Talk is cheap if you ask DeMatha's coach Dick Messier, an Elkridge resident.
Though his Stags, ranked No. 3 in the state, were runners-up to Hanover (Pa.) in last weekend's McDonogh Tournament, Messier was satisfied that an important point was made.
Just one day before the eight-team event, Messier got word that Hanover coach Terry Conover was boldly predicting the second career loss for Messier's prized pupil, top-raked, two-time National Prep champ Todd Beckerman (112-1 for his career).
That is, if Beckerman had the gumption to wrestle at 125 pounds instead of 119.
Conover, whose team is ranked No. 4 in Pennsylvania's AA category, specifically meant that his Nighthawks' wrestler, Nate Becker, would have an easy time with Beckerman.
Yet Becker, who entered the tournament with a career record of 82-26-1, was upset 9-5 by Centennial's Jason Nagle in the semifinals.
Beckerman scored a technical fall and a pin before hammering Nagle, 14-1, in their title bout.
"I think Todd would have done the same thing to Becker," said Messier. "But the kid didn't even make the finals."
Said Beckerman: "I don't know why he [Conover] had to run his mouth like that. It just pumped me up more."
Take that ex-coach
While Nagle was beating Becker, ex-Centennial coach Eric Keane, now an assistant at Hanover, watched in astonishment.
"I had talked to Jason earlier today and he knew that our kid was a decent wrestler," said Keane. "But I was kind of surprised at how Nagle wrestled. It was a good match for him."
Nagle's wasn't the only impressive performance from a Centennial wrestler at McDonogh.
In fact, sixth-ranked teammate Joon Kim (189, 9-0) beat another Hanover wrestler, Drew Little, by 9-4, before pinning Josh Bender of DeMatha for the second straight week to win his second straight tournament crown.
Kim, who finished Bender in 59 seconds of their title bout, had decked Bender in 2:43 in their title bout of last weekend's Annapolis Tournament.
Bender had beaten a ranked wrestler each time before facing Kim.
At McDonogh, Bender reached the title bout by pinning Poly's co-No. 6 Darnell Dezurn. At Annapolis, Bender edged Southern's then No. 4 Trumaine Graves, 6-5.
Kim and Nagle were joined by third-place finisher Lance Rhodes (112), who bounced Poly's two-time Baltimore City champ Tony Bridges, 10-3, to earn third place, and Kevin Heywood (130) won, 15-3, over Poly's Stewart Morgan. Heywood had narrowly lost his semifinal bout, 10-6, to North Carroll's No. 6 Corey Rill.
Lackey Tournament
In a weight class that included Bullis' sixth-ranked John Palmer and Anne Arundel County champion Gene Reid of South River, Hammond's county champ Mike Chang (112) emerged victorious.
Chang handled Quince Orchard's Rod Garcia, 6-2, in the title bout, but not before an impressive 9-1 decision over Palmer, winner of the season-opening Annapolis Tournament.
Reid, who edged Chang 7-3, en route to winning last weekend's Chopticon Tournament, suffered an opening-round 10-8 loss to a wrestler Garcia later edged, 10-7.
Hammond's county champ Jimmy Weston (171) was a Lackey runner-up after a 10-4 loss to Bullis' fifth-ranked Eugene Brodetski, and Matt Radik (Atholton) was third after losing his semifinal bout to Weston, 10-9.
WRESTLING TOP 15
1. Mount St. Joseph (0-0)
2. Old Mill (3-0)
3. Northeast (3-0)
4. North Carroll (1-0)
5. Francis Scott Key (2-0)
6. Broadneck (3-0)
7. Owings Mills (4-0)
8. Aberdeen (6-0)
9. Boys' Latin (1-0)
10. Chesapeake-AA (2-1)
11. Severna Park (1-0)
12. South Carroll (3-0)
13. Westminster (0-1)
14. Gilman (1-0)
15. John Carroll (3-1)
Other teams receiving consideration: Perry Hall (3-0), Calvert Hall (3-2), Arundel (2-1), Loyola (1-1), Sparrows Point (2-0), Hereford (1-1), Curley (0-0), Centennial (2-1), North Harford (0-0), McDonogh (0-0).