Chesapeake-Anne Arundel freshman Carson Roberts experienced wrestling’s lows and highs within a 24-hour span last weekend.
Roberts’ adventure culminated with his critical win during the eighth-ranked Cougars’ 31-30, Class 3A state dual meet championship victory on Saturday that dethroned 10th-ranked, two-time defending title-winner Linganore.
The 12th-ranked Roberts (120 pounds) scored an upset, 5-3 decision over the Lancers’ fifth-ranked junior Josh Arthur, a defending Frederick County Tournament champion who has earned one regional title in two title match appearances and placed second and third at the past two Class 4A-3A state tournaments.
"My strategy started from neutral, where I felt pretty strong. So, I was tapping the head in order to get in on a single-leg,” said Roberts, whose record on the year improved to 32-4. “I ended up whipping him down to the mat off of a single and taking him down in the first 10 seconds. I rode him out through the first period and escaped twice. I got taken down at the end of the third period. I felt like I was in control for the most part.”
Arthur lost his state title match as a sophomore, 4-0, to two-time state finalist Neil Sharma of Magruder, who is presently ranked eighth at 138 pounds. Arthur finished with a record of 34-2 last year, losing his state semifinal, 11-9, in overtime to third-ranked state runner-up sophomore Austin Hayes of Eleanor Roosevelt.
"I knew Josh Arthur was ranked pretty high, and I heard that he had maybe placed at states or something among his accomplishments last year,” said Roberts, whose Cougars won Saturday’s state dual semifinal, 48-30, over defending Howard County Tournament champion Marriotts Ridge. “By that, I meant that I thought maybe he had placed within the top six at states or something like that. But I didn't know he had placed as high as second and third. That’s pretty impressive.”
Roberts’ triumph was accomplished the day after having suffered a pair of debilitating losses on Friday night to wrestlers he had previously beaten in junior Trent Shipley of South River and 23rd-ranked junior Logan Johnson of Old Mill.
Shipley pinned Roberts in 53 seconds after having lost to him by 16-4 major decision earlier this season. Shipley is a three-time county champion who has placed third and fifth at regions as well as fifth at states.
Johnson scored a 16-6 major decision over Roberts after having been decked in 3:02 of their initial meeting.
Roberts’ setbacks against Johnson and Shipley occurred on Friday during the Cougars’ Class 3A East Regional dual meet victories over the 24th-ranked Old Mill Patriots by 40-34, and 17th-ranked South River Seahawks, 35-28.
The Cougars (38-0) are guided by 10th-year coach Randy Curtin, who graduated from Hammond High in Howard County in 1998, when the program was champions in their county and Class 2A-1A South Region tournaments as well as the Class 2A-1A state duals.
“Carson Roberts beating Josh Arthur was incredible,” said Curtin, a former county tournament champion who placed third at the regions before falling short at states to the eventual champion and third-place finishers. “The previous night at regional duals, Carson was sick and had a bad night, losing to two wrestlers he had previously beaten. He came back on Saturday ready to redeem himself from that performance. He was aggressive and controlled the match.”
The Cougars led, 31-25, with one bout remaining after receiving a 16-0 technical from Curtin’s son, Matt, who was third at counties and fourth at regions. That meant the Lancers could manage a tie with a fall from 190-pound senior Amir Short.
But after scoring a fall in 3:56 during the Lancers 66-18 semifinal win against Franklin, Short managed only a 17-2 technical fall against Cougars’ sophomore Dean Michael worth five points.
“We did not tell [Dean Michael] anything in particular. In fact our coaching staff was very surprised by the outcome of that match,” Randy Curtin said. “We did not think that Linganore was very strong at 190. We expected our guy to win with bonus points. It’s hard for me to tell if our 190-pounder had a bad match or if their 190 was just better than we thought, or maybe both.”
"Waiting for my match, I knew that if I didn't go get the tech or the pin, we could lose. I wanted more than anything for us to get the victory. We had come all this way, with a perfect a season," Matthew Curtin said. "This was the moment when we would know whether it was all for nothing. I had to do my job for the team, just like everyone else had already done their job. We were able to capture it, a victory by one point. No we are 38-0 on the season. All to the glory of God."
Roberts split time on Saturday with junior teammate Mason Szczeszek, an Anne Arundel County Tournament runner-up who scored a fall in 4:55 against Marriotts Ridge.
"I took some medicine on Friday night and got some much-needed sleep. By Saturday morning, I was ready to go," said Roberts, who is among three freshmen in a lineup that includes three sophomores, five juniors and three seniors. "The experience taught me that I should never underestimate myself, and that I can be a difficult opponent for anyone. It was a great learning experience, coming at the right time with counties coming up."
Winning twice for the Cougars were ninth-ranked freshman Quinn Greenstreet (106), 14th-ranked freshman Bentley Schmidt (113), 15th-ranked sophomore Rex Graves (138) and 24th-ranked junior Owen Collins (150).
A transfer from Northeast where he placed third at counties and fourth at regions, Graves had technical falls of 17-1 and 20-5.
A fourth-place finisher at counties last year, Collins scored an 11-4 decision and a fall in 3:46 over senior Alex Gladstone of Marriotts Ridge, who was fourth at counties last season.
Schmidt had a pin in 1:50 and an 18-2 technical fall against sophomore Jayden Lassiter of Linganore, who was fourth at counties last season. Greenstreet earned a 16-second fall and a 12-4 major decision.
The Cougars received a 4-1 decision from seventh-ranked senior returning county champion Xander Dodd (215) over Linganore junior Alex Tortolani. Dodd finished at 41-3 last season after losing his Class 4A-3A East Regional and Class 4A-3A state title bouts by scores of, 8-2, and 5-1, to Bowie’s top-ranked senior Jamil Morrow, who finished at 37-0.
The Cougars’ Jonas Dotson and Gavin Lewis split time at 285 pounds, with the former nailing down a pin in 2:50 against Marriotts Ridge, and Lewis earning a 4-2 decision against Linganore.
Chesapeake senior Phillips Ramsey (157) wrestled once as well, earning a 10-5 decision against Marriotts Ridge.
The Cougars regained the state dual crown for the first time since 2022, when they ran the table for the county dual meet and tournament titles along with the Class 3A state duals championship. Chesapeake defeated South River, 42-34, in 2022, and scored 257 points to win that year’s county tournament.
Although Broadneck was county and dual meet champions in 2023, the Cougars won last year’s county dual meet crown while South River took county tournament honors.
Double-winners for the Lancers were seventh-ranked senior Class 4A-3A state champion Brennan Considine (126/132), 11th-ranked junior Cash Wheat (144/150) and eighth-ranked senior Peyton Pickett (165).
Considine earned a 36-second fall and a 12-5 decision over Roberts’ 17th-ranked brother, Brayden, a returning county runner-up who placed third at regions.
The Lancers received a forfeit and an 83-second fall from Pickett, who has placed as high as third and first at counties, second and third at regions, and third at states.
A returning county runner-up, Wheat received a forfeit from Franklin before registering a 54-second pin.
Lancers’ junior Noah Zohrabi (157) scored a fall in 3:36 against the Cougars, and sophomore Lincoln Zirk (132) earned an 8-0 major decision over Cougars’ junior Dominic Ayres.
Arthur, Considine, Pickett and Wheat were among the Lancers’ six double-winners for last year’s title-winning squad, which won a battle of defending state duals champions, 34-31, over the South River Seahawks. The Seahawks were after its third straight state dual title, having earned the previous year’s Class 4A version.
Arthur had falls in 88 and 93 seconds a year ago, Considine had a 72-second pin and a 19-2 technical fall, Pickett had a 73-second fall and a major decision, and Wheat, a fall and a 9-3 decision.
Winners for Marriotts’ Ridge were 11th-ranked senior Jonah Obitz (175), junior Boden Pistorio (132), senior Trip Bennett (144), junior Henry Phillips (165) and senior Brendon Payne (215).
Pistorio earned a fall in 3:36, being a returning county champion who was third at regions. Payne earned a fall in 1:58, while Bennett scored a pin in 1:42, having placed third at counties.
The Cougars forfeited to both Phillips and Obitz, the latter being a returning county and regional runner-up.
Franklin had winners in junior Christian Leveille (157), senior Darius Evans (175) and sophomore Caleb Gray (215), all of whom received forfeits. Evans was fourth at counties and third at regions.
Class 3A Semifinals
Linganore 66, Franklin 18
190 Amir Short (Linganore) over Chilotam Ezeani (Franklin) Fall 3:56
215 Caleb Gray (Franklin) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 Kendon Bauer (Linganore) over Jordan Adams (Franklin) Fall 0:52
106 Trey Covey (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
113 Blake McGee (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 Jayden Lassiter (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
126 Josh Arthur (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
132 Brennan Considine (Linganore) over Bishop Wilson (Franklin) Fall 0:36
138 Teddy Williamson (Linganore) over Allan Garcia (Franklin) Fall 1:30
144 D.J. Orr (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
150 Cash Wheat (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
157 Christian Leveille (Franklin) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
165 Peyton Pickett (Linganore) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
175 Darius Evans (Franklin) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
Chesapeake 48, Marriotts Ridge 30
190 Dean Michael (Chesapeake-AA) over Abner Britez (Marriotts Ridge) TF 21-5
215 Brendon Payne (Marriotts Ridge) over Kaden Johnson (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 1:58
285 Jonas Dotson (Chesapeake-AA) over Casmir Soma Dike (Marriotts Ridge) Fall 2:50
106 Quin Greenstreet (Chesapeake-AA) over Violet Land (Marriotts Ridge) Fall 0:16
113 Bently Schmidt (Chesapeake-AA) over Nathan Lee (Marriotts Ridge) Fall 1:50
120 Mason Szczeszek (Chesapeake-AA) over Brady Eldridge (Marriotts Ridge) Fall 4:55
126 Brayden Roberts (Chesapeake-AA) over Caiden Hargrove (Marriotts Ridge) TF 23-8
132 Boden Pistorio (Marriotts Ridge) over Logan Henry (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 3:36
138 Rex Graves (Chesapeake-AA) over Jamie Kraft (Marriotts Ridge) TF 17-1
144 Trip Bennett (Marriotts Ridge) over Cohen Lare (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 1:42
150 Owen Collins (Chesapeake-AA) over Alex Gladstone (Marriotts Ridge) Fall 3:46
157 Phillip Ramsey (Chesapeake-AA) over Max Hargrove (Marriotts Ridge) Dec 10-5
165 Henry Phillips (Marriotts Ridge) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
175 Jonah Obitz (Marriotts Ridge) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
Class 3A Final
Chesapeake-AA 31, Linganore 30
215 Xander Dodd (Chesapeake-AA) over Alex Tortolani (Linganore) Dec 4-1
285 Gavin Lewis (Chesapeake-AA) over Kendon Bauer (Linganore) Dec 4-2
106 Quin Greenstreet (Chesapeake-AA) over Trey Covey (Linganore) Maj 12-4
113 Bently Schmidt (Chesapeake-AA) over Jayden Lassiter (Linganore) TF 18-2
120 Carson Roberts (Chesapeake-AA) over Josh Arthur (Linganore) Dec 5-3
126 Brennan Considine (Linganore) over Brayden Roberts (Chesapeake-AA) Dec 12-5
132 Lincoln Zirk (Linganore) over Dominic Ayres (Chesapeake-AA) Maj 8-0
138 Rex Graves (Chesapeake-AA) over D.J. Orr (Linganore) TF 20-5
144 Cash Wheat (Linganore) over Cohen Lare (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 0:54
150 Owen Collins (Chesapeake-AA) over Sterling Leach (Linganore) Dec 11-4
157 Noah Zohrabi (Linganore) over Trevor Webb (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 3:36
165 Peyton Pickett (Linganore) over Collin Richardson (Chesapeake-AA) Fall 1:23
175 Matthew Curtin (Chesapeake-AA) over Christian Browning (Linganore) TF 16-0
190 Amir Short (Linganore) over Dean Michael (Chesapeake-AA) TF 17-2
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