McDonogh, Mount St. Joseph or Archbishop Curley winning the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association wrestling tournament is about as much a certainty as Baltimore never welcoming an Irsay into town.
The three area private schools have combined to win 10 of the 11 total MIAA tournament team titles, with their wrestlers capturing 108 of the 147 individual crowns since the league?s formation in 1995.
Those facts are not lost on John Carroll coach Keith Watson. But that does not mean he will go into this weekend?s 15-team tournament with low expectations. The fifth-year coach envisions the Patriots finishing as high as fourth place after going 39-8 overall and winning their first MIAA B Conference title in five years with a 42-15 victory over Archbishop Spalding last Tuesday.
“To do better than fourth would be amazing, but it?s also unlikely,” Watson said. “Archbishop Curley, Mount St. Joseph and McDonogh are playing a different game than the rest of us, and I realize that.”
Watson credits part of his team?s success with the aggressive approach he took in getting matches for his wrestlers this season. The depth on the Patriots? roster afforded Watson the chance to field two full varsity squads, leading to the high number of dual meets on their schedule.
Baltimore County dual meet champion Milford Mill, defending B Conference champion St. Mary?s and Anne Arundel County power Chesapeake are just a few of the teams John Carroll defeated this season.
“Often, there are average teams who have a couple of good wrestlers,” Watson said. “Sometimes, you get a good team with a bunch of good wrestlers. But seldom do you get a bunch of good wrestlers who have backups only a whisker behind them talent-wise who are willing to sacrifice day in and day out.”
John Carroll?s extensive schedule, which also included first-place finishes at C.M. Wright?s Iron Horse Duals and the Edgewood tournament, gives Watson confidence that some of his wrestlers could earn top-three finishes this weekend. Heavyweight John Von Paris (35-0) is one of the favorites in his weight class, while Ethan Reese (160 pounds, 33-6), Brock Brooks (171, 29-11) and Tim Webster (189, 30-10) are all expected to go deep in their respective brackets.
“This weekend gives us the opportunity to show that just because we?re in the B Conference doesn?t mean we can?t have a good showing in the MIAA tournament,” Reese said.
