St. Francis senior Chase Carpintieri is making up for lost time during this, his final season of high school wrestling.
After transferring from Dunbar following his freshman year, Carpintieri placed fourth at the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament during a sophomore season that included going 3-2 at National Preps.
But Carpintieri suffered a season-ending thumb injury during last year's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament, where he finished fifth.
“I lost out on the last few tournaments with a broken thumb, so I’m wrestling with more of a purpose to win,” said Carpintieri, who is ranked at 10th at 157 pounds by Legacy Wrestling. “Coming back as a senior for my final season, I’m wrestling stronger, mentally and physically. I’m wrestling to win.”
Carpintieri faced what appeared to be a difficult task entering last weekend’s Patriot Classic at Northern-Calvert County, where his weight class included several formidable opponents.
It included fourth-ranked senior Nizhoni Deschene of 28th-ranked Bethesda Chevy Chase, a returning runner-up in last year’s Montgomery County Tournament who was a champion of his Class 4A-3A South Region and a runner-up at the Class 4A-3A State Tournament.
Among Deschene’s losses during his 41-victory season of a year ago were those by scores of 3-2, and 6-3 in his county and state title bouts against Winston Churchill senior Taigh Merola, whose season ended with a record of 42-0.
Also in Carpintieri’s weight was 23rd-ranked Lackey junior William Chism IV, a third-place finisher in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference Tournament who was a regional runner-up.
In addition to Deshene and Chism, there was senior Josh Choi of 23rd-ranked Glenelg, a returning third-place finisher in the Howard County Tournament.
But Carpintieri persevered, using a 16-0 technical fall and a pin in 3:40 of his quarterfinal bout before edging Chism, 9-8, in their semifinal.
Carpintieri won his title match by 19-3 technical fall over Choi, who had taken only 48 seconds to pin Deschene in their semifinal bout.
Chism won his third-place bout, 7-5, over Deschene, whose record slipped to 17-2. Carpintieri improved his record on the year to 17-5, Chism is 22-5 and Choi is 3-1.
Carpintieri was joined on the victory podium by ninth-ranked freshman Zebulon Bolden (106), ninth-ranked junior Joseph Cooper (126) and sixth-ranked senior Braxton McAvey (150) as the 13th-ranked Panthers (207.5 points) overcame 12th-ranked runner-up Bullis (183) for the title.
Finishing second was freshman Bradley Alexander (113), with 10th-ranked senior Doug Johnson (215) placing third, and fourth-place efforts from sophomore Kendall Mason (138), 10th-ranked senior Noah Shird (144) and 23rd-ranked senior Derrick Grant (165) as the Panthers placed nine wrestlers within the top four of their weight classes.
“A lot of our guys saw some success despite [having difficult seeds],” said coach Doug McClain, 42, who is in his third season. “That drove home my point that it’s not how you start, but how you finish.”
McClain was particularly pleased with Alexander, whose grandfather, Larry McCoy, coached the now defunct Coppin State wrestling team.
“Bradley Alexander had a breakout showing,” McClain said. “Being down three starters and still winning the tournament was a total team effort.”
The triumph follows difficult dual meet losses by the Panthers to second-ranked Archbishop Spalding, fifth-ranked Mount St. Joseph and eighth-ranked McDonogh, all of which are their rivals in the MIAA.
After having also competed in the difficult War on The Shore, Beast Of The East and East Coast Catholic Classic tournaments, the Panthers rode the momentum of last week’s narrow MIAA league victory over 24th-ranked Calvert Hall.
“This tournament gave us an opportunity to get off of the roller coaster so to speak,” said McClain, whose Panthers placed fifth at last year’s MIAA Tournament and fourth and seventh at the past two private schools states. “After competing in the type of schedule we had coming into the Patriot Classic, we were able to wrestle some public-school kids who have had some success.”
McClain first began coaching at New Town in Baltimore County, where he guided the Titans to their first two winning seasons from 2010-2012. McClain began coaching at Dunbar ahead of the 2012-2013 season, guiding the Poets to 13 Baltimore City dual meet and tournament championships, two regional dual meet crowns in seven final appearances, and a pair of state dual meet runner-up finishes.
In addition, McClain guided six state finalists and two NHSCA All-Americans at Dunbar, including Jorden Pryor, who became the only three-time state champion from Baltimore City and captured a NHSCA National Crown as a senior. McClain was named the Baltimore Banner and Baltimore Sun’s coach of the year at the end of his first season with the Panthers.
Last year, McClain coached the Panthers’ first-ever MIAA champion in 120-pound sophomore Isisah Womack. Womack has transferred to Richard Montgomery of Montgomery County, where he is eighth-ranked at 138 pounds.
At the Patriot Classic, the runner-up Bulldogs crowned sophomore Salah Tsarni (175) and senior Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (215), each of whom is top-ranked, as well as senior RJ Bucknor (138) and sophomore Noah Tucker (165), each of whom is third-ranked.
Champions for 14th-ranked St. Mary’s Ryken (171 points, third) were 13th-ranked junior Becket Geary (113) and eighth-ranked sophomore Henry Moltumyr (132).
Other champions were Calvert’s second-ranked sophomore Ethan Valdisera (120), Northern’s top-ranked senior Drew Montgomery (144), Great Mills’ senior Tavon Barnes (285) and senior Lebron Onunaku (190) of Riverside, Va.
215 Pounds: Ahanj-Elias by 11-4 decision over No. 1 senior Jamil Morrow of Bowie--Top-ranked at 190 pounds by Legacy Wrestling, Ahanj-Elias improved his record on the year to 28-3.
Ahanj-Elias continued his run of victories over 215-pound state champions, having now defeated the top three-ranked wrestlers at that weight according to Legacy Wrestling, as well as a fourth state titlist while competing at 190 pounds.
A two-time Interstate Athletic Conference champion who placed second twice and fifth once at private schools states, Ahanj-Elias used a 94-second pin and a 21-5 technical fall over ninth-ranked junior Evan Gavin of St. Mary’s Ryken to reach the finals.
Ahanj-Elias earned an 11-4 championship match decision over Class 4A-3A state champion Jamil Morrow of Bowie. Morrow had used a fall in 1:46 and a 17-2 technical fall to reach his title bout against Ahanj-Elias, whose victory dropped Morrow’s record to 19-1.
Top-ranked at 215 pounds, Morrow went 37-0 last year, earning his state title with a 5-1 decision over Chesapeake-Anne Arundel’s County champion junior Xander Dodd, whom he also defeated, 8-2, for the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A East Region crown.
Morrow had used a 51-second pin and decisions by 6-1 and 11-5 to reach the finals against Dodd, whose season-ending record was 41-3.
A winner of two county titles after having placed third once, Morrow became Bowie’s first state champion since 132-pound Nathaniel White in 2018 and only the third Bulldog wrestler to win a pair of state titles, joining three-time champion Stanley Proctor and two-time title-winner Norman Brown.
Ahanj-Elias won the Damascus Holiday Invitational Tournament at 215 pounds in December by dominating Einstein’s previously undefeated second-ranked senior Isaac Ogunlade by 20-5 technical fall and 7-0 decision, and Williamsport’s third-ranked senior Adin Hastings by fall and 9-0 major decision.
Ahanj-Elias was named Outstanding Upper Weight wrestler at Damascus after handling Ogunlade, a defending Class 4A-3A state champion at 215 pounds, and Hastings, a Class 2A-1A state runner-up last season after winning states as a sophomore.
Ahanj-Elias also defeated St. Frances’ fourth-ranked senior Elijah Josey at 190 pounds at The War on the Shore, winning their title bout, 4-0. Josey had won his semifinal, 10-3, over South Carroll’s defending Class 2A-1A state champion Landon Hamper.
Josey transferred from Portsmouth High in New Hampshire, where he was a state champion and a runner-up in the New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships comprising Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
“I just feel as if I’ve wanted it more than my opponents,” Ahanji-Elias said. “I feel as if most of those matches were already won before I had even stepped onto the mat.”
175 pounds: Tsarni by 23-7 technical fall over No. 4 Lackey sophomore Ethan Vayro
-- A returning IAC and private schools champion who is ranked 12th nationally, Tsarni used an 83-second pin and another in 2:48 to reach his title match with Vayro, whom he vanquished by 23-7 technical fall.
Tsarni’s fall in 2:48 was against 11th-ranked senior Matthew Green of St. Mary’s Ryken, who was sixth at private school states. A sixth-place finisher at private schools states last season as a 190-pounder at St. Mary’s Ryken, Vayro’s record slipped to 24-1.
Vayro won his semifinal bout, 8-3, over Northern’s 24th-ranked senior Grant Neal, who was fourth in both the SMAC and regionals at 215 pounds last season.
Tsarni improved his record on the year to 22-2, having placed second at each of the difficult Ray Oliver at McDonogh and Beast of The East Tournaments and been victorious as The War On The Shore champion.
165 pounds: Tucker by 15-0 technical fall over No. 9 senior Brandon Catherine of Lackey -- A returning IAC champion who was fourth at states last year, Tucker added the Patriot Classic title to those captured at War on The Shore and The Damascus Holiday Tournament.
Tucker ran his record to 29-3 on falls in 1:48 and five minutes before winning his title match by 15-0 technical fall over ninth-ranked senior Brandon Catherine of Lackey.
Catherine was a runner-up in last year’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference who placed first in his region and sixth at Class 2A-1A states.
Tucker also owns a 6-2 victory over Huntingtown’s fourth-ranked senior Will Buckler, who transferred from St. Mary’s Ryken where he placed third at states last season.
Buckler’s record slipped to 7-1 against Tucker, who has also placed third at McDonogh’s Ray Oliver event and won three of five bouts at Beast of The East.
138 pounds: Bucknor by 23-7 technical fall over junior No. 18 Jonathan Sexton of Glenelg– Bucknor used a 58-second fall and a 17-2 technical fall to reach his title bout, where he handled Sexton, 23-7, to improve his record on the year to 26-3.
A private schools state runner-up last season, Bucknor placed third at McDonogh and won the Damascus Tournament crown, the latter, by 16-3 over Ethan Bluesteen of Lake Braddock, Va.
Sexton was a Howard County Tournament runner-up who placed fourth at his regionals.
144 pounds: Montgomery by 13-3 major decision over No. 5 senior Nick Melfi –
Montgomery used falls in 2:30 and 5:54 to reach his title bout with Melfi, whom he handled, 13-3, to improve his record on the year to 23-0.
Montgomery’s fall in 5:54 was against 13th-ranked freshman Soshiant Ahanj-Elias of Bullis, who pinned Shird for third place.
A third-place finisher at MIAAs and fifth at private school states last year, Shird was also pinned in 5:48 of his semifinal bout against Melfi, who was fifth last year at both the MIAA and private schools state tournaments as well as eighth at the National Prep Tournament.
Montgomery spent the first couple of weeks of last season at St. Mary’s Ryken before returning to Northern, where he is in pursuit of his third straight Class 4A-3A state title after being a runner-up as a freshman.
Montgomery won the War on The Shore Tournament with a 4-1 overtime victory over second-ranked junior Jo Jo Gigliotti of South Carroll, a two-time champion in the Carroll County, Class 2A-1A North Region and Class 2A-1A state tournaments.
Montgomery avenged a 4-2 dual meet loss of a year earlier to Gigliotti, who suffered the first loss in high school career to a Maryland public or private school wrestler during the high school regular or postseason.
Montgomery has also vanquished fourth-ranked junior Beau Schmidt of Northeast, a two-time state runner-up, two-time Anne Arundel County champion and winner of one regional title in two championship berths. Last season, Schmidt suffered a pair of regional- and state title-bout losses to Montgomery, by 5-1, and 2-0, respectively.
Northern's second-year coach Cam Watkins is a former champion in the MIAA, private school states and Class 4A-3A State tournaments who was once a National Preps Tournament runner-up, having competed over four years at DeMatha, McDonogh and Magruder high schools.
120 pounds: Valdisera by fall in 1:58 over junior Will Buchbauer of Riverside, Va. -- Valdisera is a transfer from St. Mary’s Ryken, where he was a champion in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and the private schools state tournaments.
Valdisera improved to 16-0 with a 64-second fall, a 17-2 technical fall and a championship bout pin in 1:58 over Buchbauer, a 19-14 winner of his semifinal over 23rd-ranked sophomore Kanik Deschene of Bethesda-Chevy Chase.
Deschene finished third in the tournament, his record slipping to 17-2 after having placed fourth, second and fourth in last year’s county, regional and Class 4A-3A state tournaments.
150 pounds: McAvey by fall in 5:05 over junior Hayden Tyree of Northern – McAvey used falls in 80- and 52-seconds as well as an 18-1 technical fall to reach his title bout against Tyree, whom he pinned in 5:05. Tyree’s record slipped to 14-2, having last year finished fourth in the SMAC tournament and third at regions.
McAvey is a transfer from James M. Bennett, where he won 37 bouts and was a champion of both the Bayside Conference and Class 2A-1A East as well as a fourth-place finisher at Class 2A-1A states. McAvey’s record on the year is 25-4, having placed third at the East Coast Catholic Classic
126 pounds: Cooper by 7-1 decision over junior Phil Key of Glenelg– Cooper scored an 81-second pin and a 10-5 semifinal decision over Northern freshman Logan Boyle to reach his championship match. There, Cooper won by 7-1 decision over Key, who was fifth in last year’s Howard County Tournament
Cooper’s record improved to 17-4, having transferred from Mount St. Joseph, where he was a runner-up at MIAAs and placed third at the private schools state tournament. Cooper also placed fifth at the East Coast Catholic Classic.
106 pounds: Bolden by 9-0 major decision over sophomore Luke Baldwin of Lackey– Bolden scored a 53-second fall and a 17-3 major decision to reach the championship match, where he blanked Baldwin, 9-0.
A fifth-place finisher at the East Coast Catholic Classic, Bolden improved his record on the year to 20-8. Baldwin’s record slipped to 20-3, having placed fourth and second at last year’s SMAC and regional tournaments.
Bolden won his semifinal bout by the score of 17-3 over freshman Nick MacWilliams of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, who finished third at the Patriot Classic as his record slipped to 16-2.
113 pounds: Geary by 17-2 technical fall over freshman Bradley Alexander of St. Frances– Geary used three technical falls comprising those by scores of 19-4 and a pair of 17-2 margins, including one over Geary in the title match.
Geary’s second technical fall victory was against Bowie junior Jaden Barksdale, who was fifth in the Prince George’s County Tournament.
132 pounds: Moltumyr by fall in 4:23 over No. 25 senior Ethan Makle of Bethesda-Chevy Chase – Moltumyr used major and regular decisions of 14-5 and 6-4 to reach his title bout. There, Moltumyr earned his crown by fall against Makle, who was sixth at counties, second at regions and sixth at states last year.
Moltumyr’s 6-4 semifinal victory was against Severn’s 19th-ranked sophomore Dominic Montgomery, who was fourth in the MIAAs.
Makle had scored a fall at 4:13 of his semifinal bout with Glenelg senior Isaac Choi, a returning county runner-up who was fourth at regions. Montgomery won by medical forfeit over Choi for third place.
285 pounds: Barnes by fall in 1:29 over senior Sean Jewett of St. Mary’s Ryken– Barnes ran his record to 12-0 on falls in 2:34, 98 seconds and 89 seconds, the latter over Jewett.
Barnes’ fall in 2:34 was against 16th-ranked sophomore Stephen Mason of Bullis, a winner of the Damascus Tournament. Mason pinned Glenelg sophomore Mason Knapp in 2:59 for third place.
190 pounds: Onunaku by 8-1 decision over No. 19 junior Ronald Johnson of Lackey– Onunaku remained undefeated at 13-0 following a pin in 3:47, a 17-0 technical fall and an 8-1 decision over Johnson, who is a returning fourth-place finisher in the SMAC tournament.
Onunaku’s fall in 3:47 was against Bowie junior Alhaji Jalloh, who placed fourth at counties last season. Jalloh improved his record on the year to 8-2 after pinning senior Caden Glass of Bethesda-Chevy Chase in 3:24 for third place.
Patriot Classic Results
1 Saint Frances Academy 207.5
2 Bullis School 183.0
3 St. Mary's Ryken 171.0
4 Northern High School 168.0
5 Glenelg 162.5
6 Bethesda-Chevy Chase 147.0
7 Henry E. Lackey 127.0
8 Riverside, VA 97.5
9 Bowie 86.5
10 Great Mills 85.5
11 Severn 72.5
12 Calvert High 68.0
13 St. Mary`s Annapolis 45.0
14 Thomas S. Wootton 27.5
15 Oxon Hill 23.0
16 McDonough, 17.0
17 Mount Saint Joseph 10.0
Tournament Results
106
1st Place Match
Zebulon Bolden (Saint Frances Academy) 20-8, Fr. over Luke Baldwin (Henry E. Lackey) 22-3, So. (MD 9-0)
3rd Place Match
Nick MacWilliams (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 16-2, Fr. over Jacob Jones (Calvert High School) 15-3, Fr. (Fall 0:30)
5th Place Match
Daniel Stefko (St. Mary`s Ryken High School) 8-9, So. over Caden Codd (St. Mary's Annapolis) 15-11, Fr. (Fall 2:43)
113
1st Place Match
Becket Geary (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 24-13, So. over Bradley Alexander (Saint Frances Academy) 12-9, Fr. (TF-1.5 2:56 (17-2))
3rd Place Match
Brayden Amato (Northern High School) 15-6, Jr. over Jackson Murphy (Glenelg) 4-2, So. (TF-1.5 3:57 (17-2))
5th Place Match
Enrique Herrera (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 15-5, Fr. over Jaden Barksdale (Bowie) 13-8, Jr. (Fall 1:47)
120
1st Place Match
Ethan Valdisera (Calvert High School) 16-0, So. over Will Buchbauer (Riverside) 16-7, Jr. (Fall 1:58)
3rd Place Match
Kanik Deschene (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 17-2, So. over Aidan Hsieh (Thomas S. Wootton) 12-7, Sr. (MD 15-5)
5th Place Match
Evan Upchurch (Northern High School) 12-10, Sr. over Owen Clark (Bullis School) 8-12, Fr. (Fall 4:02)
126
1st Place Match
Joseph Cooper (Saint Frances Academy) 17-4, Jr. over Phil Key (Glenelg) 2-1, Jr. (Dec 7-1)
3rd Place Match
Logan Boyle (Northern High School) 14-3, Fr. over Jeffrey Archer (Bowie) 18-6, So. (Fall 1:38)
5th Place Match
Jackson McLain (Riverside) 17-10, Jr. over Solomon Clark (Bullis School) 11-14, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:27 (19-2))
132
1st Place Match
Henry Moltumyr (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 19-9, So. over Ethan Makle (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 16-3, . (Fall 4:23)
3rd Place Match
Dominic Montgomery (Severn School) 19-3, So. over Isaac Choi (Glenelg) 2-1, Sr. (M. For.)
5th Place Match
Evan Scott (Northern High School) 17-7, Sr. over Carson Webber (Calvert High School) 10-5, So. (Fall 0:16)
138
1st Place Match
Rohan (RJ) Bucknor (Bullis School) 26-3, Sr. over Jonathan Sexton (Glenelg) 2-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 6:00 (23-7))
3rd Place Match
Nana Blankson (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 16-4, Sr. over Kendall Mason (Saint Frances Academy) 13-12, So. (Fall 2:40)
5th Place Match
Micah Nash (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 11-11, Jr. over Rowan Ward (Severn School) 14-10, So. (Dec 6-2)
144
1st Place Match
Drew Montgomery (Northern High School) 23-0, Sr. over Nicholas Melfi (Severn School) 20-3, Sr. (MD 13-3)
3rd Place Match
Soshiant Ahanj-Elias (Bullis School) 29-6, Fr. over Noah Shird (Saint Frances Academy) 21-10, Sr. (Fall 5:00)
5th Place Match
Giovanni Posey (Henry E. Lackey) 22-6, Sr. over Devin Moses (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 7-5, Jr. (Fall 2:41)
150
1st Place Match
Braxton Mcavey (Saint Frances Academy) 25-4, Sr. over Hayden Tyree (Northern High School) 14-2, Jr. (Fall 5:05)
3rd Place Match
Isiah Stanley (St. Mary's Annapolis) 14-9, Fr. over DJ Morgan Jr. (Glenelg) 3-2, So. (Dec 25-23)
5th Place Match
Ajenor Moreno (Great Mills) 9-7, So. over Tegan McCaw (Severn School) 8-5, So. (Fall 3:28)
157
1st Place Match
Chase Carpinteri (Saint Frances Academy) 17-5, Sr. over Josh Choi (Glenelg) 3-1, Jr. (TF-1.5 4:26 (19-3))
3rd Place Match
William Chism (Henry E. Lackey) 22-5, Jr. over Nizhoni Deschene (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 17-2, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
5th Place Match
Nicholas Hawker (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 15-9, Jr. over Bryson Nelson (Oxon Hill) 8-5, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:55 (16-1))
165
1st Place Match
Noah Tucker (Bullis School) 29-3, So. over Brandon Catherine (Henry E. Lackey) 2-2, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:55 (15-0))
3rd Place Match
Hilton Ashton (Riverside) 25-1, Jr. over Derrick Grant (Saint Frances Academy) 15-10, Sr. (Fall 2:51)
5th Place Match
Gavin Baravik (Glenelg) 3-2, Sr. over Carter Tucker (Bowie) 16-7, . (Dec 8-1)
175
1st Place Match
Salah Tsarni (Bullis School) 22-2, So. over Ethan Vayro (Henry E. Lackey) 24-1, So. (TF-1.5 5:31 (23-7))
3rd Place Match
Grant Neal (Northern High School) 19-4, Sr. over Matthew Green (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 4-3, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match
River Paganini (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 6-4, So. over Robert Donohue (Maurice J. McDonough) 5-10, So. (Dec 7-0)
190
1st Place Match
Lebron Onunaku (Riverside) 13-0, Sr. over Ronald Johnson (Henry E. Lackey) 19-4, Jr. (Dec 8-1)
3rd Place Match
Alhaji Jalloh (Bowie) 8-2, Jr. over Caden Glass (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 13-7, Sr. (Fall 3:24)
5th Place Match
Makhiel Howell (Northern High School) 6-6, Sr. over Jacob Silver (Great Mills) 10-5, So. (Dec 19-15)
215
1st Place Match
Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (Bullis School) 28-3, Sr. over Jamil Morrow (Bowie) 19-1, . (Dec 11-4)
3rd Place Match
Douglas Johnson (Saint Frances Academy) 23-9, Sr. over Gasper Romero (Great Mills) 16-2, Sr. (Dec 10-9)
5th Place Match
Evan gavin (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 26-11, Jr. over Rawley Parker (Riverside) 9-4, Sr. (For.)
285
1st Place Match
Tavon Barnes (Great Mills) 12-0, Sr. over Sean Jewett (St. Mary's Ryken High School) 17-13, Sr. (Fall 1:29)
3rd Place Match
Stephan Mason (Bullis School) 24-8, So. over Mason Knapp (Glenelg) 4-2, So. (Fall 2:59)
5th Place Match
evan smith-Matlock (Saint Frances Academy) 18-11, Fr. over Raul Cruz-Palma (Riverside) 15-8, Jr. (Dec 5-1)