VMJ goes for 4th straight championship

Perry Hall’s top-ranked senior Victor Marks-Jenkins has risen in weight several times during his career, going from 175 to 215 a year ago and 215 to 285 this year.

But Marks-Jenkins has dropped for the remainder of the season to 190 pounds, where he will pursue his fourth straight Class 4A-3A North Region crown next week and his third consecutive Class 4A-3A state title two weeks from now after having placed third at states as a 145-pound freshman.

"I wrestled 190 once before in the regional duals, but the drop wasn't actually that crazy. For most of the year, I've been only been about one or two pounds over at around 192, so the cut was like, just sleeping, and I was on weight," Marks-Jenkins said. "So that was pretty good. Wrestling at 285 and 215, they're definitely stronger, but at the same time, I'm quite strong myself, and I can definitely handle it. So, coming down didn't feel like much, and I didn't think that it would be."

That much was evident on Saturday at CCBC-Essex, where Marks-Jenkins captured his fourth straight Baltimore County championship by improving his record on the year to 47-0 with 36 pins and a technical fall.

Ranked 19th nationally by High School on SI, Marks-Jenkins earned a 32-second pin, a 6-0 semifinal decision over Catonsville’s 17th-ranked junior Josh Agen-Davis, and a fall in 1:53 of his title bout with 18th-ranked junior Daron King of Milford Mill, whom he decked with a double-arm-bar pinning maneuver.

"[Daron King] had a good bridge," Marks-Jenkins said. "I had to really pull his arms up to get his shoulders down on the mat. Eventually, I was able to put him down."

With a career mark of 192-1 with 152 pins and 13 technical falls, Marks-Jenkins is on pace to eclipse the state’s all-time career victories mark for public school wrestlers of 195-5 held by South Carroll’s Joey Thomas, winner of three state titles over the course of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Among Marks-Jenkins’ toughest state tournament challenges could be Stephen Decatur’s top-ranked senior Pete Snyder, who used technical falls of 18-2 and 16-1 to improve to 34-0 and win the Bayside Conference title on Saturday.

Ranked 25th nationally and committed to Northwestern University, Snyder has returned to the Seahawks following three seasons at Blair Academy, where he earned a National Preps crown as a 165-pound freshman, placed fifth at Preps as a sophomore and missed his junior season due to an injury.

Snyder has also placed sixth and second at Beast Of The East as a sophomore and junior, eighth as a junior at The Ironman, eighth and third as a freshman and sophomore at The Journeyman World Classic, second and seventh as a sophomore at the Journeyman Fall Classic and the Fargo's Freestyle Nationals, and sixth and seventh as a freshman at Escape The Rock and the U.S. Open Under-17 Freestyle.

During the preseason, Stephen Decatur coach Josh August called out Marks-Jenkins as a potential challenge for Snyder.

“Peter is looking forward to [the possibility] of wrestling Victor,” August told Legacy Wrestling. “He is hoping they are in the same weight class at the [state tournament.]”

Marks-Jenkins discussed how August and Snyder may get their wish.

"Originally, I had just heard that there was a good person at 190, so I decided that I was going to drop down, eventually. And then, about three weeks ago, I found out about the article," said Marks-Jenkins, who is bound for George Mason University. "It was a complete surprise. I didn't know who this guy was. But I'm glad that there are good people in Maryland. I feel like most people are targeting me. Every person who has the desire to wrestle should be targeting me.The fact that he wants to wrestle me is great. I want to wrestle a great match in the state finals."

As a 175-pounder last year, Marks-Jenkins 48-0 with 34 pins and six technical falls. At states, Marks-Jenkins used falls in 80 seconds and 3:00 as well as a 16-1 technical fall to reach the finals, where he earned a 5-1 decision over Marriotts Ridge senior Jonah Obitz of Marriotts Ridge.

The muscular Obitz entered their bout with a 49-0 record, having placed second and first in each of his previous two appearances in the Howard County and regional tournaments.

"I know that if I don't [get a pin or a technical fall,] there are people [opponents] who perceive those long matches as wins, no matter what the circumstances and even if they know that I dominated the entire match," Marks-Jenkins said. "But personally, every match is not the same as the match before that. No matter how easy or difficult the match is, I bring the same aggression level. I just make sure that I don't hurt people.”

As a 157-pound sophomore, Marks-Jenkins went 47-0 with 40 pins and two technical falls as a sophomore, planting all four state tournament rivals in 51 seconds, 2:54, 2:59 and 5:30.

It was midway through Marks-Jenkins' sophomore season that former Gators' wrestler Matt Green predicted that he "will be the best wrestler to come out of Perry Hall High School."

"I personally think I am the best, but that's the confidence that I have in my matches. As much as legacy means a lot to me, it means just as much to help others who are younger than I am," Marks-Jenkins said. "Helping them improve and to get better and have someone to look up to. Legacy is great for those who are younger, and I can possibly inspire them."

Green went 31-0 as a 220-pound junior to earn his first county, Class 4A-3A North and Class 4A-3A state titles in 2012 before finishing at 45-0 at 285 pounds in 2013 for his second straight crown in all three of those tournaments.

"Victor's a monster," said Green, the Gators' previous state champion in 2013. "To tell you the truth, I was surprised that he didn't win the states last year."

As a 145-pound freshman, Marks-Jenkins had third at states, ending with a record of 50-1 with 42 pins and four technical falls.

Green had transferred to Perry Hall from the private school St. Paul's, where he had placed second in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament and finished third at the private schools' state tournament.

"Comparing me to Victor is like comparing apples to oranges. I was wrestling against the heavyweights," Green said. "I didn't have to be that much faster than them because those guys were not very fast."

As a ninth grader, just 90 seconds separated Marks-Jenkins from a berth in the Class 4A-3A state championship match. Marks-Jenkins led his semifinal match, 1-0, against state runner-up, Aidan Rivenburg, when the senior from North Point High of Charles County scored a reversal and three near-fall points for an eventual 5-1 victory.

"Losing is always sort of a thought, but in most regards, I feel just as confident as I did before any loss," Marks-Jenkins said. "Even after any match that I've lost, I always feel that I can handle the next match, no matter who it is. I feel like I'll be able to take over whenever I need to."

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