DEFENDING CHAMP GLENELG MOVES SEVEN INTO THE HOWARD COUNTY FINALS

by Lem Satterfield

State runners-up Brian Marcoux (125), Danny Bichner (135) and Chris Stinnett (140), third place state finishers Brendan Conway (119) and Tim Chase (152), as well as Zach Gerber (103) and Alex Hufnagel (160) of Glenelg all advanced into the finals round of Saturday’s Howard County Tournament being held at Atholton.

Bichner is trying to become the county’s eighth four-time champion, Stinnett is attempting to win his third straight county title, and Marcoux, Chase and Hufnagel, their second straight county titles for the defending champion Gladiators, who lead the host Raiders, 158.5-to-124.5 following the semifinal round.

Atholton advanced Kevin Beck (103), Kyle Werner (145), Doug Carpenter (160), Malcolm Stennett (189), Mike Massarelli (215) and Brian Nance (285) into the finals.

Nance (30-1) is trying to win his second straight county title, and Carpenter, Stennett (31-1) and Massarelli (27-1) are trying to improve on their runner-up efforts of a year earlier.

Beck is 31-1, with 15 pins and five technical falls.

Beck has a 29-match winning streak since losing, 7-1, to Owings Mill’s Baltimore County and Class 2A-1A North Region champion, Avi Friedman.

Third-place Reservoir has advanced Ben O’Keefe (112), Zach Coe (152), Tyler Breitschwerdt (171) and Ardy Kamali (189), with Kamali’s 8-4 victory over Danny Flannagan of Hammond avenging two earlier losses by major decision.

Moving forward for fourth place Oakland Mills were Thomas Consiglio (135), Peter Petties (140), Jovan Saunders (152) and Mike Santiago (285).

Santiago, who improved to 29-0 with 26 pins, has earned a rematch with Nance, whom he defeated, 2-1, earlier this year.

Nance was county champ at 189; Santiago is the returning titlist at 285.

“I think it’s going to be close all the way to the end,” said Nance, who was penalized a point for fleeing the mat in their earlier meeting.

“Whoever gets the first takedown has the best chance,” Nance said. “Whoever keeps pushing it, that’s the person who is most likely going to win.”

Fifth-place Marriotts Ridge has regional champion Jae Kim (215) in the finals opposite Massarelli. Kim (35-4) has split victories with Massarelli.

For Hammond, Nick Croniger (171) moved into the finals opposite Breitschwerdt.

Returning county champion Tyler Bulger (125) of Howard will meet Marcoux in a clash of returning titlists, having edged Hammond’s Josh Halper in the semifinals.

Bulger lost his earlier match, 13-4, in a contest that was closer than the score would indicate.

“The first time it was close before the last nine seconds of the second period. It was 3-2 him, and I had to hold him for nine seconds, and I would have had choice in the third period,” Bulger recalls.

“So I tried to do everything I could, but I got sloppy and he got an escape and a takedown in those nine seconds. I chose bottom, got away in the third period, and was going for the takedown,” Bulger said. “But he eneded up getting the takedown on a close call, and then, the score started to increase from there. I’m planning on not losing my cool this time.”

River Hill’s state champion Scott Mantua (112) is after his second straight county title, and state runner-up teammte Nathan White (130), his first.

Mantua won his semifinal, 6-0, over Centennial’s Jack Western, who was the only wrestler to beat him last season.

White will meet Centennial’s Brian Kraisser, who scored a four-point takedown in his semifinal, come-from-behind victory over Glenelg’s Craig Brindza.

Also reaching the title round was Centennial’s Dan LeRoy (119), who routed No. 1 seed Tim Schwartz of Reservoir, 13-3, in the semifinals.

Team scores (After semifinals): 1. Glenelg 158.5; 2. Atholton 124.5; 3. Reservoir 118; 4. Oakland Mills 113; 5. Marriotts Ridge 81; 6. Hammond 77; 7. Centennial 75.5; 8. River Hill 71.5; 9. Howard 49.5; 10. Mount Hebron 32; 11. Wilde Lake 12; 12. Long Reach 3.

Howard County Tournament Finalists

103– Kevin Beck, Atholton vs. Zach Gerber, Glenelg

112– Scott Mantua, River Hill vs. Ben O’Keefe, Reservoir

119– Dan LeRoy, Centennnial vs. Brendan Conway, Glenelg

125- Brian Marcoux, Glenelg vs. Tyler Bulger, Howard

130– Brian Kraiser, Centennial vs. Nathan White, River Hill

135– Danny Bichner, Glenelg vs. Thomas Consiglio, Oakland Mills

140– Chris Stinnett, Glenelg vs. Peter Petties, Oakland Mills

145– Jovan Saunders, Oakland Mills vs. Kyle Werner, Atholton

152– Tim Chase, Glenelg vs. Zach Coe, Reservoir

160– Alex Hufnagel, Glenelg vs. Doug Carpenter, Atholton

171– Tyler Breitschwerdt, Reservoir vs. Nick Croniger, Hammond

189– Malcolm Stennett, Atholton vs. Ardy Kamali, Reservoir

215– Mike Massarelli, Atholton vs. Jae Kim, Marriotts Ridge