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Wrestler of The Year: Josh Asper, Hereford


Josh Asper -- The  senior's  most important accomplishments can be measured by his dominance at the four state tournaments in which he competed.

There, Asper amassed a record of 16-0 that was comprised of four pins, nine decisions, two major decisions and one technical fall.

Asper's four different state titles, which allowed him to join Aberdeen's Matt Slutzky and Owings Mills' Steve Kessler as Maryland's lone quadruple winner, were won in the Class 2A-1A at 135, 145 and 160 pounds, and this year's in Class 4A-3A state championship at 171 pounds.

Asper defeated past or future state champions seven times during the course of his career, and vaquished past of former state runners-up six times.

Asper also was a linebacker on the Bulls' Class 3A state runner-up football team, being the top tackler on that squad.


Josh Asper, at a glance:

Record in 2007-08: 37-0

Pins: 29

Technical falls: Three

Career record: 151-7

Winning streak: 87

Last loss: By 8-7 against Hammond's Vince Taweel, Feb. 14, 2006

Baltimore County titles: Three

Regional titles: Three

State titles: Four

State champions beaten: Tyler McLeod, North Carroll; Justin Ratliff, Southern Garrett (twice); Zac Stavish, South Carroll; Tyler Mullen, South Carroll, Brock Buddesheim, Sussex Central, Del., Owen Smith, Calvert Hall.

State runners-up beaten: Chad Cotterman, Walkersville; Latra Collick, Stephen Decatur (twice); Matt Kahl, Harford Tech; Tyler Mullen, South Carroll, Justin Bowersox, Thomas Stone.

College committment: University of Maryland, where he plans to wrestle


Josh Asper, match-by-match, at Mount Mat Madness Invitational


Year:  2008             Grade: 12th                            Weight: 171

Opponent - Result

Dru Keyser, Boys' Latin - won, fall, 0:55

Tim Wood, Archbishop Curley - won, fall, 1:47

Ryan Hertz, Old Mill - won, fall, 0:55

A.J. Fernow, Mountain View, Va. - won, decision, 4-1

Brock Buddesheim, Sussex Central - won, decision, 3-0


Josh Asper, match-by-match, at states:


Year:  2005             Grade: 9th                            Weight: 135

Opponent - Result

Justin Ratliff, Southern Garrett - won, decision, 8-4

Latra Collick, Stephen Decatur - won, decision, 5-4

Jeffers Frazier, Calvert - won, major decision, 13-4

Chad Cotterman, Walkersville - won, decision, 6-2

Season-ending record:  39-5


Year:  2006             Grade: 10th                            Weight: 145

Opponent - Result

Brandon Knight, Smithsburg - won, fall, 1:18

Jake Phillips, Queen Anne's - won, technical fall, 16-1 

Roger Torres, Poolesville - won, decision, 13-7

Matt Kahl, Harford Tech - won, decision, 5-4, 3OT

Season-ending record:  36-2


Year:  2007             Grade: 11th                            Weight: 160

Opponent - Result

Larry Friend, North Dorchester - won, fall, 3:02

Zac Stavish, South Carroll - won, major decision, 9-1

Danny Cox, Rising Sun - won, decision, 3-0

Justin Ratliff, Southern Garrett - won, decision, 6-2

Season-ending record:  39-0




Year:  2008             Grade: 12th                            Weight: 171

Opponent - Result

Tyler Breitschwerdt, Reservoir - won, fall, 1:26

Taylor Leighton, Walt Whitman - won, fall, 1:46

Zach O'Keeffe, Chesapeake-Anne Arundel- won, decision, 5-0

Justin Bowersox, Thomas Stone - won, decision, 5-1

Season-ending record:  37-0



Co-Coaches of the Year: Guy Pritzker, Owings Mills; Damon Royster, Milford Mill.


Guy Pritzker -- Entering the Class 2A-1A state duals final four, there were few who expected Owings Mills to emerge as champion.

The Eagles were ranked 20th in the DigitalSports-Maryland State Wrestling Association Top 20, below 17th-ranked, defending Class 2A-1A state duals and tournament champ, Rising Sun of Cecil County, as well as then No. 4 Glenelg of Howard County and then No. 2 Southern Garrett County.

But the Eagles overcame the odds, not only in defeating Rising Sun, 34-26, in the semifinal, but in vanquishing heavily favored Glenelg, 35-34, in the championship match.

The Eagles earned Pritzker's fourth state duals crown since 2004, when Owings Mills completed a state record run of three straight championship seasons coupled with their dual meet title-winning efforts of 2002 and 2003.

Coupled with his seven Class 2A-1A state tournament crowns, Pritzker, in his 26th-year, has a state-leading total of 11 combined championships.

The win improved the Eagles to 18-0, and earned Pritzker his 395th career dual meet victory against only 54 losses.

Pritzker said his Eagles won the crown in honor of one of his former wrestlers, Steve Kellner, who died "right before the season."

  "We've dedicated the season to Steve Kellner," Pritzker said. "And I looked up into the heavens, and I said, 'Steve, I know you're up there, so would you please help us today?"

A 1997 graduate of Owings Mills, Kellner, said Pritzker, "wrestled for me since he was 9 years old."

"Steve was also an assistant JV coach for me, and also helped me with my junior league teams," said Pritzker, who has remained close with Kellner's parents, Joe and Rhonda Kellner.  "I really feel like Steve Kellner was with us in spirit tonight."

At the Class 2A-1A state tournament, the Eagles' 103-pound Avi Friedman dominated with three pins and a decision to end his year at 37-0 and to become the 26th wrestler to win a state title under Pritzker -- the most by any active coach.

Also at the state tournament, Tony Mack (160) was a runner-up, and both Cody Rosen-Stone (140) and junior Julio Trujillo (285) placed third, the latter, after pinning last year's Class 2A-1A state runner-up, Sean Sisler of Southern Garrett County.

Coach: Guy Pritzker, 26th season, 395-54 career


Individual State Champions: 26, most by any active coach.


County Division titles: 15


County Tournament titles: 10


Regional Tournament titles: 14


Regional Dual titles:  11


State Tournament titles: 7


State Dual titles: 4


 
Class 2A-1A state final


Owings Mills 35, Glenelg 34



Started at 285

285- Julio Trujillio (O) p. Derek Patrick, 2:13 (6-0, O)

103- Avi Friedman (O) tf. Nick Cafferty, 23-7 (11-0, O)

112- Kevin Dufour (O) d. Zach Gerber, 6-0 (14-0, O)

119- Brendan Conway (G) mj. Brian Farbman, 11-2 (14-4, O)

125- Brian Marcoux (G) p. Dan Marcus, 2:32 (14-10, O)

130- Brad Mutchnik (O) d. Craig Brindza, 7-2 (17-10, O)

135- Danny Bichner (G) p. Luke Harris, 1:08 (17-16, O)

140- Chris Stinnett (G) d. Cody Rosen-Stone, 6-2 (19-17, G)

145- Mitch Barker (O) p. Mike O'Leary, 3:49 (23-19, O)

152- Tim Chase (G) p. Dan Pesach, 3:00 (25-23, G)

160- Tony Mack (O) p. David Pruett, 2:39 (29-25, O)

171- Alex Hufnagel (G) d. Ja'twaan Murdock, 3-2, OT (29-28, O)

189- Trent Carr (O) p. Gary Keister, 3:12 (35-28, O)

215- Zach Cross (G) by forfeit (35-34, O)



Class 2A-1A state semifinal



No. 20 Owings Mills  34, No. 17 Rising Sun 26


Started at 215


215- Devon Long (O) by forfeit (6-0, O)

285- Julio Trujillio (O) d. Andrew Baranksi, 4-0 (9-0, O)

103- Avi Friedman (O) mj. Adam Heffelfinger, 14-0 (13-0, O)

112- Kevin Dufour (O) p. Ethan Ulrich, 4:18 (19-0, O)

119- Richard Christie (R) p. Justin Greenberg, 1:44 (19-6, O)

125- Jason Robinson (R) mj. Brian Farbman, 13-4 (19-10, O)

130- Brad Mutchnik (O) d. Shawn Barney, 4-0 (22-10, O)

135- Austin Glessner (R) d. Luke Harris, 7-4 (22-13, O)

140- Cody Rosen-Stone (O) p. Sam Guethler, 3:44 (28-13, O)

145- Matt Jackson (R) p. Jordan Trujillio, 1:41 (28-19, O)

152- Kyle Barney (R) mj. Mitch Barker, 12-4 (28-23, O)

160- Tony Mack (O) d. Danny Cox, 8-6 (31-23, O)

171- Ja'Twaan Murdock (O) d. Jesse McGee, 11-7 (34-23, O)

189- Justin Gainey (R) d. Trent Carr, 6-1



Damon Royster -- Despite losing former assistant coach, Craig Rollins, to a head-coaching position at Aberdeen High in Harford County, Royster was able to rebound with a formidable team.

Royster guided the Millers to the program's most successful season in years, earning the school's first Baltimore County Tournament title since 1964.

And Royster's Millers did so by not only dethroning two-time champion and third-place finishing Hereford, but also, by vanquishing runner-up Owings Mills, which was coming off of its Class 2A-1A state dual meet championship victory.


Milford Mill's Adeleke Ibironke won a 130-pound clash of returning fourth-place state finishers, 14-11, over Eastern Tech's Dustin Peddicord, earning his second straight county title in the process.


In addition, his Millers' teammate, Ar-Rashid White (135), edged previously once-beaten Tommy LaVey of Overlea, 5-4, to win his county title as White and Ibironke were among 10 Miford Mill wrestlers who finished in the top four of their respective weight classes.

Former county champ Terrence Owens (125), Patrick Sweet (215) and Charles Blue (171) finished second -- the latter for the second straight year -- Darian Allen (103) and Peter Sweet (189) were third, and Lance Coles (112), Brandon Ragin (152) and Ryan Smith (160)  were all fourth as Millers (211.5 points) dethroned third-place Hereford (194), and out-distanced runner-up Owings Mills (200).


In addition, Milford Mill had a strong, third place finish in the tough, Class 4A-3A North Region, where 10 of its wrestlers finished within the top four of their weight classes to qualify for the Class 4A-3A states. Ibironke, Smith and Blue were second at regions, Allen, Coles  and Owens were third, and White, Ragin and the Sweet twins were all fourth.


At states, Ibironke was third, and Allen, fourth.


The first-team


Name, School, year, weight

Avi Friedman, Owings Mills, Jr., 103

Ben Baker, Pikesville, Jr, 112

Earl Eppard, Lansdowne, Jr.,  119

Deonte Carter, Woodlawn, Jr., 125

Adeleke Ibironke, Milford Mill, Sr., 130

Ar-Rashid White, Milford Mill, Jr., 135

Cody Rosen-Stone, Owings Mills, Sr., 140

Jeremy Keil, Hereford, Sr., 145

Josh Mann, New Town, Sr., 152

Josh Ornstein, Lansdowne, Sr., 152

Tony Mack, Owings Mills, Sr.,  160

Josh Asper, Hereford, Sr., 171

Ryan Pittillo, Perry Hall, Sr., 189

Tyler Weedon, Catonsville, Fr., 189

Andrew Ewers, Parkville, Sr., 215

Julio Trujillo, Owings Mills, Jr., 285

 


The second-team


Name, School, year, weight


Matt Swiger, Hereford, Fr., 103

Darian Allen, Milford Mill, Sr., 103

Philipe Walker, Woodlawn, Jr., 103

Kevin Dufour, Owings Mills, Jr., 112

Britain Sannicolas, Dundalk, Jr., 119

Terrance Owens, Milford Mill, Sr., 125

Dustin Peddicord, Eastern Tech, Sr., 130

Tommy LaVey, Overlea, Sr., 135

David Fouts, Hereford, Jr., 140

Kyron McCoy, Catonsville, Sr., 145

Steve Boyce, Catonsville, Jr., 152

Hector Montoya, Kenwood, Sr., 160

Ryan Smith, Milford Mill, Sr., 160

Charles Blue, Milford Mill, Sr., 171

Peter Sweet, Milford Mill, Sr., 189

Nick Jensen, Pikesville, Sr., 215

Patrick Sweet, Milford Mill, Sr., 215

Ted Kiegler, Dulaney, Sr., 285