Centennial's Dave Nakasone wore the marks of battle after a bout between 152-pound state champions in yesterday's McDonogh Invitational: Swelling over his right eye, welts on the cheek below it. But the senior could accept the injuries. They were the spoils of victory.
"It's a contact sport," Nakasone said. "And it's a combat sport."
Moments earlier, Nakasone had put the finishing touches on a brutal bout. His takedown broke a 3-3 tie with 18 seconds left. He allowed an escape in the final two seconds, but held on for a 5-4 victory over McDonogh's private schools champ, Travis Holmes (6-1, six pins).
"I wrestled him a little bit in the offseason; talked to people about what he does," said Nakasone, a senior who improved to 4-0 and was named the event's Outstanding Wrestler. "But I don't prepare for only one person. I just prepare to wrestle."
Nakasone was joined on the victory podium by his twin brother, Mark (145), and teammate Dominic Ventura (119), each of whom is 4-0, as Centennial finished runner-up in the meet to No. 3 McDonogh.
McDonogh scored 253 points to 182 for 12th-ranked Centennial, getting titles from freshmen Joe Breen (103), Bryn Holmes (135) and junior Ricky Tippett (140) to win its event for the fourth straight year.
Bryn Holmes finished strongly, headlocking Westminster's previously unbeaten Jason Brown for his seventh pin in as many bouts. Breen won his second straight tournament title to move to 7-0 with six pins, beating Robert Benitez, 4-1, for the crown. Tippett (7-0, four pins) won a battle of last year's champs, 9-2, over North Carroll's Seth Knights.
Ventura won his first high school tournament title, edging Lansdowne's third-place state finisher, Ryan Brown, 6-4, before scoring a 5-2 title-bout upset of Oakland Mills' county runner-up, Jeff Plasse. Ventura had previously lost four times to Plasse.
Others winning titles were Brian Gabrish (130) and Rhett Myers (215) of Calvert Hall, Justin Hughes (112, 4-0) and Eric Burr (heavyweight, 4-0) of Westminster, Gilman's Pat Benitez (119, 15-0), North Carroll's Robbie Peare (160), Loyola's Eric Keller (171) and St. Paul's Mike Lima (189, 8-0).
Big 20 Invitational: Justin Fitch (130), Brian Saval (140), Mark DiPasquale (145), Jerome Featherstone (160) and Elliott Freed (189) won individual titles as sixth-ranked Boys' Latin won the tournament crown in the 20-team meet at Perry Hall.
In a controversial marquee bout, Curley's state champ, Mark Frey (135), earned Outstanding Wrestler honors after escaping in overtime to edge Perry Hall's county and region champ, Nick Ramsel, 5-4. For runner-up Eastern Tech, Chris Clark (125) moved to 7-0. And for Perry Hall, which was third, state runner-up Jimmy Van Daniker (112) earned his fifth pin in as many bouts to win the title.
Severna Park native and National Preps champ Bode Ogunwole (heavyweight) of Georgetown Prep won his 57th straight bout, 6-2, over Edgewood's Javance Payne (8-2)
Old Mill 47, Hammond 27: Justin Garrison (119), Doug West (125), Jude Ayanleye (135), Sam Nasser (140), Chris Volker (145), Alex Ford (215) and William Bell (heavyweight) registered pins, and Josh Baynham (130) scored a 15-0 technical fall as the Patriots of Anne Arundel County won their season-opening dual meet.