Month: December 2014

JV Cougars go to Pennsbury Classic

Pennsbury Classic

Just ripe for the holidays, the “Pennsbury JV Classic” came calling for the JV Cougars! On Saturday 12/20, fourteen DE grapplers hit the PA turnpike with the compass dialed in for Fairless Hills, home of the “Falcons.” The tournament was a meat-grinder with teams such as CB East, Neshaminy, CR North, Father Judge, Saucon Valley, Quakertown, and Upper Darby. Congratulations to Brett Horne (106) and Jarrett Hansen (113) for collecting championships! Brett won a in an overtime skirmish and Jarrett teched and majored his way to gold. Hats off also go to freshman Carter Regitz (195) who fell in the finals 4-3 to pick up the silver. Connor Birzes took the “route of the warrior” losing a tight one in the semis and coming back to secure 3rd with a last period fall. Also, freshman Josh Wileczek (220) picked up 4th place after battling back through a tough heavyweight consolation bracket. But, maybe the greatest highlight of the tournament rested in the resolve of 1st year wrestler, Wayne Salt (138). Wayne fought tooth and nail winning his way to the semi-finals where he eventually fell, but wow, what a ride for our exciting new team member! The Pennsbury Classic gave our JV athletes a platform to sharpen their skills and ready themselves to push our varsity team to its limit. Good luck to all of our wrestlers as the Ralph Wetzel Classic approaches, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

King of the Mountain Photos

Please click on the photo to access more action shots from the King of the Mountain tournament.King of the Mountain tournament

King of the Mountain Action

Downingtown East participates in the King of the Mountain tournament held at Central Mountain High School.

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The Cougars head north to take on the Mountain King!

This past weekend, the second in December, was action-packed and certainly a true test of Downingtown East Wrestling’s fortitude! The Cougars journeyed to Central Mountain HS in Lock Haven PA to take part in one of Pennsylvania’s most challenging events, “The King Of The Mountain.” This 34 team individual tournament boasts some of the state’s toughest opposition and a two-day grind no wrestler will ever forget. By Saturday evening, the Cougars claimed 19th place out of the 34 with three wrestlers earning hardware; Wade Cummings (126) took 5th, Billy McGinley (220) took 7th, and Owen Morris (Hwt) took 8th. Coming one victory shy of the medal rounds and earning three victories were James Strommer (113), Austin Lillis (145), and James Meyer (160). Needless to say, the tournament taught D-East many lessons, the most important being that preparation of the highest level is needed to compete in a wrestling state such as Pennsylvania. Now, it’s time to spend holiday time with family and friends and continue to train for the upcoming Ralph Wetzel Invitational at Hatboro-Horsham HS, as well as the dual meet season that comes quick after the new year. Congrats to the wrestlers for clawing through another tough weekend!

Action Shots from Ephrata Duals

Please click on the photo to access more action shots from the Ephrata Duals.

DE Wrestling goes to the Ephrata Duals

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DE Wrestling goes to the Ephrata Duals

On Saturday 12/6, the Cougar grapplers went to spring water country to take on a host of challenges at Ephrata’s annual Winter duals. East finished the day with a 3-1 mark, defeating Garden Spot 48-18, Daniel Boone 59-12, and Biglerville 50-14, but fell to Mifflin County 27-38 in the final. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams, but Mifflin was able to get the bonus points needed to distance themselves and secure the win. Going 4-0 on the day were Brett Horne (106), James Strommer (113), Wade Cummings (126), and Billy McGinley (220). Suffering only one loss were Jude McDowell (138), Austin Lillis (145), James Meyer (160), and the break-out wrestler of the season so far, Owen Morris (HWT). The highlight wrestler of the event was Nik Zimmerman (120), who earned a 2-2 record, but worked above and beyond to compete at one of the most difficult weight classes in the tournament. On the JV mats, congrats to Jarrett Hansen (113), Shea Milligan (126), and Josh Wileczek (220) for going undefeated and setting the pace for East JV squad! Now that the smoke has cleared, it’s time for the Cougars to lock in and focus on next week’s competition, the prestigious “King of the Mountain” tournament in Lock Haven, PA. See you in Mattown USA!!!

PIAA Wrestling Scrimmages Week Two

This last weekend of November boasted the second window for PIAA wrestling scrimmages across the commonwealth. Our Downingtown East wrestlers travelled to PAC-10 powerhouse Springford, to take on the hosts, Quakertown, and Haverford Township. Once again, the gym was filled with talent and the wrestling was high-octane. After losing to Springford in last season’s District Dual semifinal, the Cougars found themselves in many familiar match-ups as James Meyer (160) battled Frankie Krauss and Alec Horne (170) went some tough rounds with Steve Rice. On the lower end, Wade Cummings (126) forced some highlight action with Springford’s PIAA medalist, Ryan Hayes. In the middle, senior Austin Lillis (145) did some terrific work against Springford’s Matt Krieble and Quakertown’s Tanner Seislove. Over in the “big boy room,” junior Brent Czajkowski (182) looked sharp against a room full of heavy bulldogs trying to sharpen their teeth. At the scrimmage’s conclusion, the team reviewed their day’s work and saw that much improvement had been made to go along with the bumps and bruises. Next weekend, the Cougars open up at the Ephrata Duals and the official whistles start to sound. Good luck Cougars!

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