OAKLAND, Md. — It only seemed fitting that the Maryland Class 1A West dual-meet title match between Williamsport and Northern Garrett came down to double overtime in the last bout of the night Wednesday at Southern Garrett High School.
It was a thriller from start to finish.
Unfortunately, however, it will be remembered for its anticlimactic outcome.
When it was all said and done, no one knew for sure which team had won.
After Northern’s Austin Ravenscroft outlasted Nicky Anderson 3-2 in the final bout at 132 pounds, the team score was tied 33-33.
Although there are specific criterion to break such ties, it couldn’t be broken Wednesday night, even after a half-hour of deliberation. Coaches and officials had a meeting, phone calls were made — including one to Bruce Malinowski, the state’s wrestling rules interpreter — and no champion was declared. A decision on the outcome is to be made soon.
The first three tiebreakers, in a nutshell, are about sportsmanship and go against the team that was penalized the most for flagrant or unsportsmanlike conduct.
The fourth tiebreaker gives the victory to the team that won the most bouts.
Since the Huskies prevailed in eight of the 14 weight classes, they’d get the title — if it gets that far.
Earlier in the night, in Northern’s 46-32 win over Southern Garrett in the semifinals, Huskies coach Casey Kamp was penalized for misconduct.
If that misconduct carries over to the final, the Wildcats are the winners.
“The first match, we wrestled Southern, and I got a penalty point because I came out on the mat,” Kamp said. “They don’t know if it carries over to the Williamsport match. I don’t think it does, but (Williamsport coach Mike Rechtorovic) said he thinks it does, so we had to call (Malinowski).
“We called the rules interpreter,” Kamp added. “I don’t know who in the heck he has to call, but he says he has to make a call. I’m like, ‘You are the guy. You’re the guy we call.’”
It’s a match both teams desperately want to win to advance to Saturday’s state duals in Waldorf. While Northern hasn’t qualified for the state duals since 2007, the Wildcats have never been there.
Northern, which beat Williamsport 46-36 last month, shot to an 18-0 lead through four bouts Wednesday.
Five bouts later, it was tied 21-21, after Williamsport got pins from Darby Bryant (182 pounds) and Max Larkin (285), a win by forfeit from Mason Wolfensberger (220) and a decision from Adin Hastings (170).
After the Huskies went back up 25-21, Zach Starr got a pin at 113 to give the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 27–25, and Landen Harbaugh extended it to 33-25 with a pin at 120.
Northern answered. A technical fall by Caleb Brenneman at 126 cut it to 33-30 and Ravenscroft’s double-overtime decision at 132 tied it at 33-all.
“I’ve been involved in some pretty incredible duals meets over my 20 years of coaching, but that might be the most exciting dual meet I’ve ever seen,” Rechtorovic said. “I started wrestling when I was 4, my dad was a head wrestling coach, I’ve been watching dual meets my entire life and that might be the craziest dual meet I’ve seen. To end that way, end in a tie, have it come down to double overtime in the last match, I’m proud of my guys either way.
“I know we don’t know yet and we don’t know what’s going on right now, but I’m proud of the way they fought and we battled. We did all we could do, and now I guess it’s in someone else’s hands in some office somewhere. The rules interpreter for the state of Maryland doesn’t have an answer right now, so they have to go up higher than him. That’s what it is.”
Maryland 1A West Duals
Championship final
Northern Garrett 33, Williamsport 33
138 — Jacob Brenneman (NG) t.f. Logan Williams, 20-5
145 — Chase Taylor (NG) m.d. Aidan St. Andrie, 12-1
152 — Devin Smith (NG) p. Kamden Baker, 0:25
160 — Colby Clark (NG) d. Riley Collins, 8-3
170 — Adin Hastings (W) d. Jamison Warnick, 6-0
182 — Darby Bryant (W) p. Jayden Fike, 0:27
195 — Scott Beitzel (NG) d. Sebastian Sauer, 9-2
220 — Mason Wolfensberger (W) fft.
285 — Max Larkin (W) p. Jake Beeman, 0:59
106 — Nate Wilhelm (NG) m.d. Camden, 16-7
113 — Zach Starr (W) p. Matthew Beitzel, 1:14
120 — Landen Harbaugh (W) p. Austen Slaybaugh, 2:33
126 — Caleb Brenneman (NG) t.f. Max Crawford, 18-2
132 — Austin Ravenscroft (NG) d. Nicky Anderson, 3-2
Semifinals
Williamsport 50, Fort Hill 28
132 — Nicky Anderson (W) m.d. Preston Crabtree, 11-3
138 — Tanner Wertz (FH) p. Aidan McAllister, 0:51
145 — Logan Williams (W) p. Jaylan Atkinson, 1:20
152 — Liam Warner (FH) m.d. Riley Collins, 16-3
160 — Noah Bunbasi (FH) inj. def. Gavin McCray
170 — Adin Hastings (W) p. Cooper Silber, 2:27
182 — Skylar Sauer (W) p. CJ McMillan, 0:51
195 — Darby Bryant (W) m.d. Nathan Doman, 14-3
220 — Mason Wolfensberger (W) p. Wyatt Walker, 3:58
285 — J Sean Cassignol (W) p. Carter Hess, 3:18
106 — Camden Hull (W) p. Brianna Lavelle, 0:31
113 — Zach Starr (W) p. Tristan Melton, 0:24
120 — Jackson Jones (FH) fft.
126 — Brayson Fleegle (FH) fft.
