County Champ

It was his first tournament victory, but Centennial junior Joon Kim handled winning like a veteran.The 189-pounder threw his arms in the air after scoring his fifth pin of the season in six matches over DeMatha's Josh Bender to become the Eagles' first-ever Annapolis Tournament champion."

The Year of the Bear continued as second-ranked Hammond nailed down the county tournament championship in impressive fashion at Atholton yesterday.A week ago the Bears (16-0) won their first Class 1A-2A state dual-meet championship.Defending county tourney champion Oakland Mills finished as runner-up, 212-155. The Scorpions placed only three in the finals and didn't produce a county champion.Hammond placed seven wrestlers in the finals, and five emerged as county champions.Senior Hansel Henry (171 pounds)

Meade's winning of the George Roberts sportsmanship award at the county tournament over the weekend was well-earned by first-year coach Scott Jacoby.Jacoby's Mustangs crowned a county champ, Detric Tyus (160), whom Jacoby recruited from the hallways, and had a runner-up in fourth-ranked Adam Butts (171) -- last year's 160-pound county champ.In addition, the Mustangs (5-6, county, 6-8 overall) had their best season in years. "They won a match last year because Queen Anne's had six forfeits.

Only three wrestlers will have the chance to repeat as county champs at this weekend's county championships.River Hill's Brandon Lauer, the county champ at 103 last season, is top-seeded at 112 this season. Hammond's Vaymond Dennis, the county champ at 112 last season, is top-seeded at 135. Both are defending state champs, as well.Oakland Mills' Jay Frizzelle, last season's county and regional heavyweight champ, is seeded only fifth this time. He missed several matches because of disqualifications and a shoulder injury, so he posted only two county wins.

DeMatha lost by four points to No. 2 Mount St. Joseph in the Archbishop Curley Tournament eight days ago, but one week made a big difference.The Hyattsville wrestlers, coached by Columbia resident Dick Messier, exacted revenge at yesterday's Annapolis Tournament. The Stags (217 points) had four individual champs in routing the runner-up Gaels (179.5, two champs) and dethroning two-time champion Altoona, Pa. (168, one).Howard county's only participant in the 13-school tournament was Centennial, which finished last on just 12 team points.

Aberdeen had four individual winners and won the team title at the 21st annual John Carroll Christmas Wrestling Tournament last weekend.The longest-running school-sponsored tournament in the state, the John Carroll Tournament drew eight teams from Harford County, Baltimore County, and the Maryland Scholastic Association for its two-day event, Dec. 14 and 15.Zack Fowl (103 pounds), Matt Slutzky (135), Danny Orsorio (140) and Todd Jones (145) won individual titles for the Eagles, who placed six wrestlers in the finals.

All-Metro volleyball players Kallie Wasserman and Ericka Butler never got a chance to play in a state tournament. They will, however, get a chance to play in a national tournament. Wasserman, a senior at Owings Mills, and Butler, a senior at Western, led their Time Out For Sports Orange Crush 17-and-under club team to its second straight Chesapeake region title Sunday. The victory - 25-13, 25-15 over the Clash 17's from Delaware - gave the Orange Crush an automatic bid to the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Salt Lake City in July.

River Hill won a record-breaking fifth straight Howard County wrestling championship last night, beating runner-up Atholton, 248-144, at Wilde Lake. The Hawks, who were state Class 4A-3A dual-meet runners-up last weekend, eclipsed the old mark of four straight titles recorded twice by Oakland Mills (1977-80, 1985-88) and matched by Hammond (1996-99). River Hill placed a finalist in nine of the 14 weight classes and won six individual titles. It was a night for close matches - six were decided by one point and one by two points.

Wrestler of the Year 135 - Ryan Davis, McDonogh: Teammates nicknamed him "Pigpen" for his unkempt locker; many others simply call the sophomore "The truth." Often the first wrestler to initiate combat in a match, "the best thing about" Ryan Davis, said his coach, Pete Welch, "is his game face and intensity. He gets in there and wins matches, mentally." Davis (42-3, 21 pins this year, 81-7 career) won his second straight MIAA and private schools state titles, his first National Preps crown, and tournaments at Hammond, McDonogh, St. Benedict (N.J.