Chesapeake wrestlers chattered about South River all week. Even with all the rubble they left behind after laying waste to most of Anne Arundel County already, they needed this particular victory to truly prove they were the county’s toughest program.
Cougars coach Randy Curtin cautioned them not to get too overconfident. But as it turns out, the confidence leveled out just right.
By the time 175-pound Seahawk Evan Paximadas logged his decision — South River’s first points since 113 — Chesapeake had already put the score out of range for South River to recover. The Cougars ended up posting a dominant 44-18 victory to remain unbeaten at 9-0.
“I thought it was gonna be a little closer,” 215-pound Xander Dodd admitted.
With the win, Chesapeake can now officially host the Class 3A regionals – an asset South River was not too happy to lose.
“We have a good mix of young guys and veterans, and they’ve all bought in,” Curtin said. “They believed going into this match they were going to do it.”
For the last contested bout of the night (Chesapeake forfeited heavyweight), members of the crowd clutched their pieces of paper a little tighter. Each simply said: “100.”
Dodd anxiously awaited his return since last weekend’s tournament. He suffered an internal medical issue, Curtin explained. Out of precaution, the team held him back from Wednesday’s dual with Meade.
Dodd won’t often express emotion, Curtin said. Even with his 100th victory in hand, with youth wrestlers fluttering their 100 signs and reaching out to fist-bump their champion, Dodd obliged but remained stoic.
Curtin knew better.
“Yeah,” the coach said, smiling. “He was happy to be back out there.”
Dodd felt gratitude afterward, not for his own accomplishment, but for his teammates’ support. He’d known most of his fellow Cougars since they were youth wrestlers.
“It feels like family here,” he said, “and it goes a long way.”
It was the 150 match that clinched the reality of a blowout in Curtin’s mind.
Owen Collins lagged behind South River’s Ben Ford into the third period. As the Seahawks senior stacked three-point takedowns, it seemed Collins would not be joining his teammates in the victory column.
That is until Collins lunged for him, twisting the Seahawk around. The official signaled the three-point takedown, but Collins hungered for more. He kneaded Ford beneath him until he heard the sweet sound of the official’s palm on the ground — a pin.
Despite the string of victories Chesapeake stitched on the scoreboard, no one had managed to score a fall yet. He would be only one of two Cougars to earn that six-point reward. Two Cougars earned technical falls – Brayden Roberts (126) and Trevor Webb (157) – but the rest scrapped out decisions.
Chesapeake had grown accustomed to speeding through its opponents with a slew of pins this winter. On Friday, Quin Greenstreet (106), Carson Roberts (120), Dominic Ayres (132), Rex Graves (138), Ethan Mills (144) and Dodd all had to battle full time.
For South River to demand a full three periods from most of the Cougars on Friday night was a gift of sorts for Chesapeake. Grit tends to polish.
“On one hand, you want to in and tech fall, so you don’t have to worry about it. But when you do have a minor or major decision – when you’re out there grinding it for all six minutes – it teaches them that perseverance,” Curtin said, “and we did a solid job of that tonight.”
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