by Lem Satterfield
(See full bracket results below)
McDonogh’s 140-pound Josh Fitch won three bouts by major decision, and two by decision, including his last one, by 4-3, over Blair Academy’s Garrett Frey on a third-period escape to win the National Preps title on Saturday at Lehigh University.
In victory, Fitch became the eighth individual National Preps crown Pete Welch has earned during his tenure, joining two-time winners J.R. Plienis and Bryn Holmes, and one-time National Preps champs Will Filbert, Ryan Davis and Nick Schenk.
“It feels pretty awesome. Very satisfying,” said Fitch, who had placed
fourth, third and second, respectively, in his past appearances at National Preps.
“I spoke to [Lehigh coach] Greg Strobel after the match, and he said that he was very impressed, and that I was a tough rider on top,” said Fitch, who committed to Lehigh on Nov. 18.
“To come in during my last match of my last high school season, and to win it at the school that I’m going to attend next year,” Fitch said, “yeah, this definitely tops off my season.”
Other wrestlers from McDonogh, which finished fourth in the overall standings, who finished in the top eight of their weight classes were third-place finisher Alex Pagnotta (189); fourth-place Shane Milam (152) and Kramer Whitelaw (160); fifth-place Ben Levin (130), sixth-place Nick Schenk (119), seventh-place Curis Holmes (145) and eighth-place Albert Woody (135).
“It’s better than we’ve ever done here,” said Welch, whose Eagles won their third straight Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and private school tournament crowns. “To have eight guys finish in the top of their weight classes for eight National Preps All-Americans, that’s pretty good.”
Fitch won his first two bouts by a combined, 26-3, before blanking both John Bressler and Matt Dugan of Progressive Christian Academy and DeMatha, respectively, by scores of 6-0, and, 9-0.
Fitch scored the first takedown against Blair Academy’s Garrett Frey for a 2-0 lead, and was up by a much as 3-1 before Frey tied the match with a third-period takedown.
“I got out in the third period, and then he couldn’t take me down,” Fitch said. “I was determined, and I was surprisingly calm the whole time. Four-time MIAA champion, four-time state champion, National Preps champion — I can’t ask for anything more.”
Mount St. Joseph wrestlers Frankie Goodwin (112) and Karl Green (285) were second and fifth, respectively. Teammate Edwin Jackson (160) also was fifth, and the Gaels’ Danny Orem (135) and Pat Downey (145), both sixth.
Dugan was fifth, and DeMatha teammate Ben Hatef (215), third.
For Archbishop Curley, MIAA and private schools champion Brett Przywara (103) was fifth, and for Calvert Hall, Bill Gialamas (112) and Owen Smith (171) were sixth and fifth, respectively.
Others finishng fifth were three-time state champion Andrew Bannister (125) of Bishop McNamara; Georgetown Prep’s Chancellor Gaffney (215) and Bullis Prep’s Matt Danielson (135).
Gaffney won six of eight matches after going only 2-2 last year and failing to place.
“This is definitely a great feeling. To come here and do so much better than last year feels great,” said Gaffney, a senior private schools state champion.
“I wrestled eight matches — more than in any tournament I’ve ever been in,” Gaffney said. “This was a great tournamentt for me.”
http://www.natprepwrestling.com/LiveResults/2008_Preps.pdf(Click for full results of National Preps)
Josh Fitch, match-by-match, at National Preps
Opponent Result
Benjamin Elder, Phillips Academy won, major decision, 13-0
Nick Cardone, St. Josph’s won, major decision, 13-3
Josh Bressler, Progressive Christin won, decision 6-0
Matt Dugan, DeMatha won, major decision, 9-0
Garrett Frey, Blair Academy won, decision, 4-3
Josh Fitch’s record at National Preps: 5-0, three major decisions, two decisions
Over the previous two weeks, Fitch went 8-0 with
five pins, two major decisions and a decision to win his fourth
straight titles in each of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic
Association and Maryland Independent Schools State Tournaments.
In winning the MIAAs, Fitch joined only Mount St. Joseph wrestlers Bruce Dulski and Mack Lewnes in accomplishing that feat.
In winning the private schools state tournaament, Fitch joined Lewnes and DeMatha’s Mike Rowe.
The following is a look at Josh’s accomplishment over four seasons:
Josh Fitch career, at a glance: (Source –McDonogh’s website)
Career Record:- 140-25-68 pins
YEAR BY YEAR
Grade Record Pins Weight Class
9th
30-10 20 (103)
10th 26-4 10 (112)
11th 36-8 18 (125)
12th 48-3 20 (135-140)
Accomplishments:
9th Grade
–
1st – St. Benedict’s Tournament
– 1st – Ray Oliver Tournament
–
1st – Capitol Challenge Tournament
– 1st – MIAA Tournament
–
1st – Maryland Independent School State Tournament
– 4th – National Preps Tournament
10th Grade
–
1st – St. Benedict’s Tournament
– 2nd – Ray Oliver Tournament
–
3rd – Mount Mat Madness Tournament
– 1st – MIAA Tournament
–
1st – Maryland Independent School State Tournament
–
2nd – National Preps Tournament
11th Grade
– 1st – St. Benedict’s Tournament
–
1st – Ray Oliver Tournament
– 4th – AI duPont Tiger Classic Tournament
–
2nd – Mount Mat Madness Tournament
– 1st – MIAA Tournament
–
1st – Maryland Independent School State Tournament
–
3rd – National Preps Tournament
12th Grade
– 1st – St. Benedict’s Tournament
–
1st – Ray Oliver Tournament
– 5th – Beast of the East Tournament
–
1st – Mount Mat Madness Tournament
JOSH FITCH AT MIAAS, YEAR BY YEAR, MATCH-BY-MATCH
9th grade, 103
Steven Hunter Annapolis Area Christian Fall, 3:10
Keith Lipinsk John Carroll Fall, 3:39
John Faust Gilman Fall, 3:17
Tyler Scarinzi Archbishop Curley Major decision, 11-0
FITCH FINDINGS: “This
was a special moment. This was my breakout year. It was my time to step
into the high school scene and really show maryland what I
could do. I had some junior league success, but that means nothing in
high school until you prove it on the mat. I was a scrawny little
103-pounder with goofy goggles, but I stayed focused and was able to
get the job done.”
10th grade, 112
Pierre Pyle Archbishop Spalding Fall, 1:20
Matthew West Friends Fall, 1:23
Phil Winters Mount St. Joe Fall, 5:45
Tyler Scarinzi Archbishop Curley Fall, 2:24
FITCH FINDINGS: “Although
I had won the tournament my freshman year with a major in the finals, I
had some doubts about this year’s tournament. The week before, I had
won a very close match against Scarinzi. Even though I had beaten him
in a dual meet earlier in the year, I was not satisfied with the score.
I went out and really wanted to open up. As I stepped onto the mat, all
I could remember was how bright it was. Mount Saint Joe had all the
windows open, and the sun was beaming on the mat. I
wound up catching Tyler in a spladle and pinning him, but I couldn’t
keep my mind off of this extra spotlight that was shining on
me all throughout the match.”
11th grade, 125
Skip Newberger Boys’ Latin Fall, 3:12
Adam Palumbo Annapolis Area Christian Decision, 7-4
was my junior season, and I had a new finals opponent for once. I had
never wrestled Palumbo before and Honestly think I wrestled very
conservatively. I felt him out too much instead of just wrestling my
style. I was still able to pull out a good win, but after the match I
was already thinking about states and how I would change my gameplan
for that match.”
12th grade, 140
Ali Saadulaev Archbishop Curley Decision, 10-3
Eric Hart John Carroll Fall, 2:42
pretty excited before the match even though I had beaten him
before, because any time you’re facing someone in the finals, with
everyone, you know that you have to step up your game because they’re
going to step up their game. I went out there and,
I’m not sure about everything that happened, but I got the job done.
I’m already thinking about next week,” Fitch said. “I want that
four-time state championship.”
Josh Fitch’s four-year record at MIAAs: 14-0,
10 pins, one technical fall, one major decision, two decisions.
JOSH FITCH AT MIS (PRIVATE SCHOOL STATES), YEAR BY YEAR, MATCH-BY-MATCH
9th grade, 103
Silas Schaeffer Progressive Christian Fall, 5:42
Nick Pohanka Landon Fall, 3:24
John Faust Gilman Fall, 3:59
John Faringer DeMatha Decision, 7-5
first state title — Wow. I was extremely nervous. I went out with my
fellow finalist before the match for
lunch.
I made a huge freshman mistake by choosing an iced latte mocha coffee
for my drink. As I stepped on the mat against my
opponent,
my mind was all over the place. On top of this, I had a horrible
stomach ache. I was losing the match and felt the
combination
of my nerves and appetite kick in. I had to take an injury time out to
[vomit] in the trash can. My coaches kept me
motivated
during this time out, and I stayed composed enough to pull out the win
against an experienced junior. A duck under off
the whistle saved that match for me.”
10th grade, 112
Gialamas Calvert Hall Fall, 1:52
Phil Winters Mount St. Joseph Fall, 3:59
Sam Brusca Georgetown Prep Fall, 2:17
Tyler Scarinzi Archbishop Curley Decision, 4-2
expecting to wrestle Faringer again in this finals and was shocked to
see that Scarinzi beat him. Either way, my stomach was full of
butterflies. It is always hard to wrestle someone multiple times
because they’ve learned to control your style. This really showed here.
I wrestled a smart match and got the win.”
11th grade, 125
Brian Burke St. Vincent Pallotti Tech fall, 20-5
Bobby Almon Loyola Fall, 3:23
Drew Willis St. Mary’s Ryken Fall, 2:33
Adam Palumbo Annapolis Area Christian Major decision, 10-2
FITCH FINDINGS: “Everyone
always says how unemotional I am during my matches. They say I never
look winded or shaken. I guess I do a good job faking this, because
although I had experienced some success, there is not a single match
that I am not nervous about. I think a small key to this is that I
always breathe through my nose. You almost
never find me taking deep breaths during the match. After the
conservative match at Miaa’s, I really wanted to open up in this final.
With this said, I still had my doubts. I’m am usually never satisfied
— no matter what the score is. I always think to my self, ‘I should
have gotten one more good shot in,’ or, ‘I should have gotten off
bottom sooner.’ I scored a major decision and was actually somewhat
satisfied for once. With this said, I am never one to brag or showboat
after big matches. This is something very uneccessary. I train hard to
compete and wrestle to the best of my ability — not to cheer. I want
to go out and get the job done and once that has been achieved, nothing
else is called for.”
12th grade, 140
Patrick Fiske Gilman Fall, 1:47
Matthew Roe The Heights Fall, 2:40
Jeff Yeatman Archbishop Spalding Major decision, 10-0
Ali Saadulaev Archbishop Curley Fall, 5:18
Matt Dugan DeMatha Major decision, 9-0
FITCH FINDINGS: “It feels awesome. I’m a light 140, so I was three pounds under at weigh-in. But I was so nervous, I still couldn’t eat.”
Josh Fitch’s four-year record at MIS’ (Private school states):17-0,
11 pins, one technical fall, three major, two decisions
Josh Fitch’s combined record at MIAAS’& MIS’ (Private school states): 31-0, 21 pins, two technical falls, four major
decisions, four decisions.
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