Damascus wrestlers fired up for regional, state finals

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008

Damascus wrestlers fired up for regional, state finals

by Dan Greenberg | Staff Writer

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Damascus High wrestling coach Dave Hopkins wants to go out in style. It's the end of the era for him, with his 31-year coaching career with the Swarmin' Hornets concluding after the season. But he wants to be able to put three more banners up in the school's gymnasium before that happens.

He's one-third of the way there.

Buoyed by individual championship victories from seniors Brian Wittenberger and Josh Frederick, the Hornets won the 2008 Montgomery County Public Schools Wrestling Tournament on Monday night at Blair High in Silver Spring with a team score of 159, 26 points ahead of runner-up Magruder and 35.5 points ahead of third-place Springbrook. After falling to Whitman in the 3A-4A State Duals, Damascus now has its swagger back going into the regional and state tournaments in early March.

‘‘We're not done yet - we have two more weeks, baby!” said Hopkins, after his team won its ninth county title in school history. ‘‘This is really sweet to get one of these under our belts. One down, two to go.”

Frederick's 9-5 victory over Quince Orchard's Dake Williams in the 215-pound final cemented the team championship, and also avenged a loss to Williams, the reigning county champion, in the semifinals of last year's tournament.

Meanwhile, Wittenberger's win in the 171-pound final was even more rewarding. In arguably the match of the tournament, he and Springbrook junior Nadjitade Badje went to double overtime after Badje was called for stalling with 15 seconds left in regulation. Badje went up by a point with an escape, but in the final 10 seconds, Wittenberger not only escaped Badje's grasp but took him to his back to secure a 7-4 win.

The comeback prevented Springbrook from having three individual winners. Senior Carlo Galeano defeated Damascus's Zeke Gammill in the 145-pound class, 5-1, while his brother, sophomore Joe Galeano, came back from a 2-0 third-period deficit to stun Churchill's Anthony Vito in the 125-pound final.

‘‘I knew I was down two, so at first I was just trying to move and get out,” said Joe Galeano, who lost his only previous match with Vito earlier this year. ‘‘I just got to my feet and got a hold of him. He's a tough opponent and I'll see him next week [in regionals].”

Magruder took second place on the strength of runner-up finishes from Jordan Tolbert (103), Helen Maroulis (112) and Alex Tolbert (135).

Individual finals Results

103: Rashiem Smith (Blake) pinned Jordan Tolbert (Magruder), 0:53

112: Dan Lethbridge (Paint Branch) pinned Helen Maroulis (Magruder), 1:03

119: Ryan Garey (Watkins Mill), dec. Michael Henning (Northwest), 8-4

125: Joe Galeano (Springbrook) dec. Anthony Vito (Churchill), 3-2

130: Sean McCarty (Northwest) dec. Arthur Holland (Quince Orchard), 6-1

135: Josh Lowy (Sherwood) dec. Alex Tolbert (Magruder), 10-8; OT

140: Steve Miller (Paint Branch) pinned Eric Beverly (Whitman), 1:34

145: Carlo Galeano (Springbrook) dec. Zeke Gammill (Damascus), 5-1

152: Steven Gamble (Sherwood) pinned Bereket Kebede (Blair), 3:24

160: Tim Stewart (Paint Branch) dec. Aaron Norris (Whitman), 2-1