It seems that as Russell Fary goes, so goes his Sparrows Point teammates.
Fary leads the unbeaten Pointers with a record of 14-0 at 150 pounds as a junior who is
determined to improve on last year’s runner-up finishes in the Baltimore County, Class 2A-1A
North Regional and Class 2A-1A state tournaments.
“As a freshman I took first in the counties and regions and didn’t place at states,” said Fary, whose record was 47-5 at 145 pounds last season. “My goal this year is to win counties, regions and states, and as a team, we hope to prove everyone wrong and go for a state title.”
So far, so good.
The Pointers (14-0) went 8–0 to win the Scorpion Duals on December 8-9 at Oakland Mills High and will compete in the Iron Horse Duals at C. Milton Wright High on the weekend of January 5-6 as well as the Huntingtown Duals on January 19-20 at Huntingtown High.
“Russell isn’t a ‘Rah, Rah’ type of guy as much as he leads by example,” said Pointers’ coach
Mike Whisner, in his 21st season. “I think that the members of the team look up to Russell
because of all that he’s accomplished so far in his career.”
Among the Pointers’ victories this year are those over Class 3A state duals runner-up North
Point, 48-30, Class 2A state semifinalists, La Plata, 56-24, and traditional power and county
rival Owings Mills, 42-36.
“Last year, we won the county tournament for the third year in a row and fifth time in six seasons. We won regional duals and lost in the Class 2A state finals to Stephen Decatur,” Whisner said. “We actually beat Stephen Decatur and [Class 3A state dual meet champion] South River at the Iron Horse Dual tournament last year.”
Returning with Russell are junior two-time county champion and regional runner-up Christian Manley (126), senior county and regional runner-up Tanner Cooper (157) and senior Nick Weber (138).
The 10th-ranked Cooper and Weber are 13-1, and the ninth-ranked Manley, 12-1. A former
junior varsity county champion as a sophomore, Weber was injured and out for the year following a season-opening injury in 2022.
A dynamic freshman trio has bolstered the Pointers’ lineup comprising sixth-ranked Wyatt Rossi (106), 19th-ranked Brandon Wunder (113) and the coach’s son, Ryan Whisner (120).
Rossi is a former MSWA, MJWL and National Greco-Roman champion with a record of 14-0,
Wunder is 13-0 and a former junior league placewinner, and Ryan Whisner, a former junior league placewinner with a record of 13-1.
Fary was a county runner-up to Perry Hall’s Victor Marks-Jenkins, an eventual regional
champion and returning sophomore who placed third at the Class 4A-3A state tournament and finished the year with a record of 50-1.
Fary was a regional and state runner-up to South Carroll’s then-senior three-time state
champion Mike Pizzuto, who lost three times during his entire high school career.
“Losing in the finals of those tournaments humbled me,” said Fary, who began wrestling as a 7-year-old and won a junior league state title as an eighth-grader. “I’m pretty decent on my feet at picking my shots, and I’ve gotten better at every position as far as scoring points faster. I’m pushing myself a little harder to win all three of those tournaments this year.”
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