Annapolis is making a run of sorts in the Anne Arundel County League.
Armed with a dual meet record of 8-1 (6-1 league), the Panthers have lost only to 16th-ranked South River and recently defeated league rivals Broadneck and Old Mill. The Panthers have dual meet matches against Southern on Wednesday and 32nd-ranked Arundel on Friday.
In December, the Panthers placed second at the Andy Perez Tournament at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School, and fourth at top-ranked Gilman’s 12-team Adam Janet Tournament.
The Panthers are coached by Tom Sfakiyanudis, a 1992 Annapolis graduate who was a county champion, regional runner-up and a Class 4A-3A state semifinalist.
Among Sfakiyanudis’ assistants is Tyler Scarinzi, a 2008 graduate of Archbishop Curley where he earned two Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles and one Maryland Private Schools crown in three title match berths.
“We lost our second match of the season, but since then, we’ve won seven straight,” said Sfakiyanudis, who has a pair of sons on the team with freshman Leo Sfakiyanudis (138) and senior Teddy Sfakiyanudis (165). “We lost to both Broadneck and Old Mill last year, but we just beat them last week. Now at 8-1, the team is starting to gel, and our guys are supporting one another.”
A two-time state qualifier, Teddy is 18-2 on the year with 16 pins and a technical fall, has a career record of 92-11, and was a runner-up at The Andy Perez Tournament after having won it twice.
As a sophomore, Teddy had a record of 38-4 and placed fourth at counties and regions. As a junior, Teddy’s record was 36-5, ending with his placements of third at both counties and regions.
Leo is ranked 23rd at 138 pounds with a record of 18-2 with 16 pins, having been a runner-up at the Andy Perez tournament following a loss to a two-time state champion from Delaware.
Among Leo’s victories is a fall against Old Mill senior Dekhi Church, who won 29 bouts last season and placed fifth at counties.
Senior Davis Ruhf (175) has a record of 21-1 and is another two-time state qualifier. Ruhf’s lone defeat was against Gilman’s top-ranked Emmitt Sherlock as a runner-up at the Adam Janet Tournament.
A three-time champion at the Andy Perez Tournament, Ruhf had a record of 22-0 when he suffered a season-ending injury and had to default last year’s 157-pound county title bout.
As a sophomore, Ruhf went 36-4 and placed third at counties and regions. As a freshman, Ruhf posted a record of 21-11 and was a regional runner-up.
Leo developed an offseason friendship with second-ranked sophomore Mike Groszkowski (132), a transfer from second-ranked Archbishop Spalding where he alternated between their junior varsity and varsity squads.
Groszkowski’s varsity record for the Cavaliers was 12-3 with four pins and a technical fall, including second and fourth-place finishes at the John Kelly and McDonogh invitational tournaments.
As a junior varsity wrestler at Archbishop Spalding, Groszkowski went 8-0 with seven pins and became a private schools’ state champion as a JV grappler.
Groszkowski’s current record of 22-0 includes 19 pins, a technical fall and a strong month in December, when he won the Andy Perez Tournament and was named Outstanding Wrestler for the Adam Janet Tournament, the latter with a 5-0 record that included falls in 22, 31 and 72 seconds.
At Gilman, Groszkowsk also had an 11-4 decision over third-ranked Gilman senior Zach Glory as well as a 20-11 major decision over Delaware state champion Tye Bellarin, a junior from Red Lion Christian Academy.
Glory placed third last year in both the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association’s A Conference and the Maryland Private Schools State tournaments.
Groszkowski is continuing a family wrestling legacy. His father, Kevin, and his uncles, Sean and Tim, were Baltimore County champions at Franklin High.
Sean was a Class 4A-3A state champion at 135 pounds as a senior in 1995, winning his title match, 10-2, over Blake Zimmet of Churchill.
Tim was a 140-pound Class 4A-3A state runner-up in 1997 following an 11-10 loss to Darren Black of Frederick Douglass.
Kevin and Tim were regional champions. Kevin wrestled at Harvard until his career ended by injury, and Sean wrestled at Franklin and Marshall.
“We started the year off with a couple of guys missing out of the line up with injury,” Tom Sfakiyanudis said. “Little by little, we’ve been getting everyone back. We still have yet to be at full strength, but things are starting to come together. Hopefully, we can stay healthy and continue with the momentum.”