During a year in which the gap between Colonial Forge and its Virginia AAA Northwestern Region competitors narrowed considerably, the Eagles enjoyed perhaps the finest season in their six-year history, winning their fourth straight regional title and finishing second at the state meet for the second time in four years.
Colonial Forge also finished as The Post's top-ranked team, ahead of Maryland 4A/3A champion Whitman and 3A/1A runner-up Hammond.
Colonial Forge's 125-pound Matt Taylor, front, helped the Eagles capture their fourth straight Virginia AAA Northwestern Region championship.
(Dan Reeves For The Washington Post)
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Colonial Forge did all this while fending off regional rivals Forest Park and Gar-Field. And the road should prove even harder next season. The Eagles graduate a state champion in heavyweight Sha'n Wilson, two runners-up in Matt Taylor (125 pounds) and Matt Pellar (215), and a third-place finisher in 145-pounder Anthony Reck.
"I think going into next season it will probably be the first time in five years where people aren't going to expect us to win," Coach Bill Swink said. "Even though Forest Park and Gar-Field thought they could win this season, they knew they still had to catch us. They'll probably be the favorites going in. It's a different feeling. I think we'll like being the underdogs for a change."
Rowe on the Record
DeMatha three-time All-Met Mike Rowe's last match was one for the record books. The senior 135-pounder pinned Owings Mills's Ryan Nash in 4 minutes 35 seconds at the Maryland Senior All-Star Classic last week at River Hill to earn his state-record 221st career victory.
Rowe, who entered the event with 219 wins, tied former DeMatha All-Met Wes Cummings when he posted an 18-3 win over Chesapeake's Shane Fraser. Rowe claimed the record later that night by recording the 160th pin of his career against Nash, who placed fourth at the Maryland 2A/1A state tournament earlier this month.
"That was one of the biggest matches I've won because I'd been hearing all season that I was on pace to break the record, or I could break the record or I might break the record," said Rowe, who will compete for Nebraska next season. "Now, it was I did break the record."
Unlike Virginia, Maryland's career wrestling records include results from all-star matches, said Haswell Franklin, the chairman of the Maryland State Wrestling Association.
Rowe finished his career at 221-8, ahead of Cummings (220-20 from 1996 to 1999). Todd Beckerman, who graduated in 1996 with a 208-1 record, holds DeMatha's record for career winning percentage (.995).
Steaking Their Claim
Magruder Coach Max Sartoph makes a deal with every one of his wrestlers before the season: win a state title, and he'll pick up the tab for a steak dinner.
But after watching three Colonels -- junior Zach Tolbert (112), senior Cam Watkins (135) and junior John Holloway (189) -- claim 4A/3A titles earlier this month, Sartoph acknowledged the threesome each earned an additional reward.
"I have to think of something because that doesn't happen very often," he said. "I knew all three of them had the talent to win a state title, but to see all of them reach their potential on the same day was incredible."
The three champions led Magruder to a school-best second-place finish in the team competition with 96.5 points, despite having just four wrestlers qualify. Senior Joe Holland advanced to the 171-pound final before falling in double overtime to Quince Orchard's Eddie Baughan, 4-3.
Coronel Impresses
Oakton Coach John Gluck submitted an entry form to the Senior Nationals tournament committee for Luis Coronel and wasn't sure if he'd ever even hear back. As it turns out, the prestigious seniors-only tournament held March 30 through April 3 -- which reserves an invitation for champions and runners-up in every state -- granted Virginia's lone wild-card spot to the Oakton 140-pounder.
A fourth-place finisher at states, Coronel nearly knocked off then-undefeated Adam Fitterer of Fairfax in the Northern Region finals and Virginia AAA champion Junior Pearman of Great Bridge in the state semifinals.
"It's a great honor to get it when you finished first or second, but to get the wild card, you had to have impressed someone," Gluck said. "He's wrestling real well right now and we're hoping he can make an impression on [colleges]."
