(Enlarge) Defending Baltimore County and regional tournament champion Tyler Weedon won a title at the Parkville Invitational and earned a dual-meet victory over Franklin’s Julian Johnson. The junior helped the Comets to a 36-32 victory over the Indians. (Staff photo by Nicole Martyn)

Bettering last year's 10-4 dual-meet record is not exactly what Catonsville coach Eric Warm expects this season.

Sure, a gaudy record would be nice, although Warm is just as interested in seeing marked improvement from several of his talented grapplers.

"I'd rather wrestle good teams that might beat me, but who make us tougher for the postseason," said Warm, who added Oakland Mills and Tuscarora to the dual meet schedule.

The Comets also wrestled in the Tuscarora Invitational last weekend after opening the tournament campaign by placing third behind Owings Mills and Loyola Blakefield in the 18-team Parkville Invitational.

Junior Tyler Weedon (215-pound weight class) was the lone Comet champion at Parkville.

Weedon, fourth in the state last year and third as a freshman, won three matches at Parkville, then followed with a victory in the Comets' 36-32 dual-meet victory over Franklin three days later.

Weedon has a 72-8 career record and owns one Baltimore County championship and two regional titles.

"The only way Tyler can get better is by wrestling with people better than him," said Warm, who brought in assistant coaches George Dunn and Alex Broadwater to provide challenges on the mat.

Broadwater won a National Collegiate Wrestling Association tournament championship in 2008 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where wrestling is a club sport.

Broadwater also won a 2005 Baltimore County championship as a Catonsville senior.

Weedon was one of four Comets to qualify for the 2009 state tournament, along with seniors Matteo DiPace (112) and Casey Lynott (160) and junior Theo DiPace (135).

Matteo, second at the Parkville Invitational, posted a 35-6 mark last season when he was third at the county and second at the regional meets.

"I'd like him to place at states this year," Warm said, noting Matteo did not finish in the top-six in the state.

His younger brother was fourth at Parkville a year after coming one match shy of qualifying for the state tournament.

"He's just got to put it together," Warm said.

Lynott put it together last season when he posted a 28-14 record and qualified for the state meet.

He was fourth at Parkville along with senior Tim Lutz (152).

Senior David Lander (171) was second at Parkville and won his opening dual-meet match against Franklin in the final 10 seconds.

Also placing at the Parkville Invitational were seniors Jay McWilliams (3rd, 189) and Steven Tracy (4th, 285), junior Terrance Nickerson (3rd, 130) and sophomores Bruno Fleurquin (6th, 140) and Colin Miller (5th, 145),

Nickerson was fifth at the junior varsity county tournament last year and Fleurquin was a champion.

"He (Fleurquin) is still learning, but he's extremely strong and aggressive," Warm said. "As soon as it clicks for him, he's going to be good."

Tracy is in a similar situation as a rookie wrestler.

"He has a lot of potential," Warm said. "He has a lot to learn and he wants to learn."

Loyola transfer Miller went 20-20 on the Dons' varsity in 2009.

Sophomores DeAndre Costley (103) and Chris Towns (119) also competed at Parkville.

Senior David Kelsey (160 or 171) and junior Obidiah Ivens (125) didn't compete at Parkville, but should contribute this winter.

At the Tuscarora Invitational, Dec. 12, Weedon, Matteo DiPace and McWilliams captured championships, while Kelsey and Lynott each placed second.

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