By Marty Fowler
If one of your signature moves in wrestling is a split-cradle, or spadle, then the takedown shot attempt that you most want your rival to take is a straight-up, squared-up double-leg.
Entering their 171-pound bout on Tuesday night at sixth-ranked Archbishop Spalding, Kvaunte Smith was known for his powerful double-leg takedown -- considered the most basic of scoring maneuvers from the neutral position.
And Matt Mullett of the visiting No. 1-ranked Gaels was known for flattening even some of the nation's best with the spladle counter off of the double-leg, having done so, most recently, to previously unbeaten, Ed Ruth of Blair Academy, to overcome a 7-0 lead for the fall on the way to a seventh place finish at the prestigious Beast of The East Tournament.
As a freshman, two years ago, Mullett had similarly finished McDonogh's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and private schools state champion, Alex Pagnotta, overcoming an 8-2 deficit for the fall despite having risen from 145 pounds to face a former 171-pound Pagnotta at 160.
On Tuesday night, however, it appeared that the will and power of Smith were simply too much for Mullett, against whom the sophomore scored four takedows -- the first two on double-leg shots -- and allowed three escapes on the way to a surprising 9-3 victory.
Smith scored two each in double-leg takedowns, a sweep-single-leg takedown, as well as a shrug.
And after each score, Smith continued to "cut" Mullett in order to face the junior on their feet.
"I wanted to make him tie up with me and wrestle my match, and I knew that I could score from the neutral position. I knew that he would look for the spladle, so when I shot, I shot in for my double and I stayed strong and powerful to keep him off balance," said Smith, concerning his ability to counter Mullet's spladle. "I set up my sweep-single," Smith said. "And when I got his leg, I brought it up really quick so he could not get his move."
Their match was the first of the night in an MIAA clash at Archbishop Spalding.
Smith has finished second at prestigious War Of The Short to Mount St. Joseph's MIAA and private schools' state runner-up, Kevin Bowman, losiing, 8-5, in the finals of that event.
A sophomore, Smith, however, was coming off of Saturday's, 5-3, come-from-behind overtime victory over district champion, John Dommert, of Virginia's Thomas Dale.
Dommert, rated fourth in Virginia's Class AAA rankings, had a one-point lead before Smith escaped with one second left in regulation to force overtime.
There, he won the match with a double-leg takedown, narrowly beating the buzzer that would have signaled double-overtime.
Smith had spent most of regulation trying to escape Dommert’s powerful leg rides.
Smith had reached the finals on pins over Archbishop Curley's John Feeley and Loyola's Matt Hnatiuk, respectively, before winning, 11-4, over Chesapeake's Chris Urps.
