What a difference a year can make.
Carroll County has seen several players and programs have storybook-esque turnaround seasons that set themselves up for years of success and lifted them from the bottom of the county standings in the blink of an eye.
Countless hard lessons that were learned during losses are paired with offseasons of optimism and hard work behind the scenes. The result is a program full of battle-tested coaches and athletes, with each small amount of success bringing well-earned confidence that is carried on as they embrace the fruits of their labor, while at the same time remaining hungry for more.
Winters Mill wrestling can be added to that list of programs. Coach Lou Orem has been through it all since taking over, including last season, where despite having some talent in his lineup, his program went winless in county duals.
Times are changing in Winters Mill — the Falcons picked up two county wins in one night Thursday.
With Westminster and Liberty visiting for a tri-meet many anticipated would be competitive, it was the Falcons that left 2-0, defeating Liberty, 42-30, before finishing off with a 48-32 win over the Owls.
“We picked up two really solid wins against two really good teams,” Orem said. “They came out wanting it, but at the end of the day we wanted it more.”
After watching the Owls defeat the Lions in the first coed dual of the night, the Falcons took center stage, facing both opponents back-to-back. Orem looked on proud as one of his hardest workers, Nathaniel McLeod, excelled in both of his matches on the night.
“Nathaniel is one of the kids I know I can rely on,” Orem said. “He works really hard in practice and seeing his growth is amazing.”
McLeod was still very critical of himself, even after a night that included a dominant 18-3 technical fall win over Liberty’s Silas Givens in his first match, and a pin of Westminster’s Gidean Malone, showcasing the growth he’s even started to see in himself as the season progresses.
“I definitely have to work on some things, but i’m glad I pulled it out at the end,” McLeod said. “I’ve been improving on my stamina and getting my mat awareness up. I feel like I’ve definitely improved a lot in the mental aspect of the sport.”
The 170-pounder wasn’t the only Falcon to go 2-0 on the night. He was joined by Landon Buchman, Chris Gaeng, Colton Wasmer, Lazarus Munson and Victor Tejada, all picking up multiple wins Thursday. Buchman’s pin of Jayden Cedino in the 150-pound bout was the first of four straight Winters Mill pins. That stretch proved to be the difference against Westminster.
“The practice room is different [this season]. We hold our heads high,” Tejada said. “We come in and we grind. Even on the weekends, we keep practicing and looking to getting better.
Tejada had a dominant day in his own right, picking up a 16-1 technical fall over Renner O’Brein before pinning Tyler Wilson to finish off what was certainly a good night for himself.
“I did good, the team did great,” Tejada said. “Couldn’t want more than that.”
Orem certainly wants more, with county championships and the state tournament coming up, he knows his team should embrace this newfound spot near the top of the county standings and be ready for the new challenge of trying to stay there.
He couldn’t help himself though as he looked over at McLeod and others, beaming with pride as he knows what going from 0-6 to now standing at 4-1 in county duals means for his program.
“We put in all this work during the offseason,” he said. “Seeing it all come together is great.”
Winters Mill 42, Liberty, 30
113- Lazarous Munson (WM) PINS Josh Moore (L)
120- Sammy Paretta (L) PINS Skylar Crowl (WM)
126- Brody Lockwood (WM) def Kelean Balley (L), 9-5
132- Colton Wasmer (WM) PINS Johnathan Piek (L)
138- Willis Kiler (WM) PINS Franklin Schaffer (L)
144- Jared Piek (L) def Ian Vasquez (WM), 11-2
150- Landon Buchman (WM) def Parker Reynolds (L), 14-9
157- Dylan Ohler (L) PINS Jason Acevedo (WM)
165- Chris Gaeng (WM) wins via forefit
170- Nathaniel McLeod (WM) def Silas Givens (L) 18-3
190- Kevin Kern (L) PINS Elijah Ousley (WM)
215- Victor Tejada (WM) TF Renner O’Brein (L), 16-1
235- Noah Tallford (L) def Nadir Woodsen (WM), 9-0
106- Connor Bryson (L) wins via forefit
Winters Mill 48, Westminster 32
120- Skylar Crowl (WM) PINS Bennett Lamat (W)
126- Connor Ruane (W) PINS Brody Lockwood (WM)
132- Colton Wasmer (WM) PINS Zach Bowerzsox (W)
138- Liam O’Dwyer (W) def Willis Kiler (WM), 7-6
144- Ethan DeGalicia (W) PINS Ian Vasquez (WM)
150- Landon Buchman (WM) PINS Jayden Cedino (W)
157- Jason Acevedo (WM) PINS Chase Fisher (W)
165- Chris Gaeng (WM) PINS Cole McCann (W)
170 Nathaniel McLeod (WM) PINS Gidean Malone (W)
190- Daviti Guliashuili (W) def Elijah Ousley (WM), 17-1
215- Victor Tejada (WM) PINS Tyler Wilson (W)
235- Aiden Wengert (W) PINS Nadir Woodson (WM)
106- Jake Vile (W) wins via forefit
113- Lazarus Munson (WM) PINS Adam Shaffer (W)
Have a news tip? Contact Timothy Dashiell at tdashiell@baltsun.com, and x.com/dashielltimothy.