Grace, where her two older brothers, Conner and Ethan, also wrestled for the Warriors.

Ethan graduated in 2023, having placed second at states in Greco-Roman wrestling and third at states in freestyle.

Conner graduated from Havre de Grace last spring with 108 victories after being a regional champion who placed second, third and fifth in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference (UCBAC).

Max’s older brother, Jack, graduated from Walkersville last spring with 110 career victories after placing first, third and fourth in the Frederick County Tournament, and second and fifth in the Class 2A-1A West Regionals.

Jack is currently the starting 184-pounder for Shenandoah University, an NCAA Division III program in Winchester, Virginia.

Madison ranks as the family’s most accomplished wrestler, most recently winning last weekend’s Lady Husky Open at Patterson Mill.

“Madison’s really good from neutral with great set-ups and shots,” Max Birth said. “Madison wants all of that smoke. She has a great mind-set and puts the beat-down on everyone she wrestles.”

At Patterson Mill, Madison earned consecutive falls in 75, 67 and 35 seconds. Her 35-second pin was against Liberty junior Aubrey Ohler.

“I had a loose Russian arm tie against Aubrey,” Madison said of Ohler, a returning state runner-up who is ranked second at 120 pounds by Legacy Wrestling. “I made a penetration step to get a reaction out of her. Aubrey shot a good double, but I countered it with a crucifix, and that led to the pin.”

Madison once again displayed her skills during last month’s Maverick Classic Female Invitational at Eastern Tech, where she earned pins in 82 and 45 seconds before winning her title match by 18-1 technical fall over Calvert’s Serenity Sowers.

“I’ve been training hard to add more moves to my toolbox, and to improve on my weaknesses,” Madison Birth said. “Every match is a new challenge, whether against boys or girls. I work my moves and focus on scoring points. My goal is to win a third state title.”

While Madison’s domination was anticipated, Max has been more of a surprise after having placed third and second in two appearances at the Frederick County Tournament, and finished fifth once in the Class 2A-1A West Regionals.

“I know Max was disappointed with how last year finished,” Madison said. “This year, he is definitely dialed in and focused on wrestling.”

Max transitioned from the football field, where he earned All-County honors as a defensive lineman with eight sacks among 48 tackles, 17 of which were for lost yardage.

Max’s lone setback was an 18-5 decision to Quince Orchard’s sixth-ranked senior Ziya Khozhugov, who placed fifth, first and fifth at last year’s Montgomery County, Class 4A-3A West Regional and Class 4A-3A state tournaments.

“I lost in the finals to Ziya Khozhugov in the Francis Scott Key Holiday Tournament. I couldn’t get much offense going, and when I did, he won all the scrambles. I lost the match because he’s a big upper body wrestler, and I let him control the match and he kept taking me down with the same couple moves,” Max Birth said.

“But I have moved on since that match and learned a lot about how I should’ve been wrestling each match differently against other wrestlers. I’m controlling the match and wrestling my style every single match. I have controlled the pace, understanding who I’m wrestling and what will work on them.”

Max has earned a pair of big victories by first-period pin over Frederick’s ninth-ranked senior Ian Tumi, and decision over Archbishop Curley’s 10th-ranked senior Bailen Boutz.

“I think taking that loss was necessary because it gave me some momentum. I have made big strides since then and beaten many ranked wrestlers by wrestling my style and not letting them dictate the pace of the match,” Max Birth said.

“I have started to wrestle more fluidly through positions, not giving up on takedowns, which has helped me to progress throughout the span of the season. I am only getting better, and I’m excited for what the rest of this season has in store.”

Against Tumi, Max used a pair of headlocks to flatten a wrestler whose 40-2 record of a year ago included winning the Frederick County and Class 4A-3A West Regional tournaments and being a Class 4A-3A state runner-up.

“I had never wrestled Ian Tumi before. I assumed correctly that he would give me a good match and great competition. Within the first 10 seconds of the match, Ian dropped in on an ankle pick. I cross-faced him up and hit a headlock for a seven-point lead,” Max Birth said.

“Ian reversed me to come within 7-3, but I got an escape. Maybe 20 seconds later, I hit a slide-by and locked up a Greco headlock. I threw him on his back. The score was, 15-2, at the 1:06 mark of the first period when I pinned him.”

Madison is among those who is most impressed with Max’s ascension.

“Max beat the ranked kid [Ian Tumi] from Frederick pretty easily,” Madison said. “The one thing that stands out when I watch his matches this year is his confidence.”

More recently, Max won a wild title match, 12-10, over Archbishop Curley’s 10th-ranked senior Bailen Boutz in the Jan. 16-17 Falcon Invitational at Winters Mill.

In Boutz, Max defeated a returning third place finisher at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament who was fifth at the Maryland Independent/Private Schools’ State Tournament.

Boutz’s career record of 149 career victories includes 117 falls and this year’s mark of 32-7 with 27 pins.

“The match against Bailen Boutz was a very good one. He got the first takedown on me in the final seconds of the first period for a 3-0 lead. I picked bottom to start the second period and got an escape, but he got another takedown for a 6-1 lead entering the third period. He chose bottom, and I let him up, so he was up 7-1,” Max Birth said.

“But I was within, 7-4, with about a minute left in the match after taking him down with an ankle pick before going out of bounds. I let him up and was down, 8-4. Then I got a front headlock with about 35 seconds left. I made it, 11-8, by cradling him on the edge of the mat, but he reversed me and then let me up to make it 12-10. I won by managing the clock for the last 30 seconds.”

Max is looking to join Madison on the state championship victory podium by the season’s end.

“I’m more motivated than ever to go and make a run at a state title with counties, regionals and states coming up. There is no pressure,” Max Birth said. “Even if I don’t win it this year, I have another year. But why wait? I know I can win states this year, so I’ll give it my best shot.”

Madison is among Max’s biggest advocates.

“I would love it if we could both win state titles the same year,” Madison said. “Max has done great this year, and it is cool having a cousin to carry on the Birth legacy.”