Smithsburg's 103-pound Monica Hovermale (top) survived nearly being pinned to win this first-round bout, 18-10, over Evan Peck of Marriotts Ridge. She lost her next bout, but can still finish in the top six of her weight class.
Magruder's 112-pound Helen Maroulis (top) rebounded from this first-round loss to Reservoir's Ben O'Keefe to remain in the hunt for her second career placement in the top six of her weight class. Maroulis, two years ago, became the first female to place at states when she finished sixth at Class 4A-3A states.
(See Monica Hovermale vs. Evan Peck videos below)
It was exactly seven days ago on Friday night that Smithsburg's top seeded 103-pound sophomore wrestler Monica Hovermale led her first-round Class 2A-1A West Regional bout only to allow herself to get decked by her eighth-seeded rival.
Hovermale rebounded to pin three straight opponents on the way to a third-place finish, one that helped her to become only the second female to qualify for the Class 2A-1A state tournament with a goal of being the first girl to win at match on the Class 2A-1A side.
But in Friday night's first round of the Class 2A-1A states at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House, Hovermale found herself in the same place she had a week earlier: Nearly flat on her back and in danger of being pinned.
For after having built a lead of 18-5, and after having nearly pinned Marriotts Ridge senior, Evan Peck, on three different occasions, Hovermale was reversed to her back with about a minute and 40 seconds to go.
This time, however, the two-time Washington County titlist showed her resiliency, fighting off the pin for the remainder of the match to salvage a great deal of pride as well as a history-making, 18-10 major decision.
"I was thinking that it was just like the last time, when I was up by some points on the kid, and I wound up getting pinned," said Hovermale, whose record, following a quarterfinal loss in her next bout against Owings Mills' Avi Friedman, slipped to 25-4. "I didn't want that to happen again."
After having been pinned by the unbeaten Friedman, who defeated her for the second time this season, Hovermale dropped into the consolation rounds, where she will face South Carroll's Class 4A-3A West Regional champion Chris Wampler on Saturday.
Hovermale, the first female to win a Washington County title, has 45 wins in two high school seasons, as well as 35 career falls during that time.
Hovermale needs a win over Wampler and one more after that to secure herself a place in the top six of the Class 2A-1A states and the right to be called the first girl to accomplish the feat.
With Hovermale and Magruder of Montgomery County's 112-pound junior, Helen Maroulis, on the Class 4A-3A side, two girls have qualified for states for the fourth straight year.
Maroulis (112), who,
in 2006, became the first female state placewinner by finishing sixth
in Class 4A-3A, lost her first round bout, 10-8, to Reservoir of Howard County's Ben O'Keefe.
Maroulis won her second match, however, 8-5, over Trevor Lee of C.H. Flowers, and now, like Hovermale, needs to win twice more to place in the top six of her weight class.
No two girls have placed at states during the same year.
In
2005, Arundel's Nicole Woody and Western Tech's Jade Hendricks became
the state's first female qualifiers, going 0-2 at 103 pounds in Class
4A-3A and Class 2A-1A, respectively.
In 2006, Maroulis placed sixth at
112 pounds, and Woody did not place, although she became the first girl
to pin a boy at states.
Last
year, Woody and Maroulis qualified, yet again, with Woody becoming a
state runner-up -- the first female to reach state finals. Maroulis
(33-4), this year, became the first female finalist in Montgomery
County's Tournament, as well as the first girl to reach the Class 4A-3A
West Region final.