2014-2015 Season Achievements of Some of Catoctin’s Talented Wrestlers
Joshua Small, the 113 pounder, qualified for the state tournament in his first year, no easy feat for a freshman. But Small is not your average freshman wrestler. He has wrestled, and placed, in large tournaments before, even at the national level. He has a relentless, aggressive style that is exciting to watch: no surprises, just straight forward and basic. He faced the Eastern regional champion in prelims, but was unable to upend his opponent, losing a very close 9-8 decision. A second loss in consolations bumped him from the contest. The stats he posted, however, were exemplary, including a perfect 13-0 dual meet record, 4-4 at Bauerlien, 6-1 at the Catoctin Duals, and an eighth place finish at the Hub Cup. He placed second in the county tournament, losing in finals by two points to the eventual fifth place finisher at states, and fourth at regionals. He received a first team MVAL All-Conference nomination, a Frederick News Post All-Area 2nd team bid, and received the Maryland Minds-in-Motion Scholar-Athlete award. He is ranked No. 24 in the state, and wraps up a fine freshman year with an impressive 29-13 record.
Payne Harrison, the 220-pound junior, made his first appearance at states, overcoming a narrowly missed opportunity last year with a close defeat at the regional tournament. Harrison wrestled a dominating match, winning a 9-2 decision in prelims against the Eastern regional champion. The next round found him in consolations after suffering a defeat by the eventual sixth place finisher. A determined Harrison, knowing that another loss would eliminate him from the competition, won a hard-fought 1-0 decision to advance. Harrison was unable to continue his quest for state placement after an equally hard-fought 2-1 loss stopped him from moving forward. Harrison was one win, just a couple of points away, from a guaranteed medal. His improvement is evident with a 9-3 regular dual total, a 4-4 showing at Bauerlien, an impressive third-place finish, going 4-1 at the Hub Cup, and an equally impressive 6-1 tally at the Catoctin Duals. He placed fourth in the county, winning two matches, and earned his first state bid with a 3-2 record and fourth-place finish at regionals. He was an MVAL All-Conference and Frederick News Post All-Area honorable mention, and a Maryland Minds-in-Motion scholar-athlete award recipient. His winning percentage soared from the previous year with a 30-15 season record.
At 106 pounds, Zachary Bryant, also an experienced and battle-tested freshman, but with a style anything but basic, achieved a spot in the 16-man bracket at states as well. Owning an unpredictable and high-risk wrestling style, Bryant wowed the crowd on many occasions with his well-timed and well-executed surprises. At states, he subdued his first two opponents by pinning them, guaranteeing at least a sixth-place finish. After a frustrating loss in semis, Bryant squeaked out an 8-7 victory on the consolation side of competition. He lost his last bout, but secured a fourth-place finish for his efforts. In dual meet action, 13-0 Bryant, was unbeaten. He went 6-2 at Bauerlien, 6-1 at the Catoctin Duals, and was a Hub Cup finalist. A pair of second-place finishes in the county and regional tournaments, as well as the fourth-place accomplishment at states, resulted in MVAL All-Conference 1st team honors and a Frederick News Post All-Area second team designation. With a state rank of No. 17, the Maryland Minds-in-Motion Scholar-Athlete award recipient concludes his season with a noteworthy 35-8 record.
Making his first appearance at Cole as a competitor and not a spectator, 170-pound Kevin Simmel’s storied run at a state title was long overdue. Simmel posted a promising 23-7 record as a sophomore before he was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. He would miss half the season while rehabbing after surgery. As a junior, Simmel’s competition was cut short only eight matches into the season after suffering a broken arm. Again, he would have to watch as his teammates chased their goals, and again, he would have to put his own ambitions on hold.
This year, a healthy, determined, and physically dominant Simmel proved to be a top competitor, raising the inquiry of what might have been had his career not been interrupted twice by tragedy. At the state level, he easily handled his first opponent, winning by technical fall; he won a hard-fought 12-8 decision in his next bout, and in semis, narrowly edged his challenger by a 8-7 double-overtime victory. He lost a very close and very controversial 4-2 finals battle in which action was stopped by the referee after Simmel lifted and threw his opponent to his back, apparently securing a take-down and quite possibly, near-fall points. Action resumed, however, with no change in position and without points being awarded, again begging the question, what might have been.
Simmel went 11-2 in regular dual meet action, posted perfect records at both the Bauerlien and Catoctin Duals, and was a Hub Cup finalist. He won his first Frederick County championship in dramatic, knock-down drag-out fashion in a very deep and talented field, was both a regional and state finalist, and was honored by the Frederick News Post as an all-area first-team wrestler. He received MVAL All-Conference 2nd team praise and is ranked fourth in the state by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. He has a career total of 91-28, and his impressive 36-5 senior record will long be remembered as one of the county’s Cinderella stories of high school wrestling.
Garrett Buckley ends his extraordinary career with four straight trips to the state tournament.
As a freshman, he earned the team’s highest placement with third-place finish. He settled for fifth place in his sophomore year, but fell short of making the podium as a junior in a deep 132-pound weight class. Moving up two weight classes and coming into the tournament as the number one seed at 145 pounds, Buckley made quick work of his first opponent with a pin twenty-five seconds into the second period. He won a tight, back-and-forth 7-3 decision in quarter finals, advancing him to semis where he would face an undefeated returning state champion. Buckley was unable to advance, losing a 12-3 major decision to the eventual two-time state champion. A determined Buckley would not lose again. He achieved two straight hard-fought victories in the consolation bracket, guaranteeing himself a third-place finish and a third state medal to add to his collection. Buckley posted an 11-2 dual meet record, went 7-1 at Bauerlien, and wrestled to a fifth-place finish at the Hub Cup. He was undefeated, boasting a perfect 7-0 showing at the Catoctin Duals and placed second in the county tournament, losing in finals to the eventual state champion on the 3A-4A side. Buckley excited the crowd with his unique, hard-charging and fast-paced wrestling style as he swept the state-ranked competition en route to winning the regional championship. He was recognized with a Fredrick News Post All-Area First Team team bid and an honorable mention selection to the MVAL All-Conference team. Buckley holds the rank of number ten in the state, wraps up his senior year with a 37-8 record and an outstanding 146-35 career record, giving him the second greatest number of wins by any wrestler in Catoctin High School history.
Like Buckley, Charlie Perella, the 152-pound senior, also made his fourth consecutive appearance at the state tournament in as many years. He placed fourth as a freshman and twice became the Maryland state champion, winning back-to-back titles by pin his sophomore year and in overtime his junior year. Achieving this feat made Perella the only Catoctin High wrestler ever to win two state titles. Perella overwhelmed his first two opponents, winning by pin in prelims and by a 17-2 technical fall in quarter-finals. A 9-4 victory by decision in semis launched him into his third straight state finals exhibition against the rival that took him to overtime the year before, an undefeated returning finalist looking for revenge. The match was similar to their prior meeting: a scoreless first period and a one-point advantage by Perella in the second by way of escape. After an assertive ride by Perella in the third period, his opponent managed to tie the score with thirteen seconds left in regulation, once again forcing overtime action. Seconds into the sudden-death period, Perella, in his typical calm, but deliberate punishing style, was able to gain his opponents back, lift him into the air, and put him on the mat for the win and his third straight state title, the 7th individual claim for Catoctin High School. The Nymeo/WFMD March 2015 Athlete of the Month posted a perfect 13-0 dual meet total, as well as an 8-0, undefeated showing at the Bauerlien Duals. He was a Hub Cup finalist and went 7-1 at the Catoctin Duals. He claimed his fourth consecutive Frederick County title, the first Catoctin wrestler to achieve that feat and only the eleventh overall. He was also named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler and received the Fred Burgee Award for the second time in his career. He won his third consecutive regional crown en route to the third state title and was recognized by the Frederick News Post with an All-Area First Team bid and as the 2015 wrestler of the year. He received a first team MVAL All-Conference designation, a Maryland Minds-in-Motion Scholar-Athlete award, and an MSWA All-Academic team selection. He is ranked No. 3 in the state by the MSWA and has been ranked as high as No. 25 nationally by USA Wrestling Magazine. He concludes his senior year with a 40-2 record and a career mark of 159-18 with 94 pins, to tie the Frederick County wins record and making him the all-time leader in wins for Catoctin High school and No. 7 all-time for Maryland public high school wins.
CYA wrestler, seventh grader Jacob Baker, wrestling in the 12 and under division at 122 pounds, won his second straight Maryland State Wrestling Association title with a dominating performance that included a 15-0 technical fall at 2:51 in his first match, a 53 second pin in semis, and a 1:22 pin in finals. Jacob becomes the sixth CYA wrestler to win a Maryland state title and just the third individual to claim a pair of titles in his youth league wrestling career. Catoctin High School wrestlers Charlie Perella won MSWA championships in 2010 and 2011, and Zachary Bryant prevailed in 2010 and 2012.
Former CYA wrestler Colby Keilholtz, representing the Warhawks Wrestling Club, placed second after a 3-1 loss in finals in the 10 and under, 85 pound bracket. Colby won a state title in 2013 while representing the Frederick Fight Club.
Catoctin High Schools’s Unified Sports Team Members Compete in Special Olympic Games
Catoctin High School (CHS) has three Unified Sports Teams: Tennis, Bocce, and Track and Field. Unified teams are comprised of special needs students and partners who help out. Being considered special needs in this sense may simply mean that a student has a learning impairment, a physical disability, a learning disability, or even a slight attention deficit.
This spring, while CHS’s Track Team was at states, the regional director of the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games invited our Unified Track and Field Team to participate in the games.
CHS junior Shannon Grimes ran the 400 at the state track meet, coming in first place, and scored second in the long jump. She participated at the Special Olympic competition, where she placed second place in the 400 and first in the long jump. “I made new friends. Even if I was beat, they would hug and come together,” said Grimes.
CHS freshman Kaleb Welch earned first place in shot put in his division, and participated in the 4×100 relay. At Special Olympics, he earned fourth place in the competitive age group of 15-21. Ironically, Kaleb wasn’t going to participate in track, because he didn’t “want to run.” That’s why he chose shot put. It was a surprise that he took off running at the first practice even though he didn’t have to. He then participated in shot put and some running events. “I did have fun!” Welch said.
At the State Competition, the CHS Track team earned a bronze (third place) medal; at Special Olympics States, the CHS Unified Track and Field team earned a silver (second place) medal.
CHS senior Nick Dolly earned a gold medal in the 15-21 age division. CHS senior Destiny Knestout would have participated in the 100 meter run and the mini javelin for women, but she was ill for the Special Olympics competition.
Mrs. Pamela Adams-Campbell and Mr. Donald Roberts are the coaches for the Unified Track Team, as well as Catoctin’s Unified Bocce Team. Mrs. Adams-Campbell said, “I’m proud of these guys. We’re a tiny school. Some schools had two schools combined, and we placed ahead of them.” Catoctin’s unified sports had about eighteen participants on the Unified Bocce team, while Unified Track had approximately twenty. Congratulations to our athletes! Your community is proud of you.
Catoctin Track and Field State Champ in 800 Meter Race
Patrick Van Der Cruyssen is the 2015 State Champion in the 800 meter race, backing up his indoor state title in the 800 meter run. The Maryland State Championship meet was held on Thursday, May 21 and Saturday, May 23 at Morgan State University in Baltimore. The boys 4 x 800 relay team—Eric Myers, Zach Gascho, and Demetrius Patterson, anchored by Patrick Van Der Cruyssen—won silver medals; the 4 x 400 relay team—Tony Reina, Justin Herman, Demetrius Patterson, and Patrick Van Der Cruyssen—won bronze medals. The Catoctin High School boys’ team came in fourth overall.
Catoctin’s Patrick Van Der Cruyssen backs up his indoor state title in the 800 meter race with an outdoor state title.
