The high school wrestling postseason is underway. In Harford County, that means the attention this week will shift locally to the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championships.

Edgewood is again the host of the tournament, which stretches from Friday to Saturday and includes wrestlers from all 15 Harford and Cecil county public schools. C. Milton Wright captured the team trophy in 2024-25, and the Mustangs’ season in 2025-26 has mirrored that of last year in many ways.

Despite graduating a strong senior class, C. Milton Wright returned to the dual state semifinals on Valentine’s Day. But there, the Mustangs fell to top-seed Huntingtown for the third consecutive season, falling short of the ultimate goal but now tasked with turning their attention to defending their title as Harford County’s best squad before the individual state tournament begins later this month.

The Aegis this week spoke with three area coaches – C. Milton Wright’s John Thornton, Harford Tech’s Jay Burrell and Patterson Mill’s Shawn Vallowe – to preview the upcoming UCBAC wrestling championships and break down their teams’ seasons to date.

What’s impressed you most about your team this season?

Thornton: This is a different group than we’ve had in a couple of years. We lost about 500 career wins after last season, so we lost a lot of leadership. Losing those kind of guys, we really – early in the season, it was about trying to find new leaders and a new identity, while still maintaining the same standard that we’ve always had, just with a different group of people.

Burrell: I think this year has been pretty successful so far. We’ve had a lot of younger guys that stepped up this year. Every year we strive to peak at the right time. We never really define our season by what happens in December but more so how we’re doing in late January and end of February.

Vallowe: I think they just keep showing up. That’s kind of been our motto this season, is just to continue to show up, continue to work and get better each day, make your partners better. Wrestling is an individual sport, but it’s not just about you, it’s about making those around you better, your drill partners, better. So, I’m hoping to see that at UCBACs this week. I’m hoping to see, when their teammates are on the mat, are they mat side? Are they cheering their teammates on? It’s an individual sport, but we got to make sure that we are there for each other, which I think we’ve built throughout the course of the season.

What are you looking forward to most at UCBACs?

Thornton: We have a lot of seniors and seniors that set goals at the beginning of the season to not just make it to states, but to place this time. We have five returning state qualifiers, and none of them placed last year, so they’re hungry individually. And this weekend’s still a team event, but it kind of brings in the individual aspect as well. And I think hopefully that additional individual motivation to reach their goals kind of serves the team.

Vallowe: We have nine seniors on our team right now. Six of those seniors have been in our lineup multiple years. So now it’s kind of just giving them the opportunity to finish strong. We have an opportunity to go in and surprise some people. Because I think when you look at our conference and you see the C. Milton Wrights, the Rising Suns, even Bel Air, Harford Tech and Havre de Grace this year. Not a lot of people are thinking about Patterson Mill.

What will it take to challenge reigning champion C. Milton Wright?

Burrell: Of course they’re going to be a challenge. It’s not necessarily where our head’s at. They’ve had some pretty solid lineups. We wrestled them at the very beginning of the season, that was our first dual meet of the year. So I think we’re a completely different team from December. Our growth will kind of speak for itself this weekend.

Vallowe: I think they have some really good coaching. They’re really tough on top. They’re good in really all the different phases, their neutral game, they’re always attacking, their top game is very, very strong. They ride really tight. They always go to those bars and bundles. For me, I’ve been stressing a lot this year about just believing that we belong with those guys.

How has the area’s girls wrestling landscape changed this season?

Burrell: The conference still has at least two in every weight class. There are some weight classes that have three, even four. I think we even have one class that has five girls in it. I know there’s at least one girl [Bel Air’s Madison Birth] that’s going to wrestle this weekend in the coed tournament, even though she’s going to wrestle in the girls region and state championship in the following weeks. The numbers are growing across the board.

Vallowe: We are able to crown a conference champion at every single weight class for the girls last year. I’m hoping to see that continue. But also, just to see a little bit more numbers in each weight class. I know Harford Tech had a pretty large number. Edgewood’s got a couple girls and we have nine, so I think the numbers in each bracket will grow a little bit, which is exciting. We’re also going to see the quality of it get so much better.

Who’s a wrestler on your team to watch out for?

Thornton: Salah Dusmukhamedov, our 157 pounder. He’s a junior. He started wrestling as a freshman and really only partial seasons the last two years. This year, he’s focused. His record is 28-6, and he’s only lost to state ranked guys. He’s just getting better and better every match. I think he’s going to surprise some people.

Burrell: My 157 pounder, Hunter Lark, he’s a sophomore wrestling really well lately. My 190 pounder Parker Sweeney, senior captain. He’s trying to go out with a bang. My 144 pounder, Christian Donlick, also senior captain. They’re all trying to end their careers on a good note.

Vallowe: Jonathan Fletcher. He was a match away from placing last year at states. He’s kind of flying under the radar a little bit this year. He’s only 16-3 right now, doesn’t really have the record of some of the other guys, but I think he has an opportunity to come in in the postseason and really make a name for himself.