Making it count
Pins and Peeples: County wrestlers battle for mat supremacy
UPPER MARLBORO — Jackson Peeples sauntered off the mat smiling through blood-stained teeth and tearful eyes, leaning into the clutches of his beaming South River coaches.
The 106-pound freshman fought to catch his breath. He was beaten and sullied from a three-period bout that ended with Peeples as the evening’s first Class 4A/3A MPSSAA state champion. It wasn’t long ago he thought he might not even be able to wrestle this season having broken his arm last summer, which required surgery. They figured he’d be cleared by October ahead of the season.
It wasn’t until December that Peeples returned to the mat. “I couldn’t miss any more matches,” he said.
Winning a state title to cap a 17-5 record is the cherry on top, South River coach John Klessinger said, of a winding journey back to wrestling that began with a series of early season losses and ended by fending off a six-point comeback for a 10-8 win in the state final over Eleanor Roosevelt’s Austin Hayes.
“You never know if you’re gonna make it back,” Klessinger said. “So I’m glad he made it count.”
Peeples ushered in an emotional evening of triumph and agony on the 4A/3A mat’s highest stage. Some backflipped with excitement or wrestled down their coaches in celebration. Others pounded the floor of Show Place Arena and sought consolement.
Sometimes the triumph takes a bit longer to reach.
Thus was the case with Broadneck’s Austin Combs (165), who duked it out for four periods with Oakland Mills’ Joe Clark.
As the third and final regulation period wound down, it was Combs who whispered in his opponent’s ear offering to tangle out the final 20 seconds. They were both gassed and exchanged a truceful smile.
Come extra time, Combs thought he secured a point pressed against the outer rim.
Officials conferred and called it back. The explanation given to Broadneck coach Reid Bloomfield was that it was “beyond reaction time.” But they felt strongly it should have been two before the other ref interjected. The Bruins senior fought for his second winning point, stood up and gave a bowling motion over to teammates and family in the stands.
Among that group was his father, Chris Combs, a two-time state titlist in the late 1990s out of Old Mill. Austin, who stopped wrestling after eighth grade to focus on lacrosse, then signed back up his senior season with the blessing of his spring sport coaches, said wrestling always connected father and son.
“To come out and wrestle this year and have him come out to some of my matches and watch and correct them, it means a lot,” Austin said. “I don't know if I'll say anything other than give him a big hug.”
Not every wrestler found themselves with such prideful elation.
Northeast's Beau Schmidt was a 2A/1A runner-up at 132 pounds last year. He crawled all the way back to the final round at 138 this year but lost 2-0 in a narrow match.
His coach, Chris Dyke, said Schmidt followed the game plan to a tee. It just didn't fall his way. Schmidt spent much of the three periods in an upright entanglement with Drew Montgomery of Northern-Calvert. They knew whomever was first to get a takedown would win.
“It sucks but it's part of growing up,” Dyke said. “He's still a sophomore. In order to become a state champ, you gotta beat a state champ.”
While the day began with a jittery Peeples covered in blood earning his first state title, it ended with a bit more experienced wrestler in Old Mill's RJ Duncan going four rounds with South River's Busayo Balogun at 285 pounds.
Balogun nearly noodled a final point at the end of regulation but the officials waived it off, sending the match to a sudden-death period. Duncan said his opponent didn't want to shoot. His Old Mill coaches were adamant in reminding him he's the best heavyweight in the state and that “nobody can stop me.”
“A lot of people said I was gonna lose to him,” Duncan said. “It feels great to prove them wrong.”
At the final whistle, Duncan stood up and extended his arm toward the sky like the Statue of Liberty. He wagged two fingers back and forth to the crowd, a celebratory reminder that he became a back-to-back state champ, while his opponent stormed off into the bowels of the arena — the dichotomy of the state's most prestigious match.
3 county girls take home titles:
Like many sports, wrestling is as much a mental challenge as it is physical.
That mental toughness and composure is magnified on stages such as the MPSSAA girls wrestling state championships. Three Anne Arundel girls entered the competition looking to add to their legacies.
For those new to the state stage, pressure can consume them. However, the area's returning state champions thrived under that pressure at Show Place Arena. Crofton's Lexy Pabon (125), Southern Domenica Gladwell (115) and Arundel's Jada Chaves (105) each added to their legacy with state titles. Gladwell and Pabon won their second straight, while Chaves previously won in 2022.
Pabon took the mat against Frederick's Annika Shemhoff. Throughout this year, Pabon continued to stress to herself, “Do what you do.” She continued that message, clearing her mind before the final.
Having been crowned a state champion before, Pabon didn't let the moment overwhelm her. The veteran quickly assumed control with a takedown in the first 15 seconds and didn't look back. However, the match didn't come without adversity as Pabon banged her knee late in the first period.
After an injury timeout, Pabon continued to battle through, adding to her lead in the second. She ultimately closed out her 13th victory of the season and second straight state title in emphatic fashion with a pin 35 seconds into the third period.
“It was about, ‘Am I really going to settle for second, how bad do I want this?'” Pabon said of her mentality. “I wanted this bad and again it's mental. The pain is only temporary, but that state banner on the wall is going to be there forever. So, would you rather give up on something that's temporary that's going to go away in five minutes or have something that's going to be at your school forever?”
She added: “Having to accomplish so much in such a short time, not a lot of people can do that. Putting in the work, going to these different tournaments, competing at higher levels in order to get myself prepped.”
Anne Arundel County girls wrestling continued to show its strength as Gladwell took the mat. Another experienced wrestler, Gladwell knew what to expect on the season's grandest stage. However, most wouldn't know the physical pain she fought through in her 27 matches. During the season's first week of practice, she suffered a torn ACL.
While that injury would stop many, she continued to fight, leaning on support from coaches and teammates. She gained inspiration from former University of Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee, who won the 2021 125-pound NCAA wrestling championship despite having torn both his ACLs.
From the outset, Gladwell was the aggressor with a 4-1 lead after the opening two minutes. The junior added a takedown in each of the next two periods, closing out her 22nd win of the year and a dominant 8-1 victory. She then held two fingers up to the crowd, letting everyone know she was a two-time state champion.
“I have really good coaches who kept me in,” Gladwell said. “Even when I didn't think I could do it, they pushed me to be where I am now. I definitely thought about stopping and getting the surgery a few times. After I tweaked it, it hurt pretty bad, but I have really good support behind me, so I just kept going. It feels pretty good, it was all worth it in the end.”
Two matches later, it was Chaves' turn to shine. The senior is close friends with Pabon and Gladwell, practicing with them throughout the season and learning from those around her. After placing third last year and a state champion as a sophomore, Chaves wanted to close out her high school career in style.
“I think it shows how Anne Arundel County is growing not only in the girls wrestling community, but as a whole,” Chaves said. “We're with each other, we find flaws with each other and fix it with each other. We learn and grow from each other. The girls wrestling community in Anne Arundel County I've been a part of has been amazing.”
In those previous postseason successes, Chaves learned that she needed to move her feet more. Yet, in her final high school match, many wrestlers could learn from her. The veteran put on a clinic, assuming control with a 9-0 lead over Liberty's Aubrey Ohler after the opening period. She continued with a relentless mentality, ultimately winning by technical fall before the conclusion of the second period.
Shortly after her 32nd victory, Chaves waved a Gannon University T-shirt, where she'll be continuing her wrestling journey next year in Erie, Pennsylvania. Then, she made a beeline for the stands, finding her mom and many other supporters, sharing a warm embrace, proudly wearing a Lei around her neck.
“It feels great,” Chaves said. “I wish I was a three-time state champion, but some things can't always be. I just worked harder than I did last year, put in the work came back and just showed what I could do.”