Glenelg’s senior Class 2A-1A state runner-up Ethan Sotka won a 9-3 decision over Sepanta Ahanj-Elias of Bullis for the 160-pound title at Wednesday’s 13-team Damascus Holiday Invitational Tournament.

Sotka was among six wrestlers who placed within the top four for the sixth-place Gladiators (51 points), with third-place finishers in sophomore Isaac Choi (132) and seniors Leo Conti (182) and Max Dail (220), and freshman Jonathan Sexton (113) and senior Travis Goodman being fourth.

Stephen Decatur (128.5 points) of Berlin, Maryland, won the overall championship.

A defending Howard County and regional champion, Sotka pinned his first-round opponent in 47 seconds before blanking Good Counsel’s William Edwards, 7-0.

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Sotka continued a family legacy of champions at Glenelg. Elder sibling Max Sotka (170) was a Class 2A-1A state champion in 2018, and Drew Sotka was a two-time Class 2A-1A state title titlist, accomplishing those feats at 170 pounds in 2019 and at 182 pounds in 2020.

Gladiators’ coach Matt Bichner was a Class 2A-1A state champion for the Gladiators at 160 pounds in 2006, as was his younger brother, Danny, in 2008 at 135 pounds.

Gaels’ Siblings Carter, Coleman Nogel ranked 15th and 16th Nationally

Nogle siblings Carter and Coleman of Mount St. Joseph are among three Gaels’ wrestlers and seven from Maryland who are ranked in the latest SBLive Sports National High School Wrestling Rankings.

Carter (120 pounds), a junior, is ranked 15th, has a 14-2 record so far, a career record of 63-7, and is bound for The Air Force Academy. Coleman (126), a senior, is ranked 16th, has a 13-1 record, a career record of 99-18 and is headed for Harvard University.

“Rankings are cool, and I appreciate the recognition for my wrestling performances. I always look forward to checking the updated rankings,” Carter said. “I like seeing where I stand with the nation’s best. At the end of the day, I try not to get too caught up in my specific position because I expect to beat everyone that I step on the line to compete against.”

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Joining the siblings, each of whom is a returning Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and Maryland Independent Schools champion, is the Gaels’ Bryce Phillips (215), a 19th-ranked junior who is also a defending MIAA and MIS schools champion.

“It’s an honor to be recognized and acknowledged as one of the top wrestlers in the country. Not a lot of guys from Maryland are noticed for their wrestling potential,” Coleman said.

“It’s cool that my brother and I are on these lists with kids from all over the country. However, rankings are just numbers and should be used to measure how good a wrestler is. I’ve beaten guys ahead of me and I believe I can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country.”

Gage Owen ranked 19th

South Carroll’s two-time state champion Gage Owen is 19th nationally in the SBLive rankings and off to a 12-0 start. Owen went 38-0 at 138 pounds last year, pinning Chesapeake-Baltimore County’s previously unbeaten Ricky Figueroa in 3:03 for his second Class 2A-1A state title. Owen’s victory dropped Figueroa to 23-1.

“I feel like it’s a great honor but I’m more interested in being ranked not just by one of them but by all of them, like Flo Nationals and others,” said Owen, whose career record is 103-3.

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“Plus I’ve lost about four or five times to guys who are ranked because I made some mistakes, so I feel like if I’m going to be ranked I have to beat one of them.”

Rising Sun’s Tyler Garvin is 10th

Rising Sun’s 10th-ranked Tyler Garvin (113) is positioned highest among those from Maryland in the SBLive rankings, having hammered Northern-Garrett’s Nate Wilhelm by a 16-2 major decision for last year’s 106-pound Class 2A-1A state title. Garvin went 43-0 last season.

“I’m very grateful to be ranked nationally and believe all the opportunities I have had to wrestle in out- of- season national tournaments,” Garvin said. “All the great practice partners that I work with from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia have helped me get there. My goals for this season are to work hard for my second sate title.”

Tyler’s father, Luke, was a 103-pound Class 2A-1A state champ in 1996 and was a runner-up at 112 pounds in 1997. Tyler’s uncle, Seth, was third at 112 pounds in 1995.

Luke and Seth both wrestled at Rising Sun

Other Maryland wrestlers in the National rankings are 20th-ranked senior Class 2A-1A state runner-up Jacob Brenneman (138) of Northern Garrett and 20th-ranked junior Mekhi Neal (150) of St. Mary’s-Ryken.