WOTY: VMJ's matches spanned 140lbs!

Perry Hall’s top-ranked 190-pound senior Victor Marks-Jenkins has wrestled bouts ranging from 147 to 285 pounds while in a Gators' uniform.

Over the course of 200 bouts during that time, Marks-Jenkins has won four each in Baltimore County and regional titles, three Class 4A-3A state crowns after being third as a freshman, and suffered just one come-from-behind decision loss as a ninth-grader.

With a career record of 199-1 with 156 pins and 15 technical falls, Marks-Jenkins has surpassed Maryland’s all-time victories milestone for public school wrestlers of 195-5 previously held by South Carroll’s Joey Thomas, winner of three state championships over the course of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Marks-Jenkins won this year’s 190-pound Class 4A-3A state title clash of unbeaten seniors by 12-1 major decision over Stephen Decatur’s second-ranked Peter Snyder, who entered with a record of 41-0.

Most recently, Marks-Jenkins went 4-1 with three pins and a major decision as a 195-pound runner-up at the National High School Coaches’ Association Championships in Virginia Beach. The George Mason-bound Marks-Jenkins has been named a Legacy Wrestling Wrestler Of The Year.

“I think performance over the course of my career has been great. I also believe that my Perry Hall legacy is one that may not be beaten," Marks-Jenkins said. "It feels good to be recognized as a Wrestler Of The Year. I try to be what inspires my teammates and to continue to do a good job representing the state."

Not only did Marks-Jenkins earn the Gators’ 12th individual state title, but with his third crown, he surpassed repeat title winner Matt Green, who earned back-to-back titles at 220 and 285 pounds in 2012 and 2013. Green went 31-0 as a junior to earn his first county, Class 4A-3A North and Class 4A-3A state titles before finishing at 45-0 in 2013 for his second straight crown in all three of those tournaments.

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

Marks-Jenkins had made Green a prophet, being on fire yet again two weeks ago at the NHSCAs, where he led each of his first three matches by scores of 3-0, 11-0 and 8-0 before registering falls in 15 and 60 seconds to go with a third in 5:59.

Those pins were against New York’s Dylan Fitzgerald of Brockport High, Virginia’s Joshua Villatoro of Brooke Point High, and Arizona’s Trace Nielson of St. John’s High. Fitzgerald was a fifth-place finisher at states, and Nielson was a 190-pound state champion.

Marks-Jenkins won his semifinal by 11-3 major decision over West Virginia’s Malaki Washington of Linsly, who is a National Prep Tournament participant. Washington was second at his prep qualifier through Pennsylvania (PAIWST) but did not compete at National Preps.

Mark-Jenkins lost his title match, 2-1, after leading, 1-0, entering the third period against William Ward of Moorhead High in Minnesota, a three-time state champion who finished third as a freshman and is ranked fifth nationally.

Ward went 45-0 and won this year’s 189-pound Class AAA state title in Minnesota after having gone 23-1 as a state title-winning junior. Committed to Arizona State, Ward earned a previous 189-pound championship as a sophomore in North Dakota after having placed third as a freshman.

"I feel as if at the NHSCAs I wrestled to the best of my abilities and I pushed as hard as I could have," Marks-Jenkins said. "Overall, I'm happy overall with my performance. It feels good that I was able to prove myself, even though I wanted to win it all."

Ward’s bout-tying escape was followed by a questionable stalling call three seconds into the third period. The difference in the match was a second stalling call with 1:38 remaining against Marks-Jenkins, coming precisely at a moment when the hard-charging Ward had forced the Gators’ wrestler out of bounds.

"I think that overall, one of those stalling calls goes in the other direction," Marks-Jenkins said. "But if I were to have scored, then it wouldn't have been a problem."

In succession, Marks-Jenkins went 50-1 with 42 pins and five technical falls as a 145-pound freshman, 47-0 with 40 pins and two technical falls as a 157-pound sophomore, 48-0 with 34 pins and six technical falls as a 175-pound junior, and 54-0 with 40 pins and two technical falls as a 190-pound senior.

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.

Marks-Jenkins wrestled back to third place, winning his next two bouts by 12-0 major decision and 7-2 decision to end his season with a record of 50-1 with 42 pins and five technical falls. That was the start of a 161-match winning streak through the end of Marks-Jenkins’ senior year that included 114 pins and 10 technical falls.

As a sophomore Marks-Jenkins won his state title match by fall over senior Seth Weaver (46-2) of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, who had won his Montgomery County and Class 4A-3A East Regional crowns by falls in 3:48 and 23 seconds respectively.

As a junior, Marks-Jenkins defeated muscular state championship match rival Jonah Obitz of Marriotts' Ridge, who entered their bout with a 49-0 record after having placed second and first in each of his previous two appearances in the Howard County and regional tournaments.

Marks-Jenkins closed the show in emphatic fashion yet again this year opposite Snyder, whose incoming 41-0 record justified his 25th national ranking. Committed to Northwestern University, Snyder had 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.

After a scoreless first period, Snyder chose the neutral position in the second, granting Marks-Jenkins a 1-0 lead. That's when Marks-Jenkins exploded for an 8-1 advantage thanks to a seven-point throw, nearly decking Snyder and being awarded three-points for the takedown and four near-fall points.

“It was a double-under hook to the outside trip,” Marks-Jenkins said. “I had attempted to secure the double-underhook several times before hitting that big move, but this time, he wasn’t able to fight it off.”

Another takedown stretched Marks-Jenkins lead to 11-1 lead entering third, where a head-butting penalty from a frustrated Snyder accounted for a 12-1 major decision victory.

“Victor worked incredibly hard all year and made the cut," said first-year Gators’ coach Steve Amenta, a two-time county runner-up who earned a pair of regional crowns and placed second at states before graduating in 1992 from Perry Hall. "Although you can never be sure what is going to happen in a wrestling match, Victor wanted to prove that he was the best in Maryland, and he completely dominated Snyder in their state final.”

But Marks-Jenkins is as compassionate off the mat as he is destructive as a wrestler, being a 3.7 student who will major in nursing in college.

"I believe that all people should have their right to good health," Marks-Jenkins said. "I have found a belief that nursing is the most direct way that I can administer that to others."

Perry Hall's state champions

Three-time State Champion

Victor Marks-Jenkins

Two-time State Champion

Matt Green

Individual State Champions

1972 John Melka

1981 Rich Bauhman

1986 Tim Allender

1989 Tom Boushell

2003 Jimmy Van Daniker

2012 Zeke Salvo

2012 Matt Green

2013 Matt Green

2024 Victor Marks-Jenkins

2025 Alaina Kopalchick

2025 Victor Marks-Jenkins

2026 Victor Marks-Jenkins

Victor Marks-Jenkins’ Career Record

145: Freshman (50-1 with 42 pins and five technical falls.)

157: Sophomore (47-0, 40 pins, two TFs)

175: Junior (48-0, 34 pins, six TFs)

190: 54-0 (40 pins and two TFs)

Total: Career (199-1 156 pins and 15 TFs)