Before Ivan Carrillo and the rest of Northwest’s top wrestlers headed to Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro this weekend for the Maryland individual state championships, the sophomore told his teammates he was going to return with a title.
In his 182-pound championship match against Broadneck senior Jake Chambers, Carrillo followed through on his word. He won a 7-5 decision, pumped his fist and did a celebratory dance next to Coach Mauro Beteta upon capturing the 4A/3A crown.
“I’m taking on seniors. I’m taking on stronger, faster dudes than what I am,” Carrillo said. “But I still got heart, and people always told me to never take that for granted.”
Carrillo’s win was the second in a row by a Northwest wrestler over a Broadneck opponent. Jaguars senior Samire Brown — Carrillo’s practice partner — earned a 7-5 decision against the Bruins’ Dax Avila to win the 195-pound championship on Day 3 of the tournament.
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It was the first year in school history that Northwest produced multiple state champions after it had just three all-time (in 2004, 2012 and 2018). And it was the final chapter of a strong season for the Jaguars, who held a No. 1 seed at the 4A dual-meet tournament before falling to Urbana in the region semifinals.
“This school and this program have a special place in my heart,” said Beteta, a 2015 Northwest graduate who took over after graduating from Maryland in 2019. “I tell them about my experiences, those of my teammates, and they show up and make me look good.”
While Northwest was the only school to boast two champions, Broadneck’s three finalists were the most from one school. After watching Chambers and Avila fall, Bruins senior Liam DeBaugh took the mat for the 160-pound bout against Nelson Manzoeto, a senior from Blair who entered with a 36-2 record.
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DeBaugh seized control early and walked off the mat with one of the most dominant wins of the evening — a 9-1 major decision that wrapped up a 41-1 season.
“When I saw [my teammates] lose, it lit a fire under me a little bit harder,” said DeBaugh, who lost in last year’s 126-pound final. “I came out here and performed like I knew I could have last year.”
Before the official raised Connor Huff’s hand after his dominant 12-5 win against Clarksburg’s Tsvi Margolis at the end of the 152-pound match, the North Point senior threw his headgear into the crowd and ripped off the top of his singlet. He had completed a 43-0 season.
The competition opened with the heavyweights. Old Mill’s R.J. Duncan lifted Linganore’s Joel Hopkins and tossed him onto the mat during the late stages of the second period — for which Hopkins earned two points.
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As Hopkins remained shaken up on the mat during a delay that lasted about a minute, Duncan slapped the mat and talked with his coaches. “Let’s go, R.J.!” chants reverberated from Old Mill supporters behind the mat as the heavyweights battled throughout the third period, and the Patriots junior closed out a 13-8 decision.
Local champions on the girls’ side included Magruder senior Ana Martins (105), North Point senior Sophia Gerstman (110), Southern sophomore Domenica Gladwell, Oakland Mills senior Jada Fowler (120), Crofton sophomore Lexy Pabon (125), Northern senior Brianna Holcomb (130), Richard Montgomery senior Nadia Estrada (145), Watkins Mill junior Nebi Tsarni (155) and sophomore Jabea Ewane (190), and Great Mills senior Jocelyn Cacek (285).
Other local champions from the 4A/3A field were Magruder sophomore Neil Sharma (106 pounds), Northern sophomore Drew Montgomery (113), Sherwood senior Jace Munoz (126), Centennial sophomore Calvin Kraisser (138), South River senior Sam Ditmars (145), River Hill senior Dylan McCullough and Mt. Hebron senior Samuel Jordan (220).
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