C. Milton Wright wrestling gets some unforgettable results in 42-20 victory over Catonsville

Dec. 22—C. Milton Wright freshman Jaxon Simms will never forget the 160-pound match he won to get over the .500 mark. It took four overtimes before Simms emerged with a 3-2 victory over Catonsville's Corson Durst, helping the visiting Mustangs win Tuesday's dual, 42-20.

"I just had to keep going," Simms said. "He was tough. I was more comfortable on top because I could break him down. On bottom, I couldn't get out."

Simms, who improved to 6-5, opened the bout with an early takedown for a 2-0 lead before Durst tied it at 2 on a takedown with 56 seconds left in the third period.

Durst nearly got Simms on his back late in the first one-minute overtime period, but was ruled out of bounds. Neither grappler escaped in the second or third 30-second overtimes and Simms finally rode him out for a point in the final 30 seconds.

"He's a kid that never gives up," C. Milton Wright coach John Thornton said. "He works hard in the practice room and he's in pretty good shape compared to a lot of people this time of the year. When you can go all three periods, you are always in it. He's got a lot of heart."

That win gave the Mustangs a 21-12 lead and the Comets never got any closer.

The final bout of the evening was a featured match between a pair of ranked grapplers at 120 pounds. Catonsville junior Toby Eveleth, ranked ninth, fell behind sophomore and 19th-ranked Mitchell Nguyen, 2-0, early in the first period, but rallied strongly for a 15-2 victory that included two takedowns and three near falls.

"I kind of came out a little flat and then he got that takedown and it kind of ticked me off a little bit," said Eveleth, who improved to 13-0.

He nearly had two pins in the second period and one before time expired.

"It was close, I'll get there," he said. "I don't know if I had it or not, but I was getting back points."

"I expect him to step up every time," Catonsville coach George Dunn said. "We are trying to test him as much as we can. He's been going 126 and he went down to 120 just to face that guy. He's working on getting back in shape and we want to get him as many tough matches as we can."

"[Nguyen] came out last year with hardly any experience and he's just a natural, but he hasn't been in any of those big matches yet. So poise and that kind of stuff like holding onto a lead, he's still got a lot to learn," Thornton said.

The match opened with a first-period pin by C. Milton Wright's Joseph Peters at 126 pounds. Catonsville's Adonis Jovenal tied it at 6 with a first-period pin of Ethan Lylo.

At 138, Mustang Brody Zumbrano nipped Drew Ritter, 6-5, on an escape with 15 seconds left in the third period. C. Milton Wright's Devin Sweeney pinned Jaden Cudzillo at 145 and Joey LoBianco defeated Shiloh Robinson, 8-2, at 152.

After the overtime thriller at 160, Catonsville's Mason Ritter got a forfeit at 170 and at 182, C. Milton Wright's Islom Salokhitdinov defeated Maurkeis Gary, 6-3.

C. Milton Wright's Nick Marzen (195) decisioned Zayd Favors and teammates Joey Tufts (220) won over Isaiah Briscoe. In the heavyweight bout, Catonsville's Shawn Traynham returned from illness and beat Michael Roche, 8-3. Catonsville forfeited 106 to Kane Desch, ranked fifth in the state, and Sam Levi got a Mustang forfeit at 113.

Despite the win, Thornton knows his team is still a work in progress.

"I just told our guys conditioning is an issue for a lot of our guys, not working hard enough in the practice room, no discredit to them, but there were a lot of matches where we should have put them away and they were able to hold us to decisions and kudos to them, they kept battling," Thornton said. "They showed a lot of heart and fight in keeping stuff to decisions and on the other side of things, I wasn't so happy we weren't able to put them away, not every match, but a lot of them,"

Catonsville is 4-2 in dual meets with wins over Western Tech, Owings Mills, Eastern Tech and Kenwood and Eveleth likes the direction the team is headed.

"We are getting better, we've got a lot of newer kids and we're building up the program, a lot of kids aren't at their normal weight because of certifications, but I know every day we are constantly working harder and we keep getting better as a team," Eveleth said. "If we keep our team chemistry and our team spirits up, we can really do some damage later at counties."