Published: March 10, 2008 10:14 am         

DeVore gets Ridge's first state crown

COLLEGE PARK - Noah DeVore became Mountain Ridge High School's first state champion in any sport with his victory in the Maryland Class State Wrestling Tournament held Friday and Saturday at the University of Maryland's Cole Field House.

DeVore decisioned Hammond's Mitch Cowger 3-1 in the 215-pound championship match. He began the competition by pinning Loch Raven's Tim Zongker in 55 seconds, then he decisioned Marriots Ridge's Jae Kim 9-5 and pinned Wicomico's Nick Slagle in 1:20 to reach his title match against Cowger.

He finished the season with a 41-1 record and is 111-20 for his career. He finished fourth in the 2007 tournament.

Southern's George Scheffel also brought home a state championship, winning the 125-pound division by defeating Glenelg's Brian Marcoux 3-2 in overtime. He began by pinning Mardela's Luke Harris in 1:42. He then dominated his next two matches by decision over River Hill's Evan Shebel, 22-5, and 24-8 over Hammond's Josh Harper.

He finished 39-1 and helped lead the Rams to the overall second-place finish with 105 points. Glenelg won the team championship with 134.5 points. Mountain Ridge finished seventh with 61, Northern was 16th with 35 and Allegany came in 34th with 14 points.

Owings Mills (96.5) was third, followed by South Carroll (95), Walkersville (85.5), River Hill (70.5), Mountain Ridge, North Hagerstown (60), Wicomico (57.5) and Middletown (55) was 10th.

Sixty-six teams competed in the tournament.

The Rams' Lex Ozias suffered his only loss of the season in the championship match of the 112-pound division, losing to River Hill's Scott Mantua 8-4. He finished 39-1.

Jakob Scheffel (40-4) took third in the 130-pound division, Sean Sisler (31-8) was fourth in 285 and Matt Armstrong (31-7) was fifth in 103.

Northern's Andy Ganoe (34-4 2007-08, 84-26 career) finished in second, falling to Glenelg's Tim Chase 6-3 in the 152-pound division. Ganoe decisioned Oakland Mills' Daniel Choi, 6-2; defeated Nick Leto of Wicomico 5-3; and pinned Calvert's Patrick Berry 3:45 to set up his match with Chase.

Dustin Stough (35-5, 83-30) took fourth in the 160-weight class. He defeated Mardela's Taylor Swope, 8-1; lost to defending champion Tony Mack by pin; decisioned Calvert's Jeff Tolbert, 9-1; pinned Carver Vo-Tech's Danny Johnson in 2:38 before falling to Rising Sun's Danny Cox, 3-1, in the third-place match.

Allegany's Jake Twigg finished fourth in the 215 division to finish with a 38-7 record. He started by pinning Carver Vo-Tech's Davon Jacobs in 4:57. He lost to Surrattsville's Andre Johnson 9-3, beat Calvert's Danny Brickner 6-3, North Hagerstown's Demetrius Myers 6-3, Wicomico's Nick Slagle 4-3 before losing another match to Surrattville's Johnson, 2-1.

Aaron Patterson (36-6) took fourth in the 135-pound division. He decisioned Owings Mills' Luke Harris, 5-2; lost to Glenelg's Danny Bichner, 7-2; decisioned Beau Harrison of Saint Michaels, 6-1; decisioned River Hill's Sean Kirby, 9-2; won by injury over Travis Kolstrom of Sparrows Point; and then lost 4-3 to Overlea's Tommy Lavey, 4-3.

He finished with a 106-35 career record.

Stephen Whetstone (41-2) finished fifth in the 130-pound division. His first two wins came by pins over Kent Island's Kyle Thomas (1:04) and Calvert's Nathan Jaime (:26). He lost by pins to Perryville's Pete Miljevic (3:44) and Owings Mills' Cody Rosen-Stone (2:12) before pinning Calvert's Jaime again in 2:44 to take fifth. His career record is 120-19.

Other Miners and their results were Derrick Sisk (285), Justin Blubaugh (171) and Glenn Johnson (112). Sisk (30-11) won by pin before suffering two defeats by decision. Blubaugh (30-13) had two losses sandwiched around a 3:24 pin of Digital Harbor's Keneth Moore. Johnson (29-14 ) was decisioned twice in the 112-pound division.