With eight wrestlers advancing to the semifinal round, fifth-ranked Owings Mills is solidly in first place after the first day of competition at the 35th Baltimore County Wrestling Championships at Dulaney High School.
Through last night's quarterfinal round, the Golden Eagles led with 96.5 points, followed by defending champion Perry Hall (50), Dulaney (49), Hereford (48.5) and Eastern Tech (42.5).
Owings Mills will attempt to win its third county crown in five years when the competition resumes today at 11 a.m. The finals are set for 5 p.m.
Remaining for the Eagles are Adam Fink (119 pounds), Josh Ellin (125), Jimmy Hudson (135), Steve Kessler (140), Paul Schulman (152), Josh Ezrine (160), Willie Broadnax (171) and Anthony Smith (Hvy).
All 13 top seeds, as well as all No. 2 seeds, remain in contention, including returning county champions Gary Maynor of Sparrows Point (112), Steve Kessler of Owings Mills (140), Rich Hanzerack of Perry Hall (145), Mykol Thomas of Woodlawn (152) and Rex Marshall of Eastern Tech (160).
Eastern Technical's Joe Catlin, the defending champion at 119, also advanced from the No. 3 seed.
The biggest surprise of the day occurred in the 119-pound class, where top-seeded Mike Young of Sparrows Point -- third at last year's tournament -- was eliminated after failing to make weight.
That clears a major hurdle for Catlin, though the Maverick will face a tough challenge from Fink in the semifinals, and a possible date with new top-seed Dan Simancek of Dundalk in the finals.
Also absent was Franklin 103-pounder Avi Meier, who suffered a separated shoulder last month at the Overlea Tournament. Meier, a regional champion last season, is expected to return for the regionals.