The second-annual state duals tournament gets under way this week, beginning with Wednesday night's regionals at 5:30, and culminating with Friday's state championship at South Carroll.
The finals of all regionals begin at 7:30 p.m.
Host and No. 5 Owings Mills (15-2), a state duals semifinalist last year, is set to defend its 1A-2A North Region crown against fourth seed Fallston, and No. 2 seed Pikesville (10-2) takes on No. 3 seed Sparrows Point (11-3).
Host and fourth seed Perry Hall, a 3A-4A state semifinalist last year, has its hands full defending its North Region crown. Thirteenth ranked Dulaney is the top seed, though it lost to No. 8 South Carroll, the No. 2 seed which takes on Eastern Tech (9-3).
Mervo (10-2), the No. 3 seed in the 3A-4A East Region at Arundel High, puts its 10-match winning streak on the line against No. 2 seed and regional runner-up Broadneck (14-2), ranked No. 6 in the area. Region champ and state runner-up Old Mill (16-1), ranked No. 4 in the area, faces No. 11 Arundel in the other semifinal.
Winigan's way
Randallstown's Sean Winigan (119) displayed an incredible ability to overcome the odds in last week's Friends Tournament.
The senior pinned all three opponents, including Owings Mills' sixth-ranked Adam Fink (then 20-2) after being down 8-2, in a win which avenged Fink's earlier first-period pin of Winigan.
In the title bout, after Dundalk's Travis Williams had built a 10-0 lead that included scoring eight back points against Winigan, Winigan flipped Williams and decked him in 3:15.
Yet another upset
At the weekend's Harford County tournament, senior Jeff Brochu (112) of Havre de Grace, a runner-up last year, scored a title-bout upset when he decisioned top seed James Axel (24-2) of Aberdeen, 11-5.
Grudge matches
In a rematch resembling their last two Maryland Scholastic Athletic Association title bouts, Mount St. Joseph's state champ Danny DeVivo, ranked No. 1 in the state at 160 pounds, bumped up to 171 last Tuesday to defeat McDonogh's No. 2-ranked Martius Harding, 7-4.
The bout was tied at 2 after one period in which DeVivo's early takedown was countered by a late reversal by Harding, who then nearly put DeVivo on his back.
Harding is now 0-5 in high school matches against DeVivo, losing twice by 3-1, once by 3-0, and once by 8-0. Harding's only win came by 2-1 in a 1993 summer freestyle tournament.
In another rematch that night, McDonogh's state champ J. R. Plienis (Hwt.) beat the Gaels' No. 2 Kenny Hunter, 11-6, to improve to 3-0 against Hunter, including a 38-second pin.
A third rematch had Dave Trudil (130) avenging an earlier 7-3 loss to the Gaels' Dan Mattson.
Trudil, who took a 5-0 lead in this match, had lost in overtime four days earlier in the semifinals of the Maryland Independent Schools state tournament. Mattson finished second in the states, Trudil was third.
Curley-Calvert Hall
Curley's 35-30 win over visiting Calvert Hall last week featured Curley coach Alan Gebhart going against Calvert Hall coach Henry Franklin, Gebhart's assistant last year.