Glenelg junior Mason Knapp separated himself from the noise as the crowd in Guilford Park’s gym buzzed to deafening levels. While the gym was ready to erupt and with the fate of the dual in his hands, Knapp physically turned his head away from the commotion.
It’s a common practice for him, especially before critical matches, as sometimes Knapp will even leave the gym and head outside for some fresh air. Tuesday’s bout met that criteria as Knapp faced the Panthers’ Dylan Brew in the final 285-pound match with the Gladiators leading by just three points.
A cool, calm and collected Knapp was undaunted and met the moment. Both wrestlers looked for a moment to strike, and Knapp found his. He established his advantage on top, then flipped Brew over and the referee smacked the mat at 1:26 in the opening period. That was the final sound of Glenelg’s substantial 41-32 come-from-behind win over the Panthers.
“Realistically, in these moments, there’s no one I’d rather pick to go out there to win these matches than myself,” Knapp said. “I know I push myself and I know I’ve worked. I know my coaches push me beyond belief. So, I know I have the tools and the ability to win every single one of these matches and save my team. So, I’ll do it every single time.”
Both teams entered Tuesday 6-0 and the persistent energy in the gym was indicative of that as both fan sections provided a postseason feel to an early-January dual. Guilford Park fed off that energy early, winning five of the opening six weight classes.
Tyson Pope opened the match with a pin at 106 pounds and the Panthers’ momentum grew from there. Luis Galo-Orellana (113) and Ethan Brancazio (120) each fended off late Glenelg rallies in their matches to keep Guilford Park on track.
Leo Saravia (126) and Matthew Perez-Espinoza (132) delivered back-to-back pins followed by a technical fall win for Alvin Pinkney (138). In just their third season as a varsity program, Guilford Park had one of Howard County’s wrestling powerhouses reeling, holding a 26-3 lead.
“We knew needed to get every point,” Guilford Park coach Dave Roogow said. “We knew we needed pins and not technical [falls]. We knew we had to finish guys. We knew we had to stay off our backs. We knew some of those matches were going to be tight. We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew we had to clean up in those lower weights.”
However, the Gladiators showed their indomitable spirit and championship resolve to rally back beginning at 144 pounds. Phil Key, a team captain and one of Glenelg’s most accomplished wrestlers, began a six-match winning streak that helped turn the tide with a 9-1 major decision. Dwane Morgan Jr. (150) and James McCoy (175) each won by technical fall, while Josh Choi (157), Daniel Bianco (165) and Matthew Garcia (190) all won by pin.
All six matches followed a similar script with the Gladiators wrestlers attacking from the opening whistle. Their collective efforts flipped a 23-point deficit to a 35-26 lead with two weight classes remaining.
“They’ve been wrestling great all year,” Glenelg coach Matt Bichner said of his middleweights. “We know we’re young down low, so looking at the matchups, I thought it would be a tight match just because they got a lot of good kids and they’re a good program. I was hoping we would keep it closer down low, but our middle weights I was confident in them to come in and score a lot of points for us.”
With Glenelg on a roll, one of Guilford Park’s two county champions from last season, Elijah Fields (215), stopped the bleeding. Tied with the Gladiators’ Caleb Ladson after two periods, Fields burst off the whistle to start the third and finished off a pin, giving his team an opportunity to complete a statement win.
However, the Panthers’ euphoria only lasted so long. Knapp, a lineman for Glenelg’s football team earned the nickname “Knapp Time” during football season. The junior put Guilford Park’s comeback bid to sleep and also maintained the Gladiators’ perfect record in the process.
“It’s just that relief because whether you like it or not that tension’s out in the air,” Knapp said of his post win emotions. “You can see it in the crowd, your teammates, the other team. Just that sense of relief that hits, you know you did your job and definitely that your work paid off.”
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