Lions Show Fight Until the Final Whistle

Friday night brought a tough test for Lionville Wrestling, as the Lions battled hard but ultimately fell 45–30 against a strong Kennett Middle School squad.

While the final score didn’t go our way, the effort never dipped. The Lions stayed in the fight with big moments throughout the lineup, highlighted by pins from Luca Bellia, Shane Houck, Miles Obenski, Brendan Jewell, and Cemal Yilmaz. Each win helped swing momentum and keep Lionville pushing late into the match.

Results aside, performances like these continue to show the grit, growth, and competitiveness of this group — and the Lions will carry that fight forward.

🦁💪 #LionvilleWrestling #MatBattles #KeepFighting #EarnedNotGiven #BuildingMomentum

Downingtown East Takes Top Honors At The Chichester Duals!

On Saturday 1/10, the Cougar grapplers once again travelled down to Boothwyn, Delaware County to rumble at Chichester High School’s annual winter duals. The 6-team event brought some heat to the rainy Delaware Valley for sure. East held firm the entire day, and collected 5 dual meet victories to capture the 1st place trophy. They avenged last season’s loss to Upper Dublin with a 38-33 victory, and also beat Springfield (D) 42-29, Chichester 59-16, Bristol 68-3, and Upper Moreland 44-25. Declan McDowell (139), Charlie Dunbar (107), Cade McDowell (172), and Caleb Aikens (189) were all undefeated at the day’s end. Chris Fosmire (114) and Karsten Hodge (285) finished with a single loss. On the JV mat, the Cougars took the competition by storm and won 9 of 10 bouts! Job well done by the entire squad! Next week brings more Chesmont league action mid-week and another individual tournament at Octorara at the week’s end. Stay Hungry!

East Opens the League Strong!

The new year has begun, and Chesmont wrestling has officially begun. On Wednesday 1/7, the league opened the gates and Downingtown East visited neighboring Coatesville in a high-powered dual. The Cougars executed some high-scoring performances and prevailed over the ‘Ville with a final score of 47-14. Charlie Dunbar  (107), Chris Fosmire (121), Jacob Lucier (133), Declan McDowell (139), Declan Jewell (145), and Cade McDowell (172) collected falls for the blue and gold, while Joe Duque (189) and Colin Smith (215) won crucial decisions. Senior Mike Brady also secured a tech fall at 152. Praise also goes out to first-year starters Matt Jackson (127) and Karsten Hodge (285) who battled their opponents and contained their match scores to keep the team score in check. Also on the evening’s slate, the JV Cougars won 8 of 9 bouts to route the Raiders 43-6. Beau Carlson (139), Max Zambrano (133), Jonah Myers (145), Mason Sledd (160), Darby Shepherd (215), and Colin Kimble (215) secured falls or tech-falls in the effort! Congrats to both teams on a strong league performance. Next up, the Chichester Duals at the week’s end. 2026 is off to a fast start! Buckle up!

Lions Roar Back in Statement Win

What a night for Lionville Wrestling.

After falling behind early and staring at a 6–32 deficit against Peirce Middle School, the Lions showed exactly what this program is built on — resilience, grit, and belief. Match by match, momentum began to swing as Lionville battled back with relentless effort and composure.

Pins from Cason Gosgriff, Miles Obenski, Brendan Jewell, Cemal Yilmaz, Cooper O’Donnel, and Ahmed Abouraya, paired with a dominant tech fall from Shane Houck, fueled an electric comeback and sealed a thrilling 47–38 victory.

The JV squad added to the night with strong performances of their own, continuing to build depth and develop the future of the program.

With the win, Lionville improves to 4–1 on the season — and if this comeback was any indication, this team is just getting started.

The Cougars Take Off The Gloves at The Jingle Brawl!

For this season’s holiday tournament (Mon 12/29), Downingtown East travelled to Marple Newtown HS and Delaware County for their annual Jingle Brawl held in honor of fallen coaches Phil Carbonetta and Arty Erle. With great pride, the Cougars competed in honor of these men who gave their all for the sport of wrestling so that young people could reap the benefits of such a challenging endeavor. East finished second out of 8 teams with 202 points, falling short of Ridley’s 232 points. With 6 wrestlers in the finals, the Cougars managed to secure 4 championships in Christian Fosmire (114), Declan McDowell (139), Nick Capell (160), and Cade McDowell (172), who was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler! Other place-winners were Charlie Dunbar (107), Declan Jewell (145), and Colin Smith (215) who took second, Karsten Hodge (285) who finished 3rd, and Jacob Lucier (133), Rylan Piff (121), and Joe Duque (189) who wrestled back for 5th place. There were some thrilling performances on the day and East will look to build on it as the new year kicks in and the Chesmont season opens up. Congrats to the team and best wishes for a successful 2026!!

LMS Wrestling Off to a Strong Start

Last week, LMS Wrestling faced a tough test against Downingtown Middle School, falling 49–33. Our wrestlers competed hard throughout the lineup, battling in every position and continuing to gain valuable match experience.

What stood out even more was the response. LMS Wrestling bounced back in a big way with a decisive 56–27 victory over Fugett Middle School, showing resilience, focus, and growth. Finishing 2025 with a 3–1 record, this group continues to take important steps forward.

That kind of response—learning from adversity and answering it with effort and execution—is something to be encouraged by as we head into the rest of the season.

East Opens Up Dual Meet Campaign!

The East grapplers opened up their dual meet campaign of 2025-2026 in a tri-meet down in Ardmore at the home of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion HS. The Cougars faced Quakertown from the Suburban League and Lower Merion from the Central League. East fell to Quakertown 27-38, but rebounded to beat Lower Merion 43-21 in a decisive display. Double winners on the day were Charlie Dunbar (107), Christian Fosmire (121), and Cade McDowell (172). Also, congrats go out to first-time Varsity wrestlers Max Zambrano (139) and Joe Duque (189) for picking up clutch wins in the second dual. Nice job Cougars! Next up, the Marple Newtown tribute tournament on Monday 12/29. Until then, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

Lionville Middle School Wrestling Starts Strong at 2–0

The Lionville Middle School wrestling team is off to an excellent start to the season, opening with back-to-back victories and showing early signs of grit, depth, and teamwork.

On December 4, 2025, Lionville earned an impressive 48–30 win over Charles F. Patton, highlighted by seven pins. The team set the tone early, wrestling aggressively and capitalizing on scoring opportunities from top to bottom in the lineup.

They followed that performance with another strong showing on December 10, defeating North Brandywine 39–23 to move to 2–0 on the season. While the scores tell part of the story, the real takeaway has been the team’s energy, discipline, and commitment to competing hard in every match.

We’re excited to keep this momentum going. The wrestlers are learning quickly, and thanks to the athletes’ strong work ethic and a mission-driven coaching staff, there’s a lot to be excited about as the season continues.

Next up, the Lions hit the road to take on Downingtown Middle School today, followed by another away match against Fugett Middle School on Saturday. This team is building something special, and we’re looking forward to what lies ahead.

Go Lions 🦁🤼‍♂️