This year's dual meet wrestling match between Catonsville and Calvert Hall Tuesday night started eerily similar to last year's meeting when the private school Cardinals built a big early lead.
In 2013, Catonsville fell behind 25-3 after the first six matches, but rallied to tie 31-31, before losing the final bout and the match, 37-31, at Calvert Hall.
This time, Catonsville's deficit was even larger.
Catonsville trailed 27-0 after the first five matches, but the Comets (1-0) rallied with 44 unanswered points and pulled off an improbable 44-33 victory over the Cardinals (1-1) at Catonsville.
The matches started at the 152-pound weight class, and Catonsville coach Eric Warm warned his wrestlers they might fall behind early.
"I told them pregame, 'They have a lot of strength that we are going to run into early,' " he said. "I said, 'You guys can't get your heads down and you have to go out and wrestle your match. If you guys do what you are supposed to do, you are going to walk away winners.' "
Calvert Hall made a statement early with first-period pins by sophomore Declan McCarthy (152 pounds) and freshman Hunter Crowley (160), and a second period by junior Ian Park (170).
Because of an injury to Catonsville senior Kojo Danquah, Warm moved up 170-pounder Luke Mercier to 180 to wrestle Calvert Hall's Joe Scott, ranked 14th in the Maryland state rankings.
Scott won, 8-3, but Warm was pleased because the Cardinals secured only three points for the decision.
"Luke really changed the momentum of the match by losing, but when you lose to their best wrestler by a few points bumping up a weight class, Luke is the one that really turned it around," Warm said.
Calvert Hall coach Tony Gentry, who coaches with head coach Roy Lobdell, was equally impressed with Mercier's showing.
"That guy he (Scott) beat was nobody to sneeze at," Gentry said. "He was tough."
Trailing 21-0, Catonsville sophomore Trey Glover (195), in his first high school match, took a 4-0 lead on senior Dalton Negm, but Negm rallied to take a 5-4 lead before pinning him 1:47 into the opening period.
That gave the Cardinals a 27-0 lead, but it was the last match they would win until the final bout of the evening.
"This match last year went down to the last match," Gentry said. "Redemption hurts. They wanted it."
Catonsville's rally started when junior Naseeef Kareem scored a 13-9 decision over senior Nick Donatelli at 220.
Kareem trailed 9-8 late in the second period, but scored a reversal with :17 left in the second period and added an escape with :54 left and takedown with :03 left in the third for the victory and first Comet points.
Catonsville senior heavyweight Danny Bruno, wrestling for the first time in high school, trailed Henry Chaudron 11-6 in the second period before he turned him and earned a pin with :22 left in the second period.
"He's still rough around the edges, but he outweighed that kid by a lot," Warm said. "That kid wrestled well and Bruno was just a little to big for him."
Chaudron was filling in for senior heavyweight Chris Stephan, out for the season with a torn labrum.
"That hurts," said Gentry on losing the wrestler who has been in the program three years.
Catonsville's Robert Johnson (106) was awarded a forfeit and sophomore Eduardo Kelly (113) and Kelly Lassiter (120) followed with first-period pins to deadlock the match at 27-27.
Lassiter was second on the Comets in wins last season before shoulder surgery ended his season.
Andrew Southwell (126), second in the Baltimore County tournament last season, pinned senior Cory Christopher in the second period and the Comets led 33-27.
Jarrod Martin (132) followed with a first-period pin and 39-27 lead.
Connor Hurd (138) clinched the match with a 15-0 technical fall.
Calvert Hall junior Nick Hudson (145) broke the scoring drought with a pin for the Cardinals in the final match.
"Our lightweight guys still have a lot to learn," said Gentry, who is going to enjoy the learning process. "Every time I'm watching something like this, I'm like, 'All of them are coming back.' "
With seven wrestlers in their first real competitive bouts, Catonsville's Warm is excited about his team's future.
"We are young and we don't have the experience, but I have stronger individual wrestlers this year than I did last year," he said.
Results
152: McCarthy (CH) fall Mendez (C) 1:59
160: Crowley (CH) fall Taylor (C) :41
170: Park (CH) fall Belton (C) 2:24
182: Scott (CH) dec. Mercier (C) 8-3
195: Negm (CH) fall Glover (C) 1:47
220: Kareem (C) dec. Chaudron (CH) 13-9
285: Bruno (C) fall Donatelli (CH) 3:38
106: Johnson (C) forfeit (CH)
113: Kelly (C) fall Quinn Struble (CH) 1:22
120: Lassiter (C) fall Fink (CH) 1:27
126: Southwell (C) fall Christopher (CH) 2:58
132: Martin (C) fall Thurman (CH) 1:15
138: Hurd (C) tech. fall Koski (CH) 15-0
145: Hudson (CH) fall Anadram (C) 2:59