The Harford Tech wrestling team spent two hours Friday setting up for this weekend's tournament, then came back Saturday morning for more preparation. The team members later cleaned up after the event was over.
They also took care of business on the mat, as the host Cobras won three of four matches at the Harford Tech Duals.
Harford County schools were closed Friday because of the weather, so the two-day tournament was cut to one.
The Cobras beat Havre de Grace (73-0), Queen Anne's (45-35) and Calvert Hall (59-13). Tabb (Va.) handed Harford Tech its only loss, 37-33.
The 3-1 record was one of the tournament's best. There wasn't a championship round, but La Plata (Charles County) earned the team title with a 5-0 record. DeMatha (Prince George's County) finished second overall. The Stags also finished second at last weekend's Centennial Duals.
Four Harford Tech wrestlers won all four of their matches, as the Cobras improved their season record to 14-7.
"We did get some tough matches," said Harford Tech coach Gary Siler. "Our tougher kids faced some tougher kids, and that's going to help them get better in the long run."
Bret Blevins (119 pounds), Will Hughes (285), Mike Vega (215) and Brandon Hoch (125) all went for for the Cobras, and Blevins had three pins. Eric Haskell (103) and Tyler Gianese (112) added three wins apiece.
The other local teams struggled against tough out-of-area teams such as La Plata, DeMatha, Stephen Decatur and Rising Sun. No. 6 Curley and No. 8 John Carroll wrestled difficult schedules and both finished 2-3.
Curley lost three of its first four matches but ended the meet with a 44-22 rout of Hereford (3-2). John Carroll lost to champion La Plata (46-28), runner-up DeMatha (40-20) and Stephen Decatur (37-30).
John Carroll coach Keith Watson said the younger members of his team Patriots will learn from the experience.
"We are losing nine seniors, and we are trying to set the stage for next year," Watson said. "We want to wrestle the tough teams."
The Patriots, who beat Curley (34-32) last week, got strong performances from Matt Miller (171, 5-0), Scott Strappelli (119, 5-0) and George Weber (130, 4-1). Miller had pins in all five of his matches.
