C. Milton Wright dominated the local wrestling circuit last season, winning an Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference title and reaching the Class 2A state semifinals. The Mustangs graduated a strong senior class, but coach John Thornton is confident in those who remain to replicate that success.
Elsewhere, Harford Tech, Bel Air and Havre de Grace are teams other coaches identified as potential threats to C. Milton Wright’s throne.
Girls participation also continues to grow in Harford County. Multiple coaches told The Aegis they have more girls on their teams than last year. Harford Tech has 15, most in the program’s history. And John Carroll has girls on its roster for the first time since 2015.
Here’s what to watch for in Harford County high school wrestling this season. (Editor’s note: not all teams responded to requests for information.)
Wrestlers to watch
Madison Birth, Bel Air
Birth is the face of the growth of girls wrestling in Harford County. She won her second consecutive state title last season while facing more boys during the regular season. The junior transferred from Havre de Grace to the Bobcats ahead of this winter.
Rory Sweeney, C. Milton Wright
Sweeney contributed to the Mustangs’ postseason success last year as a freshman and will be relied upon after C. Milton Wright graduated a strong senior class.
Luke Dallaire, Harford Tech
The Cobras graduated a strong senior class that led them to a state semifinal appearance. It’s Dallaire’s turn to hopefully do the same in his final season.
Here’s more about each team:
Aberdeen
Coach: Kyle Brown, 19th season
Last season: 7-3, regional semifinalists
Top returning wrestlers: Senior Grant Akers (190); juniors Zoltan Pollock (132) and Tomas Rodgers (175).
Newcomers to watch: Jamil Perez (157)
What must happen for your team to succeed? “We are relatively young and new as a team. They are going to have to find success by establishing the fundamentals.” — Brown
Bel Air
Coach: Craig Reddish, 33rd season
Last season: 20-15, duals region finalists
Top returning wrestlers: Senior Dominic Gray (138) and Andrew Montalvo (157); junior Owen Reilly (285).
Newcomers to watch: Juniors Madison Birth (113), Daniel Dirton (132) and Makhi Feaster (220).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “We can fill all the weight classes and stay healthy.” — Reddish
C. Milton Wright
Coach: John Thornton, ninth season
Last season: 17-7, UCBAC champions, state semifinalists
Top returning wrestlers: Seniors Cameron Stepp (285) and Aaron Moccia (190); sophomore Rory Sweeney (120).
Newcomers to watch: Lucas Heffner (106), Salah Dusmukhamedov (157) and Evan Oliver (215).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “We graduated three of the most accomplished wrestlers in our school’s history, and lost another state ranked wrestler to injury in the offseason. While we do return five state qualifiers, our lineup is full of wrestlers who are eager to make a name for themselves this year. Developing those guys is going to be the key to our success this year.” — Thornton
Edgewood
Coach: Ken Ewers, 10th season
Last season: 5-9
Top returning wrestlers: Seniors Cody Galbreath (132), Jorge Rivera (157) and Triniti Green (130).
Newcomers to watch: Junior Matai Hughes (175); sophomore Ma’Qyo Hughes (165); freshman Trinity Driscoll (150).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “We graduated a lot of experience last year. We will need to have some new leadership step up and steer the course for this year’s team.” — Ewers
Harford Tech
Coach: Ja’Juan Burrell, 10th season
Last season: 19-6, state semifinalists
Top returning wrestlers: Seniors Luke Dallaire (175) and Brayden Pruski (113); junior Cameron Moore (126).
Newcomers to watch: Sophomore Owen Barratt (144); freshmen Brock Dreyer (138) and Sofie French (115).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “New team leadership will need to step up as years of leadership have all graduated.” — Burrell
John Carroll
Coach: Aaron Kravitz, second season
Last season: 0-7
Top returning wrestlers: Knighten Frank (126), Micheal Stefanoni (165) and Alex Chervon (157).
Newcomers to watch: Senior Robert Gaines (215); freshmen Vance Griggs (190) and Colin Sobieralski (144).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “Filling an entire dual team would be a huge step for the program. We return all but three starters from last year. I think we are competitive across the board and I expect to see a big leap forward with my sophomore class.” — Kravitz
Joppatowne
Coach: Mike Schafer, fifth season
Last season: 4-9
Top returning wrestlers: Ayden Brown, James Bills and Derrick Shannon Jr.
Newcomers to watch: Kayden Blair, Fred Hines and Joaquin Bustamante.
What must happen for your team to succeed? “The team must overcome the loss of senior leadership from last season and step into that growth role.” — Schafer
North Harford
Coach: Jacob Rose, third season
Last season: 3-6
Top returning wrestlers: Vincent Darienzo, Ronan Stanley and Clark Norman.
Newcomers to watch: Bryce Brand (215), Nathan Lucke and Isiah Little.
What must happen for your team to succeed? “Success is very subjective. However, for us, we are measuring success from a development standpoint due to the youth of our team this year. So, for me, success would be seeing the guys develop well over time.” — Rose
Patterson Mill
Coach: Shawn Vallowe, second season
Last season: 15-9, region semifinalists
Top returning wrestlers: Seniors Jonathan Fletcher (190); Austin Neilsen (106) and Sarah Alkhatib (110).
Newcomers to watch: Freshmen Gavin Jones (106) and Jaxon Patrick (113).
What must happen for your team to succeed? “We need to stay healthy. We do return a bunch of wrestlers that gained some valuable experience last season. We are looking to continue to get better each day, and stay healthy.” — Vallowe
Leave A Comment