Marriotts Ridge wrestling prides itself on a hard-working mindset.
That diligent work begins in the offseason, extends into practice each day and was a key force behind the program’s second straight regional dual title. After claiming the title 11 days ago, the Mustangs entered the 54th Howard County tournament a confident group.
That confidence bred great results as Marriotts Ridge captured the tournament title for the first time in program history with three county champions and five finalists. Marriotts Ridge totaled 191 points to edge out Glenelg (178.5) and Oakland Mills (168). Atholton (160) and Hammond (145) rounded out the top five.
“Never having done it in school history, as a first-year head coach this wasn’t even on my radar,” Marriotts Ridge coach Vincent Muscato said. “Our big goal was the regional duals. Winning this is just an extra cherry on top for an already amazing season.”
The Mustangs didn’t wait long to set the tone as the finals began with the strength of their lineup at 106 pounds — Marriotts Ridge had finalists in each of the first three weight classes. Muscato’s message to Sravanth Saladi was simple, “Go out there and set a good pace for the team.”
Saladi established control early in the opening period before pinning River Hill’s Josef Finn, 58 seconds into the second.
“Being part of this team, it’s something special,” Saladi said. “Every single person here works hard day in and day out. We put in as much effort as we can into the room as much time they’ll allow us. We make the most of it.”
Their momentum was only beginning. Next up was senior Rocky Alabbadi (113) who secured his 100th career win earlier in the tournament. Alabbadi faced Hammond’s Cody Johnson, who defeated him by a 6-1 decision in last year’s final. Alabbadi exacted his revenge in his final county tournament, building a 7-3 lead and fighting off a late rally from Johnson to finish off the 7-6 victory.
Jubilation and relief quickly followed as Alabbadi threw his hands high in the air and high-fived anyone in sight.
“This is one of the biggest moments,” Alabbadi said. “I got my 100th win this weekend and a county title. I loved that it was against the kid who beat me last year, so a full-circle moment.”
Once Alabbadi’s match went final, Boden Pistorio (120) knew it was time to go and do his job. Pistorio said the two prior victories lit a spark in him as he faced off against Mt. Hebron’s Timmy Zink.
That spark ignited quickly as Pistorio pinned Zink in 1:09, the second fastest victory of the finals.
“I really appreciate all these guys,” Pistorio said. “At the end of every day match we say, ‘That’s my dog.’ That’s the whole culture around the team. It just felt really good this year and these guys are my best buds. I know that when I’m going out there fighting for myself, I’m fighting for the team too. It’s really amazing wrestling for Marriotts Ridge.”
The Mustangs had two more finalists: Jonah Obitz (165) and CJ Nyorkor (175). Obitz was a runner-up last year to eventual state champion River Hill’s Dylan McCullough. Obitz faced another tough challenge, taking on undefeated Joe Clark of Oakland Mills. Obitz and Clark battled throughout, but Clark’s late third-period takedown proved to be the difference.
Nyorkor, a first-year wrestler, faced a similar low-scoring battle against Hammond’s Jayden Timothy. Timothy executed a first-period takedown and held on the rest of the way to cap off a 3-1 decision win. Overall, Marriotts Ridge had 10 wrestlers place and will look to continue building off its success heading into regionals this weekend.
Oakland Mills matched Marriotts Ridge with five finalists at the county championships. However, the Scorpions were a perfect five-for-five as the coaching staff lifted each victor high up in the air after their match.
Orlando Castelan-Cortez (126) was Oakland Mills’ first wrestler to receive that distinction after taking control in the third period of his 10-4 victory.
Three weight classes later, Raul Rodriguez (150) stepped up to the mat. Rodriguez was a county finalist last year, losing to eventual state champion Calvin Kraisser. This year, Rodriguez faced River Hill’s Garin Jeng and was in a 5-0 hole early. However, Rodriguez didn’t flinch and quickly chipped into the deficit. He gained confidence late in the second and finished the win in style with an early third-period pin.
The Scorpions were far from done as Diego Gambrill (157) faced Mt. Hebron’s Connor Severino. Both wrestlers were tactical in their attacks as the score remained tied at 1 after six minutes. In the tiebreaker, Gambrill quickly assumed control and claimed the victory.
While each of the Scorpions first three finalists won their first county title, Clark (165) was looking to defend his. Similar to last year’s 4-2 win over Glenelg’s Ethan Sotka, Clark found himself in a low-scoring chess match. Yet, in the match’s waning moments, Clark leaned on his experience and conditioning, executing a late takedown to jump ahead in the 3-1 victory.
“I feel like my conditioning is really good,” Clark said. “People will eventually get tired and will eventually break and get sloppy. Those are the advantages that I like to take. I knew that I was going to get to that leg for that takedown. It was just a matter of when I was going to do it.”
Two matches later, it was time for Oakland Mills last finalist Brighton Barker (190). Barker is no stranger to wrestling in big moments, however, a county title eluded him the past two years. His mentality this year was simple: “I’m coming out with that bracket.” Facing Howard’s Isaac King, who he already beat this season, Barker was confident.
He delivered on his premonition, pinning King in 59 seconds, the fastest victory of the finals.
“I was ready,” Barker said. “I hadn’t wrestled him for a while, so I didn’t know how he would be. I knew I was going to stick to my game and punch it down his throat.”
While multiple wrestlers triumphed for the first time, several others continued their success from prior seasons.
Reservoir’s Andrew Dolezel (132), a returning state finalist, went up a weight class but continued to dominate. He remained undefeated and became the Gators lone county champion, culminating the title in style with a second-period pin over Glenelg’s Isaac Choi.
Hammond’s William Terry (138) was another returning county champion going up in weight and faced Atholton’s Justin Soriano. Terry never allowed Soriano to gain control, putting the finishing touches on the title with a second-period pin.
Then, Howard County’s most decorated wrestler stepped to the mat: Kraisser. The two-time defending county, regional and state champion looked to conquer his third weight class, now at 144 pounds. The veteran did so quickly, pinning Glenelg’s Collin Szczepanski 1:49 into the opening period.
A pair of former top-five finishers closed out the afternoon with titles. Atholton’s Mark Enamorado (215) finished fourth last year but wrestled with a renewed confidence. The senior jumped out to a commanding 10-1 lead over Glenelg’s Peter Danko, ultimately finishing with a third-period pin.
River Hill’s Nathan Faulkner (285) faced Howard’s Caleb Snype in the final bout of the tournament. Last year, Snype placed third at 220 pounds, while Faulkner was the 285-pound runner-up. Faulkner immediately assumed control and remained on top until the referee smacked the mat 1:14 into the opening period.
1. Marriotts Ridge 191; 2. Glenelg 178.5; 3. Oakland Mills 168; 4. Atholton 160; 5. Hammond 145; 6. Mt. Hebron 122; 7. Reservoir 120.5; 8. River Hill 118; 9. Howard 107; 10. Centennial 77; 11. Wilde Lake 49.5; 12. Long Reach 41; 13. Guilford Park 14
106: Srivanth Saladi (Marriotts Ridge) over Josef Finn (River Hill) Fall 2:58; 113: Rocky Alabaddi (Marriotts Ridge) over Cody Johnson (Hammond) Dec 7-6; 120: Boden Pisotio (Marriotts Ridge) over Timmy Zink (Mount Hebron) Fall 1:09; 126: Orlando Castelan-Cortez (Oakland Mills) over Jonathan Sexton (Glenelg) Dec 10-4; 132: Andrew Dolezel (Reservoir) over Isaac Choi (Glenelg) Fall 4:29; 138: Will Terry (Hammond) over Justin Soriano (Atholton) Fall 5:22; 144: Calvin Kraisser (Centennial) over Collin Szczepanski (Glenelg) Fall 1:50; 150: Raul Rodriguez (Oakland Mills) over Garin Jeng (River Hill) Fall 4:45; 157: Diego Gambrill (Oakland Mills) over Connor Severino (Mount Hebron) TB-1 5-1; 165: Joe Clark (Oakland Mills) over Jonah Obitz (Marriotts Ridge) Dec 3-1; 175: Jayden Timothy (Hammond) over Cj Nyorkor (Marriotts Ridge) Dec 3-1; 190: Brighton Barker (Oakland Mills) over Isaac King (Howard) Fall 0:59; 215: Mark Enamorado (Atholton) over Peter Danko (Glenelg) Fall 5:15; 285: Nathan Faulkner (River Hill) over Caleb Snype (Howard) Fall 1:14
