Amid lineup changes, Lancers wrestling finishes regular season unbeaten
Feb. 1—THURMONT — On a night of fluctuating lineups, Linganore wrestling's Joel Hopkins was one of the few Lancers who stayed in his regular weight class.
And the heavyweight proved his mettle in the 285-pound bout, getting an early takedown and pinning Catoctin's Brayden Bagent in 46 seconds.
That was the second of three pins for Linganore, all of which came early in Wednesday's match at Catoctin High. And though the Lancers won 51-22 to close out an undefeated regular season, the Cougars took five of the nine contested bouts, forfeiting the other five.
"We have to wrestle in two weeks at counties, and for me, the main goal is to stay healthy and be ready to go next week. So we moved some guys up and down and around to get all that set up," Linganore coach Ben Arneson said. "Tonight was all about getting up here, getting our matches in and walking away with the win."
That meant no Chase Witmer at 182, with Ethan Arneson wrestling up a weight class in his place. Bradley Matthews, Christian Ibarra and Camden Scarbrough slotted in at 138, 145 and 170, respectively.
Meanwhile, Peyton Pickett's bout with Catoctin's Braden Bell — wrestling up two classes at 152 — was the most dramatic of the evening. The Lancer was ahead by two points in the third period following an escape and seemed to be narrowly in command.
But Bell got a takedown with 25 seconds left and put Pickett in a compromising position, getting two back points to flip the bout in his favor for a 10-8 victory.
"Braden needed it because he hasn't really wrestled anyone tough for a while," Cougars coach Rick Reeder said. "I wanted that challenge [for him], because I wanted him to be ready to go into counties, regionals and states understanding he has to work on a couple of things."
Though Bell provided the fireworks, four other Catoctin (4-8) wrestlers ended their bouts victorious. Nathan Kovalcik, wrestling up at 195, and Dylan Gray (138) each pinned their man in the first period. Evan Burd (145) turned in a 9-4 decision, and Hunter Bradshaw secured a 15-4 major decision at 160.
For Linganore (14-0), Scarbrough closed the match with a 9-3 decision in the 170-pound bout. Ethan Arneson and Cash Wheat (113) each got pins, as did Hopkins.
The latter is rounding into his expected form after a delayed start to his wrestling season due to an invitation to a high school football all-star game. It put him a few weeks behind schedule, though Wednesday's quick pin proved he's back in top shape with a bevy of tournaments on the way.
"I think I've improved a lot since the beginning of the season, almost just getting used to wrestling," Hopkins said. "I honestly think I'm a little better than I was [at this point last year]."
He added that he feels his endurance has improved, along with his movement on the mat.
Hopkins finished fifth at the Class 3A state tournament in the heavyweight division last year, and he feels he can aim higher. Those improvements, along with greater mental fortitude, could help him get to a high finish.
"There are times in wrestling where you are so physically and mentally tired that you just want to give up," Hopkins said. "That's one of the biggest things I picked back up was the mental toughness to just keep going."
RESULTS
182 — Ethan Arneson (L) pinned Grant Kelly, :45; 195 — Nathan Kovalcik (C) pinned Bradley Rice, 1:31; 220 — Trevor Jenkins (L) won by forfeit; 285 — Joel Hopkins (L) pinned Brayden Bagent, :46; 106 — Josh Arthur (L) won by forfeit; 113 — Cash Wheat (L) pinned Emma Taylor, 2:32; 120 — Brennan Considine (L) won by forfeit; 126 — Judge Wheat (L) won by forfeit; 132 — Dylan Rohn (L) won by forfeit; 138 — Dylan Gray (C) pinned Bradley Matthews, 1:00; 145 — Evan Burd (C) dec. Christian Ibarra, 9-4; 152 — Braden Bell (C) dec. Peyton Pickett, 10-8; 160 — Hunter Bradshaw (C) maj. dec. Ben Lawn, 15-4; 170 — Camden Scarbrough (L) dec. Daynin McLain, 9-3.
