On the last weekend of 2019, the East wrestlers took to the mats at Conestoga Valley’s prestigious Buckskin Classic! This 26-team tournament is a challenging test for all competitors before the dual meet season opens in January. After the second day’s conclusive rounds, the Cougars claimed 4th place right behind Bellefonte, Owen J. Roberts, and eventual champs, Central Dauphin. The team finished with 8 placewinners as Keanu Manuel (113) and Matt Romanelli (170) took home individual championships. Ryan Loraw (106) and Bo Horvath (152) finished in 4th place, while Spencer Uggla (182) and Zach Aceto (285) took 5th. Rounding out the medals were Ray Wileczek (220) in 6th, and Kyle Mittelstadt (126) in 8th. The Cougars climbed three spots from last year’s finish and increased their individual medal haul. Congrats to the team! We’d like to wish all of our wrestlers, parents, boosters, and supporters a wonderful new year! Here’s to wrestling in 2020!
Author: dtowneastwrestling
East stakes their claim at the Chesmont Champonships!
On the Saturday before Christmas break, Downingtown East gathered their starting 14 and took to the mats at 2019-2020 Chesmont Championship tournament at WC Rustin. Although WC Henderson took home team honors, the Cougars took a big chunk out of that tournament. They finished in second place with 193 points and 6 individual champions out of the 14 weight classes. Claiming gold were Keanu Manuel (120), Bo Horvath (152), Matt Romanelli (170), Spencer Uggla (182), Ray Wileczek (220), and Zach Aceto (285). Also placing were Ryan Loraw (113) with a third place finish, and Kyle Mittelstadt (132) with a fifth. Congrats to the Cougars for battling hard and collecting some hardware!. Now, it’s time to enjoy the holidays and train for the Conestoga Invitational in one week. Merry Christmas to all!
The Cougars bounce back up north!
For the first time in years, D-East wrestled in a tri-meet on Saturday 12/14. They travelled north to the upper corner of District 11 to take on Bangor and Central Bucks South. In the end, the Cougars had a strong day defeating Bangor 45-28 and CB South 75-8. The team stepped up their game and wrestled with more intensity and quality. Double winners were Ryan Loraw (113), Keanu Manuel (120), Bo Horvath (152), Matt Romanelli (170), Spencer Uggla (182), and Zach Aceto (285). East now stands at 4-3 and gains some momentum for next weekend’s ChesMont Tournament at WC Rustin. Good luck Cougars!
D-East officially opens ‘19-‘20 at Ephrata
On Saturday 12/7, Downingtown East Wrestling kick-started the 19-20 season by returning to Ephrata and competing at their annual season-opening duals. The five-dual event hosts some of the best District 3 teams as well as some hammers from outside the area. As always, the opener is the first time hitting the official scales for weigh-ins and clashing with opponents for a score that really counts. At the end of a long day, the Cougars finished in 4th place by defeating Ephrata 54-21 and Biglerville 45-28, but fell to the top three in Stroudsburg 19-51, Hempfield 23-51, and eventual champions, Malvern 5-69. Ryan Loraw (113) and Keanu Manuel (120) went 4-1 at the event, while Bo Horvath (152), Matt Romanelli (170), and Ray Wileczek (220) all battled for a 3-2 mark. It was great for East to be in such a competitive environment early as the schedule has much in store and the many young wrestlers on the team can now see what sport is all about. Next up is a new tri-meet up in District 11 against CB South and Bangor. Good Luck Cougars!
The curtain falls for East wrestling at the Giant Center
The PIAA Wrestling Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center is perhaps one of the most illustrious and challenging of the state’s great competitions. It collects Pennsylvania’s greatest wrestlers to lay their blood, sweat, and tears on the mats one final time and find out who can finish a long and grueling season with a spot on the the 8-place podium. Downingtown East sent it’s remaining two athletes in Keanu Manuel (106) and Lukas Richie (132) to take part in the heated battle. When the final curtain fell, these two Cougars gave their hearts’ best effort, but fell short of the medal rounds. Keanu went 2-2 over the course of the tournament, and senior captain Lukas met with a difficult fate of 0-2. Although it seems short of achievement, the stage is set for a positive future! Keanu will return for his junior year next season and will use his experience at the state tournament to fashion new goals and new skills and earn his rightful spot amongst the state’s elite. Lukas finishes his Downingtown East career as one of our most decorated athletes with 145 wins and a path to the University of Pennsylvania to continue his wrestling and academic endeavors. We wish both wrestlers, and the rest of the team, the best of luck as Spring makes its much needed debut! It is time to reflect on the good, learn from the bad, and make those important decisions about what comes next. Only you can decide what comes next for you! INVICTUS
The Cougars carve a path to the big dance!
The first weekend in March traditionally ushers in Southeastern PA’s District 1 Regional wrestling tournament. This past weekend was no different. Over 60 high schools from the four counties sent their district’s best to compete at the regional for a berth at the following weekend’s PIAA State Tournament, the penultimate event. From East, the remaining four of Keanu Manuel, Lukas Richie, Spencer Uggla, and Zach Sharaf put their training to the test. In the end, East finished in 9th place out of the entire 60 team field, qualifying two wrestlers for the state tournament. Senior co-captain Lukas Richie finished out his District 1 career with the 132 lb. championship and a gold medal. At 106 lbs, Keanu Manuel took 4th place and also booked his spot at states. The magical run of junior Spencer Uggla at 160 lbs. resulted in a 6th place finish, one place shy of a birth. And Zach Sharaf at heavyweight, with just two years of wrestling under his belt, went 0-2 at the tournament, but proved his potential is there. The final week of competition is upon us, and DE Wrestling and community would like to congratulate our regional competitors on a great performance, and wish our state qualifiers the best of luck up on the mats at Hershey! See you in Chocolatetown!
East mines some gold at the inaugural District 1 West Tournament!
This last weekend in February found the 15 wrestling teams in District 1 West convene at West Chester Rustin HS to see which competitors would advance to the regional. The top four placewinners in each weight punch tickets to the Southeastern Pennsylvania state qualifier next weekend. Downingtown East finished in 5th place, with 149.5 team points earned. The team put on a strong performance, finishing with 7 wrestlers in the final round, 3 champions, and a fourth place. Keanu Manuel (106), Lukas Richie (132), and Spencer Uggla (160) all won their respective weights and took home gold medals. Zach Sharaf (285) ground his way through the wrestle-backs and took 4th. Falling short of advancement, but competing in the final round were Billy Dyer (170, 5th), Ray Wilceczek (195, 6th), and Zach Aceto (220, 6th). East wrestling would also like to congratulate seniors Jett Lucas Murphy (138) and Will Vincent (145) on great careers in the blue and gold! The final four Cougars will now compete at next weekend’s SEPA Championships at Souderton HS to hopefully find a spot in the top five and punch a coveted ticket to the PIAA dance at Hershey! Good luck to all!!!
The JV Cougars finish in stride!
This past Presidents’ Day, Downingtown East hosted the annual Chester County Junior Varsity Championships in Boyer Gymnasium. This event features future varsity wrestlers from the Chesmont league and beyond, totalling 15 teams. The day recognizes those wrestlers who have put in the time on their respective teams and are on the precipice of becoming Varsity contributors. For the JV Cougars, Billy Dyer (170) was the lone champion. Jackson Swearhart (195) fought back to claim 3rd place, and Alex Hillestad (106) earned a 4th place finish. Other Cougars in the mix were Alex Viscomi (126, 1-2), “Vegas” Vic Cozzone (132, 1-2), Alejandro Santiago (138, 1-2), Jeff Scott (145, 0-2), Jack Myers (145, 0-2), and Johnny “Pants” Palladino (152, 1-2). Above all, these championships give the wrestlers a final shot at demonstrating what they’ve learned and allow them to see where they must develop. Congrats and good luck to all of the JV Cougars as they set new goals ad help the Varsity prepare for their post-season!
Downingtown East Wrestling 