After an underwhelming regular season from the varsity wrestling team, the team is now focused on the individual postseason, sending multiple wrestlers to compete in the state championship.
The team, coached by Shane Bramble, opened up the season on Dec. 10 with a brutal loss to the eventually undefeated Sherwood Warriors by a score of 75-3. This served as a warning for how the beginning of the season would go for the Patriots, as they were then defeated by Poolesville, B-CC and Damascus, starting the season 0-4.
It was not until Jan. 13 that they secured their first win of the season, a 48-31 victory over Seneca Valley, improving their record to 1-4. This victory was short-lived, however, as the team would then go on another discouraging losing streak, losing four more in a row to Whitman, RM, Rockville and Wheaton, which ended in a tight 42-39 loss.
Their second win of the season came on Feb. 3 against Northwood. Unlike the first win, though, the team was able to capitalize, going back-to-back with another commanding victory against Watkins Mill in the second-to-last match of the season. Although the squad was not able to keep this momentum all the way into the playoffs, losing to WJ in the last game of the season to go 3-9, the wrestling team still felt confident in those who would be representing the Patriots in the postseason. “After watching them perform to the best of their abilities both in practice and on the mat, I was fully confident in their abilities to perform in the most important matches of the year,” senior Shayan Ahmadi said.
Four Patriots qualified to compete in the county championships for the boys’ bracket in their individual weight classes: freshman Joey Kelley and seniors Charles Xu, Ike Hogan and Rick Guo. The county championship took place between Feb. 19 and Feb. 21 at Gaithersburg.
Kelley, who competed in the 113-pound weight class, got off to a hot start, winning 7-0 against Visak Bou from Springbrook in the second round after enjoying a first-round bye. Although Kelley lost in the quarterfinals and the consolation bracket, he had accumulated enough wins in the regular season to earn him a spot in the regional championship.
Despite being a first-year wrestler, Xu put together an impressive season in the 144-pound class. His luck ran out early in the postseason, being beaten by Rockville wrestler Elijah Fassil in the first round of counties. “I think I lost because it was my first year, but overall I am satisfied with my season and glad my friends got me into wrestling,” Xu said.
In the first round of the 150 bracket, Hogan failed to complete the upset against the three-seed Lincoln Smiddy, moving him to the consolation bracket, where he earned a win against Quincy-Hunter Williams from WJ before being eliminated from placement contention by Justin Suh from RM. “I had a very fun season, enjoyed being a leader to the new guys and girls and made some great memories that I will hold with me for the rest of my life,” Hogan said.
Guo competed in the 138 class at counties. He was defeated in the second round after his first-round bye and then again in the consolation bracket, but like Kelley, he had a strong enough regular season to book his spot in the regional championship regardless.
At regionals, Kelley fell short in his first matchup against WJ junior Bamdad Hajati, but won his first consolation match. In the consolation bracket semi-finals, Kelley lost 14-3 against Linganore junior Jayden Lassiter, placing him in an important fifth-place match against Hajati, whom he had lost to earlier in the tournament, to earn a chance to compete at the state championship.
In this rematch, however, Kelley was victorious, pulling off two important takedowns worth three points and a valuable nearfall worth four points. Kelley’s 14-9 win earned him fifth place at regionals and a spot as a backup in the state championship, meaning he would wrestle if another player was unable to compete.
After another first-round bye, Guo found himself in the regional quarterfinals. During the intense match, he attempted an experimental move, which backfired and caused him to get pinned, costing him a placement and a spot at states. “I tried a risky move and got put on my back,” Guo said.
In the girls’ brackets, five wrestlers qualified for the county championship: Freshmen Joanna Nanakumo, Elizabeth Nunes and Kalliope Spielman, sophomore Rachel Kessler and junior Kylie Denio.
Sophomore Rachel Kessler had two rounds of byes in the county championship before being beaten 3-0 by Wheaton’s Keyla Buchanan. She stacked up two wins in the consolation bracket to place third and advance to regionals for the 140-pound class.
At regionals, she won her quarterfinal match, but not her semifinals, which meant she was in another consolation match for third place. As she did at counties, she secured third place and a chance to advance, this time to the state championship.
After junior Kylie Denio’s bye, she lost her first match, and in the consolation bracket, she won only one match before losing, but was still eligible to compete at regionals.
At regionals, she was the lowest of eight seeds. She lost her first game against a dominant one-seed who went on to place first. This was not the end of her season, though, as she then went on a tear in the consolation bracket, snagging three wins in a row, a third-place finish, and a spot at states.
Kessler is listed as the 22-seed, meaning she will face the 11-seed Audrey Goble in the first round. As the 12-seed for the 170-pound bracket, Denio will have an advantage in the first round against the 21-seed Maggie Rooney from Queen Anne’s County. The girls’ and boys’ state championship will take place between today, Mar. 5 and Mar. 7 at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.
