Zillmer

Former Oakland Mills wrestler Adam Seidman, who graduated last year with a county-record 123 victories and four county titles, is concerned that his record won't last the next four years.Seidman, a red-shirt freshman at the University of Maryland, watched in amazement as Hammond freshman Josh Zillmer (119) and Glenelg freshman Jeremy Lignelli (135) won county titles Friday night at Atholton.Lignelli was voted the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler after avenging an earlier loss to Hammond's Brian Law in the title bout.

The strength of the Atholton wrestling team starts at the lighter weights and works its way up to the middle. The question for the Raiders going into last night's match against visiting River Hill was whether theywould be strong enough to handle the No. 5 Hawks. The answer: a resounding yes. The Raiders got major decisions from Robbie Eloshway (103) and Bruce Steinel (112); pins from Jeff Zillmer (125) and Ross Lewin (130); followed by decisions from Doug Carpenter, Ted Johnson and Ryan Conroy, to come away with the program's first win over River Hill, 33-24.

Two-time county champion Josh Zillmer's third-period comeback inspired Hammond to a 34-25 victory over Centennial in a showdown of league-leading county powers yesterday at Hammond.Both seventh-ranked Hammond (8-0 overall, 3-0 league) and Centennial (6-2, 3-1) had been unbeaten in league dual meets.Trailing Matt Augustin, 5-2, after two periods, Zillmer (14-2) scored a reversal, takedown and near fall in the final period to win the 140-pound bout, 9-6.Zillmer, scheduled for surgery after the season, shook off chronic pain in his left shoulder.

Hammond showed yesterday at Atholton why it earned the No. 1 preseason ranking in Class 2A-1A by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. Against a strong Raiders team, the Bears forged a 43-27 victory by winning all but one weight class from 112 pounds through 160 pounds. Hammond, ranked No. 6 by The Sun, avenged its two losses to Atholton last season, including one in the regional duals. By far the happiest member of the Bears after the season opener, however, was 125-pound Zach Halper, who upset Jeff Zillmer in the night's final match, 8-6. Halper, who lost twice to Zillmer last season, scored a reversal with six seconds left for his winning margin.

Will Hammond prove to be as strong a tournament wrestling team as it was a dual-meet team?The Bears hope so. The state tournament begins today and this season's state Class 1A-2A dual-meet champions hope to make it a clean sweep of state titles.But Owings Mills, Lackey and Francis Scott Key will have a lot to say about it.No. 2-ranked Hammond beat Francis Scott Key head-to-head for the dual-meet championship after Key had beaten then No. 1-ranked Owings Mills in the semifinals. The Bears finished second to Lackey in the South regional tournament.

The Hammond school record of 20 pins in one season is in danger of being broken by a freshman -- Jared Zillmer.So far, in 10 bouts, Zillmer is 9-1 with eight pins and a tech fall.His only loss, in the Douglass Tournament, was to National Prep runner-up Jason Gabrielson of Northern (Calvert), 17-9. And he had Gabrielson, top-ranked in the state at 112, on his back in the closing moments."He wasn't mentally ready for Gabrielson," Hammond coach Jeff Starnes said. "It was Jared's first big varsity tournament."

Win a state title.Go undefeated.Sound like mission impossible?Not to Hammond's Josh Zillmer. Not to his coaches.He's 23-0 with a team-high 14 pins."I'm on a mission to prove that I could have been wrestling like this all along if I hadn't been injured," Zillmer said. "Everything I'm accomplishing is because of a mind-set. And I have my mind set to win states."The impetus for this mission began during his 23-3 freshman season. Many thought he might win a state title then, but despite having won a regional title and being seeded fourth, he was upset in the first round of states by someone he'd beaten three times that season.

Last Saturday, No. 2 Hammond edged No. 3 Francis Scott Key for the 1A-2A state duals title. But last night the Eagles reversed the Bears, who played host to their first 12-team Invitational Tournament, 213.5 to 210.5.Bobby Bollinger (189 pounds) scored a first-period pin against Springbrook's Harry Saval to get Key over the top.In a rematch of an earlier 6-5 victory, Francis Scott Key's Ryan Etzler (130, 22-3) beat South Carroll's Dan Alberter (20-2) in a 3-2 battle.Hammond's No. 3-ranked freshman Jared Zillmer (112, 25-2)

Hammond showed yesterday at Atholton why it earned the No. 1 preseason ranking in Class 2A-1A by the Maryland State Wrestling Association. Against a strong Raiders team, the Bears forged a 43-27 victory by winning all but one weight class from 112 pounds through 160 pounds. Hammond, ranked No. 6 by The Sun, avenged its two losses to Atholton last season, including one in the regional duals. By far the happiest member of the Bears after the season opener, however, was 125-pound Zach Halper, who upset Jeff Zillmer in the night's final match, 8-6. Halper, who lost twice to Zillmer last season, scored a reversal with six seconds left for his winning margin.

INDIAN HEAD -- Lackey placed nine wrestlers in the finals and won the Class 1A-2A South Regional championship last night at Lackey over runner-up Hammond, 200.5 to 164.5. It was Lackey's sixth regional title.It was the fifth time this season that Lackey and Hammond have faced each other, and Lackey defeated Hammond in four of those encounters."We lost it in the consolation semifinals," Hammond coach Jeff Starnes said. "Lackey scored 99 points in the semifinals to 37 for us. And then we lost four critical consolation semifinal matches."

Senior captain Nick Colabucci has experienced the ups and downs of wrestling at Atholton. His Raiders posted a 12-2 record his freshman year before enduring two straight horrendous seasons in which they won a total of six matches. Last season they forfeited five weight classes at nearly every match and won just twice. After yesterday's surprisingly easy 50-24 victory over host Oakland Mills, however, his team is once again a force to be reckoned with, a fact that has him smiling. Oakland Mills, wrestling its first match this season, featured three first-team All-Howard County returnees, two of them county champions.

Senior captain Nick Colabucci has experienced the ups and downs of wrestling at Atholton. His Raiders posted a 12-2 record his freshman year before enduring two straight horrendous seasons in which they won a total of six matches. Last season they forfeited five weight classes at nearly every match and won just twice. After yesterday's surprisingly easy 50-24 victory over host Oakland Mills, however, his team is once again a force to be reckoned with, a fact that has him smiling. Oakland Mills, wrestling its first match this season, featured three first-team All-Howard County returnees, two of them county champions.

INDIAN HEAD -- Lackey placed nine wrestlers in the finals and won the Class 1A-2A South Regional championship last night at Lackey over runner-up Hammond, 200.5 to 164.5. It was Lackey's sixth regional title.It was the fifth time this season that Lackey and Hammond have faced each other, and Lackey defeated Hammond in four of those encounters."We lost it in the consolation semifinals," Hammond coach Jeff Starnes said. "Lackey scored 99 points in the semifinals to 37 for us. And then we lost four critical consolation semifinal matches."

When the 28th annual county wrestling tournament begins at Hammond today, six 1996 champions will defend their individual titles, and defending team champion Hammond will seek its fourth title in five seasons.In addition, Josh Zillmer of Hammond and Jeremy Lignelli of Glenelg will try to join an elite list of just three other wrestlers who have won four county titles.Other highlights will include two Glenelg wrestlers and one Howard wrestler trying to continue their unbeaten seasons. And Wilde Lake coach Rich Jackson, who is retiring from coaching after 26 seasons, will be honored by his peers.

INDIAN HEAD -- Last night's Class 1A-2A South Region duals title match at Lackey, ranked No. 4 in the state, was the Charles County school's fourth meeting with Hammond, ranked No. 5 in the state.But the visiting Bears (15-1), ranked No. 3 in The Sun, hadn't seen Lackey like this: From 140 down, every wrestler dropped a weight class.Lackey (15-1) kept the bouts close in those low weight classes, then took advantage up top in a 39-17 victory that prevented the Columbia school (15-2) from defending its duals title and sent the Chargers to Saturday's dual-meet championships at North Carroll.

Former Howard Community College and Wilde Lake basketball player Deon Wingfield is having a spectacular season at St. Andrew's Presbyterian in Laurinburg, N.C.Wingfield, a junior, leads the team in scoring with an 18.9 average and has a rebounding average of 8.4. He has shot 118-for-206 (57 percent) from the floor and 13-for-27 (48 percent) from three-point range.In his best game, he scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against Mount Olive.St. Andrew's, a Division II school that won just six games last season, is 9-7 this season, thanks to Wingfield's contributions.

Chavonne HammondArundelgirls basketballHammond totaled 20 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and three block shots in a win over Severna Park (74-52). The senior forward also combined for 37 points, 19 rebounds and 14 steals in victories over Southern (82-29) and Annapolis (83-25).John McLeanPolyboys basketballMcLean scored a game-high 35 points and had eight rebounds in a win over then No. 15 Mount St. Joseph (67-51). The senior guard also had 24 points and seven rebounds in another win over City (65-57)

Hammond graduated three All-County defensive players, lost another to transfer and returned only two seniors with much playing experience.So in preseason reports, the Golden Bears were not thought to be a contender.Yesterday's 35-0 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase, however, should open a few eyes and have county opponents a little concerned. League play begins next weekend.The Bears proved adept at pulling off big plays against the Battling Barons of Montgomery County. And four Bears in particular were outstanding at making big plays -- Tim Spruill, Josh Zillmer, Mike Embrey and Jim Weston.

Win a state title.Go undefeated.Sound like mission impossible?Not to Hammond's Josh Zillmer. Not to his coaches.He's 23-0 with a team-high 14 pins."I'm on a mission to prove that I could have been wrestling like this all along if I hadn't been injured," Zillmer said. "Everything I'm accomplishing is because of a mind-set. And I have my mind set to win states."The impetus for this mission began during his 23-3 freshman season. Many thought he might win a state title then, but despite having won a regional title and being seeded fourth, he was upset in the first round of states by someone he'd beaten three times that season.

When Josh Zillmer of Hammond was awarded the Golden Bear Trophy as the Hammond Tournament's most valuable wrestler last night, he promptly walked across the mat and handed it to Archbishop Curley's Sal Aquia.Aquia broke one of the area's longest win streaks, beating Glenelg's Jeremy Lignelli at 160 pounds, 13-7. Lignelli was an undefeated state champ last season and had been undefeated this season -- a string of 52 victories."He deserved it," said Zillmer, whose team finished a disappointing second to Lackey of Charles County, 240.5 to 214.5.