Chapter 2: Jan. 15, 2009
Apologies to all you out there who **** wrestling because you think it’s a lewd to see boys rolling around in tights (stop being such a weirdo you people), but this blog is wrestling heavy because that’s the majority of the events I’ve been going to recently and because I think wrestling is awesome.
Last Friday I covered perhaps the coolest high school event I’ve ever attended. And not to toot my own horn here (warming up fingers, big breath in) but I’ve been to some pretty cool ones.
I covered a regular season wrestling dual meet between Gonzaga and St. John’s, BA-DA-DA-DAAA!!!
It certainly doesn’t sound like much, but this was seriously unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The meet began at I believe 1:30 in the afternoon, during Gonzaga’s final two school periods, meaning that every student at the school had the option of attending the match, DURING SCHOOL HOURS!
Down with homework! Up with headlocks!
There were about 650 students packed into the Gonzaga’s gym. With basketball standout Ian Hummer leading the charge, every takedown or even escape from being pinned (which really showed how knowledgeable these Gonzaga fans were) was treated like an alley-oop jam.
Pins were absolutely awesome and it literally gave me chills to see one of the Gonzaga wrestlers, who I later found out wasn’t really liked at his old school and didn’t have many friends, get his first career win (a pin) and flip out with hundreds of students going berserk for him.
Here’s the link to the story. Watch the first video (and others of course)
Gonzaga vs. St. John’s wrestling link
Three things I take from this are:
1) Gonzaga students may just make up the top student base in the area along with DeMatha
2) Props to Gonzaga wrestling Coach Milton Yates for making this “Midday Melee” happen and for having some sweet dreads and a cute kid
3) I hope I see more of this down the road because it really does shed a good light on the sport. People just need to be exposed to it
Good Counsel and Paul VI did the same thing as well Wednesday afternoon but the Good Counsel student body just didn’t get into it as much as Gonzaga’s students did, which partly was because Paul VI played spoiler and won.
Here’s the link to that story.
Paul VI vs. Good Counsel wrestling link
CALEB PORZEL A WRESTLER?
Apparently Good Counsel running back and future Maryland (WOOT!) running back was a sick nasty middle school wrestler.
Malcolm Wilson helped coach Porzel, Andy Lowy and Josh Lowy and Steven Gamble of Sherwood, Alex Tolbert and Joe Tolbert of Magruder and Carlo, Joe and Vincent Galeano of Springbrook among others on the Olney Outlaws middle school team. Adam Lowy and Kevin Murphy were the teams’ head coaches.
“Caleb was one of those ‘men among boys’ even back then,” Wilson said. “He would have been a monster wrestler in high school.”
Just picture Caleb Porzel focusing on wrestling instead of football. Weird.
Please email any comments, questions or concerns to Montgomery County and WCAC Content Manager Ryan Mink at rmink@digitalsports.com