Whitman continues streak with heavy hearts

Photo credit goes to Jeff Randall - thanks Jeff!!

Fifth-ranked Walt Whitman’s wrestlers competed with heavy hearts on Saturday at North Point High, where they hammered Richard Montgomery in the semifinals and Crofton in their title match on the way to winning their third straight Class 4A state dual meet championship.

Wearing pink tape on their shoelaces in memory of a female wrestler’s mid-week passing, the Vikings dominated the Rockets, 69-12, in the semifinals followed by a 62-12 championship match rout of the Cardinals, who reached the finals following a 42-36 triumph over Leonardtown.

In victory, the Vikings earned their 35th and 36th consecutive dual meet triumphs, improving to 23-0 a year after dethroning Damascus as Montgomery County Tournament champions.

Last year’s county tournament triumph occurred a week after the Vikings had secured their second straight Class 4A state dual meet crown with a single-season school record of 30-1. That title-winning effort, in turn, happened a season after the Vikings had gone 19-0 for their first-ever undefeated dual meet season.

Saturday’s effort followed not only the death of a teammate, but it came a week after a garage burned down at the home of 19th-year coach Derek Manon, forcing him to reside for the past few days in a hotel with his wife, Sharon, their 14-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son.

“I am not the kind of person to get emotional before my match, but with all of the tragedies that have occurred this week with Coach Manon’s house and the passing of our teammate, Saturday night was special,” said senior Jacob Sherman, one of the Viking’s 10 double-winners on Saturday with a 29-second pin and a 24-9 technical fall. “When I looked around the gym at North Point, all I could think about was my sophomore year, going 7-13 on the junior varsity and thinking of how proud I am of the person I’ve become. Realizing that it would be my last time wrestling with people I have grown up with, I couldn’t control my emotions before the match.”

Andy Wetzel coached Whitman from 1996 through 2007. Manon spent a year as Wetzel’s assistant in 2005 when the Vikings earned Class 4A-3A state duals and tournament crowns.

“We have a mature and experienced group that understands what it takes,” Manon said. “They are just hungry to go out there and compete hard every day.”

Among Manon’s assistants is Will Sharbaugh, who was a Class 4A-3A state champion for the Vikings with a 37-0 record in 2006.

“It’s a little too early to do a full comparison as we need to see how this team does at the individual states, but as a team, this year’s team was more dominant with less experience across the lineup,” Sharbaugh said. “I also feel that this year’s team has fewer holes. Looks like this year’s team has 10 wrestlers with 30 or more wins. We had seven kids in the 2005 lineup which came into high school with experience.”

Legacy Wrestling ranks nine wrestlers in a Vikings’ lineup boasting 10 competitors with three or less losses. Also winning twice were second-ranked senior Solomon Randall (132/138), fourth-ranked senior Zach Richards (215), fifth-ranked junior Noah Reising-Rubli (106), sixth-ranked senior Matthew Hobbs (157), ninth-ranked junior Jabasie Trice (120), 14th-ranked senior Andy Boshnick (285), 15th-ranked senior Chris Lindstrom (144/150), 21st-ranked senior Adan Magnas (132/138) and 21st-ranked junior Luke Monaco (165).

Boshnick’s pins were in 20 and 22 seconds, Randall’s were in 25 and 83 seconds and Magnas’ were in 42 and 47 seconds. Also pinning twice for the Vikings were Trice in 95 and 96 seconds, and Monaco in 2:34 and 3:09.

Reising-Rubli won by 57-second pin and a 16-1 technical fall, and Hobbs, by 45-second pin and 20-5 technical fall.

Lindstrom won by 7-3 decision and 20-2 technical fall, and Richards, by 47-second pin and forfeit.

Richards improved to a team-leading 32-0 with 23 pins and one technical fall, Randall to 31-0 with 22 pins and four technical falls, and Trice, 31-0 with 16 pins and eight technical falls.

Lindstrom is 34-1 with 23 pins and four technical falls, Boshnick is 33-1 with 23 pins, and Reising-Rubli 28-1 with 11 pins and eight technical falls.

Hobbs is 32-2 with 17 pins and nine technical falls, Magnas is 31-3 with 11 pins and seven technical falls, Monaco is 30-3 with 12 pins and nine technical falls, and Sherman, 28-3 with 18 pins and four technical falls.

Randall earned his second straight Class 4A-3A state title after placing third at states as a freshman and has won two each in county and regional crowns after having placed third in each as a ninth-grader.

Randall became only the Vikings’ second repeat state champion, and before he graduates, can match three-time state champion Eren Civan, a 2007 graduate who did not complete his senior year due to a season-ending injury.

“Four years ago as a freshman, I remember we lost in the regional semifinals to Churchill. Since then, we’ve lost just once. So for four years, we’ve built this team, and it’s taken countless hours in the offseason going to camps, practices, and tournaments,” Randall said.

“I believe that our success is mostly attributable to our coaching staff. It’s a blend of fierce competitive spirit focused on constant improvement. It’s not just the varsity lineup, but up and down, it’s the experienced and inexperienced wrestlers. Every part of this program has been instrumental to the success we have seen this year.”

A year ago, Trice finished first, second and sixth at counties, regions and states. Hobbs placed third at counties, second at regions and sixth at states.

Lindstrom was fourth at counties and second at regions, Boshnick was third at counties and fifth at regions, and Magnas sixth at counties and regions last season.

“I knew that this was going to be the last time that I’d step on to the mat with my guys as a dual meet team. God has blessed me with the best mentors and brothers I could ask for. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of the best team in the state,” Lindstrom said.

I’ll forever miss competing alongside a group of guys I consider to be my family. I just want to thank my family, my teammates, Coach Manon and Coach Sharbaugh, and, mostly, God for an incredible four years. There was a lot of emotion in the finals for me. It’s been a hard week for our team.”

The Cardinals had two double-winners. LaDarian Roulhac (175) earned a 69-second fall against the Raiders and a 15-9 decision against the Vikings. Nyle Borges won by 113-pound 8-3 decision against the Vikings and a 120-pound fall against Leonardtown.

Winning for the Rockets against the Vikings were seventh-ranked Class 4A-3A state champion senior Isisah Womack (144) with an 83-second fall, and Kevin Rosenblatt (126) with a 68-second pin.

Class 4A state dual semifinals

Crofton defeated Leonardtown 42-36

175 - LaDarian Roulhac (Crofton) over Brennan Roysden (Leonardtown) Fall 1:09

190 - Rylan Lenz (Crofton) over Israel Pridgen (Leonardtown) Fall 3:01

215 - Alijah Jones (Crofton) over Luka Malveo (Leonardtown) Fall 0:49

285 - Bryce McGee (Crofton) over Lucas Rogers (Leonardtown) Fall 1:23

106 - Ruby Russell (Crofton) over Caleb Leveling (Leonardtown) Dec 7-0

113 - Luke Putnam (Crofton) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

120 - Nyle Borges (Crofton) over Cobi Samuel (Leonardtown) Fall 2:45

126 - Dominique Herbert (Leonardtown) over Moises Amaya Chavez (Crofton) Fall 2:40

132 - Zach VanRyswick (Leonardtown) over Garrett Clagett (Crofton) Fall 5:11

138 - Dominick Rossi (Crofton) over Will Colson (Leonardtown) Dec 3-0

144 - Porter Wood (Leonardtown) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

150 - Carter Knott (Leonardtown) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

157 - Brody Stauffer (Leonardtown) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

165 - Grant Futch (Leonardtown) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Walt Whitmnan defeated Richard Montgomery 69-12

175 - Ryan Thorpe (Walt Whitman) over Benjamin Marcoux (Richard Montgomery) Fall 0:51

190 - Jacob Sherman (Walt Whitman) over Collin Cheshire (Richard Montgomery) Fall 0:29

215 - Zach Richards (Walt Whitman) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

285 - Andy Boshnick (Walt Whitman) over Ryan Holbrook (Richard Montgomery) Fall 0:22

106 - Noah Reising-Rubli (Walt Whitman) over Aalyan Tariq (Richard Montgomery) TF 16-1

113 - Owen Sherman (Walt Whitman) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

120 - Jabasie Trice (Walt Whitman) over Mateo Giaudrone (Richard Montgomery) Fall 1:36

126 - Kevin Rosenblatt (Richard Montgomery) over Owen Dinces (Walt Whitman) Fall 1:08

132 - Solomon Randall (Walt Whitman) over Nicolas Ortiz (Richard Montgomery) Fall 0:25

138 - Adan Magnas (Walt Whitman) over Alex Sateri (Richard Montgomery) Fall 0:47

144 - Isisah Womack (Richard Montgomery) over Tristan Echezarreta (Walt Whitman) Fall 1:23

150 - Chris Lindstrom (Walt Whitman) over Justin Suh (Richard Montgomery) TF 20-2

157 - Matthew Hobbs (Walt Whitman) over Benjamin Wong (Richard Montgomery) TF 20-5

165 - Luke Monaco (Walt Whitman) over Evan Pan (Richard Montgomery) Fall 3:09

Class 4A state dual finals

Walt Whitman defeated Crofton 62-12

190 - Jacob Sherman (Walt Whitman) over Rylan Lenz (Crofton) TF 24-9

215 - Zach Richards (Walt Whitman) over Alijah Jones (Crofton) Fall 0:47

285 - Andy Boshnick (Walt Whitman) over Bryce McGee (Crofton) Fall 0:20

106 - Noah Reising-Rubli (Walt Whitman) over Ruby Russell (Crofton) Fall 0:57

113 - Nyle Borges (Crofton) over Owen Sherman (Walt Whitman) Dec 8-3

120 - Jabasie Trice (Walt Whitman) over Luke Putnam (Crofton) Fall 1:35

126 - Owen Dinces (Walt Whitman) over Moises Amaya Chavez (Crofton) Fall 1:41

132 - Adan Magnas (Walt Whitman) over Garrett Clagett (Crofton) Fall 0:42

138 - Solomon Randall (Walt Whitman) over Dominick Rossi (Crofton) Fall 1:23

144 - Chris Lindstrom (Walt Whitman) over Carter Rermgosakul (Crofton) Dec 7-3

150 - Cian Santos (Crofton) over Tristan Echezarreta (Walt Whitman) Fall 2:17

157 - Matthew Hobbs (Walt Whitman) over Octavius Brown (Crofton) Fall 0:45

165 - Luke Monaco (Walt Whitman) over Cayden Doss (Crofton) Fall 2:34

175 - LaDarian Roulhac (Crofton) over Ryan Thorpe (Walt Whitman) Dec 15-9