River Hill sophomore Brady Daniel went 2-2 and failed to place for the state tournament last year, but he made up for it this time by winning the 3A/4A 182-pound state title with a 4-2 victory over Huntingtown's Tristan Ramburg.
"I'm really excited being this young and to be a state champion at such a tough tournament," Daniel said. "I took it match by match and kept looking at the match ahead. I think I made that commitment in my head that I wanted to be here and do what I need to do to get here."
Daniel scored the opening points of the match by securing a controversial takedown at the end of the first period buzzer to take a 2-0 lead. Then, he reversed Ramburg to start the second period to make it 4-0. Ramburg escaped in the second and third periods, but Daniel held off a late charge to take his first state title in his first trip to the state tournament.
"Brady wrestled an awesome match. He stuck to the strategy," said Hawks coach Brandon Lauer. "I wanted him to be offensive, and he kept the action forward. He scored at the edge of the mat with that reversal which clinched it."