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Page 30 July 2018 The Catoctin Banner Newspaper www.TheCatoctinBanner.com Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com

s p o r t s news

Three CHS Wrestlers Place in State Tournament • Bryant Defends Title,
Repeats as Champion • Schildt Replaces Green as Head Coach

The 2017-18 wrestling season was a unique programs statewide. With only ten public
one for Cougar wrestlers and for fans of high schools representing the county, the
Frederick County wrestling. Unique because number of state champions and place-winners
it marked the first time in a decade without that are consistently produced by these ten
long-time Catoctin Coach Ryan Green, sitting schools every winter is astounding. Last
matside and barking commands at his wrestlers. year alone, Frederick County claimed eight
Green, who debuted in 2006 as Catoctin’s of the twenty-eight state champions, and
head wrestling coach, ended his ten year tenure placed twenty-two of the thirty-four wrestlers
last season with a 144 and 99 record, making that qualified. This year, Frederick County
him the most-successful wrestling coach in wrestlers accounted for five of the fourteen
the school’s history. Green and his dedicated state champions and seventeen place-winners.
staff, Coaches Rich Gialanella, Garrett Baer, Even more impressive, over the past ten
George O’Brien, Brad Maze, Tyler White, and years, Frederick County has produced forty
Tracy Eureka, turned out numerous county state champions and one hundred seventy-
and regional champions, including one four- one medalists, a testament to the widely-held
time county champ. Green’s athletes, always notion that the Frederick County tournament
known for their aggressive, straightforward, and is often regarded as more competitive than
punishing styles, were recognized and honored the regional or state contests. Catoctin
with the prestigious Fred Burgee Outstanding placed fifth as a team at the 2018 Frederick
Wrestler Award at the Frederick County County wrestling championships, advanced
championships three times in ten years, and his seven wrestlers to the medal rounds, and
squad won the county title in 2014. During his celebrated three county champs. Zachary
term, he has coached twenty-four individual Zachary Bryant (center), 113 pound state champion. Bryant pinned his way through the tourney,
state medal winners and seven of the nine state becoming a two-time county champ. RJ
champions representing Catoctin High School (CHS). Monoghan and Dennis Pittinger captured their first county titles, winning by
Although Green is no longer at the helm, his coaching style will be easily decision in finals. Travis Fields, Wyatt Payne, and Joshua Small each wrestled
recognized through the new head coach, Colin Schildt. Coach Schildt was a back to collect third-place medals after losing in semi-finals. Ethan Fuss, the
stand-out wrestler at Catoctin, one of the most successful that the school has 2016 County champ, saw no action due to a concussion. Although Matthew
ever produced, a three-time county champion, two-time regional champion, Linker, the 220-pound sophomore, earned fourth-place honors, he did not
four-time state qualifier, two-time medalist, and finalist during his senior qualify to advance to the regional meet. He ends the season with 6 wins and 7
year, boasting a career record of 143 wins and 23 losses. Always a leader in losses and has a career total of 14-25. Nick Veronie, the 132-pound freshman,
the wrestling room, it’s only fitting that the former Green-trained, Kutztown was eliminated from the contest after two losses, but saw significant varsity
University wrestler lead Catoctin’s lineup. Schildt and his assistant, Bill Orr, also action during the year. He won several dual meet matches, as well as bouts
a decorated high school wrestler and possessing collegiate experience at Clemson at Bauerlien and Westminster, finishing his first season with 8 wins and 20
University, would lead a thin, but scrappy team in their inaugural season. Much losses. Nolan Brightshue, the 138-pound senior, failed to advance to regionals
like the previous season, the coaches struggled to fill weight classes, and as a after two losses. He was 5-3 in regular season duals, won three matches at
result forfeited 18 points in each team contest. As a unit, the Cougars posted Bauerlien Duals, was 6-3 at Westminster, and 4-2 at the Hub Cup, placing
a 249-103 record, winning over 70 percent of their individual matches and fifth. He finishes the year with 18 wins and 12 losses and his career with a 43-
winning half of their fourteen regular season dual meets. They went 14 and 15 35 record. Ryan Orr had his work cut out for him as a 170-pound freshman.
overall, and were named to the “others to watch” category as a tournament He won 50 percent of his matches, including a victory at the Frederick County
team by the Maryland State Wrestling Association, while remaining unranked tournament, and concluded his first year of high school wrestling with a 5-5
overall or as a dual meet team. Seven of the team’s eleven participants would tally.
qualify for the regional tournament, four would earn state qualification honors, The Cougars captured a fifth-place team finish at the 1A-2A West Regional
three would become state place-winners, and one would successfully defend tournament by advancing four of seven qualifiers to the medal rounds,
his state title, becoming only the second Catoctin wrestler to win multiple state including a third-place finisher, three finalists, and one regional champion.
tournament crowns. The field expanded to twenty-three teams, up from seventeen teams last year
Although there would be no team placement in each of the two dual meet after a state-wide restructuring. The addition of six teams, including the robust
tournaments, individual accomplishments were plentiful. At the Bauerlein Duals, squads of Oakdale and Poolesville and the all-powerful Damascus line-up,
two wrestlers, including the 145-pounder Wyatt Payne and senior-heavyweight made the mighty West, statistically Maryland’s best region for wrestling, an
Dennis Pittinger, would dominate the competition and remain undefeated in five even stronger and more dominant force. For the past three years, nearly half,
bouts. Seniors Zachary Bryant (113 pounds), Ethan Fuss (126 pounds), and RJ 41 percent, of all place-winners at the state championships represented the
Monoghan (182 pounds), would each suffer only a single loss in the tournament. Western region, 103 of 252. This year, the trend continues. Over 40 percent,
At Catoctin’s debut appearance at the Westminster Duals, three senior athletes, 35 of the 84 place-winners hailed from the West, including almost half of the
Zachary Bryant, 160-pound Joshua Small, and RJ Monoghan would prevail in finalists, 13 of 28, and just under half of the state champions with 6 of 14. In
each of their nine bouts to remain unbeaten. Fuss would lose only one match two weight classes, both finalists represented the West, and in one bracket the
in the tournament. At the 2018 Hub Cup, still regarded as one of the toughest West was home to the top three medalists. Zachary Bryant remained unbeaten
tournaments in Western Maryland, five Catoctin wrestlers advanced to the medal in the contest by winning two consecutive bouts by fall after a first-round bye.
rounds and the squad placed fifth in a field of fourteen teams. RJ Monoghan He successfully defended his regional crown, becoming a two-time 1A-2A West
and senior Nolan Brightshue (138 pounds) each placed fifth. Travis Fields, the champ, and secured the number one seed at states with a 9-1 decision in finals.
145-pound sophomore, placed fourth; Ethan Fuss wrestled back to third after a Ethan Fuss dropped a close decision out of the gate, but fought back to third
second-round loss; Joshua Small and Dennis Pittinger would place second after place with back-to-back pins and a tight victory in a rematch of his earlier loss.
losing in finals; and Zachary Bryant would become Catoctin’s lone Hub Cup Joshua Small fought his way to finals with a first-round bye and two victories
champion. by decision only to be uncharacteristically caught and put on his back in the
Frederick County continues to be the authority on wrestling in the state second period of his finals match by the eventual state runner-up. Dennis
of Maryland. Year after year, Frederick County wrestlers continue to raise Pittinger suffered a similar fate. He pinned his initial opponent after a bye in
the bar and achieve an unparallelled success that simply overshadows other … Continued on page 31