WRESTLERS BECK, GOODWIN, KROP, OZIAS, PRADA, OTHERS TRAIN FOR FARGO

by Lem Satterfield

(See video highlights and interviews below)


Kevin Beck will return to his junior season next year with the potential to be Atholton's most successful wrestler in the school's history.

In March, Beck completed a school-record 39-1 season at 103 pounds by becoming the Raiders' eighth titlist -- but only their first sophomore winner -- when he defeated Blake of Montgomery County's Rasheim Smith, 6-4, for the Class 4A-3A state title.

A Howard County and Class 4A-3A East Region champion, Beck can become not only the Raiders' first repeat state titlist, but also, the first to win three straight.

But as tough at Smith was during a match in which Beck required injury time to recover from being inadvertantly slammed on his head by his physically more mature rival, Beck's opposition during a Monday workout at the Timonium-based Cary Kolat Training Center was at least four times greater.

Beck was the smallest wrestler, physically, in a rotation that sometimes included Class 4A-3A state champ Adam Krop of Urbana, Class 2A-1A state runner-up Lex Ozias of Southern Garrett and National Preps runner-up Frankie Goodwin of Mount St. Joseph -- all of whom competed at 112 pounds last season.
 

"The main reason why it's so intense in here is that there are no breaks. Everybody's got their accolades. Everybody's hardworking," said Beck, whose record at Atholton surpassed that of 2006 graduate Rob Eloshway, who went 36-1 on the way to earning the Class 2A-1A state title as a senior.

"Whenever you go live, you never have any weak kids to wrestle.These are all tough guys," Beck said. "I'm going to stay with wrestling year round. That's why I'm here."
 
Including DeMatha's returning third place state finisher, Pat Prada, the five wrestlers were among some nearly 30 participants who were in preperation for the July 19--26 Cadet Greco Roman and Freestyle Cadet Nationals to be contested in the Fargo Dome at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D.

"This is just the best in Maryland," said Goodwin. "We're all trying to get everybody better so that we can all go to Fargo and be good, and, to hopefully place."

A runner-up in both the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and private schools' state tournaments as a freshman, Goodwin, as a sophomore last season, was a titlist at the prestigious Mount Mat Madness Invitational as well as a National Preps runner-up -- the latter despite having to overcome a jaw injury which forced his absence from last year's MIAA and private schools tournaments. 

Goodwin ended last season as the No. 1-ranked 112-pounder in a class that included Krop, Ozias and River Hill's two-time state champion, Scott Mantua.

Goodwin's brother, Tyler, also was on hand at Kolat's training center as well, and will be a freshman at Mount St. Joseph starting in the fall and compete at 103 pounds.
 
"[Tyler's] really good. A completely different wrestler than me. He should do good at states," said Goodwin, whose weight class at Mount Mat Madness next season could include Ozias, Krop and Prada.

"All of those guys are really good," Goodwin said. "If you mess up one time, it could be the match. It depends where we're all at. Some of us could go up a weight class. I'll be at 112 or 119."

Krop was joined by Hawks' teammate, Peter Tatanish (130) as an individual Class 4A-3A state titlist.
 
Urbana also won its Class 4A-3A North Regional crown, and split dual meet bouts with Class 4A-3A state dual meet tournament runner-up North Carroll of Carroll County. The Hawks were Class 4A-3A state tournament runners-up to LaPlata of Charles County.

Krop simply mastered most of his competition on the way to going 38-1 last season, with his lone defeat being up at 119-pounds by a decision to North Carroll's Mason Goretsas, who was the Class 4A-3A runner-up at 119.

At states, Krop scored a 19-2 technical fall, an 11-0 major decision, a 6-0 decision over Broadneck's fourth-place state finisher, Houston Zemanski, and then pinned returning third-place finisher, Danny Lethbridge of Paint Branch, who is a two-time Montgomery County champ.

"I think that it's great that our coaches have scheduled some tougher events to pick up the competition. I think that's going to prepare us a lot more for the state tournament. Last year, we had a lot of stage fright with the big surroundings," said Krop.

"The large scale of Mount Mat Madness should better prepare us for the state tournament and definitely help our guys out," Krop said. "We might take some beatings, but I think that it will help us in the long run and help us when it counts."

Ozias took a 39-0 record into his Class 2A-1A state title bout opposite River Hill's Mantua, an earlier, 8-4 loser of a dual meet bout against Krop, whom Mantua had beaten, 9-3, a year earlier.

Tied late at 4-4 late in his bout with Mantua, Ozias fell, eventually, 8-4. Ozias and his Southern squad were Class 2A-1A state tournament runners-up to the overall champion, Glenelg, of Howard County.

But like Krop, Ozias is looking forward to next season, when his goal, as an individual and for the team, will be to earn state titles.

Along with Ozias, Southern Garrett returns two-time state champ, George Scheffel, who will be a junior. Also back for Southern Garrett will be sophomore Jacob Scheffel, who was third at states.

"The Southern Mat Club youth league has really stepped up and produced a lot of good kids into the high school league," said Ozias, who then referred to next year's Mount Mat Madness in particular, and the season in general.

"I think that our team has a good opportunity," Ozias said. "And it's going to be nice to go to a big tournament with a lot of competition like that."

Prada is among the state's most improved wrestlers, and will return as a DeMatha junior to what will be just his third season of wrestling next year.
 
A former baseball player, Prada, nevertheless, placed third at last year's private schools state tournament as a 103-pound sophomore.

"I've only been wrestling for two years. My friend...got me into it. So I tried out, and it looked like I was fitting in pretty well. I really have to step my game up a level to compete with the best," said Prada, an avid weight-lifter prior to wrestling who hopes to compete at 112 pounds next year.

"I was always the small guy in baseball, so I really had to build up my strength and everything to compete," Prada said. "But I gave up baseball, and I'm still lifting hard at home and everything."