Thursday, March 22, 2007

A banner year on the mat

2007 All-County Wrestling Team

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Christopher Anderson⁄The Bowie Star
The Star⁄Gazette All-County Wrestling team includes: (seated, from left) Eric Bulger, Wrestler of the Year Michael Bressler, Tobe Onyekweli; (standing, from left) Derrell Qualls, Charles McIntosh, Ronnie Sinclair, Andrew Bannister, James Chenault, Tim Joseph, Coach of the Year Mike McRae, Will Harkins, Matt Dugan, Bradley Eden, Mike Munno. Not pictured: Steve Sargent.
Wrestler of the Year

Michael Bressler, Progressive Christian Academy, 152 pounds: The senior moved up to 152 pounds and still maintained a No. 1 ranking by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. Bressler finished his high school career with a 249-34 record, including 49-7 this season. He defended his titles at the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament and St. Albans (D.C.) Tournament, and also won at St. Benedict’s (N.J.) and Manassas Park (Va.). Bressler was fourth at the National Preps Tournament in Bethlehem, Pa. He will wrestle next season at Messiah College, a private Christian college in Grantham, Pa.

Coach of the Year

Mike McRae, Eleanor Roosevelt: This was thought to be a rebuilding campaign for Eleanor Roosevelt, with many new faces and limited experience. But McRae, along with assistant coach David Brown and volunteer assistants Dean Duffy, Will Levy and Rob Korlewitz, saw their team respond with a 13-1 mark that included a win over three-time county champ Bowie and a berth in the 4A⁄3A South Region Duals. The Raiders, 9-5 last season, joined Oxon Hill as runners-up at the county tournament. They were also sixth in the 4A⁄3A South Region and qualified three wrestlers for the state tournament.

First team

Tobe Onyekweli, DeMatha, 103 pounds: In his freshman season, Onyekweli won 45 of 59 matches, 23 by pinfall, and advanced to the National Preps where he won three matches. He won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title and was the runner-up at St. Albans (D.C.).

Andrew Bannister, Bishop McNamara, 112 pounds: Ranked No. 1 all season by the Maryland State Wrestling Association, the sophomore defended his state title to remain the Forestville school’s only state wrestling champion. He also defended his titles at the WCAC Tournament and Northern High Tournament and has 110 wins in two seasons at McNamara.

James Chenault, St. Vincent Pallotti, 119 pounds: Chenault finished his high school career with a trip to the National Preps as part of a 36-14 campaign, 28 wins coming by pinfall. The Panther captain was fourth at the private schools state tournament and the Maryland Independent Athletic Association Tournament.

Ronnie Sinclair, Bowie, 125 pounds: After settling for county runner-up honors in 2006, the junior got the job done in 2007 on a pinfall and two shutout decisions en route to a 31-9 mark, four more wins than last season. He was one of Bowie’s five county champions that helped lead the team to its third consecutive county title.

Eric Bulger, Bowie, 130 pounds: Bulger pinned his way through the county tournament, not going past the second period in any match en route to winning the title. The junior won a pair of matches at the 4A⁄3A South Region tournament, and finished with 34 victories this season.

Matt Dugan, DeMatha, 135 pounds: A busy season for Dugan ended with 61 victories and 35 falls. The junior is the top-rated private school wrestler in the state and No. 3 overall. Dugan was a repeat WCAC winner and was third for a second consecutive season at the private states.

Mike Munno, DeMatha, 140 pounds: Munno’s 44-win campaign was capped off with a pair of wins at the National Preps. The junior won his first WCAC crown and was a runner-up at Delmarva. Twenty-nine of his victories this season came by pinfall.

Steve Sargent, DeMatha, 145 pounds: A four-time WCAC champion and National Preps placer, the senior overcame injuries to finish 49-8 with 34 falls this season. He finished his career at 191-33 with 116 falls. Sargent, ranked No. 2 in the state, will attend West Virginia University.

Charles McIntosh, Bowie, 160 pounds: McIntosh qualified for his first 4A⁄3A state tournament and then reached the final. A three-time county champ and Murphy Award winner, the senior captured his first 4A⁄3A South Region title and finished 30-6.

Will Harkins, Oxon Hill, 171 pounds: A county runner-up last season, Harkins secured the top prize this year. The senior was the 4A⁄3A South Region runner up to Clyde Jones of Lackey, who went on to win the state title. Harkins finished at 29-7, and will attend Catholic University in the District.

Bradley Eden, DeMatha, 189 pounds: In his debut on the mat, the junior scored 42 falls out of 50 victories going back and forth between 189 and 215. He went 43-10 at 189. He was third at the private schools state tournament and a National Preps qualifier.

Tim Joseph, Eleanor Roosevelt, 215 pounds: In his second season on the mat, the senior improved from an unplaced finisher at the county tournament to a 30-win campaign that included a county title, a runner-up finish in the 4A⁄3A South Region and two victories at the state tournament.

Derrell Qualls, Bowie, 285 pounds: The senior defended his county crown last month, then won his first 4A⁄3A South Region title and qualified for his first state event, where he placed sixth after reaching the championship semifinals.

Second Team

103: Isauro Rojas, Bladensburg; 112: Tyler Smith, Bowie; 119: Jordan Murphy, Oxon Hill; 125: Andre Wilcox, Oxon Hill; Kelly Quinn, Gwynn Park; 130: Shea Brown, Roosevelt; Phil Denton, McNamara; 135: James McLean, Bowie; 140: Logan Putnam, Progressive Christian; Ricardo Andrews, Roosevelt; 145: Eric Azebu, Roosevelt; Dremeele Murphy, Gwynn Park; 152: Jemmelle Murphy, Gwynn Park; Nathan Cortes-Peck, DeMatha; 160: Anthony Nero, Bladensburg; Rodney Carr, Gwynn Park; 171: Mike Aguggia, DeMatha; 189: Chris McCaslin, Roosevelt; Emmanuel Okafor, DuVal; 215: Will Willman, DeMatha; 285: DeAnthony Cloyd, Friendly; Nigel Cross, Oxon Hill.

All-county teams are selected by the Star⁄Gazette sports staff based on athletes’ performances and nominations from coaches. Staff writer Adam Rubenstein compiled the report on this page.

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