1 week Ago By Mike Frainie
Here are The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro wrestling teams for the 2024-25 season:Wrestler of the YearVictor Marks-Jenkins, Perry Hall, junior, 175 poundsFor Victor Marks-Jenkins it’s always been, and still is, about getting better.The 175-pound junior won his second straight Class 4A/3A state tournament title this past season and will enter his season year riding a 97-match winning streak that dates to March 2023. That determination, passion and work ethic have earned him the title of The Baltimore Sun All-Metro Wrestler of the Year.
In a culture in which gifted high school athletes move from school to school or transfer to private schools, Marks-Jenkins chose to stay true to his northeastern Baltimore County roots. He came up through Perry Hall’s recreational programs and credits them for his continued development.This season, he finished with a perfect 48-0 record to be ranked 25th in the country at 175 pounds by SI.
com. Those wins included a technical fall over Albert Einstein’s 190-pound state champion Joshua Ogunlade and a decision over Williamsport’s Adin Hastings, a 215-pound state champion.For his career, Marks-Jenkins is 145-1 with 136 of those victories coming via pin or technical fall.
His only loss came in a semifinal match at the 2023 state tournament as a freshman as he went 50-1 with 42 pins or technical falls at 145 pounds. In 2023-24, he went 47-0 with 40 pins and two technical falls at 157 pounds.Marks-Jenkins won the title this year in dominating fashion, securing two pins and a technical fall before controlling Marriotts Ridge senior Jonah Obitz for a 5-1 victory in the state final.
“I have coached Victor since he was 5 years old, and his development has been a steady climb,” Perry Hall coach Doug Yoakum said. “His smothering, attacking style has been tailor-made to suit his physical tools.”Perry Hall junior Victor Marks-Jenkins won his second straight Class 4A/3A state tournament title and will enter his senior year riding a 98-match winning streak.
(Lloyd Fox/Staff)For Marks-Jenkins, he just wants to keep improving.“I just love to wrestle,” he said. “I’m going to several folkstyle and national tournaments over the summer, and it’s all about learning more and getting better.
”His success has helped put Perry Hall wrestling on the map. The Gators won a share of the Baltimore County title this season, the first county championship for the school since 2015.“I feel like my success can help to grow the program,” Marks-Jenkins said.
“I think we have a good program, but I want them to want [to be successful] as much as I do.”Yoakum says he sets a great example in that way.“I’ve never seen someone so driven, and a student of the [sport],” Yoakum said.
“Mat strategy is just natural to him at this point, and it’s just fun to watch him now.”Paul W. Gillespie/Capital GazetteChesapeake-AA’s Randy Curtin is The Baltimore Sun wrestling Coach of the Year.
(Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)Coach of the YearRandy Curtin, Chesapeake-AAPerfection is a hard goal to reach for any team. Chesapeake is one of the few teams to do it.
The Cougars went a perfect 38-0 in dual meets this past season, winning the Class 3A state championship before also capturing the Anne Arundel County Tournament title to help make Randy Curtin The Baltimore Sun wrestling Coach of the Year.“I knew we had a solid lineup with no weak spots entering the year, so I thought this was possible,” Curtin said. “We were a better dual meet team, but we also did well in the county.
We beat South River twice [in dual meets] and Linganore in the state championship, so it was a special season for us.”The state final against Linganore was not without drama. The Cougars beat the traditionally powerful Lancers, 31-30, to capture the title.
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4 St. Paul’s in title game rematchGlenelg vs Marriotts Ridge softball | PHOTOSOf the 38 wins, 19 came at two tournaments the Cougars won; the Grindstone Tournament at Winters Mill (9-0) and the Westminster Duals (10-0). That was when the idea of going undefeated started to become a possibility.
“I didn’t really think of it that way [until then],” Curtin said. “Then it became something we were hoping to do.”The coach is also proud of his team winning the Anne Arundel County title after being the runner-up three straight years.
“We had a great season,” he said. “Winning the state dual title and convincingly winning the county tournament made this season very special.”First teamCorey Brown, Mount Saint Joseph, freshman, 106 poundsIn addition to being one of the best in the area, Brown is one of the best wrestlers in the country.
The freshman compiled a 34-1 record, only losing in the semifinals of the Best of the East Tournament. He recorded 23 pins and won the MIAA Tournament, capturing the crown with a technical fall over Loyola Blakefield’s Tyler Verceles in the final on his way to being named the most outstanding wrestler. He went on to miss weight at the Maryland Independent State Tournament, however.
Gilman sophomore Liam McGettigan, bottom, won MIAA and MIS tournament titles. (Haldan Kirsch/Freelance)Liam McGettigan, Gilman, sophomore, 113 poundsAfter winning the 106-pound title last season, McGettigan picked up right where he left off by winning the MIAA and MIS tournament titles. He went 41-7 and finished fourth at National Preps at Lehigh to become an All-American.
He’s the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class by Legacy Wrestling.Eli Gabrielson, South Carroll, sophomore, 120 poundsGabrielson went 41-0 and won the Class 2A/1A state title, winning the tournament with three first-period pins and a 19-4 technical fall in the championship match. He ended the year ranked No.
1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling and helped lead South Carroll to its fourth straight Class 1A state dual meet championship.Sean Garretson, Spalding, senior, 126 poundsGarretson, one of Spalding’s most decorated and consistent wrestlers over the past four years, had another dominant season while leading one of the state’s best teams to the MIAA Tournament title. He compiled a 30-4 record, winning the 132-pound title at the MIAA Tournament before capturing the 126-pound crown at the MIS Tournament and placing fifth at National Preps.
Garretson ended his career with a 129-16 record and ranked No. 1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Mike Groszkowski, Annapolis, sophomore, 132 poundsGroszkowski burst onto the local scene this year, going 44-2 and reaching the Class 4A/3A state tournament final after winning Anne Arundel County and Class 4A/3A East Region titles.
He ended the year ranked fourth in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Spalding junior Zane Leitzel, top, went 31-4 this season. (Staff file)Zane Leitzel, Spalding, junior, 138 poundsA tactician, Leitzel won his first MIAA and MIS tournament titles this season.
He finished the year 31-4 and placed fifth at National Preps. Leitzel, who finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling, enters his senior year with a 105-21 career record.
Evan Owen, South Carroll, senior, 138 poundsAfter finishing as a runner-up at the past two Class 2A/1A state tournaments, Owen finished his high school career on top by capturing his first state crown and finishing 32-2. Ranked No. 2 in the state by Legacy Wrestling, Owen, who helped lead the Cavaliers to their fourth straight Class 1A state dual meet crown, finished his career with a 160-16 record and is headed to Washington and Lee University.
JoJo Gigliotti, South Carroll, junior, 144 poundsOne of the most accomplished juniors in the state, Gigliotti won his third straight state title this year and went 42-1, with his only loss coming against Northern-Calvert’s Class 4A/3A state champion Drew Montgomery. Ranked No. 2 in the state by Legacy Wrestling, Gigliotti enters his season year eyeing a fourth state title and owning a career 144-4 record.
Centennial senior Calvin Kraisser became the ninth wrestler to win four Maryland public school state titles. (Brian Krista/Staff)Calvin Kraisser, Centennial, senior, 150 poundsKraisser capped his high school career by making history, becoming the ninth overall and the third Kraisser brother to win four Maryland public school state titles. He went 43-1 to cap his career with a 140-14 record with 114 pins.
Kraisser, who won two Class 4A/3A and two Class 2A/1A state titles and ended the year ranked No. 2 in the state by Legacy Wrestling, will wrestle at Frostburg.John Jurkovic, Gilman, senior, 157 poundsJurkovic saved his best for last, winning the MIAA Tournament and going 39-10 to end his career with a 92-31 mark.
Also a two-time MIS Tournament runner-up, he was a win away from placing at National Preps and ended the year ranked second in the state by Legacy Wrestling. Jurkovic is committed to Air Force.Linx Lawless, Broadneck, senior, 165 poundsAfter finishing fourth at the Class 4A/3A state tournament last season, Lawless caught fire this year and captured his first state title.
He went 40-3 this past season and 83-7 in his two years at Broadneck and was also an Anne Arundel County and Class 4A/3A East Region champion. He ended the year ranked third in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Broadneck senior Linx Lawless went 40-3 and captured the Class 4A/3A state title at 165 pounds.
(Brian Krista/Staff)Arthur Konshak, Gilman, sophomore, 175 poundsKonshak had a stellar 38-7 record, winning the MIAA Tournament title with two pins and two technical falls before placing second at the MIS Tournament. He owns a 63-21 record through two seasons and ended the year ranked third in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Emmitt Sherlock, Gilman, senior, 190 poundsLast year’s All-Metro Wrestler of the Year, Sherlock closed out his stellar career by dominating local competition and standing toe-to-toe with the country’s best.
He went 50-4 this season, pinning his way to the MIS Tournament title while earning three first-period falls and a 1-0 decision in the MIAA Tournament before taking second at National Preps. The Virginia commit who owns a 160-23 career record ended the year ranked No. 1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling and fourth in the country by SI.
com. Isaiah Trusty, Gilman, junior, 215 poundsTrusty had a knack for earning big, important wins at just the right time for the Greyhounds. Quick on his feet, he amassed a 25-4 record and finished second at the MIAA Tournament and third in the MIS Tournament.
He ended the year ranked No. 7 in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Amory Hills, Milford Mill, senior, 285 poundsHills went a perfect 31-0 on his way to winning the Class 2A/1A state title after finishing third a year ago.
The first Miller to win a state title since 2009, he finished his career with 94 career wins. Hills, ranked second in the state by Legacy Wrestling, will play football next year at Maryland.Loyola Blakefield senior Luke Randazzo, top, ended the year ranked No.
1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling. (Haldan Kirsch/Freelance)Luke Randazzo, Loyola, senior, 285 poundsOne of the top heavyweights over the past few seasons, Randazzo won the MIAA and MIS tournament titles before taking fifth at National Preps. The two-time All-American went 121-27 in his career with 94 pins and ended the year ranked No.
1 in the state by Legacy Wrestling.Second teamTyler Verceles, Loyola, freshman, 106 poundsGrayson Barnhill, South Carroll, junior, 113 poundsEli Chesla, Spalding, junior, 113 poundsJayden Jackson, Loyola, junior, 120 poundsJake Tamai, Mount Saint Joseph, junior, 126 poundsChristian Manley, Mount Carmel, senior, 132 poundsTyler Stephens, Mount Saint Joseph, sophomore, 138 poundsBrooklyn Pickett, Mount Saint Joseph, freshman, 144 poundsBraxton McAvey, St. Frances, senior, 150 poundsChase Carpentieri, St.
Frances, senior, 157 poundsChris Gaeng, Winters Mill, senior, 165 poundsJonah Obitz, Marriotts Ridge, senior, 175 poundsLandon Hamper, South Carroll, junior, 190 poundsElijah Josey, St. Frances, senior, 190 poundsDouglas Johnson, St. Frances, senior, 215 poundsBusayo Balogun, South River, senior, 285 poundsFinal Top 15 pollRank, team, record, previous rank1.
Gilman (15-1) 12. Spalding (7-2) 23. South Carroll (22-1) 34.
Mount Saint Joseph (15-2) 45. Chesapeake-AA (38-0) 66. Loyola Blakefield (18-4) 57.
McDonogh (21-7) 78. Manchester Valley (41-4) 89. St.
Frances (7-6) 910. South River (27-6) 1011. Arundel (12-3) 1112.
C. Milton Wright (17-7) 1213. Harford Tech (19-5) 1414.
Annapolis (15-4) —15. Perry Hall (17-1) —Others considered: Crofton (27-8), Francis Scott Key (15-8), Glenelg (20-9), Liberty (22-10), Marriotts Ridge (27-9)Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.
com/timschwartz13..
