COACH OF THE YEAR
* Bill Hyson, Francis Scott Key -- When Hyson reflects back on a season in which he won his first county tournament championship in his 15 seasons at Key, he prefers to talk about the wrestlers themselves. "What's more satisfying than anything else is how well the kids got along and supported one another. It's very rewarding," he said. Hyson's group finished the season 13-2 overall and ranked fifth in the metro area. After a number of successful seasons only to finish second behind traditional county power North Carroll, this season belonged to the Eagles. "We've strived to be in the upper echelon and I think we broke through a little this season," Hyson said. The Eagles shared the dual meet county title with North Carroll and South Carroll as each team finished with 3-1 county marks. The Eagles' only county loss came against South Carroll, but they responded. "We did a nice job overcoming adversity," Hyson said. "We came back from the South Carroll match and improved." The Eagles ran away with the Class 1A-2A West Region title before their fourth-place showing in the state tournament. "Anytime you get to the state tournament and have four kids with legitimate shots [at titles], you have to be pleased. We had two finalists [state champ Zac Yinger and runner-up Randy Owings]; it's hard not to be excited," Hyson said. "We all felt everyone made a contribution and had their place in the program," Hyson said.
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
* Zac Yinger, Francis Scott Key, Sr., 152 -- In Yinger's freshman year, his teammates used to tease him when he put his game face on. "We called it 'The Look.' You could see it in his eyes and everybody would know when Zac was ready," said Francis Scott Key coach Bill Hyson. 'The Look' was never a laughing matter for a Yinger opponent; it always meant trouble. Yinger was flawless this season, going 34-0 with a second straight state title to his credit. His only loss in the past two seasons came last year when he got Fallston's Patrick Elliott in a spladel move and accidentally pinned himself. Both wrestlers were convinced Yinger had won before the referee raised Elliott's hand in victory. Yinger combined a quiet kind of confidence with an aggressive style to overwhelm his competition. He steamrolled by everyone and avenged the loss to Elliott with a 14-4 major decision in the state finals. Hyson realized he had someone special in Yinger when he was a freshman. "The North Carroll match as a freshman, he went up against Andy Rill, who was older and more experienced. Zac got right in with him and was staying close physically," said Hyson. "He didn't win, but it was like 'I'm here now.' He has a real physical presence on the mat." Yinger closed out a stellar career at Key with 110 wins and just 15 losses. The last two seasons, he easily swept the county, region and state titles.
THE FIRST TEAM AT A GLANCE
* Bill Beltz, North Carroll, Sr., 189 -- One Thursday night best describes what Beltz meant to the North Carroll team this season. It came on Jan. 12 with visiting South Carroll on the verge of pulling off the upset. Beltz was pushed up to the heavyweight class and needed a pin or technical fall against a heavier Dan McKennie for the Panthers to win. Beltz took a slim 9-8 lead into the final period as it became evident a pin was the only way for the Panthers to escape with a team win. He responded. With 40 seconds left, Beltz got McKennie on his back and 15 seconds later got the pin. "Bill Beltz came up big and showed 100 percent heart," North Carroll coach Bryan Wetzel said shortly following the match. Beltz finished the season 28-6 with 17 pins and a county title at 189. He placed second in the region and was in the top six at states.
* Bobby Biden, Westminster, Fr., 103 -- The newcomer took the 103-pound class by storm this season with a 28-6 record that included county and region titles along with an appearance in the state tournament. His father, Randy, a former county champ at Westminster, promised Westminster coach Henry Mohlhenrich his son would crack the varsity lineup as a freshman. Bobby did just that and then some. "By the third match, you can tell who is for real. I became a believer real soon -- he's the real deal," Mohlhenrich said. "Bobby is so mature for a freshman. He goes out there with his game face on and is downright nasty. His poise and tenacity is what makes him such a good wrestler." Biden needed just 1:46 to pin South Carroll's Tim Hymiller in the finals of the county tournament.
* Mike Chenoweth, South Carroll, Jr., 171 -- It's gotten to the point where it almost doesn't matter who's on the other side of the mat when Chenoweth wrestles -- he's become that dominant. Chenoweth (32-1) steamrolled to a second straight state title and continued his assault on the South Carroll record book. He wrestled the entire season at 171 -- where he won his second straight county title -- until he dropped down to 160 for the region and state tournaments. "He's a very good athlete who happens to be a wrestler," said South Carroll coach Pete Olson. "He got the whole package, great balance and super strength. He stays off his back and doesn't make mistakes." With his senior year still ahead, Chenoweth already owns the school record for pins in a career (47) and still hasn't lost in a dual match, where he's won 31 straight. His takedown ratio this season was 38 to 5 and he only gave up two sets of back points all year.
* Ryan Etzler, Francis Scott Key, Jr., 119 -- Hard work in the offseason paid off for Etzler as he reached a higher level this season with a 28-5 mark that included county and region titles. "He's always been a competitor. He worked hard over the summer and went to a camp in Iowa and gained a lot of confidence," said Key coach Bill Hyson. "He's a real sound fundamentalist who's much improved on his feet and doesn't make a lot of mistakes on the mat. We're looking forward to having him back next year." Etzler came away with a 6-3 decision over North Carroll's Dameon Davis to win his first county title. After a difficult loss in the dual meet state semifinals, he showed a great deal of poise in coming back the following weekend and claiming the region title. "He's a good example that strength is something that is nice to have, but you can survive with good technique and work ethic. He's deceiving in that he's tall for his weight class," Hyson said.
* Erik Hott, North Carroll, Sr., 145 -- The North Carroll senior had 26 wins this season with an unorthodox and tireless approach. Included was a county title, a first-place showing at the highly regarded Meade Tournament, a second in regions and fourth in states. "We expected to get a win from Erik. He worked hard and did a good job for us," said North Carroll coach Bryan Wetzel. Hott worked the angles well and was particularly strong on the mat where he would wear opponents down. One of Hott's 12 pins on the season came in the county championships, where he pinned Westminster's Kris Parker late in the third period.
* Tom Kiler, North Carroll, Jr., 135 -- Kiler (30-3) showed what he was made of long before he captured his first state title earlier this month. It came in the middle of the season when he was sick with the flu and struggling on the mat. Instead of making excuses, Kiler used it to his full advantage. "There were a couple of matches where he was down, wrestling sick," said North Carroll coach Bryan Wetzel. "After the Old Mill loss, he worked twice as hard in the practice room the next day. He's a winner." Kiler won his second county and region titles before winning a tough 1-0 decision over Damascus' Bobby Mann in the state finals. He has an excellent command of his moves and is solid as an offensive or defensive wrestler. Also a strong finisher, 18 of his 30 wins came by pin.
* Steve Lessard, Francis Scott Key, Sr., 130 -- Some competitors would have difficulties being in the shadow of more accomplished teammates. Being in the same class with two-time state champs Zac Yinger and Randy Owings didn't disrupt the fine contribution Lessard made to the Key program. A four-year performer, Lessard closed out his career with 27 wins and a county title this season. "He had a real nice year for us. I think he handled the fact we had some more accomplished wrestlers real well and was a real nice fit with the rest of the team," said Key coach Bill Hyson. "Of the three, he was the guy who kept things light for us." One look at Lessard would show the positives he took to the mat. He only gave up one set of back points his senior year. "He has great physical strength," Hyson said. "He didn't get put on his back much the past two years."
* Dan McKennie, South Carroll, Sr., Hwt -- The definition of the word pressure is "demands requiring immediate attention." McKennie knows all about it. On six occasions this season, the outcome of a South Carroll match came down to McKennie. Five of those times he and the Cavaliers came out on top. His biggest win came against Key, when he defeated John Frech to give the Cavaliers an upset win. It came a week after a heartbreaking loss to North Carroll's Bill Beltz. "We became very confident in Dan after he came back from the North Carroll loss the next week with the win against Key," said South Carroll Pete Olson. "Before the match, I just told him to look at the scoreboard and told him we were gong to knock off Key." After going 13-19 in his junior year, McKennie turned around things this season with a 20-9 mark and a county title. "He developed a very good headlock and added a double leg takedown. The secondary takedown made the difference; he was confident going underneath against a big guy," Olson said.
* Randy Owings, Francis Scott Key, Sr., 140 -- Owings provided so much more to the Key program than his astounding 119-7-1 record, two state titles, three region crowns and four county TC championships. "Integrity is what he brought to our program," said Key coach Bill Hyson. "After a big win, you never saw a lot of celebration from him, and in the few losses, he kept his composure like a gentleman, waiting for a more private moment to show his emotions." The toughest loss came in his bid for a third straight state title earlier this month when he dropped a 3-2 decision to Steve Kessler (36-0) of Owings Mills. "With him, you have to look at his overall four-year career," Hyson said. "I think he felt he let some others down, but I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments and the intangibles he brought mean just as much."
* Corey Rill, North Carroll, Sr., 125 -- Rill won his third straight county championship -- a 4-0 decision over Westminster's Matt Warner -- and closed out an outstanding career with a 30-4 mark his senior season. Among the highlights for Rill were an overtime win against Old Mill's Nick Basta, first-place finishes in the Meade and South Hagerstown tournaments and a second-place showing at regionals. He also finished in the top six at states. The match against Basta on Jan. 19 was a classic and depicts the kind of effort Rill gave throughout his career. The two battled for two overtime periods before Rill got the decision. "Corey's a hard worker who's very good on the mat," said North Carroll coach Bryan Wetzel. "He's a good rider and is in awesome shape -- he never looked tired."
* Matt Yinger, F. Scott Key, Fr., 112 -- There was another Yinger who shined for the Francis Scott Key Eagles this season. Understandably in the shadow of his older brother, Zac, the younger Yinger quietly put together a sensational season as a freshman. "I think going into the season he thought people were thinking he's Zac Yinger's younger brother so we expect this and we expect that," said Francis Scott Key coach Bill Hyson. "But he did a real nice job of staying within his skills and as the year went on gained more confidence and became more physical. He carved out his own identity as the season progressed." Yinger opened the season with a 4-1 decision loss to Liberty's Joe Smith, but came back to beat him twice -- including a 12-5 decision for the county title. He ended the season 29-8 with 17 pins, a runner-up in the region tournament and fourth in states.
* Steve Yokay, South Carroll, Sr., 160 -- A key component to the Cavaliers' success this season was their upper weights and Yokay played a major role, finishing the season at 20-9. "He needed to get a pin against Westminster. At North Carroll, he had to win for us to stay alive, and at Key, we had to have a pin," said South Carroll coach Pete Olson. "He really did set the table for McKennie." Yokay captured the county title with a 14-7 decision of North Carroll's Colin Eutsler and took third in the region before a third straight appearance at states. An aggressive and charismatic performer, Yokay was selected the Cavaliers' Most Improved Wrestler from the beginning of the season to the end. Olson said Yokay's best wrestling came in the last month of his career. "He was tremendous," Olson said. "He was always known for his headlock, but in the last month, he hardly used it. In the four years I've coached him, the last month was his best. He finished strong."
PICKING THE TEAM
The Baltimore Sun 1994-95 All-Carroll County Wrestling Teams were selected by Glenn P. Graham after consultation with staff writers and area coaches.