Wrestling: Eastern Tech Places 4th in County Tourney

Eastern Tech finished a strong fourth in last weekend's Baltimore County wrestling tournament, thanks in part to having two individual champions.

The Mavericks finished with 116 team points, while Owings Mills won its third consecutive team title with 205 points. Host-Perry Hall placed second with 185 points in the 24-team field.

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“I'm extremely proud of this team, and all the hard work they have put into this season its really strting to pay off,” Eastern Tech coach Kevin Cross said.

Dustin Shackleford (145) and Mitchell Burns (195) both won individual championships for the Mavericks, while teammates Stephen Beam (138) and Ilya Usik (152) both placed third. Nathaniel Gale rounded out the Mavericks' place winners with a fourth place showing.

The individual champions were the Mavericks' first in eight years, Cross said. In all, up to 10 Eastern Tech wrestlers could for next week's Class 4A/3A North regional tournament.

After beating top-seeded Hassan James of Towson 8-6 in the semifinals, Shackleford avenged a loss from last season with a 5-4 victory over Shane Hammer of Sparrows Point in the finals.

“Dustin has really come a long way in his four years wrestling for us,” Cross said. “He really works hard on his technique in the offseason, and that is really paid off.”

Burns also defeated a No. 1 seed in the semifinals, as he posted a 2-0 victory over Dundalk's Joe Doetch to get into the finals where he dominated Sean Bracken of Overlea, 10-2, to claim his county crown.

Other Essex/Middle River wrestlers to place included Kenwood's Nyonbu Farley (160) and Chesapeake's Jordan Gale (195) who each placed fifth. Kenwood placed 18th overall with 31 team points.

How well will Eastern Tech perform in next week's regional tournament? Let us know in the comments section below.