It could be a historic state tournament for Anne Arundel girls wrestling at Show Place Arena this weekend, following a season that featured an explosion in participation numbers. The Capital Gazette broke down every meeting including Anne Arundel girls wrestlers ahead of Thursday’s preliminaries.
All rankings come from Legacy Wrestling.
100 pounds
Could this be the first time a wrestler brings a state title to Glen Burnie? And if unbeaten freshman Pashince Gregory were to do that, what would that mean for the next four years?
She would have to pull off an upset to do it. Last year’s 100-pound champion, senior Alexandra Conley of Queen Anne’s, is ranked No. 2 in the state and, like Gregory, takes a bye to the second round. There are other highly ranked wrestlers in the bracket, too.
Ruby Russell of Crofton (No. 12), Olivia Burnett of Meade and Ava Quinlan of Arundel (No. 13) will vie for deep runs.
105
There are no county contenders in this weight class.
110
Meade’s 4A/3A region and county champ, Alanis Sophia Molina, seeks a historic state title for her program. The McDaniel commit is technically an underdog, having lost in the first round last year and entering this tournament unranked. But she’s proven herself this season as one of the best. She takes a bye to the second round.
Like Molina, 4A/3A East Region runner-up Rory Andrews of Crofton and Arundel’s Kennedy Barnes, who placed third, face an uphill battle. The 19th-ranked and 20th-ranked 110-pound wrestlers will have to contend with a good chunk of the previous 18 to get to the final — including last year’s state champ, Madison Birth.
115
Sadly, Southern senior Domenica Gladwell — the two-time defending state champion — ended her season early because of medical reasons. Two Anne Arundel rivals are looking to be the next in line.
Annapolis’ Liv Goldinger, the 4A/3A Region and county champion, enters the bracket with a bye and an undefeated mark, 12-0. The third-ranked 115-pound wrestler could meet her regular sparring partner and 4A/3A Region runner-up Grace Ackermann of Crofton (No. 4) in the final bout.
Both wrestlers are fortunate that the top-ranked and second-ranked wrestlers, Aubrey Ohler of Liberty and Kayla Chin of Kennedy, would have to knock the other out before reaching either county contender. Goldinger would then meet either in the semifinal round. Ackermann could also face Northeast’s Liliana Pinenda, the 4A/3A Region bronze medalist, in an earlier round as well.
120
Northeast senior Adreyanna Weitzel likely wants another shot at Leonardtown freshman Darielle Wood after the Raider defeated her in the 4A/3A Region final last week. The No. 9 county champ sits on the opposite side of the bracket from Wood and could first have a rematch with Arundel’s Michelle Perkins (No. 19) in the semifinal round.
125
This is Lexy Pabon’s title to lose. The two-time state champion rolled to a swift finish in the 4A/3A Region final after choosing to battle boys all season long. Certainly, Meade’s Katherine Brookman or Chesapeake’s Amber Walker would love to take another shot at her.
Still, no one should be surprised if it’s the Crofton senior holding gold at the end of the night.
130
4A/3A Region final competitors Gema Serio of Northeast (No. 17) and Nora Kelly of Crofton (No. 15) can only meet again if it’s for the title. There are a slew of higher-ranked opponents lurking in their path, though.
135
A frustrating 4A/3A Region final that ended in controversy could fuel Northeast junior Sophia Hodges through the bracket. She would be able to get pay back against North Point’s Lena Black until the final. She has, however, beaten several wrestlers drawn ahead of her. She could also meet Crofton’s Breyon Thompson in an earlier round.
140
This is a bracket primed for rematches.
Crofton’s Isabella Coe handed Meade’s Vivian Abalama only her second loss of the season to go on and claim silver in the 4A/3A East Region. Those two, ranked No. 6 and No. 5, respectively, could match up in the semifinal. Both wrestlers have top-ranked Alexandra Ford of Laurel to contend with on their side.
No. 2 Alanna Adams of Severna Park enters the tournament with only three losses and none recently. If she has her best two days, she also has a shot at a medal.
145
Adams’ twin, Alexandra, also takes a bye to the second round. Meade’s Simone Littleford, who Adams split the county and region matchups with, battles on a different side of the bracket. They are ranked No. 16 and No. 15, respectively.
The same goes for Crofton’s Katie Huyssoon, who enters the bracket ranked at No. 6. Huyssoon fell by major decision to Adams last week, but redeemed herself by pinning Arundel’s Autumn Read to make her way into the state bracket in the end.
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North County junior Reese Butler has proven herself a genuine contender after claiming the county and 4A/3A Region titles. She journeyed to the quarterfinal round last year, the No. 5 wrestler could certainly battle further this time.
On the other side of the bracket, both Northeast senior Madelyn Wright and Crofton freshman Lilah Pabon seek redemption.
170
Last year’s state champion has graduated, opening the field for a new one. County champion Alexis Ogundipe (No. 12) has a shot, having only suffered her first loss in a tight region battle last week. Jody Ogundine of Meade (No. 14) could hinder her journey in the semifinal round.
190
The 1-1 chess match between 4A/3A East Region champion Gigi Orellana-Henriquez of Arundel (No. 7) and county champion Jaziah Bond of Northeast (No. 5) could not happen again but for a finals matchup. Higher-ranked girls lurk on both sides of the bracket. That said, the two have already proven themselves capable of upsets.
Severn Run’s Za’Aryia Smith (No. 8) is also in the mix.
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Arundel freshman Laylah Jefferson (No. 9) couldn’t believe she was this year’s county champion. Now, she’ll see if she can have a repeat performance at states. She will have to knock out last year’s runner-up Katrina Adhikari in a late round, though, and that’ll prove tough. Changing schools from Old Mill to Severn Run did nothing to deter Adhikari (No. 10) from success, as she more than doubled her win total this winter.
Both girls, as well as Chesapeake’s Cyleigh Graham, might have to face the defending state champion, Northern’s Emily Boling, or top-ranked Shayla Watson of Queen Anne’s, at some point.
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