Sophia Hodges was a 10-year-old in 2018 when her uncle, Tony Serio, convinced her to wrestle.
An accomplished 189-pound wrestler before graduating in 1997 from Northeast-Anne Arundel, Tony Serio won titles in the Anne Arundel County and regional tournaments and placed fourth at states, among his triumphs being separate victories over a state runner-up and two-time Montgomery County champion.
“My uncle Tony passed away in 2018. I had started wrestling about two months before that. He was the one who got my cousins and myself to sign up for wrestling that year,” said Hodges, a fourth-ranked, 135-pound junior at Northeast who has earned a county title, placed first and second at regions, and twice finished third at states.
“Two of my biggest inspirations in the sport are my uncles, Tony and Seppi Serio, who are my mom’s brothers. Seppi Serio graduated from Chesapeake in 2004. My uncle Seppi placed third at states during his junior year and third at regions during his senior year. My uncle Seppi gives me some good advice pre- and post-matches.”
Hodges was back in action on Friday night at The Who’s No. 1 Tournament at Northeast, running her record to 10-0, improving on her runner-up finish of a year earlier at the event, and leading her Eagles (120 points) past second-place Crofton (109) for the team title.
Finishing second and third were senior teammates Jaziah Bond (190) and Adreyanna Weitzel (120), with fifth-place finishes from senior Madelyn Wright (155) and freshman Gema Serio (125), the latter of whom is Hodges’ cousin.
“I was very happy with my personal performance at this tournament as well as my team’s performance. We have a lot of first-year wrestlers who have all been grinding it out in practice in order to give their best performances on the mat. I am really excited about this because I trained really hard in the offseason while balancing both soccer and wrestling,” said Hodges, who plays midfield on her high school and club soccer teams.
“I love wrestling, but my No. 1 sport has always been soccer. I play soccer year-round while squeezing wrestling in when I can. Placing third at states was really hard on me and it taught me that I need to put in more work in an effort to earn that title and to become a state champion. I am hopeful that my extra training and workouts and going to national tournaments throughout the offseason will help me along my path toward winning states this year.”
Hodges earned a 90-second fall, an overtime semifinal victory over freshman Grace Reilly of Bel Air, and a 12-7 championship decision over Crofton senior Breyon Thompson. Reilly finished fourth after losing, 4-3, to senior Efrata Mekene of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, a 9-1 loser to Thompson in their semifinal bout.
“My semifinal opponent was a really strong competitor who made me really nervous and tested my mental and physical strength. That was my first ultimate tie-breaker, and it was exhausting,” Hodges said. “In my final match, I wanted to hit my low singles and work on my leg-riding. She had great defense for the legs, so I had to resort to focusing on getting my main attacks from the neutral position.”
Hodges had won the previous weekend’s War On The Shore Tournament at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, MD, using pins in 2:54 and 3:28 to reach her title bout. Hodges won the War On The Shore crown with a 6-2 decision over Lackey freshman Fiona Richie, whose record slipped to 5-1.
“I’m very proud of all my teammates, especially my little cousin, Gema. She didn’t want to wrestle at first,” Hodges said. “But now that she’s halfway through the season, she has grown to have a passion for it. Winning the high school tournament as a team at our own high school and having people cheer us on made it much more enjoyable of a victory.”
The Who’s No. 1 event featured five-each in individual returning state champions and state runners-up, with four others who finished third at states, and yet another who had placed fourth.
“It’s incredible to witness the women’s wrestling community coming together, building bonds and uniting around the shared goal of growing the sport,” said Eagles’ coach Chris Dyke, a 2003 Northeast graduate who was a county champion, a two-time regional title winner and placed third at states.
“This collective energy and support from everyone involved shows how much passion there is for empowering female wrestlers and creating opportunities for them to succeed. Congratulations to all of the individual champions, placers and participants. Together, we’re building something special.”
Richard Montgomery produced two champions in eighth-ranked senior Juliana Wong (110) and fourth-ranked senior Cielo Prieto (120), as did Quince Orchard in second-ranked sophomore Aubry Spadoni (140) and seventh-ranked junior Amirah Abegesah (170).
Wong improved her record on the year to 5-0 following consecutive technical falls of 17-0, and 17-2, a fall in 3:17 of her semifinal, and 12-9 championship decision over second-ranked senior Leian Wright of Western Tech. A returning third place finisher at states, Wright’s record slipped to 5-1.
Prieto pinned all three opponents as her record rose to 10-0 comprising falls in 2:25, 3:58 of her semifinal, and 4:39. Prieto’s last pin was against 11th-ranked sophomore Saphira Hamill of Perryville, who fell to 9-2. Prieto registered her semifinal pin against the eighth-ranked Weitzel.
Spadoni rose to 10-0, emerging victorious from a division that included fourth-ranked senior Lena Black of North Point, seventh-ranked senior Alanna Adams of Severna Park, ninth-ranked junior Isabella Coe of Crofton, and ninth-ranked sophomore Emily Wockenfuss of Harford Tech.
Spadoni earned falls in 45 and 40 seconds, the latter in her semifinal with Wockenfuss, before winning her title bout, 15-1, over Adams, who slipped to 4-1. Adams had reached the finals following a quarterfinal pin of Coe in 2:48, and a 7-0 semifinal shutout of Black, a sixth-place finisher at states.
Wockenfuss won an overtime consolation bout, 2-1, against Coe, and defeated Black, 8-7, for third place. Wockenfuss’ record is 10-3, Black’s is 9-3. Coe finished fifth.
A fifth-place finisher at states, Abegesah won a division that included third-ranked senior Jordan Lawson of North Harford, fourth-ranked sophomore Estrella Edwards of Richard Montgomery, and eighth-ranked senior Maddox Zuniga of Walter Johnson.
Abeghesah used falls in 17 and 23 seconds as well as another in 5:47 over Zuniga to reach her title match with Edwards, whom she vanquished, 4-2, in overtime.
A third-place finisher at states, Edwards won her semifinal by 76-second pin against Lawson, whom Zuniga defeated, 4-2, for third place. Abeghesah’s record improved to 11-0, Edwards is 6-1, Zuniga is 14-4, and Lawson, 8-3.
Other champions were sixth-ranked junior Saniya Wheeler (100) of North Point, top-ranked freshman Summer Mutschler (105) of Archbishop Spalding, second-ranked senior Anastasia Dakoulas (130) of Rockville, fifth-ranked Samantha Semprun Salazar (145) of Atholton, seventh-ranked junior Reese Butler (155) of North County, ninth-ranked senior Nicole Filip (190) of Harford Tech, and top-ranked senior Emily Boling (235) of Northern-Calvert.
Mutschler and Dakoulas followed up their victories at the previous weekend’s War On The Shore Tournament.
A defending state champion who improved to 10-0, Dakoulas won perhaps the deepest and most difficult weight class, wherein each of the top seven finishers were wrestlers who are ranked by Legacy Wrestling.
Dakoulas’ weight division included third-ranked senior Clara Freeman of Hammond, fourth-ranked senior Francheska Bonilla of Oakland Mills, ninth-ranked junior Chloe Chwang of Manchester Valley, eighth-ranked senior Esther Clark of Northwest, 10th-ranked senior Caroline McCann of Westminster, and 15th-ranked senior Madeline Barnett of Walter Johnson.
Dakoulas used a 49-second pin against Barnett and a 1-0 semifinal victory over McCann to reach the finals, where she scored a fall in 4:48 over Bonilla, a returning state runner-up.
Bonilla had reached the finals following a 2-1 semifinal victory over Freeman, a returning third-place finisher at states.
McCann split bouts with Chwang, winning their quarterfinal by 10-2 major decision only to be pinned by Chwang in 3:46 of their third-place match.
Freeman finished sixth after suffering consolation losses to Chwang by 3-0 in overtime, and, 8-7, to Clark in their clash for fifth place.
Bonilla is 5-1 on the year, Chwang is 12-2, McCann is 9-3, and Clark is 13-2. Barnett went 3-2 and finished seventh.
Mutschler improved to 17-4 with her 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th pins of the year in 89 and 86 seconds, 1:53 and 54 seconds, the latter, in her title bout against Westminster sophomore Scarlett Malinski.
Boling is a defending state title winner who earned pins in 20 seconds and 3:22, the latter in her championship match with Severn Run senior Katrina Adhikari.
A state runner-up as a sophomore, Boling won a rematch of her state title winning effort of a year ago, when she decked Adhikari in 29 seconds of their championship match. Adhikari wrestled at Old Mill last season.
A state runner-up who improved her record to 8-1, Salazar emerged victorious from a weight class featuring top-ranked junior Sonia Pegoue of Walter Johnson, fourth-ranked junior Esther Hernandez of Quince Orchard,
Salazar dominated her first match by fall in 1:53, won her second by 10-3 decision, and her semifinal by fall in 2:15 over Hernandez, before taking her title bout, 5-4, over Manchester Valley junior Addison Grubb.
Grubb was a 7-6, semifinal upset winner against Pegoue, a returning state runner-up who was decked in 3:34 of her next bout by Crofton sophomore Katie Huyssoon. Hernandez pinned Huyssoon for third place, while Pegoue finished fifth. Pegoue is 15-2, Hernandez is 11-2, and Grubb is 7-4.
Butler emerged victorious from a weight that included third-ranked senior Azaria Benjamin of Dunbar, sixth-ranked sophomore Naima Harvey-Bown of Atholton, and eighth-ranked senior Nomtia Kurmi of Oakland Mills.
Butler totaled four pins on the night, including those in 33 seconds, 3:25 and 4:06, the latter being against Benjamin, a returning fourth-place finisher at states, before winning her title match by fall in 2:54 over Harvey-Bowen.
Harvey-Bowen had won her semifinal by fall over Kurmi, who pinned Benjamin in 3:32 of their third-place match. Butler is 12-2, Kurmi is 7-1, Harvey-Bowen is 7-2, and Benjamin, 6-3.
Wheeler improved her record to 8-2 on the year with falls in 43 seconds, 2:32 and 23 seconds, the latter in Reservoir sophomore Alayna Ray. Ray reached the finals following a 15-5 major decision over 12th-ranked junior Mya Beaver of Westminster.
Filip improved to 9-2 on a pin in 3:31 over 12th-ranked senior Cynthia Luna of Blake High, an 8-1 decision and a fall in 5:04 of her championship match with Bond, a 3-2, semifinal upset winner against Old Mill’s eighth-ranked senior Keshae Cribbs.
1 Northeast-AA 120
2 Crofton 109
3 Atholton 100.5
4 Arundel 97
5 Harford Technical 94.5
6 Walter Johnson 91.5
7 Manchester Valley 88
8 Quince Orchard 87
9 Patterson Mill 83.5
10 Richard Montgomery 81
11 Westminster 71.5
12 North Point 68
13 Oakland Mills 62.5
14 Reservoir 62
15 Rockville 60.5
16 James Hubert Blake 49.5
17 Dundalk, North County and Severn Run 43
20 Sparrows Point 40
21 Paul Laurence Dunbar and South Carroll 38
23 Northern-Cal 37
24 Severna Park 36.5
25 Riverside 34
26 Archbishop Spalding 30
27 Delone Catholic and Western 26
29 Fairfax and Havre de Grace 25
100
1st Place Match
Saniya Wheeler (North Point) 8-2, . over Alayna Ray (Reservoir) 8-3, So. (Fall 0:23)
3rd Place Match
Ruby Russell (Crofton) 6-4, Fr. over Ava Quinlan (Arundel) 7-3, Fr. (Fall 2:45)
5th Place Match
Mya Beaver (Westminster) 8-4, Jr. over Lizmarie Jimenez (Dundalk) 6-5, Sr. (For.)
7th Place Match
Abigiya Asefa (Walter Johnson) 8-10, So. over Shannon Hopkins (Woodlawn) 10-9, Sr. (Dec 11-5)
105
1st Place Match
Summer Mutschler (Archbishop Spalding) 17-4, Fr. over Scarlett Malinski (Westminster) 6-4, So. (Fall 0:54)
3rd Place Match
Violet Land (Marriots Ridge) 10-6, Sr. over Alexis Metzgar (North Point) 9-4, . (Fall 4:49)
5th Place Match
Liv Richter (Sparrows Point) 8-3, Fr. over Rylee Ireland (Dundalk) 4-5, Fr. (For.)
7th Place Match
Ann Nguyen (Reservoir) 6-6, So. over Isabella Olivas (Havre de Grace) 4-5, Sr. (Dec 6-5)
110
1st Place Match
Juliana Wong (Richard Montgomery) 5-0, Sr. over Leian Wright (Western Tech) 5-1, . (Dec 12-9)
3rd Place Match
Juliana Oxenberg (Atholton) 13-6, Sr. over Camryn Hawse (St. Mary`s) 11-7, Jr. (Fall 2:49)
5th Place Match
Sarah Alkhatib (Patterson Mill) 7-2, Jr. over Bareeshiyt Johnson (Paul Laurence Dunbar) 5-5, Fr. (Fall 0:56)
7th Place Match
Merlin Lopez (Oakland Mills) 7-2, Sr. over Sophia Babayev (Walter Johnson) 13-6, Jr. (Fall 1:40)
115
1st Place Match
Faith Gladfelter (Delone Catholic) 15-0, . over Grace Ackermann (Crofton) 4-1, Sr. (Fall 3:15)
3rd Place Match
Aubrey Ohler (Liberty) 9-1, So. over Emily Cabo (Dundalk) 14-2, Jr. (For.)
5th Place Match
Kailey Arredondo (Atholton) 7-4, So. over Sophia Matos (Walter Johnson) 8-5, Sr. (Fall 2:13)
7th Place Match
Yoselyn Ventura (James Hubert Blake) 5-5, Fr. over Ky`Leia Ali (Woodlawn) 1-2, . (M. For.)
120
1st Place Match
Cielo Prieto (Richard Montgomery) 10-0, Sr. over Saphira Hamill (Perryville) 9-2, So. (Fall 4:39)
3rd Place Match
Adreyanna Weitzel (Northeast (AA)) 8-3, Sr. over Emma Flanagan (Patuxent) 5-5, Sr. (Fall 0:51)
5th Place Match
Alex Mockel (Walter Johnson) 13-7, Sr. over Michelle Perkins-natalie-sejas (Arundel) 7-4, Fr. (Fall 2:46)
7th Place Match
Andrea Hernandez Valle (Rockville) 7-6, Fr. over Leticia Roulhac (Crofton) 3-4, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:41 (17-2))
125
1st Place Match
Lily Oh (Riverside) 21-2, So. over Brynn Ryan (Manchester Valley) 9-2, Jr. (Fall 1:13)
3rd Place Match
Saniyah Belliel (Rockville) 9-2, So. over Rhea Dupre (South Carroll) 14-5, So. (Fall 1:21)
5th Place Match
Gema Serio (Northeast (AA)) 7-5, Fr. over Cheyenne Caple (Westminster) 6-7, Fr. (Fall 2:59)
7th Place Match
Samantha Keithley (Harford Technical) 6-6, So. over Yasmeen Khawaja (Fairfax) 12-3, . (NC)
130
1st Place Match
Anastasia Dakoulas (Rockville) 10-0, Sr. over Francheska Bonilla (Oakland Mills) 5-1, Sr. (Fall 4:48)
3rd Place Match
Chloe Chwang (Manchester Valley) 12-2, Jr. over Caroline McCann (Westminster) 9-3, Sr. (Fall 3:46)
5th Place Match
Esther Clark (Northwest) 13-2, Sr. over Clara Freeman (Hammond) 9-7, Sr. (Dec 8-7)
7th Place Match
Madeline Barnett (Walter Johnson) 7-7, Sr. over Alexis Davis (South Carroll) 5-8, Fr. (Fall 4:46)
135
1st Place Match
Sophia Hodges (Northeast (AA)) 10-0, Jr. over Breyon Thompson (Crofton) 5-4, Jr. (Dec 12-7)
3rd Place Match
Efrata Mekene (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 8-1, Sr. over Grace Reilly (Bel Air) 6-2, Fr. (Dec 4-3)
5th Place Match
Salem Ceu (Reservoir) 12-3, Jr. over Lynden Conner (Northern-Cal) 8-6, Sr. (Fall 4:47)
7th Place Match
Kylie Buehler (Patterson Mill) 4-3, Fr. over Aliyah Mason (Atholton) 4-6, Jr. (Fall 4:07)
140
1st Place Match
Aubry Spadoni (Quince Orchard) 10-0, So. over Alanna Adams (Severna Park) 4-1, Sr. (MD 15-1)
3rd Place Match
Emily Wockenfuss (Harford Technical) 10-3, So. over Lena Black (North Point) 9-3, . (Dec 8-7)
5th Place Match
Kayla Ward (Havre de Grace) 3-2, Sr. over Isabella Coe (Crofton) 5-5, Jr. (Fall 4:38)
7th Place Match
Aubrey Goble (Patterson Mill) 6-3, So. over Khamarra Nickell (North County) 11-7, Jr. (Dec 7-2)
145
1st Place Match
Samantha Salazar (Atholton) 8-1, Sr. over Addison Grubb (Manchester Valley) 7-4, Jr. (Dec 5-4)
3rd Place Match
Esther Hernandez (Quince Orchard) 11-2, Jr. over Katie Huyssoon (Crofton) 5-4, So. (Fall 2:20)
5th Place Match
Charley Millard (Patterson Mill) 6-2, So. over Sonia Pegoue (Walter Johnson) 15-2, Jr. (M. For.)
7th Place Match
Alexandra Adams (Severna Park) 4-2, Sr. over Samantha Hartmann (Patuxent) 6-7, So. (TF-1.5 4:51 (17-0))
155
1st Place Match
Reese Butler (North County) 12-2, Jr. over Naima Harvey-Bowen (Atholton) 7-2, So. (Fall 2:54)
3rd Place Match
Nomtia Kurmi (Oakland Mills) 7-1, Sr. over Azaria Benjamin (Paul Laurence Dunbar) 6-3, Sr. (Fall 3:32)
5th Place Match
Madelyn Wright (Northeast (AA)) 8-4, Sr. over Kimberly Cole (Harford Technical) 9-4, Sr. (For.)
7th Place Match
Valerie Gardea (Patterson Mill) 7-2, Sr. over Erin Wright (Arundel) 2-3, Sr. (Fall 1:37)
170
1st Place Match
Amirah Abegesah (Quince Orchard) 11-0, Jr. over Estrella Edwards (Richard Montgomery) 6-1, So. (UTB 4-2)
3rd Place Match
Maddox Zuniga (Walter Johnson) 14-4, Sr. over Jordan Lawson (North Harford) 8-3, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match
Rylee Quigley (Harford Technical) 6-4, So. over Jacie White (Patterson Mill) 7-2, Sr. (M. For.)
7th Place Match
Madysen Castle (Northeast (AA)) 4-6, Fr. over Makenzie Waisome (North Point) 4-3, . (NC)
190
1st Place Match
Nicole Filip (Harford Technical) 9-2, Sr. over Jaziah Bond (Northeast (AA)) 7-4, Sr. (Fall 5:04)
3rd Place Match
Gigi Orellana-Henriquez (Arundel) 6-2, Sr. over Cynthia Luna (James Hubert Blake) 7-5, Sr. (Fall 4:59)
5th Place Match
Za`Aryiah Smith (Severn Run) 9-5, . over Kesahae Cribbs (Old Mill) 2-3, . (Fall 4:02)
7th Place Match
Zaniah Westry (Paul Laurence Dunbar) 6-2, Jr. over Macy Dehan (South Carroll) 11-5, Jr. (Fall 2:57)
235
1st Place Match
Emily Boling (Northern-Cal) 2-0, . over Katrina Adhikari (Severn Run) 6-3, Sr. (Fall 3:22)
3rd Place Match
Imani Roberts (Reservoir) 3-5, Jr. over Laylah Jefferson (Arundel) 2-2, Fr. (Fall 1:36)
5th Place Match
Avah Taylor (James Hubert Blake) 2-4, Fr. over Jazelina Stivers (Sparrows Point) 0-7, So. (Fall 4:13)
7th Place Match
() , . over () , . (Bye)
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