Williamsport's Hastings, Boonsboro's Mikus win state wrestling titles
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — After suffering his first loss of the season in the region finals, Adin Hastings vowed that he wouldn’t let the bigger title slip away from him the following weekend.
The Williamsport sophomore wrestler delivered on his words Saturday night at the Show Place Arena.
Hastings scored a takedown at the edge of the circle in sudden-death overtime to defeat South Carroll’s Manny Rodrigues 3-1 in the Maryland 2A-1A state championship final at 195 pounds.
Boonsboro junior Amelia Mikus was Washington County’s other title winner, prevailing at 135 pounds in the girls division to become the Warriors’ first female state wrestling champ.
“This feeling is incomparable to anything,” said Hastings, who finished 44-1 for the season. “It’s a sense of relief — all that stress, all that hard work.”
On Feb. 25 in the West region finals, Hastings was pinned by Middletown’s Alex Hoy, who placed third at states after losing 6-4 to Rodrigues in the semifinals.
“Last week was probably the best thing that happened to him,” Williamsport coach Mike Rechtorovic said. “It refocused him and got him back on the right track.”
In the finals, Rodrigues went up 1-0 with an escape in the second period, and Hastings tied it with an escape in the third.
In overtime, the Wildcat finally got the elusive takedown.
“I just trusted my training. I knew it was bound to happen,” Hastings said. “I just thought of all the hard work — and last week. That just pushed me more.
“Everything happens for a reason. It sucked last weekend, but it is much more important to win this one than last week’s,” he added. “I knew that match was a fluke, and I had to prove myself.”
“His conditioning, how hard he works all year, it came to fruition,” Rechtorovic said. “He was still wrestling really hard and fast in overtime, and that guy kind of stopped wrestling at the out-of-bounds line, and he kept wrestling and got the takedown to win it. Good for him. He’s worked really hard for this.”
Boonsboro's Mikus makes history
Mikus, a state runner-up last season, pinned Smithsburg senior Allie Grossnickle in 1:40 in the girls championship finals.
“My motivation, to start with, is I wanted to be the first girl to get first at states in Boonsboro history,” she said. “I didn’t want to get second again. That was a little disappointing, but I made up for it this year.”
Her level of excellence continue to impress Warriors coach Shawn Smith.
“She’s definitely the best female wrestler I’ve ever coached. She’s done one heck of a job,” he said. “A lot of kids, they’re either all in on wrestling or all in on something else. But she’s about as well-rounded as it gets. She’s an honor student, she wants to be an anesthesiologist.
“I’ve coached kids that have a ton of ability, and I’ve coached kids that have great heart but don’t have a ton of ability. She’s got both, and she truly appreciates what she has. She gets it. She’s very mature for her age.
“I’ve coached other kids who have done very well, but very rarely do they excel in all things, and she does.”
Mikus vs. Grossnickle again
Saturday’s final was the fourth match this season between Mikus and Grossnickle, including the third straight Saturday they met with a title on the line, following the county and region tournaments.
Although Mikus also pinned Grossnickle in their other bouts, she said she wasn’t taking anything for granted at states.
“I never doubt my opponent before going into a match,” Mikus said. “I always go in aggressive.”
As for Grossnickle, she became a three-time state placewinner, adding to her runner-up finish in 2020 and fourth-place showing last year.
En route to the finals of this year’s tournament, Grossnickle pinned each of her three opponents in less than a minute.
“Allie did a heck of a job,” Smith said. “She’s had the misfortune of her and Amelia meeting for counties, meeting for regions, meeting for states. She easily could have won a lot of other weight classes. I don’t want to diminish what she’s achieved. Sometimes that’s the unfortunate thing. You’re the second best wrestler in the state, but literally your cross-town rival is the best. You might not get as much recognition as you deserve, but I think she deserves a lot.”
Halling suffers first season loss
Boonsboro sophomore Tanner Halling (45-1) met defeat for the first time this season, falling 3-2 to South Carroll’s JoJo Gigliotti in the 2A-1A final at 120.
Gigliotti scored the lone takedown of the match in the first period and led 3-0 at the end of the second. Halling cut it to 3-1 with an escape in third and was awarded a point with 4 seconds left when Gigliotti was penalized for stalling.
“The kid is really good,” said Halling, who placed third at 106 last year. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s a great opponent. I’ve been wrestling him for years (in junior league). It’s always been back and forth. We’re both really tough.
“I didn’t wrestle my best,” he added. “I feel like I could have wrestled better. But he wrestled a great match. It was a great match just in general. It could have gone either way. It sucks to lose, but it’s only going to make me better.”
Smithsburg senior James Brashears also earned 2A-1A state runner-up honors at 170.
In the finals, Brashears (39-5), a first-time state qualifier, trailed 7-0 before getting pinned with 3 seconds left in the match by Manchester Valley’s Jake Boog, the state champ at 152 last year.
Other 2A-1A state placers included Boonsboro junior Nate Elliott, who finished fourth at 220, and Williamsport senior Mason Wolfensberger, who was sixth at 285.
In 4A-3A, South Hagerstown senior Vince Raynor placed sixth at 152.
In the girls division, Boonsboro senior Michaela Carney placed fourth at 130.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Williamsport's Hastings, Boonsboro's Mikus win state wrestling titles
