With the regular season wrapped up like a cradle, wrestlers from the county will join those from Cecil County this weekend in Bel Air. The UCBAC Championship Wrestling Tournament will get started today (Friday) and resume Saturday at Bel Air High School.
Wrestling will get under way today at 4 p.m. with preliminary round action. Quarterfinals and round one wrestle backs will conclude the first day of action, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Wrestling will resume Saturday at 9 a.m. with round two wrestle backs, while championship semifinals will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by round three wrestle backs.
Round four wrestle backs will begin at 1 p.m., while consolation finals will begin at 2 p.m. Championship finals are set for a 3:30 p.m. start.
Four wrestlers return as defending champions, although none will defend at the weight they won last season.
Fallston senior Zach Cullison, who won a state title last year with Patterson Mill, is back at 132 pounds, but not the top seed. Bel Air senior Jeff Taylor claimed that spot based on his overtime pin of Cullison during the season's first week of action.
A Taylor-Cullison rematch may be the most anticipated potential final of the tournament.
CJ Austin, a Fallston teammate, was also a champion last year, winning the 130 title. Austin, a junior, is back this year to defend, but at 145, where his toughest challenge could come in the finals against C. Milton Wright junior Ben Swanson, a transfer from John Carroll last month.
Harford's other returning champion is Harford Tech senior Dillon Brush. Brush won the 171 crown last year, but will lead the 182 weight class this weekend. Perryville's Jake Ritter may be Brush's toughest match, which will be a final.
Rising Sun junior Anthony Cimorosi is the other returning champion, having won the 145 title last season. Cimorosi is the top seed at 152, where Bel Air sophomore John Cross, a two seed, may offer a solid challenge.
Of the top seeds, Rising Sun leads with five, while Fallston and Perryville have three each. Bel Air, Tech and Elkton round out the top seeds with one apiece.
Joining Austin from Fallston are juniors Joe Medicus and Ridge Myers. Medicus, a runner-up at 103 a year ago, is the top seed at 106. Myers was fourth at 215 last year and the top seed at 220 this year.
Perryville's top seeds are Chris Brown at 113; Andrew Brown at 126; and Amos Harlan at 138. Harlan was a runner-up at 135 a year ago.
In addition to Cimorosi, Rising Sun's other top seeds are Weston Lynn at 120; Lance Eveland at 160; Jake Brown at 195; and Ty McGee at 285. McGee was runner-up at 215 last year.
Elkton's Msema Msackyi is the remaining top seed at 172, a fifth place finisher at 145 a year ago.
Rising Sun won the team title last year with 210.5 points, beating Bel Air's 180 and Tech's 149.
The Bobcats may be one to challenge for the title this year, while Perryville and Patterson Mill each had solid dual seasons, but that doesn't always translate into great tournament results.