Lansdowne grappler Bozeman ready to build on state runner-up finish; Western Tech's Kalu closes career with 119 wins

Lansdowne sophomore Riley Bozeman capped his sophomore season by finishing as a runner-up at 106 pounds at the Class 4A-3A state tournament, but that won’t keep him from trying to maintain his edge in the off-season.

He will be heading to the 30th annual NHSCA High School Nationals at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, March 29-31.

Wrestling in the off-season is the key to success and Bozeman’s coach at Lansdowne, George Dunn, saw the difference this season when Bozeman went 29-6 and finished second in the state, region and county tournaments.

“He did the extra work, extra practices going to different clubs around the area,” Dunn said. “A year-round wrestler makes all the difference.”

Bozeman opened the state tournament with a fall of Walt Whitman’s Romeo Tsai (1:42).

He won an 18-9 major decision over North Point’s Kielin Huff in the quarterfinals and pinned Henry Wise’s Caleb Kennedy in the second period (4:39) in the semifinals.

“He turnedit up on that kid,” Dunn said. “He couldn’t be denied, he went out there with a chip on his shoulder because he had taken second at counties, second at regions and he was determined to be on that podium.”

In the finals, Bozeman lost a 6-0 decision to unbeaten Eric Liau (41-0), of Thomas Wootton.

“It was close, he justcouldn’t get any offense generated,” Dunn said.

That wasn’t the case most of the season while wrestling bigger kids.

“He wrestled 113 most of the year, and he cut down for the big tournaments,” said Dunn, who admired his work ethic. “He spent a lot of time in the weight room. He was bulking up and he put on some weight.”

His leadership was also evident.

“He’s a good kid, hard worker, comes in the room and does what he is supposed to do,” Dunnsaid. “He has really emerged as a leader for the young guys. He pushes those guys. He’s got a ton of experience to give to everybody else.”

The only other Viking to reach the state tournament was junior Jacob Lipscomb (22-7).

Lipscomb qualified for states by finishing fourth in the regionals.

Four days before the first round of the state tournament he suffered a knee injury.

He forfeited his first-round match against Linganore’s Earl Blake (46-0), who went on to win his third straight state championship.

He tried to come back in the consolation round against Bowie’s John Paja and was trailing 4-2 in a close match before he was forced to retire because of the injury.

Like Bozeman, Lipscomb also finished second at the county tournament.

Another Viking who had a strong postseason was senior 220-pounder Brandon Nguyen.

Nguyen placed fifth at regionals and was a first alternate for states and he placed third at counties.

“He had a great year,” said Dunn, of the first-year starter. “He started as a freshman and got a ton better over the years and he’s become a contender.”

Brian Nguyen (285) and Peyton Collins (138) were both fourth at the county championship meet.

At regionals, Collins (21-12) lost a 9-8 decision in the consolation round that would have qualified him for the state tournament had he won it.

“He’s just a tough kid. He epitomizes what joining the wrestling team is all about,” Dunn said. “He doesn’t back down from anybody.”

Before the season, Dunn’s expectations were high, but the Vikings only finished 9-5 in dual meets after going 14-0 in dual meets during the 2017-18 season.

“We had a lot of holes and had six first-year guys in the lineup,” said Dunn, who is looking forward to next season.

“We are going to have a great nucleus back,” said Dunn, who just completed his eighth season as head coach. “We’ve got some young guys coming up so I’m excited for next year.”

The Vikings will also return junior Haven Taylor, who finished third at 138 pounds in the girls state tournament.

Kalu repeats as finalist

Ike Kalu ended his wrestling career at Western Tech by finishing as a runner-up in the Class 2A-1A state tournament at 220 pounds.

Kalu lost 5-1 in the finals to Elijah Baisden (49-1). It was the second year in a row Kalu lost in the state finals.

In the 2018 finals, Kalu lost in the ultimate tiebreaker to Middletown’s Cam Farrow.

The score was tied, 2-2, at the end of regulation, one-minute overtime and two 30-second overtimes.

Farrow had the top position in the ultimate overtime and rode out Kalu for the 30seconds.

This year, Kalu opened the tournament with a first-period pin (1:28) of Bohemia Manor’s Ian Artice. He followed with a first-period fall (0:44) over Francis Scott Key’s Wyatte Johns.

In the semis, he won an 11-4 decision over Joppatowne’s Chris Kalambihis.

Kalu, who won county and regional titles as a junior and senior, ended his career going 119-19, including 100-7 in his final three campaigns, while finishing fourth and second twice at the state tournament.

Kalu wasn’t the only Wolverine grappler to reach the state tournament.

Sophomore Alfred Murdock (34-13) went 3-2 at 182 pounds.

Sophomore Will Scott (19-21) was 1-2 at 126 pounds and senior Osman Sheriff (23-14) lost both of his matches at 138 pounds.