Pete Laye should’ve been done for.
The Seahawk, a first-year varsity wrestler, had been taken down, warped into pretzels and flattened by Chesapeake’s 132-pound Michael Greenstreet for three periods. The 13-2 ditch looked to be quickly swerving toward a tech fall.
South River had padding on the scoreboard, but couldn’t really afford to have its lead whittled down with so many bouts left in the Class 3A East Region dual final. Unbeaten county champion Chesapeake was just too dangerous with its momentum unchained. Some of its most dangerous grapplers were shedding their warm-up shirts and strapping headgear.
“I just felt it,” Laye said. “I just wanted to stay dangerous.”
Even as Greenstreet pelted Laye with points, Chesapeake’s coach heard the same three words all match: “He’s too strong.” In a flash, Laye locked the Cougar beneath him and squished him until his shoulder blades surrendered to the mat — and the Seahawk earned the pin.
The sudden roar from the South River bench wasn’t just for their newbie’s miraculous comeback, but for all the doubt that fogged the team early in the winter, for two bitter losses to Broadneck and Old Mill — and for what this particular win would mean.
Laye’s pivotal pin delivered South River the momentum it needed to hold off Chesapeake, 45-21. It’s deja vu for many of the Seahawks, who upset last year’s top county team, Broadneck, in the same round to advance to the state dual semifinals.
“We kinda like being the underdog,” heavyweight Busayo Balogun said. “That’s where we really come through.”
With the win, South River, a squad of mostly newcomers all the way up to 138 pounds, is returning to North Point on Saturday, not to defend last year’s Class 4A title, but to see if they can conquer 3A, too.
“They’ve been working real hard, listening and fighting in these matches,” Seahawks coach John Klessinger said. “The biggest improvement I saw in this and the Arundel match [a 42-32 semifinal win Thursday] was not giving up falls, not giving up bonus points. They just kept fighting.”
After Chesapeake pushed ahead by three, 9-6, after a win at 215, it was imperative that Balogun — a favorite to battle in for the county heavyweight championship — not let this one go.
Through nearly three periods, the burly Seahawk preserved a thin one-point lead over Xander Dodds. The Cougar jabbed at Balogun, winding up to shoot and potentially grab two late points before time expired and win.
“I heard Chesapeake bumped up their 215. That’s disrespectful. And I took it to heart,” Balogun said.
Balogun claimed the two points first. When the third frame clock hit 12 seconds, Balogun swung all 285 pounds over Dodds’ back closed out a win that tied the dual at 9.
His smaller teammates took his cue. Jackson Peeples at 106 and 113-pounder Andrew Veilleux curled their Cougar opponents into pins.
Chesapeake’s Brayden Roberts (120) and South River’s Ethan Burger exchanged pins to leave South River’s lead at 24-12.
“We’ve grown a ton,” Klessinger said. “And they work hard. That’s the key to being successful in this sport.”
If Laye hasn’t secured that pin at 132, what Owen Collins did at the next weight would’ve stung South River like a scorpion’s tail. Collins muscled his Seahawk into Chesapeake’s first pin, cutting the lead to 30-18. And that would’ve worsened to a fever pitch with Ethan Mills’ subsequent decision.
“It was a crushing blow,” Chesapeake coach Randy Curtin said.
“We need you McWaters” rippled through the Seahawks bench as 150-pound Ethan McWaters hit the mat. He did not fail them.
His 15-9 decision was followed by Evan Paximadas’ 49-second pin. By 165, it didn’t matter what Phillips did for South River. But he brought them a fall anyway.
“We preach the same thing every year. That’s what makes us different,” Balogun said. “It doesn’t matter which kids come in, they know our standard and they know what to do.”
For Chesapeake, the unexpected chop in the regional final forces the Cougars to abruptly turn to county championships and the individual postseason.
Some Cougars swallowed this fact harder than others, Curtin said. But he consoled them all with the same words
“We live to fight another day. South River’s a solid team from top to bottom with not one weakness. They just came to wrestle hard tonight,” Curtin said. “We just tell our team, move on to counties next.”
Against Arundel, six Seahawks earned falls — Phillips, Aidan Healy, Peeples, Veilleux, Shipley and Burger. In Chesapeake’s semifinal against Crofton, Roberts and Greenstreet had pins while the Cardinals heavyweight Val Patterson had his own. Keanu Furbush (175) recorded a pin for Chesapeake against South River.