Broadneck puts 9 in finals to win Anne Arundel title

Broadneck coach Reid Bloomfield will come right out and tell you that his team underachieved in its pursuit of a state dual meet title. On Saturday, though, the Bruins got a little redemption.

No. 9 Broadneck placed nine wrestlers in the finals en route to capturing the Anne Arundel County Tournament championship in its home gym, defeating second-place Chesapeake, 224-178.5. Old Mill finished third with 177 points while South River (175) and Crofton (172.5) rounded out the top five.

“This was a goal since November,” Bloomfield said. “We didn’t quite get it done for the state duals, but they rebounded well and they were the best team here tonight, for sure.”

Although Broadneck placed nine in the finals, the Bruins only got victories from Liam DeBaugh, who beat Crofton’s Jacob

Speed, 5-3, at 152 pounds, and Jake Chambers, who defeated Meade’s Obina Onyeson, 5-2, at 182.

The biggest upset of the night came at 145 pounds, where Annapolis’ Nik Antonelli managed to get an escape on South River’s Sam Ditmars and record a 1-0 win. Ditmars was 42-1 entering the match.

“I wanted to move down from 152 so I could wrestle him again,” Antonelli said. “I was 0-6 against him lifetime, and I just knew I couldn’t leave high school without beating him at least once. I couldn’t live myself if that happened. Now it’s on to [regions and] states where I might see him again.”

At 113, South River’s Alex Szkotnicki became only the second girl to win an Anne Arundel County title — following Arundel’s Nicole Woody in 2007 — as she defeated Broadneck’s Cam Williams, 1-0, for the crown. Szkotnicki, one of the country’s highest-ranked girls, scored the escape with just 28 seconds left in the second period.

“I knew that I had to get a point, and I knew I had to get up and get out,” Szkotnicki said of her escape. “It was a great match. He’s a really solid opponent. I have a lot of respect for him.”