John Jurkovic has been a significant name in the Gilman School wrestling program, contributing to the team's success and earning recognition for his individual achievements. His dedication and skill have made him a key member of the Greyhounds' wrestling squad.
Gilman Wrestling, fresh off an undefeated regular season and their 2023-2024 MIAA A Conference Dual Meet Championship win in early February, ended its historic season on top as the champions of the 2024 MIAA Wrestling Tournament, held Saturday, February 10, in the Redmond C. S. This is the Hounds' first MIAA tournament win since the conference was established in 1994; the last time the Hounds won a league tournament was in 1990 - the School's 16th championship win, at the time - when the School was still a part of the MSA.
"I am really proud of the way the guys have competed this year. The wrestling season is full of challenges, and the whole team has met those challenges head-on. The last time Gilman won the dual meet and championship tournament was in 1973. I think it speaks for itself, but this is a special team," said Holmes.
"I'm excited that our team is pretty balanced among the four grades. It shows that our program is in good shape for hopefully years to come. The ultimate goal is to keep what we have going for years. I think it is important to build from within, and having a strong program - starting in the Middle School - will pay dividends for years to come. As a 1996 graduate of Gilman, Athletic Director Russell Wrenn was in Middle School the last time the wrestling program won the league and has been proud to see how the program has grown and thrived under Holmes' leadership.
"Coach Holmes has put in the work and grown this program organically and sustainably. It has taken years of dedicated hard work first to grow the numbers in the wrestling room, to build enthusiasm and work ethic, and, finally, to build the level of skill and competitive fire to allow the boys to reach their collective potential for greatness," said Wrenn.
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Although Holmes plans to take some time to savor the win, he's eager to keep the program's momentum going and is excited about the young talent coming up. "Obviously, our seniors and juniors have done some great things and created the culture, but our freshman and sophomore classes are also ready to carry the torch. In particular, our freshman class has three guys that we will continue to hear for years to come. Liam McGettigan, JD Vassar, and Arthur Konschak are already in the varsity lineup, but we also have a few other freshmen who will likely emerge as varsity wrestlers in the near future." said Holmes.
The Greyhounds ascended to the top position by dethroning the Gaels last year, first with a dual meet victory and then with the MIAA Tournament crown. The dual meet season awarded them their second straight “A” Conference Dual Meet Championship.
The Greyhounds are top heavy with eight of their guys seeded first or second. Star-power or balance?
Two defending MIAA and state champs are among the Greyhounds top seeds, No. 1 Liam McGettigan (113) and No. 1 Emmitt Sherlock (190). McGettigan ran the table last year as a freshman. Sherlock was third in the MIAA as a freshman then reeled of titles the last two years. Sherlock is ranked seventh in the nation at 175lbs by Sports Illustrated.
No. 1 John Jurkovic (157) was second a season ago and hopes to gain a championship in his last attempt. No. 9 Isaiah Trusty was unheralded coming into the year but has worked his way from unranked to top ten in the state, and now the No. 1 seed at 215lbs.
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Receiving the top seeds for Gilman were Liam McGettigan (113), John Jurkovic (157), Emmitt Sherlock (190), and Isaiah Trusty (215). Jurkovic, who is also ranked first at his weight, and Trusty are looking to become champs for the first time.
Jurkovic fell to Cannaday in both of their regular season meetings a year ago then got the best of his rival at the MIAA Tournament and held serve with a dual meet win this year to even their series at two wins apiece.
A contingent of six Gilman wrestlers made their way up to Lehigh University to compete in the National Prep Wrestling Championships (National Preps) this past weekend. The team finished as the top team from Maryland in 10th place out of 120+ competing schools and left with two individual placements. The six Greyhound wrestlers - Emmitt Sherlock '25, John Jurkovic '25, Zach Glory '25, Liam McGettigan '27, JD Vassar '27, and Christian Wirts '28 - fought hard for two days of intense competition and finished with a team score of 87.5 points.
Glory (132 lbs), Jurkovic (157 lbs), and Wirts (106 lbs) all made the Boys Round of 16 in the championship bracket before being eliminated in a trio of hard-fought matches.
As we take a look at this weekend’s MIAA Tournament, the Greyhounds look poised to claim the MIAA Tournament title for the second year in a row. Their four No. 1 seeds lead the way as do their four No. 2 seeds.
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On a deeper individual note, half of the potential finals matches, assuming the top two make it that far, would feature rematches in some form.
Day one of the Maryland Independent Schools State Championships at Morgan State University showed No. 4 Gilman atop the team standings, three-points ahead of No. 1 Archbishop Spalding, who had just outpointed them, and the other MIAA teams a week ago to win that crown and take the state’s top ranking.
The Greyhounds received another unexpected extra two on the team tally when No. 7 Zach Glory pinned No. 6 Ben Scheiner (Mt. St. Joe) in the 132lb third-place match.
When a Greyhound finally returned to the mats at 157lbs he did so as the favorite. No. 1 John Jurkovic was 2-0 versus No. 2 Cameron Canaday of Mt. St. Joe this season. Last year, Cannaday held a 2-1 edge in the rivalry. That past gave Cannaday the confidence that he could finally become a state champ. The senior was more aggressive this time than his previous encounters with Jurkovic this season and it paid off with a 9-7 upset.
John Jurkovic’s contributions to Gilman wrestling have been significant, marked by his individual achievements and his role in the team's overall success. As he continues his wrestling journey, his future endeavors will be closely watched by the Gilman community and wrestling enthusiasts alike.
These are the 2024 MIAA Wrestling Tournament seeds:
| Weight (lbs) | 1st Seed | 2nd Seed | 3rd Seed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106 | Corey Brown (Mt. St. Joe) | Tyler Verceles (Loyola) | Christian Wirts (Gilman) |
| 113 | Liam McGettigan (Gilman) | Eli Chesla (Spalding) | Weylin Myers (Gerstell Academy) |
| 120 | Jayden Jackson (Loyola) | JD Vassar (Gilman) | Isaac Cicchetti (Spalding) |
| 126 | Jake Tamai (Mt. St. Joe) | Quentin Bailey (Spalding) | Wes Baumgartner (McDonogh) |
| 132 | Sean Garretson (Spalding) | Zach Glory (Gilman) | Mason Comegys (McDonogh) |
| 138 | Zane Leitzel (Spalding) | Josh Hale (Loyola) | Tyler Stephens (Mt. St. Joe) |
| 144 | Brooklyn Pickett (Mt. St. Joe) | Nicky Melfi (Severn) | Henry Gessford (Spalding) |
| 150 | Griffin Stewart (Calvert Hall) | Braxton McAvey (St. Frances) | Nevan McKneely (Loyola) |
| 157 | John Jurkovic (Gilman) | Cameron Cannaday (Mt. St. Joe) | Dylan Briles (Spalding) |
| 165 | Chase Carpintieri (St. Frances) | Haden Myers (St. Paul’s) | Josh Taylor (Spalding) |
| 175 | Riley Miller (Loyola) | Arthur Konschak (Gilman) | Jakayveon Burton (Mt. Carmel) |
| 190 | Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman) | Elijah Josey (St. Frances) | Noah Brannan (Loyola) |
| 215 | Isaiah Trusty (Gilman) | Maxwell Garland (Calvert Hall) | Max Stanziale (McDonogh) |
| 285 | Luke Randazzo (Loyola) | Noah Lawrence (Gilman) | Kahlil Regan (Curley) |
Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on data available up to the last update and may be subject to changes.
