South River went 8-0 at last weekend's Warrior Duals at La Plata of Charles County, including a 43-27 victory over runner-up and Anne Arundel County rival, Old Mill. The Seahawks of 24th-year coach John Klessinger improved to 13-0 while the Patriots slipped to 20-1.
Seahawks' senior Ben Ford (144) went 8-0, sophomore Trent Shipley (120) and senior Brent Phillips (175) won seven of eight bouts and senior Aiden Healey (190/215) finished at 6-1.
"I wrestled well, but it all comes down to the hard work we've done," said Ford, a runner-up in last year's Class 4A-3A East Regional Tournament. "A little bit of suck [weight-loss] plays a huge role in the long run."
Shipley and Healey are returning county champions. "I had a solid weekend," said Healey, who finished second at regions and fourth at states. "There are things I need to improve on, but I'm proud of the weekend." Shipley was equally understated. "There is always room to improve," said Shipley, who was third at regions and fifth at states. "I had a good weekend overall and I had a lot of fun with my team."
Junior Busayo Balogun (285) went 4-1 and senior Zach Gleinke (190) finished at 3-1, the latter improving his record to 8-1 on the year.
"This weekend was about getting in some mat time for our kids," Klessinger said. "It is a mix of an experienced group and first-year varsity wrestlers." Phillips is 11-2 overall. "I wrestled hard, and the tournament was a lot of fun," Phillips said. "Our team has been working really hard in the room and it's paid off in our successful performance."
The Seahawks are after their third straight Class 4A state dual meet crown, having earned last year's with a resounding, 42-28, triumph over Urbana of Frederick County in the state championship match on Feb. 11 at North Point High School in Waldorf.
A five-time county tournament and seven-time county dual meet champion, South River finished at 16-2 a year ago, also crowning county champion Balugon, who was fourth at regions.
“I thought there were some upsides.” Klessinger said. "I like how our newer kids -- first year varsity wrestlers -- are coming along.” Sophomore Evan Paximadas (165) improved to 8-2 by going 4-1, and freshman Ethan Burger (132) went 6-1. Burger raised his record to 9-3, including "a big win for us against Old Mill," Klessinger said.
"We got to see some good competition," Burger said. "I'm super-excited for what's ahead."
Junior Brody Glenn (126) "hit four or five tough kids but is another brand-new varsity wrestler along with junior Pete Laye at 138," Klessinger said. "Sophomore Austin Langis at 106 went 6-2, and sophomore Andrew Veillueix at 113 went 4-2."
Seniors Xavier Foran (150) and Ethan McWaters (157) "have shown the potential for being in our line-up for the first time this season," Klessinger said. Last year's Seahawks lost to county rival Chesapeake in December. In January, the Seahawks lost dual meets to private school power Loyola, Sparrows Point and county neighbor Broadneck before rebounding in February by defeating Broadneck to repeat as Class 4A East Region title winners. A year ago at Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in March, Seahawks' senior Sam Ditmars (145) earned a Class 4A-3A state championship. In addition, Klessinger coached first-year senior Alex Szkotnicki, a 113-pound female, to a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A-3A state tournament to establish herself as the second-most accomplished female wrestler in Maryland history.
“This certainly gave us some practice agendas for the next few weeks,” Klessinger said. “That’s the measure right now. That will determine where we are at in a month or so when the season heats up."
Old Mill’s fourth-ranked RJ Duncan (285) pinned six of eight opponents to go with a major decision, improving to 19-0 (16 pins). Among Duncan’s victories at LaPlata was a fall in 2:56 over Balugon.
Duncan is a defending Class 4A-3A East Region and Class 4A-3A state tournament champion and an Anne Arundel County tournament runner-up. Others wrestling well for the Patriots were sophomore Logan Johnson (113) and junior Xxavien Mackell (215). Johnson was 7-1 with six pins, and Mackell, 7-1 with four pins. Johnson was a regional champ who was third at counties, and Mackell, a county runner-up who was third at regions.
South River’s Bout-by-Bout Results
South River High School defeated Henry E. Lackey High School 58-12
● 106 - Luke Baldwin (Henry E. Lackey High School) over Austin Langis (South River High School) Fall 1:11
● 113 - Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) over Tristan Marti (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 1:36
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Sarah Dobry (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 3:04
● 126 - Xavier Hergett (Henry E. Lackey High School) over Brody Glenn (South River High School) Dec 7-1
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Aaron Graves (Henry E. Lackey High School) Maj 11-1
● 138 - Geno Budowski (South River High School) over James Kunz (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 0:59
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Joseph Lancaster (Henry E. Lackey High School) Maj 19-6
● 150 - Xavier Foran (South River High School) over Giovanni Posey (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 4:35
● 157 - Brandon Catherine (Henry E. Lackey High School) over Ethan McWaters (South River High School) Dec 7-3
● 165 - Evan Paximadas (South River High School) over Tyler Hesse (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 2:41
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Ronald Johnson (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 3:18
● 190 - Zach Glienke (South River High School) over Aiden Graves (Henry E. Lackey High School) TF 15-0
● 215 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Steven Hall (Henry E. Lackey High School) Dec 6-5
● 285 - Busayo Balogun (South River High School) over Cavaan Toney (Henry E. Lackey High School) Fall 0:49
Match #2 Round 2
South River High School defeated Old Mill High School 43-27
● 113 - Logan Johnson (Old Mill High School) over Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) Fall 4:55
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Keon Gaven (Old Mill High School) Fall 1:00
● 126 - Brody Glenn (South River High School) over Omar Khan (Old Mill High School) Maj 12-3
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Dekhi Church (Old Mill High School) Dec 9-4
● 138 - Pete Laye (South River High School) over Montrell Johnson (Old Mill High School) Fall 2:49
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over John Asvestas (Old Mill High School) Fall 1:56
● 150 - Ruben Salas (Old Mill High School) over Xavier Foran (South River High School) Dec 7-1
● 157 - Trey Martini (Old Mill High School) over Ethan McWaters (South River High School) Fall 3:22
● 165 - Evan Paximadas (South River High School) over Dominick Hurley (Old Mill High School) Dec 4-2
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Noel Norman-Williams (Old Mill High School) Fall 3:31
● 190 - Zach Glienke (South River High School) over Deven Perry (Old Mill High School) Dec 7-3
● 215 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Xxavien Mackell (Old Mill High School) Fall 3:00
● 285 - RJ Duncan (Old Mill High School) over Busayo Balogun (South River High School) Fall 2:56
● 106 - Tristen Sudama (Old Mill High School) over Austin Langis (South River High School) Fall 2:44
Match #3 Round 3
South River High School defeated Varina 54-22
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 126 - Ronald Watts (Varina) over Brody Glenn (South River High School) Maj 15-1
● 132 - Curtis Johnson (Varina) over Kyle Kandare (South River High School) Fall 2:24
● 138 - Pete Laye (South River High School) over Jeremiah Adkins (Varina) Fall 3:35
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Ricky Blunt (Varina) Fall 5:01
● 150 - Devin Henderson (Varina) over Sam Travis (South River High School) Dec 10-8
● 157 - Jenesis Sobers (Varina) over Ethan McWaters (South River High School) Fall 1:18
● 165 - Evan Paximadas (South River High School) over Sean Smith (Varina) Fall 3:00
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Kenneth Johnson (Varina) Fall 1:31
● 190 - Deshaun Clarke (Varina) over Zach Glienke (South River High School) Dec 9-3
● 215 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Blake Johnson (Varina) Fall 1:24
● 285 - Antonio Strong (South River High School) over Armond King (Varina) Fall 1:02
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 113 - Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
Match #4 Round 4
South River High School defeated King George High School 49-24
● 126 - Brody Glenn (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 132 - Xander Aguliar (King George High School) over Ethan Burger (South River High School) Maj 12-1
● 138 - Aiden Inzana (King George High School) over Pete Laye (South River High School) Fall 1:31
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Gabriel Riddle (King George High School) Fall 1:42
● 150 - Jack Landauer (King George High School) over Xavier Foran (South River High School) Fall 2:52
● 157 - Donovan Taylor (King George High School) over Ethan McWaters (South River High School) Maj 11-0
● 165 - Evan Paximadas (South River High School) over Trayvon Beverly (King George High School) Fall 1:35
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Wayne Lawrence (King George High School) Fall 1:47
● 190 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Jason Greenwood (King George High School) Dec 5-4
● 215 - Nate Zollinger (South River High School) over Brian Ivey (King George High School) Fall 1:01
● 285 - Busayo Balogun (South River High School) over Alex Rolocut (King George High School) Maj 11-1
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Stephen Allen (King George High School) Fall 5:42
● 113 - Emmanuel Rosas (South River High School) over Sam Crombie (King George High School) Fall 3:12
● 120 - Kaleb Inzana (King George High School) over Trent shipley (South River High School) Maj 18-5
Day 2 - South River High School
Match #1 Round 2
South River High School defeated North Point High School 51-22
● 138 - Gable Pauole (North Point High School) over Pete Laye (South River High School) Dec 8-1
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Jonathan Williams (North Point High School) Fall 2:28
● 150 - Xavier Foran (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 157 - Ethan McWaters (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 165 - Dominick Cady (North Point High School) over Evan Paximadas (South River High School) Fall 1:56
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Antonio Alford (North Point High School) Fall 3:21
● 190 - Dominic Queen (North Point High School) over Aidan Healey (South River High School) Dec 3-0
● 215 - Kamari Loving (North Point High School) over Nate Zollinger (South River High School) Maj 18-7
● 285 - Busayo Balogun (South River High School) over Bruce Torres (North Point High School) Dec 5-1
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 113 - Dylan Robey (North Point High School) over Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) Fall 0:41
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Cayden Wagus (North Point High School) Fall 0:39
● 126 - Brody Glenn (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Baucum Ian (North Point High School) Fall 2:22
Match #2 Round 3
South River High School defeated Severna Park High School 60-22
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Terrence Murray (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:59
● 150 - Xavier Foran (South River High School) over Tom Brockett (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:28
● 157 - Ethan McWaters (South River High School) over Benjamin Freedman (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:52
● 165 - Max Alvarez (South River High School) over Carter Roegers (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:42
● 175 - Nathan Kohler (Severna Park High School) over Brent Phillips (South River High School) Fall 2:55
● 190 - Joshua O`Donnell (Severna Park High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 215 - Gabriel Morris (Severna Park High School) over Nate Zollinger (South River High School) Fall 0:59
● 285 - Antonio Strong (South River High School) over Andrew Wise (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:29
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 113 - Emmanuel Rosas (South River High School) over Noah Ballinger (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:34
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Dominic Vinizzi (Severna Park High School) Fall 0:12
● 126 - Michael Queen (Severna Park High School) over Brody Glenn (South River High School) Maj 11-2
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Seth Macola (Severna Park High School) Fall 3:06
● 138 - Pete Laye (South River High School) over Aidan Holly (Severna Park High School) Fall 1:02
Match #3 Round 4
South River High School defeated SouthernAA 60-18
● 150 - Sam Travis (South River High School) over Brendan Hinkle (SouthernAA) Fall 1:31
● 157 - Xavier Foran (South River High School) over Jonah Poole (SouthernAA) Fall 3:08
● 165 - Ethan McWaters (South River High School) over Patrick Guy (SouthernAA) Fall 1:34
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Andrew Fox (SouthernAA) Fall 1:07
● 190 - Luke McCoy (SouthernAA) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 215 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Leo Flores (SouthernAA) Dec 6-1
● 285 - Antonio Strong (South River High School) over Robert Smith (SouthernAA) Dec 3-0
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Hunter Mahoney (SouthernAA) Fall 2:46
● 113 - Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Gavin Godfrey (SouthernAA) Fall 0:40
● 126 - JC Wilson (SouthernAA) over Brody Glenn (South River High School) Fall 0:39
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Dru DiSilvestre (SouthernAA) Fall 2:21
● 138 - Luke Ruel (SouthernAA) over Geno Budowski (South River High School) Fall 3:33
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Elvis Kressley (SouthernAA) Fall 0:53
Match #4 Round 5
South River High School defeated La Plata High School 58-18
● 157 - Max Meiser (La Plata High School) over Sam Travis (South River High School) Fall 2:54
● 165 - Eddie Holt (La Plata High School) over Ethan McWaters (South River High School) Fall 1:45
● 175 - Brent Phillips (South River High School) over Chanse Bryan (La Plata High School) Fall 0:21
● 190 - Desaun Jeffery (La Plata High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 215 - Aidan Healey (South River High School) over Melaeh Neal (La Plata High School) Fall 0:35
● 285 - Busayo Balogun (South River High School) over Sima Saavedra (La Plata High School) Maj 12-4
● 106 - Austin Langis (South River High School) over Oriana Boling (La Plata High School) Fall 2:23
● 113 - Andrew Veilleux (South River High School) over Deegan Woomer (La Plata High School) Fall 1:54
● 120 - Trent shipley (South River High School) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
● 126 - Brody Glenn (South River High School) over Aamir Williams (La Plata High School) Dec 8-2
● 132 - Ethan Burger (South River High School) over Jake Flint (La Plata High School) Fall 0:55
● 138 - Pete Laye (South River High School) over AJ Cave (La Plata High School) Fall 1:00
● 144 - Ben Ford (South River High School) over Adin Walters (La Plata High School) Fall 0:51
● 150 - Xavier Foran (South River High School) over Brett Wilkinson (La Plata High School) Dec 13-7
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