Anne Arundel County wrestling teams sweep the big school divisions

Members of the South River and Chesapeake-AA wrestling teams gather for a joint photo to celebrate their respective MPSSAA State Duals Championships.

by Billy Loverocket

4A STATE DUALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS

South River rolled into North Point High School in Waldorf on Saturday knowing its work was cut out for them. In order to secure its first state dual meet crown, they would have to defeat two state ranked teams, one above them (Montgomery Blair) and one below (Winston Churchill).

“I am proud of our kids,” said South River coach John Klessinger. “This week they have demonstrated grit and toughness. We had a rough regional and had to fight back in both matches to qualify for the state duals. Our kids were fighters that night. That attitude rolled into yesterday. I can’t say enough about them. It was truly special to watch them compete and then see them win a state dual championship. They earned it.”

The Seahawks were the No. 2 team in the MSWA’s 4A Team Rankings and would face No. 1 Blair right out of the gate. Ben Ford (120) and Jon Titow (126) got South River off to a positive start with a pin and tech-fall respectively. Titow’s superior showing was over Holden DuBois (No. 16 at 113).

Blair picked up a major decision at 132 to get on the board. With score sitting at 9-4, the Seahawks went on a bonus point fueled run from 138 to 160 that put them out front 30-4. No. 9 Sam Ditmars (138) and La La Tito (152) registered falls and No. 14 Nolan Lunsford (145) posted a major decision, but the most impressive result of that run was No. 18 Austin Johnson edging Junior Kim (No. 15 at 145), 1-0, at 160lbs.

Blair won two of the three matches between 170 and 195 but were still looking at a 33-10 deficit when No. 1 Lonnell Owens-Pabon (220) decked Izu Nweke in 5:00 to secure the win for South River.

South River’s assistant coach, David Hicks, has a knack for developing state champion heavyweights (Ka’Ron Lewis and Brendan Woody at South River, Dre Hudson at Annapolis) so instead of forfeiting 285, the Seahawks wanted No. 3 Racheil Coney (No. 1 in the 4A/3A Rankings) to get some mat time with a quality opponent, No. 16 Aaron Vernon. Coney posted a 6-3 win, then South River forfeited the final two matches to end with a 45-25 score.

There was little time to celebrate, though, as No. 3 Winston Churchill predictably drubbed Eleanor Roosevelt, 69-12 on the other side of the bracket. Another state ranked team awaited them in the finals.

The Seahawks came out stronger in this one than they did in their opener, after losing by fall at 126, they swept the next five bouts, running out to a 22-6 lead.
Ismael Tamayo put a decision in the books at 132. At 138, Ditmars rolled to an 8-0 major decision against Steven Wang (honorable mention). Lunsford (145) and La La Titow (152) posted falls. Johnson collected another big-time win taking out No. 12 Ayo Tobun at 160, 1-0.

No. 8 Jaden Selby picked up a quick fall at 170 to temporarily stop the bleeding, but that was basically just a band aid as the wound started gushing again after South River went on another win streak, and sealed the victory.

At 182, unranked Jamison Ballard got by No. 25 Charlie Trenkamp, 1-0. Maddox Brown, also unranked, usurped Ballard’s showing by taking out No. 19 Charlie Trenkamp, 5-2, at 195. Owens-Pabon (220) and Coney (285) put falls on the scoresheet. Cole Peeples’ 32 second pin of Amir Sizar at 106 sent the Seahawks into celebratory mode, as the quick pin sealed the state title.

Churchill gathered falls in the final two bouts to push the ending tally to, 46-24.

“What stands out most to me is the determination that they showed,” Klessinger added. “All of them went out to wrestle hard. And they gave their best efforts win or lose. We wrestled tough. Stingy and gritty. That excited me most about the week and yesterday.

“Our horses all season have been Sam Ditmars, Nolan Lunsford, Austin Johnson, Jamison Ballard, Maddox Brown, Lonnell Owens-Pabon, and Racheil Coney. Each of them stepped up as they have all season.

“But it was big wins by Ben Ford, Jon Titow, and La La Titow at Blair, and La La again against Churchill, along with Cole Peeples and Ismael Tamayo, that provided the proverbial punches in those matches along with the consistency of the guys above.”

On what comes next and how he feels moving forward, Klessinger said, “I feel good about our team. We have a few that can go deep and do well. If they wrestle the way they did last week, it can be a great last three weeks of our season.”

South River’s Box Scores:

Match #1 Semifinal
South River defeated Montgomery Blair 42-25
120 – Ben Ford (South River) over Jaden Cheung (Montgomery Blair) Fall 3:34
126 – Jon Titow (South River) over Holden DuBois (Montgomery Blair) TF 22-7
132 – Andre Henene (Montgomery Blair) over Ismial Tamayo (South River) Maj 12-4
138 – Sam Ditmars (South River) over Josue Kevin Arevalo-Garcia (Montgomery Blair) Fall 1:10
145 – Nolan Lunsford (South River) over Nikolai Tochilin (Montgomery Blair) Maj 11-0
152 – La La Titow (South River) over Habib Camera (Montgomery Blair) Fall 0:35
160 – Austin Johnson (South River) over Junior Kim (Montgomery Blair) Dec 1-0
170 – Nelson Manzoeto (Montgomery Blair) over Jamison Ballard (South River) Dec 10-4
182 – Maddox Brown (South River) over Keshav Mehta-Harwitz (Montgomery Blair) Dec 6-0
195 – Larry Vola (Montgomery Blair) over Aidan Healey (South River) Fall 1:04
220 – Lonnell Owens-Pabon (South River) over Izu Nweke (Montgomery Blair) Fall 5:00
285 – Racheil Coney (South River) over Aaron Vernon (Montgomery Blair) Dec 6-3
106 – Silvan Unger (Montgomery Blair) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 – Daniel Wu (Montgomery Blair) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #2 1st Place Match
South River defeated Winston Churchill 46-24
126 – Ethan Nasvaderani (Winston Churchill) over Jon Titow (South River) Fall 3:43
132 – Ismial Tamayo (South River) over Taigh Merola (Winston Churchill) Dec 6-3
138 – Sam Ditmars (South River) over Steven Wang (Winston Churchill) Maj 8-0
145 – Nolan Lunsford (South River) over Mike Merola (Winston Churchill) Fall 1:13
152 – La La Titow (South River) over Aaron Yue (Winston Churchill) Fall 1:01
160 – Austin Johnson (South River) over Ayo Tobun (Winston Churchill) Dec 1-0
170 – Jaden Selby (Winston Churchill) over Brent Phillips (South River) Fall 0:28
182 – Jamison Ballard (South River) over Bobby Trenkamp (Winston Churchill) Dec 1-0
195 – Maddox Brown (South River) over Charlie Trenkamp (Winston Churchill) Dec 5-2
220 – Lonnell Owens-Pabon (South River) over Ian Crombie (Winston Churchill) Fall 2:15
285 – Racheil Coney (South River) over Michael Assaf (Winston Churchill) Fall 4:44
106 – Cole Peeples (South River) over Amir Sizar (Winston Churchill) Fall 0:32
113 – Jaedyn Ellis (Winston Churchill) over Sam Travis (South River) Fall 1:17
120 – Brandon Williams (Winston Churchill) over Ben Ford (South River) Fall 0:38

2022 4A STATE DUALS CHAMPIONS
SOUTH RIVER SEAHAWKS

3A STATE DUALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS

In the 3A Division No. 3 Chesapeake’s first opponent was unranked Reservoir. That match went as expected with the Cougars blowing out the Gators, 57-15.

Chesapeake’s Murderers’ Row from 152 to 182 set the pace, with all four sticking their guys in the first period. No. 7 Owen Schmidt had a 20 second pin at 152, No. 16 Collin Lewis went to 1:19 at 160. Brother, Dylan (No. 4 at 170, used just 1:05). The fastest pin of the bunch was No. 3 Victor Listorti’s 16 second effort.

No. 21 Dylan Wiegert posted Reservoir’s first points, moving up a weight to 195 and downing Gavin Marseca, 10-5.

The good times ended there for Reservoir as Chesapeake secured falls in the next three matches to put the win in the books. After Braydon Ambrose’s pin at 106, the score was 42-3.

Over the final six matches, the Cougars would win three more, Dylan Ritter (120), Braidyn Bryant (138), and No. 10 Chase Listorti (145).

Reservoir’s victors in that stretch were, Andrew Dolezel (HM at 113), Sebastian Meza (HM at 126), and Jack Golscher (132).

No. 1 Springbrook defeated Bel Air, 43-36, in the other semi-final and their dreams of a threepeat were still alive. What they didn’t expect, though, was the extreme bombardment of bonus points the Cougars threw at them.

Much like in their opener, Chesapeake built an early lead they would not relinquish. The match kicked off at 160lbs with Collin Lewis upsetting No. 6 Grayson Wendel to put the first arrow through Springbrook’s heart.

Dylan Lewis won a tight 4-3 meeting with Sagbe Sieh (HM) at 170. Victor Listorti blanked No. 8 Eric Washington with a 16-0 tech-fall at 182. Maresca (195) shot the next arrow with a 4-2 upset of No. 25 Giancarlo Reyes. Hunter Beck collected a fall at 220 to push them out front, 23-0.

Springbrook’s heavyweight, No. 9 Ansumana Badje, erased the shutout with a 10-2 major decision over Delmar White. Chesapeake’s Ambrose got a pin at 106 and Ayden Smith answered back for the Blue Devil’s with a pin of his own at 113.

Dylan Ritter flattened his opponent at 120 to push the score to 35-10. Dawson Hoover took to the mat at 126 with the chance to lock it up for his squad and he did so, with a first period planting of Adam Matthew, 1:54. At 41-10, the winner was decided.

Chesapeake rolled on to a surprisingly easy 54-14 victory and with it the 3A State Dual Meet crown. The Blue Devils won at 113, then watched as the Cougars closed them out with three straight wins, Bryant (138), Chase Listorti (145) and Schmidt at 152.

“We just kept telling our kids to finish the dual meet season strong,” Chesapeake coach Randy Curtin said. “Finish the journey was our mantra. We kept practice intense throughout the last few weeks. Our team’s performance was awesome.  We went above and beyond expectations.

“Collin Lewis and Gavin Maresca had especially impressive matches in the finals match. I feel relieved ending the dual meet season with a state dual championship. It was a long hard road, but we made it. Now we as coaches will be focused on getting the kids ready for their individual weight classes in counties, regions, and states.”

Chesapeake’s Box Scores:

Match #1 Semifinal
Chesapeake-AA defeated Reservoir 57-15
152 – Owen Schmidt (Chesapeake-AA) over Demetrius Battle (Reservoir) Fall 0:20
160 – Collin Lewis (Chesapeake-AA) over Luke Sims (Reservoir) Fall 1:19
170 – Dylan Lewis (Chesapeake-AA) over TJ Thompson (Reservoir) Fall 1:05
182 – Victor Listorti (Chesapeake-AA) over Kevin Sisk (Reservoir) Fall 0:16
195 – Dylan Wiegert (Reservoir) over Gavin Maresca (Chesapeake-AA) Dec 10-5
220 – Hunter Beck (Chesapeake-AA) over Shafin Munir (Reservoir) Fall 0:52
285 – Delmar White (Chesapeake-AA) over Runor Agarin (Reservoir) Fall 2:56
106 – Braydon Ambrose (Chesapeake-AA) over Aaron Aquino (Reservoir) Fall 0:29
113 – Andrew Dolezel (Reservoir) over Jackson Worley (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 3:26
120 – Dylan Ritter (Chesapeake-AA) over Sam Vissers (Reservoir) Fall 2:32
126 – Sebastian Meza (Reservoir) over Dawson Hoover (Chesapeake-AA) Dec 7-2
132 – Jack Golscher (Reservoir) over Keenan Kopf (Chesapeake-AA) Dec 11-10
138 – Braidyn Bryant (Chesapeake-AA) over Olav Jensen (Reservoir) Dec 4-0
145 – Chase Listorti (Chesapeake-AA) over Noah Byrum (Reservoir) Fall 0:50

Match #2 1st Place Match
Chesapeake-AA defeated Springbrook 54-14
160 – Collin Lewis (Chesapeake-AA) over Grayson Wendel (Springbrook) Fall 2:57
170 – Dylan Lewis (Chesapeake-AA) over Sagbe Sieh (Springbrook) Dec 4-3
182 – Victor Listorti (Chesapeake-AA) over Eric Washington (Springbrook) TF 16-0
195 – Gavin Maresca (Chesapeake-AA) over Giancarlo Reyes (Springbrook) SV-1 4-2
220 – Hunter Beck (Chesapeake-AA) over Sylvan Anderson (Springbrook) Fall 1:27
285 – Ansumana Badjie (Springbrook) over Delmar White (Chesapeake-AA) Maj 10-2
106 – Braydon Ambrose (Chesapeake-AA) over Sean Torrez (Springbrook) Fall 3:09
113 – Ayden Smith (Springbrook) over Jackson Worley (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 0:54
120 – Dylan Ritter (Chesapeake-AA) over Ricky Dixon (Springbrook) Fall 2:40
126 – Dawson Hoover (Chesapeake-AA) over Adam Matthew (Springbrook) Fall 1:54
132 – Christopher Mendoza (Springbrook) over Keenan Kopf (Chesapeake-AA) Maj 9-1
138 – Braidyn Bryant (Chesapeake-AA) over David Garcia (Springbrook) Dec 5-2
145 – Chase Listorti (Chesapeake-AA) over Christian Traylor (Springbrook) Fall 2:55
152 – Owen Schmidt (Chesapeake-AA) over Lincoln Wendel (Springbrook) Maj 10-2

Bel Air’s Box Score:

Match #1 Semifinal
Springbrook defeated Bel Air 43-36
152 – Lincoln Wendel (Springbrook) over Daniel Cross (Bel Air) Dec 7-5
160 – Grayson Wendel (Springbrook) over Taran Johnson (Bel Air) Fall 2:36
170 – Sagbe Sieh (Springbrook) over Savion Ricketts (Bel Air) Maj 10-2
182 – Eric Washington (Springbrook) over James Woodford (Bel Air) Fall 1:42
195 – Cade Zengel (Bel Air) over Giancarlo Reyes (Springbrook) Fall 5:12
220 – Sylvan Anderson (Springbrook) over Ian Nitz (Bel Air) Fall 3:21
285 – Ansumana Badjie (Springbrook) over Jasanveer Aulank (Bel Air) Fall 4:11
106 – Sean Torrez (Springbrook) over Cole Bursk (Bel Air) Fall 3:19
113 – Ricky Dixon (Springbrook) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 – Austin Bacot (Bel Air) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
126 – Graden Hughes (Bel Air) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
132 – Manny Lucas (Bel Air) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
138 – Gavin McDowell (Bel Air) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
145 – Chris Nice (Bel Air) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

2022 3A STATE DUALS CHAMPIONS
CHESAPEAKE-AA COUGARS