Century wrestling coach Zach Blessing’s first county matchup couldn’t have gone much better.
Before he was a rookie coach for the Knights, Blessing was a stud at Winters Mill, where his name is displayed on banners in the school’s wrestling room. Now, the Falcons gym holds a special place in his heart for a different reason. It’s now the site of his first Carroll County coaching win.
Players swarmed Blessing, who was all smiles after Century defeated Winters Mill, 37-33, in Wednesday night’s dual.
“I’m extremely proud of the group,” Blessing said. “Facing a short week off a tough tournament and to come back ready to go, I was super proud of how the guys and the girls responded.”
While the Knights saw early pinfall victories from Dylan Vroom and George Halligan, with Joey D’Orsogna later joining with a pin of his own, it was two late gritty victories that proved to be the difference.
“Pins are cool and exciting, but wrestling a full six minutes is what we talk about and work on,” Blessing said. “The work we put in and the grit we showed is what got us the win as a team.”
Dominic Damico, who was making his season debut after missing practice due to a lacrosse tournament and a broken hand suffered during football season, found himself in a battle with Winters Mill’s Matthew Pawley. Ultimately, the 190-pounder scored a takedown with less than a minute left to pull ahead and win an 8-6 decision.
Damico’s season debut came after just five practices with the team.
“I came out here a little nervous but … I just went out there and gave it my all and came away with the win for my team,” he said.
Still needing a couple victories to clinch the dual, the very next match between Century’s Donovan James and Winters Mill’s Victor Tejada came down to the wire. After the two agile big men both earned a point for an escape, something clicked for the Knight’s 215-pounder. James, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus, scored two takedowns in the final minute to take the bout, 5-2.
“I knew we needed this match,” James said. “So I got more aggressive towards the end and starting shooting more.”
After Chidima Iziogo’s dominant 16-7 win over Matthew Pawley, the Knights could celebrate as the dual was clinched and Blessing won his first county showdown.
Still growing and developing the program in his image, the difference can be seen early in the morale around Century wrestling.
Despite being on the road, Century fans were in attendance and made their presence felt as the loudest and most passionate fans of the night. Many came down and congratulated Blessing after the big win. Damico praised his new coaching staff for the change in attitude.
“I love our new coaching staff,” he said. “They not only push us to work hard, but they push us to win instead of being complacent.”
For James, it was Blessing that convinced him to return to the team following his injury.
“I actually wasn’t going to wrestle,” he said. “I was a little frightened because of last year but coach talked me into it. He made me realize I still love the sport.”
Despite the victory and the obvious progress he’s made with the program, Blessing said he is never satisfied. Moments after the team broke, he was already focused and looking ahead at Thursday’s dual with Centennial. His wrestlers are looking ahead, too, now with a new optimism about how far the program can go in 2023.
“I feel like we’re in better shape than ever,” Damico said. “We’re looking to take the whole county this year.”
In matches that will county towards county and regional seeding, five Winters Mill girls wrestlers earned pins in what was a dominant showing for the program. Taylor Scoll, Kayla Goodwin, Amelia Boodie, Addie Vallandingham and Mariah Sweet all walked away with victories as teammates that looked on were impressed with the showing.
“I thought they all did really well,” said Hailey Smith, a Winters Mill wrestler who didn’t have a match Wednesday. “A lot of them are new and they just all went out there, put their heart on the mat and did their best.”
120: Colton Wasmer (WM) pins Brayden Brassell (C); 126: Brody Lockwood (WM) def Grady Faye (C), 6-0; 132 Dylan Vroom (C) wins via forfeit; 138: Chris Brooks (C) pins Jarrett Herd; 144: George Halligan (C) pins Ian Vasquez (WM); 150: Landon Buchman (WM) pins Talin Evans; 157: Chris Gaeng (WM) pins Cameron Wagner; 165: Joey D’Orsogna (C) pins Aiden Borhowshi (WM); 175: JT Ferguson (C) def Nathaniel McLeod (WM),13-8; 190: Dominic Damico (C) def Matthew Pawley (WM), 8-6; 215: Donovan James (C) def Victor Tejada (WM), 5-2; 285 Chidima Iziogo (C) def Sam Richmond (WM), 16-7; 106: Zander Martin (WM) wins via forfeit; 113: Willis Kiler (WM) wins via forfeit.
