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‘‘I wasn’t thinking much about it all this year,” Lowy said of the state title. ‘‘I was thinking about continuing to improve. I really didn’t start feeling the pressure until the week before this tournament. I kind of took it as a year to relax because in the past I had to fight real hard to win and this time I was a level above everybody. I was trying new stuff all year, expanding my repertoire.

‘‘Before this tournament, I really started to feel the pressure. It was effecting the way I was practicing, the way I was feeling in school. I felt maybe that way in my freshman and sophomore year.”

Lowy certainly didn’t act stressed out, however, cruising past his first three opponents before rallying from an early deficit to defeat Lobuglio. Trailing 2-0 early in the championship match, Lowy took control with an escape and then a takedown with 27 seconds left in the first period. He followed with another escape and takedown in the second period and scored a takedown 29 seconds into the third period to open up a six-point lead.

Besides beating Lobuglio, Lowy scored a 12-1 win against Bowie’s Eric Bulger (34-8), a pin of Mount Hebron’s Tyler Girch (34-5) in 1 minute, 53 seconds and a 12-0 major decision against Chopticon’s Sam Cannon (32-5).

‘‘It’s a tough time being a three-timer, going for it,” said Sherwood coach Scott Beattie. ‘‘He had some rough moments this week but he sucked it up. He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever had. I’m going to miss him.”

With those victories, Lowy (40-0), who has been accepted at Princeton University (N.J.) but might spend a year at prep school powerhouse Blair Academy (N.J.), first became the county’s ninth three-time champion, joining the ranks of former Sherwood wrestlers Mike Truby (1983, ’84 and ’85) and Frank Edwards (1998, ’99, 2000).

Whitman’s Eren Civan was the last county wrestler to capture three state titles, winning at 130, 140 and 152 pounds the past three years, but a knee injury earlier this season left him sidelined for all three championship meets. Civan, who has had surgery to repair the knee, will wrestle at Columbia University (N.Y.) next year.

‘‘I feel a lot of relief because a lot of that pressure is off me and I’m ready to move on,” said Lowy, who won at 103 and 119 pounds the past two years. ‘‘I felt nervous before all of these matches.”

Lowy was one of three finalists for Sherwood, which finished in fourth place behind Old Mill (108.5), La Plata (99.5) and Damascus (74.5). Paint Branch (52) placed eighth and Quince Orchard (46.5) grabbled ninth to give the county four teams in the top 10.

His teammates, however, didn’t fare as well as senior Rhett Beattie (135 pounds, 37-4) dropped a 7-3 decision to Northern-Calvert’s Collin Leadbeter (34-0) and sophomore Steven Gamble (145, 31-2) fell 2-1 to Dulaney’s Matt Jacobs (41-1).

‘‘I felt good before the match but I hadn’t ever won a match at states before,” said Rhett Beattie, who missed the regional and state meets a year ago because of illness. ‘‘I wanted first but I’m happy with second. My dad [Duke Beattie] runs the tournament. He brought it to Cole Field and brought it the Parade of Champions [a walk of the finalists and their families around the mats prior to the final round].

‘‘My freshman year, when he first did that at Cole Field House, I thought, `God, wouldn’t it be awesome to walk in the parade my dad created’ so I can’t complain.”

Meteoric Mascio

Mike Mascio’s first two appearances at the state tournament ended rather abruptly as the Quince Orchard wrestler failed to win a match in four tries. He erased all of that futility, however, last weekend, not only capturing his first state meet bout but the 160-pound weight class with a sweep of his four opponents.

Mascio, who recorded just eight wins as a freshman, completed that impressive run with a 5-3 come-from-behind win over Bowie’s Charles McIntosh (38-6). Trailing 3-1 early in the third period, Mascio (34-4) scored a four-point move – a takedown and two-point near fall – on a lateral drop to pull out the win.

‘‘I was just pushing, pushing, pushing [and] he stepped up and started pushing into me so I went for it,” Mascio said. ‘‘It’s a pretty risky move but I just saw it and I went for it. We both pretty much wrestle the same.

‘‘When I got him [down] I was trying not to let him up. I was doing everything in my power to not let him up.”

While Mascio experienced the biggest moment of his wrestling career, Northwest junior Sean McCarty endured perhaps the toughest loss of his career.

Facing the same wrestler who gave him his only loss a year ago, Old Mill’s Greg Saumenig, McCarty (35-1) was tagged with two costly stalling points, including the match clincher for a 6-5 overtime loss to Saumenig in the 125-pound final.

At the time of the call, McCarty and Saumenig (39-3) were locked up on their feet with neither attempting a takedown as both were cautious throughout the match. McCarty led 3-2 in the third period but was called for stalling for a 3-3 tie. Saumenig led 5-4 after a takedown with 25 seconds remaining but he was called for stalling with two seconds left in the third period to force overtime.

‘‘[The official] said he was stalling,” Northwest coach Joe Vukovich said. ‘‘He said he wasn’t taking shots. These are two kids who are evenly matched. They didn’t want to make a mistake. They were both wrestling hesitant. For a referee to end a state final on a stalling call, I’ve never seen it. You may never see this again.”

Not a banner year

The two individual state championships was the lowest achieved by the county, which won a combined 13 the last two years, since 2001 when Churchill’s Danny April and Paint Branch’s Adam James were the only county wrestlers to win titles.

A handful of wrestlers did take third-place medals, including Clarksburg freshman Tanner Wrublik (34-9), who upended Lansdowne’s Earl Eppard (36-2) by a 3-2 score in the 112-pound consolation final at the 2A-1A state tournament also held at Cole Field House.

Paint Branch’s Danny Lethbridge (112, 39-1) and Wilfred Beah (189, 37-3), Whitman’s Will Sharbaugh (119, 18-3), Damascus’s Brian Wittenberger (152, 31-4), Wheaton’s Dave Foreman (171, 35-2), Wootton’s Andy Rampp (215, 35-3) also placed third in their respective weight classes at the 4A-3A meet.

Wittenberger won five straight matches after dropping his opening bout. ‘‘I said, ‘Brian, how many people do that,’” Damascus coach Dave Hopkins said. ‘‘About one percent.”

4A-3A state wrestling tournament

Team results

1. Old Mill 108.5; 2. La Plata 99.5; 3. Damascus 74.5; 4. Sherwood 69; 5. North Carroll 66; 6. Northern-Calvert 64; 7. Severna Park 58; 8. Paint Branch 52; 9. Quince Orchard 46.5; 10. River Hill 43.

Individual finals results (county entrants only)

125 – Greg Saumenig (Old Mill) d. Sean McCarty (Northwest), 6-5 (OT)130 – Andy Lowy (Sherwood) d. Timmy Lobuglio (Old Mill), 8-2135 – Collin Leadbeter (Northern-Calvert) d. Rhett Beattie (Sherwood), 7-3145 – Matt Jacobs (Dulaney) d. Steven Gamble (Sherwood), 2-1160 – Mike Mascio (Q. Orchard) d. Charles McIntosh (Bowie), 5-3