Wrestling season is just getting started, and Frederick County is looking to build amongst their post season success from 2023. Last season, two Frederick County teams made it to the State Dual Finals. Urbana unfortunately came up short against South River whilst Linganore took home the 3A state championship with a win over North Point High School. Frederick County was also home to a handful of individual achievements during the 2023 season. The county racked up a total of nineteen state place winners. These place winners included seven finalists and three state champions. Of these place winners eleven are returning for another year within the county. The 2024 season is setting up to be another exciting season with competition running throughout.
106
The 106 weight-class is usually heavily occupied by freshmen making it more difficult to rank at the beginning of the year. Frederick County decided to make it easy for me, however, with three county place winners, from last year all potentially returning to wrestle at 106.
The obvious favorite at 106 this year is Josh Arthur of Linganore. Josh Arthur not only took second at counties, but regionals and states as well last year. Arthur totaled forty wins and eight losses last season, three of those losses came from finals matches. Arthur will be going into his sophomore season and should be a favorite to win, even at the state level. He has started the season at 113, but don’t be surprised if that changes come January.
My pick for second place is last year's 113 county finalist, Evan Mullen of Brunswick. Although Mullen wrestled at 113 last year, he was seen weighing in at 106 just a month prior at the Fall Brawl where he garnered a third-place finish. Mullen’s 2023 season contained an impressive 30-5 record heading into regionals before taking back-to-back tough losses. Mullen will be better suited at 106 heading into his junior season since he won’t be giving up weight anymore. I am predicting Mullen to take second place at this year's county, I would not be surprised if he makes a run at the 1A/2A state title for 106.
To wrap this section up, we have Gabriel Helmen of Urbana who took third in counties at the 106 weight-class last season. Helmen had a season record of 30-17 which included an overtime loss to Josh Arthur, mentioned previously. Gabe is off to a hot start going 12-2. Although Helmen is a talented wrestler who I could see climbing the state rankings, he is still predicted to take another third place county finish in a top heavy 106 bracket.
Quick Guide
1st) Josh Arthur (Ling)
2nd) Evan Mullen (Brun)
3rd) Gabriel Helmen (Urb)
Honorable mention) Mathew Cioffi (Mid)
113
This weight-class early on is looking to be one of the weakest in the county. 113 has no returning county place winners from last season expected to compete in this season's bracket. However, new talent has entered the county as well as a handful of younger athletes hoping to take big strides in their wrestling careers.
My prediction for first place within the 113 weight-class is a newcomer from Brunswick, freshman Cayden Boedecker. Boedecker has started his season with a third place finish at Battle in the Boro as well as being undefeated in his first two dual matches this season. Boedecker is very young with a lot of potential. I expect him to be one of, if not the best freshman of the season, especially with such a great partner lined up for him with Evan Mullen.
I predict Sean Steinmetz of Oakdale to take second at 113. Steinmetz was a freshman last season with a 17-20 record heading into counties. Watching Steinmetz last season, you could tell that he had the technical ability to be a high-level wrestler. With a year of high school wrestling now under his belt I think Steinmetz could take a big step forward.
Finally, I have Urbana’s own Kyle Courchain. Courchain was a freshman last season with a 14-17 record. Courchain was undersized for 113 last season and still found success. With an extra year of maturity do not be surprised if Courchain hits 25 plus wins this season. Courchain is known for coming up big when it matters, sealing both the state quarter and semi-finals for Urbana’s dual team last season.
Quick Guide
1st) Cayden Boedecker (Brun)
2nd) Sean Steinmetz (Oak)
3rd) Kyle Courchain (Urb)
Honorable mention) Jordan Jackson (Fred)
120
120 is a difficult weight-class to rank due to the amount of weight changes that happen. Although, I thought long and hard about these predictions, I wouldn't be surprised if another talented wrestler enters this weight-class and lands himself on the podium.
My first-place finisher at 120 is Seth Crawford of Brunswick. Crawford won both counties and regionals last season as a freshman and is looking for repeat results this season. Crawford took fifth at states with a 37-7 record heading into the state tournament. Look out for Crawford as a contender for the state title this upcoming season.
My second-place prediction is Cash Wheat of Linganore. Cash Wheat took third in counties and second at regionals last season having a 35-7 record heading into states. He took second at this year's Knightmare Invitational picking up three pins before losing a 10-3 decision to Xzavier Brown of Rising Sun in the finals. Wheat could potentially find his way onto the state podium for the second time this season after a sixth place finish last year.
Third in the weight-class is Justin Seebach from Frederick. Seebach is a senior at 120 this season that can often use his maturity and strength to his advantage. Seebach took third at counties last season and I am predicting a repeat placement. Seebach has started his 2023/24 season out strong with a 2-0 start. He is hoping to continue winning and grow his name as a talented wrestler in the area.
Quick Guide
1) Seth Crawford (Brun)
2) Cash Wheat (Ling)
3) Justin Seebach (Fred)
Honorable mention) Landon Beaumont (Walk)
Honorable mention) Xavier Ford (Tusc)
126
At 126 we find another deep weight-class with potentially the most exciting finals matchup of the whole tournament. Behind the top two guys are three more solid wrestlers that could all have 20 plus win seasons. My first-place prediction by a narrow margin is Cooper Cammarata. The Tuscarora wrestler was the county champ at 113 last season pinning his way through the entire tournament. Cammarata also took first at regionals and third at states. Cammarata could potentially be up two weights, but I expect to see the same level of dominance. To start the new season Cammarata pinned his way into the finals before losing to Boonsboro’s Tanner Halling at Battle in the Boro. I expect to see Linganore’s Brennan Considine meet Cammarata in the finals. We could potentially see this finals matchup four different times this season and everyone in the area should be watching. This will be an electric match that could go either way, but I am predicting Considine to lose by a small margin. Considine was the county champ at 120 last season, taking first at regionals, and third at states. The exact same stats as Cammarata.
Considine started this season with a third place finish at the Knightmare Invitational. Considine’s loss at this tournament to a lesser known opponent, Calvert Hall’s Josh Jackson, is ultimately the reason I ranked him below Cammarata. In third place for 126 I have Walkerville’s Jake Beaumont. Beaumont lost to Brennan Considine in last season's county finals, 11-6, but was just recently pinned by Considine in one of his first duals of the season. This should not take any credit away from Beaumont as he is still a talented wrestler and returning state qualifier. Beaumont is potentially the best third place wrestler in the whole tournament, stuck behind two of the top guys in the state at his weight-class.
Quick Guide
1) Cooper Cammarata (Tusc)
2) Brennan Considine (Ling)
3) Jake Beaumont (Walk)
Honorable Mention) Jason Hathaway (Oak)
Honorable Mention) Chaz Rizak (Urb)
132
While 132 is one of the thinnest weight classes in the county right now with only two notable talents, it is also the only weight-class featuring a returning state champion.
First place at 132 is the returning 3A/4A 126-pound state champ, Cooper Van Scoyoc from Oakdale. Van Scoyoc’s season last year was interesting to say the least. He took third at counties and third at regionals before going on a tear at the state tournament. Van Scoyoc is a true wildcard as he has taken losses to multiple kids in the county but is also a state champion. Van Scoyoc has already taken one loss this season to Walkerville’s Rhys Ferguson, however if he can get down to 132, the county championship should be his. I am hoping to see another exciting year filled with post season success from Van Scoyoc.
In second place I have a young rising star in Brody Burdette of Tuscarora. Burdette has wrestled from a young age for the Frederick County Mat Club, seeing lots of success. Burdette is now a junior who has a lot to prove. Burdette does not have many notable accolades from his sophomore season but is off to a hot start in 2023. He has already had a third-place finish at Battle in the Boro as well as an exciting 10-8 loss to Van Scoyoc in their dual match against Oakdale earlier this week proving he can wrestle at a high level.
Quick Guide
1) Cooper Van-Scoyac (Oak)
2) Brodie Burdette (Tusc)
138
This weight-class is looking to be very similar to the 126-pound weight-class from last season. The first, second, and fourth place finishers from 126 could all see each other again this year at 138.
138 is home to a returning state finalist Alex DeVriendt. The Middletown wrestler took first dominantly in both counties and regionals. DeVriendt had a startling 49-5 record going into states, where he easily advanced to the finals before falling to Owen Bell of Hereford. DeVriendt has started the season off 10-0 already and should reach the 50-win mark by the end of it. Look out for DeVriendt as he could be one of the many state champs I predict to come out of Frederick County this season.
For second at 138 I am predicting Dylan Rohn of Linganore. Rohn has started the season at 144 but it is likely for him to drop down a weight-class come post season. Rohn was 27-6 last year heading into counties. He took second at counties last year, first at regionals, and fell just short at states. Rohn has already taken two losses this season. One being in the finals of the Knightmare invitational to Huntingtown’s Blake Ashley, and the other being to Rhys Ferguson, who we will talk about in the next paragraph. I fully expect Rohn to bounce back and have another impressive season.
To round out the weight-class I predict Chase Wheeler of Tuscarora to get third. Wheeler has started the season out strong with a second-place finish at Battle in the Boro losing only to returning state finalist Jonathan Chang of Clarksburg. Wheeler took fourth at counties last season in a very stacked 126-pound bracket before taking second at regionals and winning multiple matches at states. Wheeler is once again pinned behind talented wrestlers but should be a clear prediction for the third-place spot.
Quick Guide
1st) Alex Devriendt (Mid)
2nd) Dylan Rohn (Ling)
3rd) Chase Wheeler (Tusc)
144
This weight-class has a clear front runner followed by a highly talented young wrestler looking to make some noise in the wrestling scene this year. Below that the weight class is potentially open for an unknown wrestler to sneak into third-place.
The favorite and my selection for first place at 144 is Middletown’s Stephen Stottlemyer. Stottlemyer took second at counties last season losing to state champ, Garhett Dickinson (Linganore). Stottlemyer then took third in regionals and fell just short of placing at states. Stottlemyer’s weight class was stacked last season, and he has placed at states in previous years. Look for a bounce back, as I fully expect Stottlemyer to win counties and then find his way back into the State Championships podium.
My prediction for second place is a sophomore with the potential to make a run and place at states this season. The wrestler I am referring to is Rhys Ferguson of Walkersville. Ferguson has started his 2023/24 season out strongly already pulling off big upsets over Rohn and Van Scoyoc. Ferguson had a record of 25-5 heading into counties his freshman season. He took third at counties but failed to have post season success beyond this point. Ferguson should be expected to make it much deeper into the post season this year and even qualify for states.
Third place at 144 is when it begins to get tricky. Nobody returning at the weight has seen much post season success to this point in their career. My pick for third is going to be Nick Alahouzos of Urbana. Alahouzos had a 23-12 record heading into counties last season as a junior. He failed to place in what was unanimously the deepest weight-class in the tournament. Alahouzos, although having no post season accolades, has taken wins over ranked wrestlers in the past showing his ability to land on this podium.
Quick Guide
1st) Stephen Stottlemyer (Mid)
2nd) Rhys Ferguson (Walk)
3rd) Nick Alahouzos (Urb)
Honorable mention) Marty Sandy (Oak)
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