Marriotts Ridge wrestling clinches share of Howard County title with 59-21 dual victory over Atholton

Feb. 1—Marriotts Ridge senior wrestler Cory Globerman has learned the importance of locking in mentally before a match.

Globerman struggled in that aspect early on in his high school career, but it's quickly turned into a strength. With an emphasis on a good warmup, Globerman rotates between several kinds of music and motivational videos to be locked in for his matches. That was evident Tuesday night in his 145-pound match against Atholton's Justin Soriano.

Soriano got an early takedown to seemingly take control. However, Globerman battled out of a tough position and fought back, ultimately pinning Soriano shortly before the first period expired. His pin was a key momentum-builder in the Mustangs' 59-21 victory over Atholton, which clinched a share of the Howard County dual title with Hammond and Glenelg.

"I came in my freshman year as a two-year wrestler," Globerman said. "I did very well before high school and I came into high school and the first year was 50-50. Last year especially, I thought I was going to have a really good season and it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to. When I sat down and thought about it, it was about the mindset. I have all the skills and my coaches have told me that. Now going out there and having the mindset makes me feel fulfilled and it shows that I've learned and I can do it now."

After the teams exchanged wins at 106 and 113, Marriotts Ridge entered the strength of its lineup. That core group delivered in abundance, winning six matches in a row to build a sizable advantage. Rocky Alabbadi (120) began the string of wins with a technical fall over Atholton's Liliana Giraud, executing several early takedowns.

The Mustangs' momentum was only just beginning as Jamie Kraft (126) and Atley Turner (132) earned first-period pins. After winning a forfeit at 138, Globerman and Tyler Bury (152) capped off the run with consecutive pins, ballooning what was once three-point advantage to 41-3.

"When you start to see the points rack up, it makes it easier for those upper guys to just go out and get better," Marriotts Ridge coach Jason Conley said. "If the match is secured, they're not wrestling to get a pin, they're just wrestling to try and get better. We're going to need those younger wrestlers a whole lot next year."

Atholton's Steven Rosas (160) stopped the Mustangs' string of consecutive victories, pinning Michale Pinos. But the momentum didn't last long as Jonah Obitz (170) responded in the ensuing match with a pin for Marriotts Ridge. The teams exchanged wins in the final four bouts with Omar Palmer (182) and Mark Enamorado (220) earning victories for the Raiders, while the Mustangs won at 195 and 285 pounds by forfeit.

"I just had a motivational talk with them. I think we have a chance on Thursday to finish pretty solid on the season," Atholton coach Sidney Billups said. "We've got a lot of young kids and it's always about growth, so every conversation is how much that we've had. I've got five first-year wrestlers in the lineup, so what they're capable of doing as first-year wrestlers, I'm amazed."

Marriotts Ridge concludes its regular season Thursday against Westminster. The postseason begins with Class 3A East Regional duals next week, where the Mustangs will be the top seed for the first time in three years. They'll face a potential rematch with Reservoir, which defeated them, 36-33, in last year's regional duals.

"It's really cool to me now that I'm a senior, ending out my career like this going as far as possible," Globerman said. "I truly believe that our team can make it to the state dual matches, so that's something I'm really looking forward to."

Marriotts Ridge 59, Atholton 21

106: Boden Pistori (MR) win by pin over Jonathan Maslan (A) 1:30 into period 1; 113: Chase Garrison (A) 4-3 decision win over Sravanth Saladi (MR); 120: Rocky Alabbadi (MR) win by technical fall over Liliana Giraud (A); 126: Jamie Kraft (MR) win by pin over Malachi Johnson (A) 1:30 into period 1; 132: Atley Turner (MR) win by pin over Gilbert Medina (A) 1:59 in period 1; 138: Alex Gladstone (MR) win by fft; 145: Cory Globerman (MR) win over Justin Soriano (A) by pin at 1:59 of period 1; 152: Tyler Bury (MR) win by pin over Gabriel Schauf (A) 18 seconds into period 2; 160: Steven Rosas (A) win by pin over Michale Pinos (MR) 1:01 into period 2; 170: Jonah Obitz (MR) win by pin over John Wassell (A) 1:48 in period 1; 182: Omar Palmer (A) win by pin over David Sarkisyan (MR) 1:52 in period 1; 195: Brendan Payne (MR) win by fft; 220: Mark Enamorado (A) win by pin over Ja Kaylen Love (MR) in period 1; 285: Skye Song (MR) win by forfeit