Kraisser Primed for Another Championship Encore

Any wrestler who is hoping to knock off a defending Maryland state champ this season might want to stay away from Centennial High's Nathan Kraisser.

The kid who is looking to become only the fifth wrestler to win four Maryland state titles warmed up for his junior season with a spectacular off-season on international and national stages. And suddenly, he has a legitimate workout partner at Centennial who can press him daily for the next two seasons.

Macon Stanley, a junior who twice qualified for the state tournament in Kansas, transferred in and will hold down the 130-pound slot for the Eagles. Kraisser is jumping two weight classes – from 112 to 125 pounds.

"We're good partners for each other," said Kraisser.  "It's good to wrestle somebody a little bigger than me. We push each other. We keep working; we keep each other honest. Nobody gets away with anything."

 "This is the first time he (Kraisser) has had someone around his weight who can challenge him," said Centennial head coach Dave Roogow. "Last year he had his brother (Brian), but he was 25 to 30 pounds heavier."

"He (Stanley)  is kind of tall for a wrestler, kind of like me," said Kraisser, who takes a 75-3 record into the season. "So that's different. He's pretty good with his leverage. He's also pretty strong – naturally strong."

Opponent strength and technique didn't seem to matter to Kraisser during his busy off-season, when many wrestlers were satisfied with hitting the beach.

In July, Kraisser took second in the Greco Roman competition at the country's toughest high school tournament, the Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D. Earlier, he took third in Monterrey, Mexico, in the Pan American Qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games, although he didn't advance.

Last month he became the first Maryland wrestler to win a championship at the Super 32 in Greensboro, N.C., which is considered the nation's most difficult preseason tournament. He also grabbed Greco-Roman and freestyle titles at the Maryland State Wrestling Association Championships, and along the way defeated top-ranked Evan Silver of Blair Academy in New Jersey.

"He (Kraisser) is a phenomenal wrestler," said Mount Hebron coach Todd DeCrispino. "He's so technical. He knows so many moves.  He's very aggressive. You're not going to see too many kids like that."

Kraisser and his teammates will miss the graduated Brian Kraisser, who won his second Howard County title last year, at 140 pounds. But besides having the 1-2 punch of Nathan Kraisser and Stanley, the Eagles have plugged most of the forfeiture holes that resulted in a 2-10 dual-meet season. The team is young, but no longer will enter matches down by as much as 36-0 before a whistle blows.

Roogow is hoping for significant contributions from senior Zach Portnoff (160), and a pair of wrestlers up from the junior varsity – junior Joey Wysocki (145-162) and sophomore Tim Nooman (heavyweight).

The first test comes Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against visiting Atholton.

"I think we'll have a pretty good tournament team, and I think we'll be a much better dual-meet team," said Roogow, now in his 12th season with the Eagles and fourth as head coach. "I hope to be in the middle of the pack in the county, but we're probably another year away from competing again at the top."