Month: December 2024

For this season’s holiday tournament (Sun 12/29), Downingtown East travelled to Marple Newtown HS and Delaware County for their newly named Marple Holiday/Memorial Tournament in honor of fallen coaches Phil Carbonetta and Arty Erle. With great pride, the Cougars competed in honor of 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 232 points, falling short of Ridley’s 244 points. With 9 wrestlers in the finals, the Cougars managed to secure 5 championships in Valen Piff (127), Declan McDowell (133), Scott Zhang (160), Cade McDowell (172), and first-year wrestler Chris Munoz (121) who shocked the tournament coming from a basement seed. Other place-winners were Chris Fosmire (114), Mike Brady (139), Frankie Hydutsky (145), and Caleb Aikens (189) who took second, and freshman workhorses Corbin Cywinski (107) who took 4^th and Colin Smith (215) who wrestled back for 5^th place. There were some outstanding 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 prosperous 2025!!

The East grapplers continued their early campaign this past Wednesday evening (12/18) by opening their own Boyer Gymnasium and welcoming the Indians from Upper Perkiomen HS for a dual meet. Both teams had some missing pieces due to injury, but they lined up tight and the battle came down to a matter of points. In the end, the Cougars claimed the 31-29 victory with some gutsy performances. Scott Zhang (172), Cade McDowell (189), and Caleb Aikens (215) all moved up in weight and pushed to the limits for important wins, Caleb finishing with a fall. Frankie Hydutsky (152) secured a major decision while Valen Piff (127) survived a scare for a decision. Aggressive performances by Mike James (107) and Declan McDowell (139) led to pins and the needed points for the overall team victory. Also, congrats go out to first-time Varsity wrestlers Kaine Kofroth (114), Nick Capell (160), and Gabe Masunungure (285) for laying it on the line for their team. Nice job Cougars! Next up, the Marple Newtown tribute tournament on Sunday 12/29. Until then, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!

This past weekend, D-East wrestling travelled west to District 3 and the farmlands of Pequea Valley. The competition was an 8-team individual tournament held at Pequea Valley HS. The Cougars finished in second place with 181 pts, coming in just behind champions Tulpehocken who finished with 190 pts. East had two champions in the McDowell brothers (Declan at 139 and Cade at 172). Christian Fosmire (121) finished 2^nd, while Valen Piff (133), Mike Brady (145), Frankie Hydutsky (152), Scott Zhang (160), and Caleb Aikens (189) all captured third place finishes. Congrats also go out to Mike James (107), Chris Munoz (127), and Colin Smith (215) who secured their first Varsity wins during the competition. Next up, a date with Upper Perkiomen on Wednesday 12/18 to open our home gym!

Downingtown East Wrestling opened it’s 2024-2025 tournament campaign at the Chesmont championships at WC Rustin high school on Saturday 12/7. All twelve Chesmont schools loaded up for an early season collision in West Chester and the hype lived up to expectations. The Cougars entered their Varsity to battle and see where they stood in December about to close out 2024. East finished in 7th place with 101 points and 6 place-winners. Tommie Grizzanti (285) was the lone finalist taking second, while Caleb Aikens (189) wrestled back to take 3rd. Valen Piff (4th at 133), Declan McDowell (5th at 139), Cade McDowell (5th at 172), and Frankie Hydutsky (6th at 152) rounded out the other Cougar medalists. East finished in the middle of the pack and learned many valuable lessons on the way. Next up, a date out in Lancaster County at Pequea Valley HS. Good luck Cougars!!