Walkersville coach Andre Jackson recalls Gino Dolan as a spindly freshman.
“Gino was a skinny, not really athletic kid his freshmen year, but by his 10th grade year he made the varsity line up and was still taking his lumps,” Jackson said. “By his 11th grade year, Gino had started to pack on the muscle mass, becoming a very good athlete and being a match away from regionals.”
The 190-pound Dolan had a breakthrough match earlier during this, his senior season. Dolan scored a third-period fall against fourth-ranked senior Peyton Pickett of Linganore, securing for the Lions an upset victory over the two-time defending Class 3A state duals champion Lancers.
In defeating Pickett, Dolan vanquished a wrestler who had placed third and first in the Frederick County tournament, second and third at regions, and third at Class 4A-3A states.
“In our dual meet against Linganore, Peyton Pickett Linganore bumped up and Gino pinned him in overtime,” Jackson said. “The sport doesn’t come easily to Gino, but he loves it. Gino is the hardest working kid in the room and a great team captain who leads by example.”
Pickett has also won the December 6-7 Knightmare Invitational at Parkville, earning falls in 2:50, 1:58 and 25 seconds before dominating his title bout, 9-0, over 11th-ranked Haden Myers of St. Paul’s, a junior returning Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association runner-up.
“I hit Peyton Pickett with a double-leg off the whistle in overtime,” Dolan said. “He tried to chin-whip me, but I drove him to his back and held him there to get six points for the team.”
Dolan was back in action at last weekend’s Jeff Yingling Memorial Tournament at Francis Scott Key, scoring an upset, 9-7, semifinal victory over 18th-ranked Francis Scott Key senior Adam Knox before earning a 5-0 decision over junior Ryan Ellis of Gerstell Academy for the title.
“Adam Knox was a lot stronger than I am,” said Dolan, who improved his record to 10-1 after missing five bouts due to an injury and was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. “I didn’t want to spend too much time in the neutral position against Adam Knox, so I shot for a double leg when he went to the collar tie, and that worked for me.”
Dolan was joined on the victory podium by seniors Jake Beaumont (132) and Jack Birth (157), sophomore Max Birth (165) and junior Rhys Ferguson (150) as the 30th-ranked Lions (158.5 points) edged the host Eagles (158) for the title.
Finishing second was junior Landon Beaumont (138), with freshman Ryan Francis (144) and senior Wyatt Weinrich (285) being third, and sophomore Isaac Hassett (126) and senior Conner Gearhart (175) placing fourth as the Lions placed 10 wrestlers within the top four of their weight classes.
The eighth-ranked Ferguson rose to 17-0 (15 pins) thanks to a 9-0 major decision and a fall in 1:55 of his title bout with Milford Mill’s Jamal Epps. Fergson’s career record of 83-15 includes placing third at counties as a freshman, and second at counties, fourth at regions and fifth at states as a sophomore.
Max Birth used a 35-second fall and consecutive decisions of 6-3, and, 7-3 to win his crown, the latter against Gerstell Academy’s 20th-ranked Jack Bruffey to improve his record on the season to 18-0 with nine pins and two technical falls. Birth has a career record of 53-7, having placed third last year at counties and fifth at regions.
“I feel as if I had a really good freshman year, even though it didn’t end how I wanted it to,” Max Birth said. “I’m just looking to build off of that and to continue to make progress this season.”
Max Birth also owns a victory by fall from the Fall Brawl in November over seventh-ranked Poolesville senior Shimma Wexler, who placed third in the Montgomery County tournament and fourth at regions last season.
Jack Birth earned a 77-second pin and a 9-3 title match victory over Frederick’s Victor Guerra, improving his record to 17-0 with 10 pins and two technical falls. Birth has a career record of 94-29, having placed third at counties as a sophomore, and fourth at counties and fifth at regions as a junior.
Jack Beaumont raised his record on the year to 16-1 behind a 16-1 technical fall and a 12-1 major decision, the latter in his championship bout against Frederick’s Jonathan Htut. Jack Beaumont has a career record of 105-30, having placed fourth at counties as a freshman, second at counties and third at regions as a sophomore, and third at counties and regions last season.
“I really like the energy in the room this year and how that contributes to the development of our more inexperienced wrestlers on the team,” Jack Birth said. “I’m looking forward to our next challenge. We depend on each other and hold each other accountable, but we also have a lot of fun.”
The runner-up Eagles crowned ninth-ranked senior Nate Taylor (138) and senior Jackson Rilley (126) and sophomore Jesse Owings (144).
Other champions were Frederick’s Amir Baker (106) and Ian Tumi (175), Milford Mill’s Daron King (215) and Amory Hills (285), Gerstell Academy sophomore Weylin Myers (113) and Overlea’s Donovan Austin (120).
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