103: JEREMY MYERS, Jr., North Carroll (30-1)
Myers defeated two previously unbeaten wrestlers to capture the Class 2A-1A state crown: Northeast's Marty Kusick, who placed third, and Milford Mill's top-ranked Gary Harris, the runner-up. Tim Novak, Frederick's Class 4A-3A state champion, was beaten twice by Myers, who had 19 pins (15 in the first period) and two victories by technical fall. Myers lost his only match, 3-1, to Arundel's Phil Meenan in the championship bout of the Meade Invitational. The loss to Meenan (third in the Class 4A-3A) motivated Myers, who ends the season top-ranked by the Maryland State Wrestling Association.
112: ZACK FOWL, Jr., Aberdeen (32-1)
Fowl, top-ranked by the MSWA, followed last year's 31-2 Class 2A-1A state championship season by blanking Wooton's Jason Rubin, 3-0, to win this year's Class 4A-3A crown. Rubin had defeated last year's champ, Broadneck's Charlie Bennett, in the semifinals. Fowl, who maintains a "B" average, also owns a victory over last year's state runner-up, Old Mill's Steve Lundstrom. In his second straight All-Metro appearance, the two-time county and regional champion has 16 pins and six victories by technical fall.
119: SHAWN MILLER, Sr., Broadneck (35-0)
Miller (17 pins) was top-ranked and dominated his class to became the first Broadneck wrestler to go unbeaten, raising his career record to a school-best 101-5. A three-time county and two-time Region IV champion, Miller defeated Calvert Hall's MSA champion Brendan James and a Virginia independent schools state champion this year. He went 34-1 last year, losing his state title bout, 6-5, to Paint Branch's Craig Middledorf. A "B" student, Miller is considering Lock Haven, Edinboro and Lycoming.
125: SCOTT BIRTH, Sr., Bel Air (24-0)
To win the 4A-3A state title, Birth (16 pins) shed 10 pounds from his wiry, 5-foot-9 body and overwhelmed Paint Branch's muscular two-time state champion, Craig Middledorf, to end the season as the MSWA's top-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds. A two-time county champion, Birth had Middledorf airborne several times -- twice, nearly pinning him -- en route to a 10-2 victory. Birth also defeated last year's 2A-1A runner-up, Havre de Grace's Jim Ervine. Birth is considering Shippensburg University and Wilkes College.
130: JOHN KIM, Sr., Gilman (36-0)
A summer of weight training turned this technician into a powerfully built mat artist. He won this year's 130-pound National Prep crown after consecutive seasons of being second and third. Kim dethroned Mount St. Joseph's MSA champ Shane McCarthy, downed Class 2A-1A state champion Gregg Kessler (Owings Mills) and twice defeated North Carroll's state champ Tommy Dell. Chosen the outstanding lightweight wrestler in the Senior All-Star Classic, Kim has an "A" average and is considering Duke, Harvard and Stanford.
135: TOM DELL, Sr., North Carroll (29-1)
After having placed third in the states as a freshman and second over the past two years, Dell finally captured an individual title, winning the Class 2A-1A crown, 8-1, over Brad Calehuff. Dell, a first-team All-Metro selection last season, ranked second in the area with 25 pins -- including 19 in the first period. Dell has a 91-4 record over the past three seasons and is considering Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
135: MATT SLUTZKY, Sr., Aberdeen (32-1)
Last year's Baltimore Sun Wrestler of the Year became Maryland's first four-time state champion with a 13-1 4A-3A final decision over last year's state runner-up, Larry Green of McDonough in Charles County. Slutzky is making his third straight first-team All-Metro appearance, finishing with a 122-5-1 public-school career record. An "A" student, he has top-notch programs such as Penn State, Clarion, Purdue, Syracuse, Lehigh and Bloomsburg after him. On March 28, Slutzky will become only the fifth Marylander to compete for the U.S. All-Star team in the 18th Pittsburgh Press Classic at the University of Pittsburgh.
140: GARY MRYNCZA, Sr., Archbishop Curley (31-2)
Mryncza moved up from 130 to dethrone Mount St. Joseph's Chad Votta, win his second straight MSA crown and take the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award. He also won titles at Curley, DeMatha, Aberdeen and Chesapeake. At 5-9 1/2 , Mryncza's quickness and leverage are imposing. He was 2-for-3 against Votta, pinning Votta twice. Mryncza, ranked No. 2 by the MSWA, also pinned Towson's 2A-1A runner-up Chris Kapalchick and placed fifth in the National Preps. His 3.2 grade-point average may land him at Duke, William & Mary or the University of Pennsylvania.
145: JOHNNY MONTGOMERY, Jr., Rand'stown (33-1)
For his 4A-3A state title, top-ranked Montgomery overcame a field that included Old Mill's then-top-ranked John Bliss and Lackey's second-ranked Jason Batchelor. He then edged McDonough's Damon Newsome, 6-4, in overtime. He avenged his only loss, to Eastern Vo-Tech's John Sieracki, in both the county and Region I championship finals. Montgomery (nine pins, two technical falls) also beat Rising Sun's Andy Horn (fourth in Class 2A-1A) and Southwestern's Kier Hicks (fourth in the MSA's) this year. He went 19-1 last year.
152: KEVIN NEVILLE, Jr., Mount St. Joseph (30-2)
The area's most improved wrestler, Neville won this year's MSA crown after placing second last year. Neville (24 pins) flattened Annapolis' state champ Chip Cochran in the first period to win the Annapolis tournament and later won the Chesapeake and Archbishop Curley crowns. An excellent takedown technician, Neville likes to throw his opponents. He twice defeated Southwestern's Joe Gamble, who went 38-2, and was top-ranked all year by the MSWA.
160: GRANT JOHNSON, Jr., Owings Mills (33-1)
A repeat All-Metro selection, Johnson bulked up from 130 pounds, where he won the state crown last year, to win his second state crown, 2-0, over North Harford's previously unbeaten Marc Perrine. The victory avenged an earlier loss. Having retained the quickness of a lightweight wrestler, Johnson (10 pins, three technical falls) often had an advantage in power, technique and speed over his opponents. He was ranked second by the MSWA.
189: DAVE DANIECKI, Jr., Loyola (29-3)
Daniecki won this year's MSA title, was a National Prep runner-up, and earned 11 of 17 pins in the first period. His only loss to a Maryland wrestler -- a 7-1 decision -- came in the title bout of the Curley tournament against former National Prep champ Marcus Foran of DeMatha. Last year, Daniecki was an MSA tournament runner-up, placed third in the National Preps and was one of few wrestlers to go the distance with Southwestern's high school national champion Walter Reed.
Hvy: MONTE SPENCER, Sr., Oakland Mills (26-1)
Spencer, a two-time first-team All-Metro pick, added this year's 2A-1A state title to last year's 4A-3A crown. A quick, agile takedown specialist, Spencer, 235 pounds, won his second straight county and regional title, split bouts with Quince Orchard's 4A-3A king Dave Vernier, and won, 10-4, over St. Benedict's (N.J.) 275-pound National Prep champ Ron Edmunds. 84-11, Spencer ranks fifth in career wins at Oakland Mills. He was top-ranked by the MSWA. The Scorpions' football MVP may wrestle or play football at Edinboro, Coppin State or Howard.
Wrestler of the Year: Mike Jenson, Randallstown, (33-0)
At 171 pounds, Mike Jenson is a devastating finisher with 66 XTC career pins (21-for-25 in the first period this year) and a 94-1-1 career record. He won his second straight Class 4A-3A state title, 10-4, over last year's 160-pound state champ, Old Mill's Brian Layman. Jenson was the outstanding heavyweight wrestler this year's Senior All-Star Classic, pinning Mardela's two-time state champion Ishmael Smith in 1:57. He also wrestled at 189 pounds for an 11-2 dual-meet win over Marcus Foran, DeMatha's former National Prep tournament champ. Jenson took just 20 seconds to win his third straight Baltimore County title. As a sophomore, Jenson avenged his only tie and placed third in the state after his only loss, 8-5, to the eventual state champ. With a 3.3 grade-point average, he is being sought by Penn State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston University.
Coach of the Year: Mike Hampe, Old Mill
Mike Hampe coached Old Mill to a 15-0 record this season, and is 175-22-3 over 17 years. Records continued to fall for Hampe's Patriots, who were top-ranked by The Baltimore Sun and the MSWA, and are ranked No. 20 nationally in USA Today. Old Mill qualified a record 12 wrestlers for the 4A-3A state tournament, won an unprecedented fourth straight state title and set scoring records in both the Anne Arundel County (229 points) and Region IV (267) tournaments. The Patriots edged Charles County's McDonough, 116-99.5, for this year's state crown after winning last year's with a state-record 130.5 points. The Patriots should return five state qualifiers -- including their only state champion, junior Marc Procaccini (160) -- in addition to several wrestlers from an unbeaten junior varsity squad. Could there be a fifth straight? "Every year we've won the state tournament, I've driven home wondering how we can do it again," said Hampe, 46.