(Feb. 22, 2013) The Stephen Decatur wrestling team finished in second place during last weekend’s Bayside Conference championship meet in Cambridge and will send seven grapplers to the 4A/3A East Regional competition at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.
Kent Island won the Bayside title with 294 points. Decatur scored 196 points.
“The kids that made weight wrestled pretty well. Kent Island wrestled lights out and even if we had the two kids who missed weight, I don’t think we could have beat them because they wrestled a great tournament,” said Decatur Coach Todd Martinek. Three Seahawk team captains — seniors Alex Schiffer (145) and Kaelan Paterson (152) and junior Andrew Borradaile (160) — won their divisions.
“I think I did pretty well. I don’t think I wrestled to my ability, but I definitely still came out and won it,” Schiffer said.
Schiffer edged out Kent Island’s Dimitry Callas 1-0 in the finals.
“He beat me 2-1 when we wrestled [at Stephen Decatur] so it was a pretty big win for me,” he said.
Patterson was pleased overall with his Bayside meet performance. He captured the 152-pound title by outscoring North Caroline’s Wade Bishop 4-2 in overtime.
“The finals match was pretty interesting. It was a hard match,” he said. “It took endurance, for sure. In that overtime period I was tired, but I got the two [points].”
Borradaile pinned his first two opponents and topped Kent County’s Justin Peacock 11-8 in the finals to take home the 160-pound title.
“I wrestled [well]. In the finals match in the third period I gave up a little bit on bottom, but I was happy and now I’m just ready to move on to regionals,” he said.
Senior captain, heavyweight Ryan Kail, finished runner-up in his division. Sophomore TJ Scafone (106) and junior Adam Bargar (195) took third place.
Because of their top four finishes at the conference championship, six Decatur wrestlers qualified for the 4A/3A East Regional tournament, which will take place today and Saturday at Wilde Lake High School.
Junior Nate Rosenblatt (113) placed sixth at Baysides, but he accumulated enough points (for winning matches and placing high in tournaments) during the regular season to also compete at regionals.
“We’re sending seven to regionals and I’d like to say we can send at least five to states. That’s definitely a reasonable goal,” Martinek said. “Any time you make it out of the 4A/3A East you can place because this is the toughest region in the state.”
All seven Seahawks are seeded in the top eight in their divisions. Kail (26-3) sits in the top spot at 285 pounds. Rosenblatt (23-2) and Borradaile (27-5) are seeded second in their weight classes.
“I’ll have some tough matches, but I should be in the finals if I wrestle well,” Borradaile said. “I’m excited, but I’m anxious … that’s where it really matters getting on to states by placing at regionals.”
Patterson (27-5) and Bargar (22-9) are ranked third in their divisions.
“It’s going to be tough. My first match is against a kid who placed fifth at states last year,” Patterson said. “The top five kids in my weight class are ranked in the top 14 in the state. My goal’s to place top four and go to states.”
Scafone (24-8) and Schiffer (21-2) are seeded seventh in their weight classes.
“It’s going to take a lot [to win]. Pretty much every match I have is going to be a really tough one so I just got to go out there and wrestle as well as I can,” Schiffer said. “Hopefully, I can win regionals goal go to states.”
The top four finishers in each regional weight class will advance to the 4A/3A state championship, scheduled for March 1-2, at the University of Maryland College Park’s Cole Field House.
