Downingtown East Wrestling

In the wrestling world, the second weekend in March is known as the PIAA State Tournament and it is one of the most challenging competitions in high school sports. Downingtown East sent 2 qualifiers and they fought to the best of their abilities. Felix Mason (2-2 at 215) and Adham Abouraya (1-2 at 285), both seniors, gave complete effort and wore the blue and gold proudly. Congrats go out to them and the rest of the team who fought all season! Many successes were earned and many lessons were learned this year and the question becomes, “What’s Next?” East is a young team with a lot of potential, but they must make a conscious and collective effort to improve before November 2024. They have to create a plan and follow it knowing even more success lies in front of them if they do. The stage is set. Finally, congrats and thanks to our departing seniors and their families for their hard work and leadership! You will be greatly missed! Best of luck to all! INVICTUS

This past weekend’s District 1 Southeast Regional tournament at Oxford HS definitely lived up to its hype! The two-day event was action packed with the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” East sent 5 competitors to seek a treasured state qualifying spot; only five spots for each 16-man weight-class were available. At the conclusion, the Cougars were able to punch two tickets to the coveted PIAA State Tournament next week in Hershey! Felix Mason (215) continued his torrid pace going 3-1 and finishing 2^nd, while Adham Abouraya (285) also battled going 4-2 and finishing 4^th. Both seniors have reached the summit of high school wrestling here in Pennsylvania and earned their chance to compete in the big dance! Congrats also go out to Declan McDowell (127), Ricky Jewell (152), and Cade McDowell (172), who put forth strong efforts at regionals, but were unable to get in the top five. Their experiences will build the foundation for post-seasons to come. DE wants to wish Felix and Adham all the luck in the world at the state tournament where they will pursue a top-8 finish and a piece of PIAA hardware that few can claim! Best of luck gentlemen!!

*UNIFORM COLLECTION for all wrestlers that have completed their seasons will be right after school (@ 3:00pm) in the big gym hallway on Tuesday 2/27! Make sure all items are cleaned, folded, and in the wrestling bags. Loaned headgear and knee pads are also due! ANY wrestler is welcome to continue training with the team and regional qualifiers!

This past Saturday 2/24 saw all District 1 wrestlers compete in their respective area post-season openers. Our Cougars travelled to Oxford HS to battle it out in the 15 team “District 1 West” tournament. The only way to survive the event was to place in the top four and qualify for the regional tournament the following weekend. It was a long competition filled with ups and downs, but in the end, East stayed vigilant and put forth some gutty performances to place 4th in the team race with 138.0 points and qualify 5 wrestlers for the District 1 Regional tournament. The team’s finish was highlighted by Felix Mason (215) who went 4-0, won the championship at his weight by a thunderous fall over the top seed, and collected the tournament’s “Outstanding Wrestler” award in the process!

Others who battled and qualified were 3rd place Declan McDowell (5-1 at 127), 3rd place Ricky Jewell (4-1 at 152), 3rd place Adham Abouraya (4-1 at 285), and 4th place Cade McDowell (3-2 at 172). Congrats to them for making the next stage!

Helping the effort and finishing in the 5th/6th matches were Christian Fosmire (107), Valen Piff (121), and Stephen Elinski (145), who all collected valuable wins for the team and finished 6th respectively.

Also, congrats to our senior Cougars who have finished their careers and left indelible marks on our wrestling tradition, Stephen Elinski and Paxson Warnock!

Next up is the 2-day Regional tournament next week, once again at Oxford. Only the top 5 placers in each weight will progress to the PIAA State Tournament. GOOD LUCK to the furious Five!!

With the final week of regular season competition upon them, our DE wrestlers met the challenge head-on. Wrestling back-to-back duals, East capped off a remarkable dual meet season by defeating Pottsgrove and Ridley on successive nights. They finish their 23-24 campaign with a 16-1 overall record and an undisputed Chesmont National League championship. On Wednesday 2/14, the Cougars roughed up Pottsgrove 64-10 and celebrated the careers of their seniors, and senior parents. A big congratulations go out to seniors Paxson Warnock (139), Stephen Elinski (145), Felix Mason (215), and Adham Abouraya (285) who all won big on the night! On Thursday 2/15, the squad took a long bus ride to Delaware County and battled against a physical Ridley team. The odds seemed to be against them, but big pins by Declan McDowell (127), Cade McDowell (172), Felix Mason (215), and Adham Abouraya (285) tilted the field back to blue and gold and East won 35-30. It certainly has been a long road, but the outcome is gratifying and the team knows it has the potential for great success. Now, the post-season is around the corner and the Varsity and JV will train hard for the JV Chesmont Championships held at home and the District 1 West tournament at Oxford a week from Saturday. Good luck to all and keep your eyes on the prize!

Our last duel meet with Ridley has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening (Thursday 2/15). All wrestlers need to meet in the locker room at 4:00pm. Weigh-ins are at 5:00pm and JV wrestling starts at 6:00pm. Ridley HS – 901 Morton Ave, Folsom, PA 19033

*This match grants us another pound, so 107 becomes 111, 114 becomes 118, 121 becomes 125, etc. 

In their final regular season tournament, the Cougars competed in Octorara’s “George Heebner Invitational.” This 8-team rumble takes place on a Friday night and runs a rapid pace! With matches rolling one after the other, teams have to keep up and maintain focus to stay in the hunt. East did just that and collected the team championship with 198.5 points, beating second place CB South by over 30 points! Although performances ranged, the Cougars were able to get it done with 1^st place finishes collected by Stephen Elinski (145), Cade McDowell (172), and Felix Mason (215) who were able to bring home the “hammers!” Also picking up valuable team points were Valen Piff (2^nd – 121), Declan McDowell (2^nd – 127), Frankie Hydutsky (2^nd – 133), Ricky Jewell (2^nd – 152), Christian Fosmire (3^rd – 114), Scotty Zhang (3^rd – 160), and Tommie Grizzanti (3^rd – 189). Paxson Warnock (139) and Misha Page (107) rounded out the scoring with 4^th place finishes. Upon reflection, the “Heebner” was both triumphant and a bit of humble pie, which will serve the team in many ways. Good luck to the grapplers in their next and final week of dual meet competition!

This week boasted the final week of league action for the East grapplers. WC East visited on Wednesday 2/7 for the last competition in the ChesMont National, and the Cougars delivered with a convincing 57-10 victory! With that performance, East goes 5-0 in the league and claims the title in undisputed fashion. Congrats to the team! East won 11 of 13 bouts with Valen Piff (121), Declan McDowell (127), Stephen Elinski (145), Ricky Jewell (152), Scott Zhang (160), and Cade McDowell (172) collecting falls. Frankie Hydutsky (133), Tommie Grizzanti (189), and Felix Mason (215) earned decisions while Paxson Warnock (139) and Adham Abouraya (285) took forfeits. It was a tremendous evening for the squad as they accomplished a few of their main goals in winning the league and getting it done without a blemish! Once again, congrats to East wrestling and best of luck at Octorara where the Varsity will compete under Friday night lights!