Wrestler of the Year

Brandon Lauer, River Hill, Jr., 112: He extended his two-year career record to 73-0 and won his second state championship. His toughest win at the state meet was a 10-9 victory over third-place finisher John Narlis of Towson, whom he had beaten the previous year at states. Lauer is ranked No. 1 in the state and 13th nationally. His 38-0 record included county and region titles and tournament titles at Magruder, Wicomico and Arundel, as well as 19 pins. He is a national Amateur Athletic Union champ and Eastern National champ. This is his second county Wrestler of the Year selection.

Coaches of the Year

Paul DiRienzo and Scott Farrow, Hammond: mond: The two shared the coaching duties, replacing veteran Bill Smith this season. The DiRienzo/Farrow Bears won four championships, including the county and region dual-meet titles and county and region tournament titles. It was the school's fourth straight tournament title and sixth in seven seasons. Hammond was 13-3 in dual meets and was the only team from Maryland to compete in the Virginia Duals. It defeated favored Kent in the state duals and also defeated Calvert Hall during the regular season, but lost to state Class 3A-4A runner-up South Carroll by three points. DiRienzo, 31, spent seven years as assistant coach at Hammond after wrestling for the Golden Bears and Maryland. Farrow, 26, a county champ for Hammond in 1990, spent three seasons as a Hammond assistant coach and one as head coach at Catoctin. They developed some inexperienced wrestlers like Kevin Chrapaty and Scott Wallace, who made key late-season contributions. "We didn't wrestle to our capability at states," DiRienzo said. "Injuries and fluke things happened, and there was a lot of added pressure wanting to repeat this season as state champions."

First team at a glance

Mike Augustine, Long Reach, Jr., 160: He won the county championship and finished second at the Francis Scott Key Tournament. His record was 22-4.

Nick Cummins, Mount Hebron, Sr., 160: He won the Class 1A-2A, South Region championship after finishing second at the county tournament. He also was second at the Catonsville Invitational. His record was 26-8 with 12 pins.

Vaymond Dennis, Hammond, Sr., 135: He's one of only 11 three-time county champions. He also won the Class 1A-2A, South Region title and finished first at the Lackey Invitational. He finished third in the Lackey Tournament and third at the state tournament, failing to repeat as state champion. He finished second at the national high school open. His season record was 36-5 and career mark was 135-30. He set school career records with 462 takedowns and 35 technical falls, and single-season records with 152 takedowns this season and 39 wins his junior season.

Jason Fawcett, River Hill, Jr., 171: He won the Howard County championship and the Class 1A-2A, South Region title. He finished second at the Magruder, Arundel and Wicomico tournaments. His record was 28-5.

Brian Frank, Howard, Sr., 125: The Howard County champion finished second at the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament and fourth at the state tournament. He won the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the county tournament. He finished second at Edgewood and third at Arundel. His junior year, he finished as county runner-up. He's a 4.0 student and has been accepted to Johns Hopkins. His record was 27-7.

Jason Freiert, Hammond, Jr., 103: He won both the county tournament and the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament. He finished second at the Hammond Invitational and third at the Lackey Invitational. His record was 35-5.

Ryan Green, River Hill, Fr., 119: He was the only freshman to win a county championship and finished first at the Wicomico tournament. He was third in the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament and third at the Arundel tournament. For the season, he was 29-7.

Matt Nelson, Hammond, Sr., Heavyweight: He won the Howard County championship and the Class 1A-2A, South Region title. He finished second at the Lackey and Hammond invitationals. His record was 29-6. In 1998, he was a county, region and state runner-up and finished with a 32-7 record that season.

J.C. Porter, Long Reach, Sr., 130: He won the county championship, duplicating a feat he also accomplished as a sophomore. At the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament, he was third. He won the Catonsville tournament and finished fifth at the state tournament despite a broken hand. His record was 28-5.

Mark Read, Hammond, Sr., 145: He won the county championship after finishing second his junior year. He won the Lackey tournament and was second at the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament. His record was 30-7.

Adam Roth, Atholton, Soph., 140: He rallied from a 6-4 deficit with 37 seconds left to win the Howard County championship. An injury kept him from competing at regions and states. His record was 25-6.

Robert Scott, Oakland Mills, Soph., 189: He won the county title and the Class 1A-2A, South Region title before finishing third at the state tournament. He also won the Damascus tournament, was second at the Chopticon tournament and third at Arundel. His record was 30-4.

Jeff Walker, Mount Hebron, Sr., 152: A county champion, he finished fourth at the Class 1A-2A, South Region tournament. He was also a champ at the Catonsville tournament and third at both Dundalk and Arundel. His record was 27-9.

Team selections

The 1999 All-Howard County wrestling teams were selected by Rick Belz after consulting with The Sun staff and area coaches.

Pub Date: 3/10/99