The PG Gazette does it's preview on Wrestling.
After Prince George’s County wrestling produced its first state champion since 2008 last season in Bladensburg’s Jamal Saunders, area coaches are hoping for an even better showing this winter.
This year, the wrestlers will be classified differently as mandated by the National Federation of State High School Association Board of Directors. The new classes will be 106 pounds, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285.
Several perennial contenders should return with strong lineups, including four-time defending county champion Eleanor Roosevelt, private school powerhouse DeMatha, DuVal and Gwynn Park. In addition, Bowie, Parkdale and Oxon Hill could surprise some of the top teams.
Roosevelt coach Mike McRae, who announced his retirement at the end of last season, is back at the helm. The school had planned for assistant Nate Jackson take over the program, but that fell through because of commitments in Jackson’s full-time job. McRae, who will begin his 13th season, will rely on Ben Panga (120), Jonathan Jones (145) and Tommie Boozer (220) to carry the team. Boozer won the county title at 215 and took fifth in the state tournament last season.
“We’re not as strong as we were, but we’re strong enough to pull off our fifth [county championship] in a row,” McRae said. “We have a really good corps of those guys being our solid foundation. You only get better and better.”
Attempting to unseat the Raiders will be a number of teams, with DuVal at the top of the list. Coach Cortez Hayes will have one of the county’s top returnees in junior Thierno Diallo (113/120). The skilled lightweight finished second in the state last season in the 103-pound weight class. DuVal also return top juniors Antwan Reddick and Lionel Green.
“We’ve put in some pretty good work over the summer time in order to do some great things for this season,” Hayes said. “Diallo put in some good training over the summer — a lot of weightlifting, running. He’s trying to get the title this year.”
Former Bladensburg coach Aaron Hankey takes over the team at Bowie this season and Parkdale returns 10 wrestlers in what should be a competitive season among County 4A League teams.
Leading the pack in the County 3A/2A/1A League will be Ivan Hardnett’s Gwynn Park team. The Yellow Jackets have six wrestlers returning, including Andrew Knorr, who won three matches at the state tournament last season.
“He has been on fire,” Hardnett said of Knorr. “He’s done a whole lot of wrestling this summer, and I’m looking for him to go deep into the second day, if not the finals.”
Though Gwynn Park lost 2011 Gazette-Star Wrestler of the Year Trey Seymour to graduation, Hardnett is confident his team, which boasts plenty of powerful wrestlers, is well positioned for a strong season.
“As a whole we’re making a transition to be more of an elite tournament team,” Hardnett said. “We won’t win your county or regionals. I tell my guys I don’t really care if you win a county championship. That means nothing. Our ultimate goal to focus is the state championship.”
Among the private schools, DeMatha and McNamara once again should be strong, with Stags coach Richard Messier returning three members of last year’s all-county team: seniors Dylan Devine and Tito Onyekweli and sophomore Ben Prada. Also among the top wrestlers in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference will be McNamara’s Alfred Bannister, who won the Maryland Independent Schools state champion at 125 as a freshman.
