With Maryland wrestling tied with Rider entering the final match of the afternoon, there is no one the team would rather have on the mat than heavyweight Youssif Hemida.
The Terps All-American showed why Sunday, completely controlling the match. He wasted no time in defeating the Broncs’ James Brady to give Maryland (2-12, 0-9 Big Ten) a 22-16 win over Rider (8-5) in the final dual of the year, ending a rough regular season on a high note.
“It feels good to get the win,” head coach Kerry McCoy said. “I think our guys believed a little bit more and fought a little harder.”
For the third consecutive dual, 125-pounder Brandon Cray gave Maryland an early lead.
Cray took a 5-1 lead into the second period and much like he did last Friday against Rutgers’ Shane Metzler, Cray rode out Rider’s Jonathan Tropea in the second period. Cray added to his score in the third period and fended off a late comeback attempt for an 11-9 win.
Freshmen 133-pounder Orion Anderson took Rider’s Anthony Cefolo to overtime but was thrown to his back and lost, 10-4.
The insertion of 141-pounder Danny Bertoni into the lineup has been a big boost for the struggling Terps recently.
In the most dominant performance on the afternoon, Bertoni racked up a 6-0 lead before throwing Rider’s Travis Layton to his back. Bertoni improved his position with seconds remaining and was awarded the pin right as the first-period buzzer sounded.
McCoy said Bertoni’s confidence level has been at an all-time high since the Jefferson native took over the 141-pound slot.
“Once he got in and solidified himself as the guy,” McCoy said, “he really convinced himself that he can be successful.”
A four-time state champion at Middletown High School, Bertoni was one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Maryland high school history.
Bertoni’s win against Rider was as big as anybody’s on the afternoon, securing six crucial team points.
“Going into the Big Ten tournament with a fall really helps my confidence level,” Bertoni said. “I think it really boosted the team’s energy level, too.”
In the final dual match of his career, 149-pounder Alfred Bannister found himself locked in a tight battle with Rider’s Gary Dinmore. The two wrestlers needed double overtime to settle their bout, and it was the Terps senior who found the mark and secured the winning takedown.
Following Bannister’s win, Adam Whitesell gave up a late takedown and suffered a 7-2 loss to Gino Fluri.
165-pounder Philip Spadafora had the tough assignment of taking Rider’s sole ranked wrestler, No. 15 Jesse Dellavecchia. An early takedown was all Dellavecchia would need, as he handled Spadafora with ease and cruised to a 10-1 victory.
After Rider cut the Maryland lead to 12-10, 174-pounder Josh Ugalde was tasked with getting the Terps back on track against the Broncs’ Dean Sherry.
Tied at two entering the third period, Ugalde scored a quick takedown in the third period and flipped Sherry to his back. Ugalde used those back points to secure a major decision victory and four key team points.
With Maryland clinging to a 16-13 lead in the team score, 197-pounder Niko Cappello stepped in looking to seal the win for the Terps.
However, Cappello couldn’t muster any offense and lost by decision, 5-1. With that loss, the Maryland lead was gone and just one match remained.
After his win against Rutgers last Friday night, the No. 9 ranked Hemida said that all he wanted against Rider was a pinfall victory using a cradle. After nearly locking in that cradle in the first, Hemida got it in the second period and there was nothing Riders’ James Brady could do.
Hemida wanted that pin to not only help his team, but to boost his own confidence for the postseason.
“There’s no better way to end my last dual match,” Hemida said. “Now I get to relax a little bit and focus on the Big Ten tournament.”
With the dual season ending with an emphatic victory, Hemida and Maryland enter the postseason with the momentum that they will need as they will take on the country’s best.
Hemida is happy with the direction his team is trending and believes that they can make noise in the postseason tournaments.
“There’s a lot more fight in [my teammates],” Hemida said. “We had a grueling schedule against a lot of top guys but we’ve got a lot of confidence right now.”
