Spalding leads the way into the 2025-26 wrestling season

by Billy Buckheit

As we embark on the 2025-26 MIAA wrestling Season, a quick look back at last year's happenings is necessary since it was a wild finish that has never been seen before.

The Gilman School began and ended the year as Maryland’s top-ranked team by Legacy Wrestling. In between that though, the Greyhounds took some lumps. The early season started off as expected then injuries hit Gilman and they never quite recovered.

Gilman survived a couple of close dual meets at the end of the MIAA Dual Meet Season, namely one at Archbishop Spalding that saw the heavyweights decide the outcome of the dual. Each of the big guys took turns putting the other on their back before Gilman locked it down.

A few wins later Gilman cliamed its second straight MIAA “A” Conference Dual Meet Crown. Que the MIAA Tournament where Spalding ran away with the crown and looked poised to do so at the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament.

After the early rounds of Day 2 at MIS, Gilman was in a 60-point deficit leaving many to think Spalding had the title sewn up. No one told Gilman, or if they felt it, it let them throw caution to the win and do the unlikely. Slowly but surely, Gilman chipped away at Spalding’s lead.

As the final round began, Gilman was within 20 points, but a lot would need to go right for them, and miraculously, it did. On the other hand, a lot of little things went against Spalding and the next thing we know, Gilman was closing the gap, then tied Spalding atop the standings. It was the first ever tie in the team race for the MIS Tournament.

Gilman outperformed Spalding at National Preps to break the tie at the top of the rankings and finish as the state’s top-rated team for a second consecutive season.

Spalding had lost nationally ranked, and number one in Maryland, heavyweight Delmar White to a football injury prior to the season, leaving them with a case of “What could have been.”

This year, the Cavaliers are the number one team in Maryland to start off and as long as they stay healthy, they should remain in that position. Sure, it won’t be easy, but Spalding is hands down the best team in Maryland as the season begins.

The Cavaliers captured the opening weekend’s Ray Oliver Tournament outpacing the next highest finishing Maryland team, fifth place Loyola-Blakefield, by 60.5 points, 215-154.5.

Legacy Wrestling has South Carroll at No. 2, followed by three MIAA squads, No. 3 Mt. St. Joseph, No. 4 Loyola, and No. 5 McDonogh. The Eagles finished sixth behind Loyola with 153 points. Mt. St. Joe was in West Virginia at the Washington Elite Opener where the Gaels placed second.

The Gaels are strong in the lower weight as they were a year ago. The deciding factor for their season will be the performance of the upper weights.

One could argue that Loyola looks stronger on paper, but they need to prove it. In recent seasons, the expectation has been that the Dons will beat the Gaels and it just hasn't happened. For different reasons, St. Joe has continued to come out ahead of Loyola.

McDonogh’s Youth Movement is starting to pay dividends. In fact, it started last year with a late season dual win over Spalding. No one would be surprised to see McDonogh right there at the end nipping at Spalding’s heels ahead of their other MIAA compatriots.  

Gilman is Legacy Wrestling’s sixth ranked team, and they finished more than 50 points behind McDonogh at Ray Oliver in ninth place. Graduation hit the Greyhounds hard and they lost two-time MIAA and state champion, Liam McGettigan as he transferred to Lake Highland Prep in Florida.

Archbishop Curley is the next MIAA Team in the Legacy Wrestling Rankings at No. 20. The Friars won Parkville’s Knightmare Invitational for the second straight year and have a solid, if not spectacular lineup. Calvert Hall is likely the next squad in the MIAA pecking order but lost a few big guns to graduation.

A team to keep an eye on that may surpass expectations is Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Over in Eastern Baltimore County, they have been slowly building a competitive team that has been pushing itself with their scheduling in recent campaigns.

One unfortunate note to close with is the loss of Saint Frances Academy from the wrestling world. After three promising seasons that saw the Panthers appear in the state rankings, the program has folded.