With a 20-point lead coming out of the semifinals, there was little doubt that the Archbishop Spalding Cavalers were going to take the title at the Ray Oilver Tournament at the McDonogh School, Saturday.
But Spalding was not done when it advanced five wrestlers to the finals. The team went on to crown champions in Charlie Lynch, winning the 145-pound weight class, and Logan Breitenbach, taking the 125-pound title in the final second of his championship bout.
“We didn’t really expect this because Will Switzer and DJ Smith were both out of our lineup, and the teams like Caesar Rodney, McDonogh, St. Mark’s, Sussex Central, we have never beaten them before,” Spalding coach Mike Laidley said. “The kids really stepped up, and the young guys shocked us.”
Breitenbach dropped to a 1-0 deficit following a scoreless first period, and seemed to be on his way to a second place finish before he hit a five-point move in the third period to win, 5-1.
Standing up but not quite making it to a neutral position, Breitenbach reached around and hit a headlock, dropping his opponent after being ridden for most of period and getting the 5-1 win in the last 10 seconds.
The Cavaliers added three second-place finishes, including placements by 135-pound Brady Gaynor, Kvaunte Smith (189) and Michael Still (103), catching Brent Fleetwood on his back and nearly pinning him before losing 11-7.
“Michael Still shocked me,” Laidley said. “We didn’t know what kind of wrestler he was going to be. We knew he was a junior league state champ, but he showed me he is going to battle.”
In dominant semifinals, Spalding leaped into first place over Caesar Rodney, but the most crucial win to Laidley was Gaynor’s 3-1 decision over Archbishop Curley’s Brett Przywara.
“The biggest win for the weekend was Brady Gaynor’s win over Przywara,” Laidley said. “He always shuts down against Brett, and I think that first takedown was a confidence builder. I’m sure they will see each other a few more times, so hopefully this was a building thing for him.”
Also placing for Spalding was senior Cole Gallagher, losing in the quarterfinals and wrestling back for a third-place finish.
“Obviously we are very pleased because this is one of the tougher tournaments in the state,” Laidley said, “and we are just going to keep our fingers crossed. This is just the first tournament, so we have a long way to go.”
It was the first tournament of the year for Spalding, but for McDonogh freshman Jack Clark, it the first tournament of his high school career.
Clark came in with an extensive wrestling background in junior league, but his performance on the high school level was undoubtedly a spectacular one, beating some top national talent en route to his 130-pound championship.
In an exciting overtime match, Clark got in on a single and caught state champ and National Prep All-American Shane Arechiga trying to roll through his legs, pinning him in 6:20 for the title.
Clark opened the match with the first takedown and established a 2-0 first period lead, but soon found himself on the bad end of a 5-3 deficit. The freshman showed poise, however, and came back to tie the match late in the third period, sending it to overtime and the eventual win.
McDonogh also had 152-pounder Tyler Patrick advance to the tournament finals, though he would lose to Sussex Central’s Cody Combs, the eventual tournament Outstanding Wrestler winner.
Curley saw placement from 171-pound Prunell Summers, reaching third, and Erik Meyer, placing fourth at 140. Przywara had a tough run following his loss to Gaynor, and settled for a fifth-place finish.
Both Vince Scarinzi and Brett Brigman exited the tournament early by injury defaults, but the two are expected bounce back and wrestle in the War on the Shore next weekend.
Championship Finals
103-Brent Fleetwood, SMY dec 11-7 Michael Still, AS
112- Micah Hight, CR dec 3-1 John Archangelo, SMY
119- Paul O`Neill, GON dec 3-2 Chris Donaldson, SAL
125- Logan Breitenbach, AS dec 5-1 Matt Kibblehouse, SAL
130- Jack Clark, McD fall 6:20 Shane Arechiga, GC
135- John McClanahan, GB dec 3-0 Brady Gaynor, AS
140- Cody Broomall, SC mdec 14-4 Michael Sprague, GP
145- Charlie Lynch, AS fall 1:19 Thomas Wilson, GP
152- Cody Combs, SC tech fall 17-0 2:24 Tyler Patrick, McD
160- Issah Meade, CR dec 10-4 Ryan Wolfe, CA
171- Josh Snook, STM fall 2:20 Griffin Dulany, LNG
189- Michael Mauk, STM dec 9-4 Kvaunte Smith, AS
215- Kyle Snyder, GC dec 3-1 Joey Spicer, SC
285- Stephen Snyder, GC dec 1-0 Disco Schafferman, HVT
Consolation Finals
103-Zach Howell dec 5-1 CR Eric Merriam, GB,
112- Cole Gallagher, AS fall 2:48 Jeremy West, SC
119- Kaleb LeMaire, CR dec 8-2 David Hershberger, SMY
125- Michael Valania, STM dec 2-0 Jeffrey Ogburn, POQ
130- Tyler Pendergast, STM dec 4-1 Daniel Sanchez, GP
135- Stephen Jackson, CR dec 4-3 Nick Gattinella, CA
140- Toby Hague, McD dec 6-4 Erik Meyer, AC
145- Matt Shelar, SMY dec 9-7 Cal Riorda, GIL
152- Zach Boyles, SMY dec 7-4 Nick McGinley, STM
160- Ryan Sepulveda, CN dec 7-3 Troy Murtha, GP
171- Purnell Summers, AC dec 8-5 Nick Mancini, SA
189- Kevin Marvel, McD dec 4-2 Alex Zwier, CA
215- Tate Dulany, LNG dec 3-1 Matt Shaw, STM
285- Ryan Schneider, GP dec 1-0 Tyler Chronic, SC
Team Scores
1. Archbishop Spalding 182.5
2. Caesar Rodney 169.5
3. Smyrna 162.5
4. McDonogh School 151.5
5. Sussex Central H.S. 149.0
6. St. Mark`s 148.0
7. Georgetown Prep 130.0
8. Good Counsel 129.5
9. Salesianum 90.5
10. Langley H.S. 82.0
11. Caravel Academy 81.0
12. Archbishop Curley 76.5
13. Great Bridge 63.5
14. Poquoson 62.0
15. Hodgson Vo-Tech 44.0
16. Centreville 39.0
17. Gilman School 37.0
18. Landon 33.5
19. Gonzaga 29.0
20. Bishop MacNamara 21.0
21. Severn 3.0
