Sam Burdych?s prep wrestling career came full circle Saturday at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.
The senior 189-pounder bulldozed his way through the competition to become one of three individual champions for Archbishop Curley, which had 10 top-four finishers overall. Burdych improved to 33-5 on the year after winning four matches by a combined score of 33-0, including a 12-0 major decision in the finals against St. Mary?s Robert Garland.
Burdych?s near-flawless performance came a little more than a year after he broke his hand at the War on the Shore tournament. He missed nearly his entire junior season after placing second in the MIAA tournament as a sophomore.
“Last year was very frustrating,” said Burdych, who is currently ranked third in his weight class by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. “It was tough not being out there to help my teammates, and it motivated me even more to get back out there this year. I?m just so proud of what I did Saturday. I thought it was my best wrestling performance since I was a sophomore.”
Curley first-year coach Gregg Kessler said Burdych, who lives in Baltimore, saved his best wrestling of the year for the MIAA tournament.
“Looking back on his matches, I can?t point to anything out there he really did wrong,” Kessler said. “For a bigger guy, Sam has such a solid leg attack. He can shoot on an opponent as good as anybody on the team. And in Maryland, that is a major threat for wrestlers in the upper weight divisions. I just wish I had another season to work with him. He?s the type of wrestler that could thrive at any level he wishes to compete at in college.”
Burdych is leaning toward Dana College, an NAIA school in Nebraska. But first, he has some unfinished business at the high school level. This weekend, he will compete in the Maryland Independent Schools state tournament at McDonogh.
“I?ve already won the MIAA,” Burdych said. “Now, I?m looking to win states this weekend and then hopefully do well at National Preps after that.”
