Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007
Of the three divisions in Montgomery County wrestling, none was as competitive last year as Division I. With three teams splitting title honors, no one stepped to the forefront as the clear-cut top team, and the top of the standings seem up for grabs once again.
Springbrook had one of its best seasons in school history, winding up 13-1, with a close loss to co-Division champion Paint Branch in a tri-meet as the only blemish. The Blue Devils had five state qualifiers last winter, and two state place-winners in Jorge Alcoba (sixth in the state) and Carlo Galeano (fifth). They also qualified for the regional dual-meet championships for the first time in school history.
Gone from that team is Alcoba, as well as key cogs Jordan Dow (160 pounds) and David Abramson (189). But there are still plenty of reasons why Springbrook can do everything it did last year and then some. It has three state qualifiers back in Galeano (145), Joffrey Alcidor and Nadjitade Badje, and five more returning starters in Kent Newgen, Joseph Galeano, Ryan Richman, Hector Guevara and Paul Milano.
While it would be presumptuous to call the Blue Devils the team to beat, they will certainly again be right at the top of Division II. They have gone 25-3 since 2005-2006.
‘‘We have really raised the bar as far as our expectations go, especially the last two seasons,” said Springbrook head coach Rob Wendel. ‘‘We would like to continue to improve and go deeper into the duals, and place higher in the state tournament. A very difficult and challenging task, [but] we are really looking forward to the opportunity.”
Paint Branch is reason numero uno that the Blue Devils aren’t complete favorites to repeat as division champions. The Panthers had a good season in their own right, finishing 11-3 in the county, and 18-3 including tournaments. They finished third in the County Tournament, with champions at three separate weight classes; third at the Regional Tournament with four individual champions; and eighth at the 3A⁄4A State Tournament, with three placing wrestlers.
As could be expected from a team so successful, there will be some large shoes to fill. Wilfed Beah (189 pounds) won both county and region championships while placing third at States. Vincent Chirichella (125) won 98 career matches and placed third at counties last winter, while 145-pounder Patrick Hoover and 275-pounder Williams Reardan both finished fifth at the regionals.
Plenty of power on the mat remains, though. Danny Lethbridge (112) is a reigning county and regional champion who finished third at States. Steven Miller (140) is a two-time county and region title-winner, and Tim Stewart (160) is also a defending regional champ who finished fourth at States. With Eric Richards (171) and Jake Maddox (189 or 215) also in tow, Paint Branch may have the best returning class in the county.
‘‘We hope to compete for the Division, County, Region and State Championships,” said Paint Branch head coach Rick Smith. ‘‘If we stay healthy and newcomers mature, we would like to hopefully be one of the better teams in the County and possibly make it to the top.”
Sherwood is the third of the division-winning trio, going 9-5 last winter. To complete the chain of parity in the division, they beat Paint Branch and lost to Springbrook at their tri-meet last January. More than anyone, anywhere, the Warriors have to replace wrestlers that are irreplaceable. At 135 pounds, Rhett Beattie won a combined five county and regional championships. And an even bigger loss is that of 2006-2007 Gazette Wrestler of the Year Andy Lowy, who won three county, regional and state titles.
With such huge names gone, it would be surprising if the Warriors were able to repeat as champions this winter. But they certainly have some talent, most notably junior Steven Gamble (152 or 160), a two-time regional and county champion who has twice placed second at the State Tournament. Lowy’s sophomore brother, Josh (130) and Alex Hakspiel (112), the only senior on the squad, should also allow Sherwood to be competitive in every match.
‘‘I think we’ll be alright,” said head coach Scott Beattie. ‘‘It depends a lot on the upper weights, but we should win more than we lose.”
Blake is hoping to do just that, like it did two years ago with a 10-4 record, one of the best seasons it’s had in years. A year ago, the Bengals struggled early, but came on towards the end of the winter to finish 7-7 in the county, and 11-10 overall. They must find a way to replace senior captains from a year ago, Andrew Grunwald (125) and Antonis Alexandris (119), but return key starters such as senior Bernard Critton and junior Duncan Hawvermale.
Blair has some holes to fill if it plans to be near the head of the class in Division II. Though it couldn’t place wrestlers at each weight class a year ago, the Blazers did go a respectable 6-8. They lost only two seniors, Mike Street (171) and Jake Wienfeld (125), and with a slew of returning starters, hope to have their first season over .500 since 2003-2004.
‘‘I am looking forward to a winning season — it has been awhile for the Blazers,” said head coach Jake Scott. ‘‘I plan to take at least four wrestlers to the state meet.”
Fast Facts
B-CC Barons
Head coach: Bob Bunting, 9th year
Last year’s record: 7-7
Last county tournament title: None
Last state team title: None
Last individual state title: Sonny Nucci (2004)
Wrestlers to watch: N⁄A
Blair Blazers
Head coach: Jake Scott, 10th year
Last year’s record: 6-8
Last county tournament title: None
Last state team title: None
Last individual state title: None
Wrestlers to watch: N⁄A
Blake Bengals
Head coach: Rob Pinsky, 7th year
Last year’s record: 7-7
Last county tournament title: None
Last state team title: None
Last individual state title: None
Wrestlers to watch: Duncan Hawvermale, Bernard Critton
Northwood Gladiators
Head coach: A.J. Tao, 1st yaer
Last year’s record: 0-14
Last county tournament title: None
Last state team title: None
Last individual state title: None
Wrestlers to watch: Juan Alvarez, Haniff Sealy, Phillip Fromeyer
Paint Branch Panthers
Head coach: Rick Smith, 15th year
Last year’s record: 11-3
Last county tournament title: 2002
Last state team title: 2001
Last individual state title: Brent Stewart (2006)
Wrestlers to watch: Danny Lethbridge, Steven Miller, Tim Stewart
Sherwood Warriors
Head coach: Scott Beattie
Last year’s record: 9-5
Last county tournament title: 2006
Last state team title: 1997
Last individual state title: Andy Lowy (2007)
Wrestlers to watch: Steven Gamble, Alex Hakspiel, Josh Lowy
Springbrook Blue Devils
Head coach: Rob Wendel, 14th year
Last year’s record: 13-1
Last county tournament title: 1981
Last state team title: None
Last individual state title: George Mitchell (1980)
