2024-25 MIAA Wrestling Preview

by Billy Buckheit

Was last year a changing of the guard or just an anomaly that transpires from time to time in the MIAA Conference when a team other than McDonogh or Mt. St. Joseph rules the land? McDonogh had a run of success that only came to a halt when Mt. St Joseph returned to its once prominent self again.

It was one of those teams at the top for many years with a few anomalies thrown in like Archbishop Spalding and John Carroll taking the top honors in the MIAA. Last season saw Gilman return to the top spot. A place it has not occupied with this group of teams since the old MSA days.

The Greyhounds ran the table last year pocketing the three big titles, MIAA Dual and Tournament as well as the Maryland Independent Schools state crown, to claim the No. 1 ranking in the state. Gilman took that throne from St. Joe in a January dual meet and never looked back.

Legacy Wrestling has Gilman slotted as the No. 1 team in Maryland as we kick-off the 2024-2025 high school season. The Greyhounds return most of their team from last year with a few exceptions. One of the big losses was nationally ranked Tyson Sherlock. A highly touted junior leaguer has come into the fold at 106, No. 9 Christian Wirts, and he has the ability to offset that loss.

But the leader of this team is Tyson’s brother, Emmitt. The younger Sherlock won double national championships at the US Open in the Spring, which meant he was the world team member for the USA in Freestyle and Greco-Roman. At the World Championships, the senior finished fifth in FS.

The Virginia commit is currently ranked seventh in the country at 175lbs by SB Live and is the No. 1 guy at that weight in Legacy Wrestling’s Maryland rankings. The Greyhounds have two other nationally ranked grapplers on their squad, and both are also No. 1 in Maryland, Liam McGettigan (113) and John Jurkovic (157).

In all, Gilman has nine wrestlers in the top 20 of the state rankings. 190lber Gabe Smith is just outside the national rankings at this weight but was a honorable mention entry at 215lbs. Smith is ranked second in Maryland, behind Bullis’ Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (No. 23 in the country).

Other Greyhounds in the rankings are JD Vassar (120, No. 7), Zach Glory (No. 3 at 138), Sawyer Enright (No. 20 at 144), and No. 11 Arthur Konschak (165).

No. 4 Archbishop Spalding has two things in common with Gilman, both have nine wrestlers in the state rankings, and both have a national champion on their roster. The Cavaliers’ national champ, Taina Fernandez (132), is also a World Champion, having claimed those honors alongside Sherlock.

Fernandez is also the No. 1 female wrestler in the nation at 135lbs in USA Wrestling’s Girls National Rankings. The sophomore has won every title imaginable. This year, she is slotted into the Spalding lineup that will put her in competition with the boys. Fernandez was third at last year’s Ray Oliver tournament where she beat a National Prep placer, Drew Roggie (St. Christopher’s, VA), and lost to teammate Sean Garretson.

Garretson is back in the fold again for the Cavaliers and holds the No. 1 ranking at 126lbs. Zane Leitzel (138) is Spalding’s second top-ranked wrestler. Heavyweight Delmar White was lost for the year due to a football injury. White was nationally ranked and would have been the No. 1 heavyweight in the state.

The Cavaliers joining them in the rankings are No. 3 Eli Chesla (113), No. 4 Quentin Bailey (120), No. 6 Ryder Kolat (150), No. 10 Charlie Mutschler (106), No. 10 Henry Gessford (144), and No. 16 Dylan Briles (157). As you may have surmised, that’s ranked wrestlers in the first nine weights for Spalding. How the heavier wrestlers perform will determine how the season unfolds in the team race.

No. 5 Mt. St. Joe fell from grace last year and, like Spalding, appear to have some holes in the upper weights that may make it tough to climb back to the top spot. On paper, they are certainly the underdog as they only have seven guys in the state rankings. The Gaels do have two nationally ranked freshmen coming into their ranks this year, Corey Brown (106) and Brooklyn Pickett (144).

Brown is No. 1 in Maryland and No. 9 in the country after hauling in hardware at the US Open in GR and Fargo in FS. Pickett is No. 2 in Maryland behind South Carroll’s JoJo Gigliotti (No. 30 nationally) and is in the honorable mention of the national rankings. Pickett is a former Super 32 Middle School champ and placed at Fargo in FS over the summer.

The Gaels’ Cameron Cannaday (No. 2 in MD) will be chasing down Jurkovic, a wrestler he beat twice before falling at the MIAA tournament to his rival. Cannaday’s two wins over the Greyhound indicate he could ascend to the top spot by the end of the year.

The Mount has wrestlers ranked in seven of the first eight weights, and then, just like Spalding, no one ranked in the back end. Former state champion Jake Tamai is ranked third at 126. The others are Tyler Stephens (138, No. 5), James Wright (No. 6 at 113), and Ben Scheiner is seventh at 132lbs. Filling the position at 120 is Chad “CJ” Votta, a highly decorated junior leaguer, who will likely crack the rankings in short order.

Loyola Blakefield has been a team left dealing with “what if” a lot over the last few seasons. They beat St. Joe in a dual at the Bauerlein Duals one year, only to fall in the MIAA rematch. On paper, they have had some powerhouse teams that could have ended the year as the top dogs. But misfortune seems to find the Dons, and it comes in many ways – injuries, guys quitting, crazy outcomes on the mat, etc.

Loyola starts off this year with a lot of that hope and promise as evidenced by their No. 3 ranking in the state. Will this be the year things finally go smoothly for them? Nine Dons litter the state rankings with Luke Randazzo occupying the No. 1 position at heavyweight and Jayden Jackson being No. 2 at 120. They too, have a nationally decorated freshman coming in the door at 106lbs in Tyler Verceles, a GR National Champ at the US Open and a double placer at Fargo this summer.

State ranked wrestlers are evenly spread out through the Loyola lineup. Freshman Brendan Tobin is No. 17 at 113. The others are established entities, No. 4 Josh Hale (138), No. 9 Cayden Farver (126), No. 10 Nevan McKneely (157), No. 11 Noah Brannon (190), and No. 13 Riley Miller (175).

St. Frances Academy is outside of the state’s top five but is sitting in the sixth position and looking poised to climb the ranks as their ten state ranked wrestlers is the most of any team in the conference. The Panthers made a splash in their inaugural campaign two years ago which led to Doug McClain being named the Baltimore Banner Coach of the Year. Last year they tumbled a bit but were still no slouches.

A slew of returnees plus a few pickups from the New England Area, Colby MacIntosh (No. 10 at 132) and Elijah Josey (No. 6 at 190), plus a transfer from the Eastern Shore’s James M. Bennett, Braxton McAvey (No. 5 at 150), have St. Frances’ prospects looking up.

It should be noted, another transfer, JoJo Cooper (No. 5 at 126), who was a two-time state placer for St. Joe, will only be allowed to compete in non-conference events. Due to transfer guidelines, Cooper can wrestle everywhere but MIAA and MIS matches and tournaments.

The Panthers’ balance throughout the lineup may allow them to usurp Mt. St. Joe and Spalding in the pecking order, and perhaps the others, too? The ranked guys filling out their lineup are No. 7 Douglas Johnson (215), No. 10 Kamren Griffin (120), No. 11 Chase Carpintieri (157), No. 12 Noah Shird (144), No. 13 Derrick Grant (165), and No. 15 Zebulon Bolden (106).

McDonogh is on the upswing again. All six of their state ranked wrestlers are underclassmen with three freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior. This young blood has them on the rise and back in the rankings where the Eagles will start at No. 15.

The veteran of the crew is No. 5 Giuseppe “JJ” DiMonte, who will compete at 190lbs. DiMonte defeated Ahanj-Elias at last year’s Ray Oliver tournament, but since that time, Ahanj-Elias has picked up some eye-opening wins on the national level.

The two second year guys are, Cole Genua (No. 17 at 144) and Dominic Manna (No. 11 at 150). The babies are No. 8 Jacob Naylor (106), No. 16 Weston Baumgartner (126), and No. 20 Mason Comegys (132). All the freshmen are expected to rapidly climb the rankings once the action gets underway.

Calvert Hall has reemerged in recent seasons as a state level team and that continues this year with a ranking of No. 22. The Cardinals did have a few losses to graduation but brought enough back, including four ranked in the state, to remain one of the state’s best teams.

All four are in the middle to upper weights, No. 7 Griffin Stewart is at 144, at 150 is No. 12 Josh Jackson, Aidan Kammar sits at No. 15 at 157 and heavyweight Maxwell Garland is No. 5.

Archbishop Curley had its heyday from the late 80s into the 90s and has faded out of the state rankings but they return to those ranks this year as the No. 26 team. Head Coach Paul Boettcher was there for some of the glory days and is doing his best to steer his alma mater back in that direction.

The Friars have four of their congregation listed in the state rankings, Khalil Regan is the highest ranked at No. 5 at 285, Dylan Fish is No. 12 at 165, Oscar Davis is 16^th at 144, and Liam Rose is No. 20 at 106.

The MIAA Conference is very top heavy. Outside of the previously mentioned teams, only three others have any state- ranked grapplers, and only Severn has more than one with No. 6 Nicky Melfi (144) and No. 15 Talin Krashoc (175).

Mt. Carmel’s Christian Manley, who is a transfer from Sparrows Point, sits at No. 6 at 132. Gerstell Academy’s Jack Bruffey is No. 18 at 157lbs.

As to not leave everyone wondering, the No. 2 team in the state rankings is South Carroll.