by Aaron Jaffe ‘21

In the fall of the school year, senior Adam Pfeiffer was manning the middle of the Sherwood football’s defense and was named the team’s Defensive MVP, in addition to being a 4A First-Team All-County selection as a linebacker. Both honors came after Pfeiffer led the Warriors in tackles, racking up a total of 84 on the season.

Now in the middle of the winter, Pfeiffer has moved indoors as one of the top wrestlers in Maryland. Pfeiffer, who has a season record of 16-1, is currently ranked second in 4A/3A state division at 195 pounds, only behind defending state champion Timothy Furgeson of Damascus.

Pfeiffer knows what it means to be a leader; thanks to being named captain of both the wrestling and football teams. “I do my best to make sure that everyone remains focused and drills hard during practice, and that starts with me,” said Pfeiffer. “I practice in the middle of the wrestling room, where everyone can see, and I pride myself on setting the standard of working harder than everyone else, because if you grind and put in the time, it will pay off.”

As a freshman, Pfeiffer made the varsity squad, qualified for states and got first-hand experience to big-time high school wrestling. Pfeiffer lost in the first round to the reigning state champ that year, but has only improved since. He notes his biggest improvement from the past four years is in his technique.

“I probably have improved wrestling from my feet the most. I take people down and dominate the match in the neutral position, mostly due to improved technique,” Pfeiffer explained. “Freshman year my technique was really sloppy, but now while there are still improvements to be made, my technique is much cleaner.”

Pfeiffer has dedicated his life to both football and wrestling. “I have an equal love and passion between the two sports, as they have been a huge part of who I am, since I started competing in both since I was age 6.” Although he loves both sports, Pfeiffer does not plan on continuing his football career into college. Pfeiffer does, however, hold a partial scholarship offer from the University of Maryland to come wrestle for the Terps.

Pfeiffer got his chance to take on the top-ranked wrestler in the state when on Wednesday, January 8, the Warriors headed to Damascus. Pfeiffer and Furgeson were locked in an extremely close match and entered the third period tied 0-0. Unfortunately for both Sherwood and Pfeiffer, Furgeson closed out and won 3-1.

Pfeiffer will keep working tirelessly, and he knows he’ll likely get another chance to take down Furgeson. “I’ll see him again in the county and state finals,” said Pfeiffer.