Consecutive wins by pin, technical fall and pin from juniors Owen Collins (150), Trevor Webb 157) and Collin Richardson (165) ended an impressive eight-bout sweep as seventh-ranked Chesapeake-Anne Arundel dominated visiting 17th-ranked South River, 44-18, in a critical Anne Arundel County League victory on Friday.
Webb’s 23-5 technical fall over senior Sam Travis with five bouts remaining gave the Cougars (27-0) an insurmountable 35-3 lead over the Seahawks (22-5) and an inside track to their second consecutive county dual meet crown.
A fourth-place finisher at counties last year, Collins gained a measure of revenge by overcoming an 11-8 deficit against senior Ben Ford, decking him in 5:19 as the Cougars led, 30-3, with six matches left.
“I had lost to [Ben Ford] in the summer league by one point, and I was losing in the third period when I pinned him,” said the 19th-ranked Collins of Ford, a two-time regional runner-up who has twice placed fourth at counties. “As I was watching my teammates and warming up for my match, I could feel our momentum building, and I didn’t want it to stop with me. While I was down in the third period, I recognized the opportunity to turn the tide. I was able to take Ford over for the pin with a duck-under to a half-nelson.”
Although Collins and Richardson were the only Chesapeake wrestlers who pinned their opponents, the Cougars won 10 of the 13 bouts wrestled. A forfeit went to the Seahawks’ second-ranked senior Busayo Balogun (285), a returning regional and Class 4A-3A state runner-up who placed third at counties last year.
Busayo was preceded by the Cougars’ seventh-ranked senior Xander Dodd (215), who won a 7-3 decision over the Seahawks’ Christian Erazo.
Dodd is a returning county champion who 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.
“I’m incredibly proud of how our whole team wrestled tonight,” said Randy Curtin, in his 10th-year coaching the Cougars. “We picked up a lot of steam with our lower and middleweights.”
Among the Cougars’ other big wins were those from the Roberts’ siblings, 16th-ranked freshman Carson (120) and 20th-ranked junior Braydon (126), the latter being a returning county runner-up who placed third at regions.
While Braydon earned a 20-5 technical fall, Carson scored a 16-4 major decision over Seahawks’ junior Trent Shipley, a three-time county champion who has placed third and fifth at regions as well as fifth at states.
The Cougars also received major decisions from 16th-ranked sophomore Rex Graves (138), junior Dominic Ayres (132) and senior Ethan Mills (144).
A transfer from Northeast where he placed third at counties and fourth at regions, Graves won a clash of sophomores, 17-5, over Ethan Burger, who was fourth at counties last year.
A third-place finisher at counties last season, Mills won his match, 13-4 over Pete Laye, who was fourth at counties. Ayres won his bout, 12-1, against Nicco Seppi, who was fourth at counties.
The score was tied, 3-3, after the night’s first two bouts, with the Cougars’ ninth-ranked freshman Quin Greenstreet (106) earning a 5-2 decision over Shaams Ghambir, and the Seahawks’ 11th-ranked sophomore Jackson Peeples (113) earning a 2-1 decision over 13th-ranked freshman Bentley Schmidt.
Schmidt’s record is 20-2 after falling to Peeples, a returning county, regional and Class 4A-3A state champion.
Greenstreet's only loss on the season is to Eleanor Roosevelt’s third-ranked sophomore Austin Hayes, a returning Prince George’s County and Class 4A-3A South Regional champion who lost his 106-pound state title bout, 10-8, to Peoples. Hayes ended the year with a record of 40-1 (36 pins).
South River received a decision and pin from juniors Evan Paximadas (175) and Chris Millard (190), the latter in 2:56 against sophomore Dean Michael. Paxamadas earned an 11-7 decision over Randy’s son, senior Matthew Curtin, who was third at counties and fourth at regions.
Guided by 28th-year coach John Klessinger, the Seahawks are defending county tournament champions, winners of a pair of Class 4A state titles, and were dethroned last season as two-time state dual meet kings by 10th-ranked Class 3A title-winner Linganore.
Randy Curtin 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.
The Cougars ran the table in 2022, earning county dual meet and tournament titles along with the Class 3A state duals crown. 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 champion in 2023, the Cougars won last year’s dual meet crown while the Seahawks took county tournament honors.
“We always consider South River to be a huge rival,” Curtin said. “To beat them the way that we did is very satisfying.”
The Cougars (268 points) were coming off last weekend’s tournament victory at The Grapple at The Brook at Springbrook, where they outpaced 23rd-ranked runner-up Walt Whitman (192.5 points), last year’s Class 4A state duals champion with a record of 19-0.
Greenstreet, Ayres and Dodd won titles at The Grapple, where the Roberts siblings finished second, and Mills, Collins and Richardson were third.
The Cougars went 10-0 to win 33rd-ranked Westminster’s Duals Tournament in December, including victories over 20th-ranked Manchester Valley and 34th-ranked Liberty.
Carson Roberts went 10-0 at Westminster, Ayres was 9-0, Braydon was 8-0, Greenstreet was 7-0, and Dodd was 6-0. In addition, Mills and Collins were 9-1, while Richardson was 6-2.
The Cougars’ makeup comprises three freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors and four seniors.
“This season has gone very well,” 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. “I’m happy with how the team is coming together. We have our eyes set on the postseason.”
Subject: Chesapeake 44, South River 18
106: Quin Greenstreet (CH) dec. Shaams Gambhir 5-2 (3-0, C)
113: Jackson Peeples (SR) dec. 2-1 Bently Schmidt (CH) (3-3)
120: Carson Roberts (CH) major decision Trent Shipley 16-4 (7-3, C)
126: Brayden Roberts (CH) tech fall Andrew Velliuex 20-5 (12-3, C)
132: Dominic Ayres (CH) major decision Nicco Seppi 12-1 (16-3, C)
138: Rex Graves (CH) major decision Ethan Burger 17-5 (20-3, C)
144: Ethan Mills (CH) major decision Pete Laye 13-4 (24-3, C)
150: Owen Collins (CH) pin Ben Ford 5:19 (30-3, C)
157: Trevor Webb (CH) tech fall Sam Travis 23-5 (35-3, C) *
165: Collin Richardson (CH) pin Max Martinez 1:56 (41-3, C)
175: Evan Paximadas (SR) dec. Matthew Curtin 11-7 (41-6, C)
190: Chris Millard (SR) pin Dean Michael 2:56 (41-12, C)
215: Xander Dodd (CH) decision Christian Erazo 7-3 (44-12, C)
285: Basuyo Balogun (SR) win by forfeit (44-18, C)
*Indicates the match is mathematically over.
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