PHOTOS: PHHS JV Wrestlers Win County Championship

Perry Hall High School's junior varsity wrestling team won the Baltimore County Championship Saturday, Feb. 5.

The Gators outscored all 23 of their opponents, including tournament host Hereford High School, which had won the title 7 out of the past 10 years, said Coach Michael Bishoff.

Bishoff released the following match recap and statement after the win:

Congratulations to the JV wrestling team for winning the Baltimore County Championship this weekend! The Gators outscored all 23 of their county opponents in a tournament to claim the title including Hereford, who has won the title 7 out of the last 10 years. The Gators entered the finals trailing by 9 team points. They secured three pins by DJ Grindle, Josh Brent and Jimmy Nicholas to go ahead by 9. Hereford then scored a pin to narrow the lead to 3. The excitement continued as the final match of the night was to determine the winner of the title. Herford and Perry Hall were one on one. A victory from either team would win the title. Matt Pedata did not disappoint as he defeated his opponent by a score of 10 to 7. This was a true team effort as the gators placed 9 wrestlers in the tournament. Jason Foltz placed 2nd, Justin Kim placed 3rd, Gordy Reily and Andre Byers placed 4th, while James Bullock placed 5th.

Coach Bishoff would like to thank all the parents this year for their support during all the long tournaments. Extra thanks goes to Mrs. Bannie Settle for supplying the team with food and drinks for every meet and tournament this year! This helped tremendously with team building because all the wrestlers always stayed together in the stands to eat instead of all splitting up and going to the cafeteria. Not to mention the much needed hydration and fuel for their matches. I would also like to thank Mrs Graybeal for getting all the wrestling gear for us this year as well as new singlets for the county tournament. We also appreciate her support at our matches and FULL support for the wrestling program. I also have to give thanks to the coaching staff (Coach Roche, Salvo, Testerman) for creating a winning atmosphere in the wrestling room and their dedication to this team. It was great to see the entire coaching staff at the County Championship.   

I hope to see our wrestlers at the Naval Academy Competition Camp this summer.  Please contact Coach Bishoff for more detail at mbishoff@bcps.org

Readers Lauren Diaz and Deborah contributed to this report.