Parity the new normal
Deeper talent pool is allowing more teams to think big
If you can count on one thing in the Baltimore area this winter, it’s that Mount Saint Joseph and McDonogh are still the cream of the crop in high school wrestling.
That is by no means a revelation, as it’s been that way for decades.
John Carroll in 2015 and St. Paul’s in 2011 proved recently that it’s possible for someone else to win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and topple the Gaels and Eagles, and this winter it would be foolish to totally count out Archbishop Spalding and Loyola Blakefield. Both have talented teams, though neither has the depth or quality of Mount Saint Joseph and McDonogh.
But if you take a deeper dive into the public schools in surrounding counties, the
picture gets a lot murkier. The powers of the 2010s haven’t fallen off the map, but there are several other teams knocking on the door to success in their respective counties.
In the eyes of many coaches, it’s a result of a growing sport that has created year-round opportunities. Parity across the region is starting to become the norm.
“There’s definitely a lot of good teams out there, and you just kind of wait and see what new pieces some teams have to turn them from good to great,” Glenelg coach Matt Bichner said. “I think that’s just a testament to how much wrestling is growing, especially as a junior-league sport. There are so many kids from all over.”
Owings Mills coach Ryan Mackin thinks it goes even deeper than that. Clubs have given high school wrestlers the option to wrestle locally throughout the offseason, and it’s gotten newer wrestlers hooked.
“It’s probably a representation of a lot of these wrestling clubs that are popping up and kids are taking advantage of the opportunities to wrestle year-round,” said Mackin, who is entering his second year as coach of the Eagles.
Participation is also up, even at programs that haven’t had recent success.
Reservoir, which had three victories last year, has 45 wrestlers, nearly 20 more than at the end of last year. Glenelg had its highest number of participants ever last year and has even more now. At C. Milton Wright, coach John Thornton has 37 kids, “which is 10 more than our average year,” he said.
As a result, the playing field is evening out. There are few clear-cut favorites.
In Harford County, Bel Air has long ruled. The Bobcats have won eight straight Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference dual-meet titles — a streak of more than 100 straight league dual meets, coach Craig Reddish said — and the UCBAC tournament six straight years and nine of the past 12.
Thornton, however, thinks this is the Mustangs’ best chance to end that streak, even though they haven’t beaten Bel Air since 1995 and have done so with only three teams in school history. He said this is the best team the program has ever had, with two-time state champion James Riveira anchoring a deep and consistent lineup, and the window is opened wider by the fact the Bobcats return just one starter from last year.
Patterson Mill is also a contender. “[Beating Bel Air] has been the goal from Day 1 when I took over,” Thornton said. “You look down the road and see who you’ve got coming up and the younger kids on your team and kind of project where things are going. … So we saw this on the horizon and have been working toward it, and you just have to capitalize.
“Hopefully it’s permanent, or at least a long-term changing of the guard, and it won’t be a one-year thing.”
Glenelg expects to have its usual battles with Oakland Mills and a mix of Hammond, River Hill and Atholton. The Gladiators lost quite a bit from graduation, as state champions Sam Alsheimer and Jared Thomas have left holes in what was a deep lineup, but Bichner believes returning state champ Drew Sotka and the other younger wrestlers are ready for the challenge that awaits.
Oakland Mills, which has 50 wrestlers, showed at the county tournament in February it still has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the Gladiators in a long season. Hammond also has strength in numbers with 50 wrestlers, including three state qualifiers.
Sparrows Point had its 85-match regular season winning streak snapped by Baltimore County rival Owings Mills in January, and both teams, alongside Hereford and Franklin, expect to be competing for the league crown again.
The Pointers have “what might be our most solid team since I have been here,” coach Mike Whisner said, but any squad with a pair of two-time state champions — Phil Smith and Alex DuFour — as the Eagles have has a chance to win a lot of duals.
“[Sparrows Point] is doing good things over there, and we’re trying to keep up,” Mackin said. “The entire area is strong, and it seems like across the board Lansdowne has been in the mix, Franklin, Hereford, obviously, and those guys are going to make everybody else need to step their game up. I think the level of competition is slowly raising in the county and it’s making the best ones have to work even harder.”
South River and Old Mill tied for the Anne Arundel County tournament title last year and have battled for the 4A East region duals title the last few years. Both expect to compete for the top spot in the league again, though Southern-AA and Chesapeake-AA hope to spoil that.
Carroll County is wide open as well. South Carroll has a strong freshmen class and two returning state finalists in Ryan Athey and Antonio Bradford, but Winters Mill, under first-year coach Eric Meszaros, has high expectations with its own returning state finalist, Zach Kirby.
Dunbar remains the class of Baltimore City and returns nine state qualifiers, including two former state finalists in Jalen Jones and Da’Airus Carr.
Regional realignment has also shaken up the landscape.
Glenelg, winners of four straight region duals titles, and Oakland Mills moved from the 2A South region to the tougher 2A West. Last year’s 1A state finalist Sparrows Point is now in 2A North. Damascus, winners of 178 straight dual meets and six consecutive dual meet state titles, has moved up from 2A West to 3A West, while last year’s 3A state champions, Stephen Decatur, are now in 2A East. Williamsport has dropped from 2A West to 1A West.