The Winter break saw the Downingtown East wrestlers pack the bus and head to Bucks County to defend their title at Hatboro-Horsham’s “Ralph Wetzel Classic.” The 28 team tourney draws competitors from District 1 as well as Delaware, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. The Cougars finished with 221 team points and the top honor, claiming the championship for the 4th straight year. They out-distanced runners-up Unionville by over 60 points. Wade Cummings (132), Nik Zimmerman (138), and Alec Horne (170) all claimed gold medals and undefeated marks. James Strommer (113) and Brent Czajkowski (182) finished with silver, while Lukas Richie (106) won the bronze. Other place-winners were Brendan McGinley (285) who finished 5th, Brett Horne (120) and Owen Morris (195) who finished 6th, and Connor Birzes (126) and Carter Regitz (220) who finished 7th. Collectively, the team hit the event in stride and picked up bonus points at every corner helping them secure the team title. In the JV portion of the classic, Jett Lucas-Murphy (126), Stu Regitz (132), and Josh Wileczek (195) all won championships, while first-year wrestler Jack Hayward (152) lost in ride-out to take 2nd. The JV grapplers wrestled 4 or more times each and showed their grit as they aligned their championship intentions with the Varsity. Congratulations go out to the entire team as they put forth another monumental effort! Happy New Year to all and best of luck to the DE wrestlers in 2016!
Author: dtowneastwrestling
The JV Cougars open their season at Pennsbury
Congratulations to the Downingtown East JV wrestling squad as they journeyed East and competed at the 3rd annual Pennsbury JV Classic! Eight wrestlers made the trip, and the team finished with 4 place-winners in Josh Wileczek (195), Wayne salt (152), Fernando Gomez (152), and Jake Neubaum (145). Josh Wileczek went 3-0 and collected the gold medal. His performance throughout the day was sound and fundamental, a style he has adapted to put wins in the win column. Wayne Salt went 3-1 on the day and defeated teammate and wrestling newcomer, Fernando Gomez, for the bronze. Our sincerest congrats go out to Fernando and fellow fourth-place finisher, Jake Neubaum, who are brand new team members and competing for the very first time. Also wrestling were Stu Regitz (138, 1-2), Jett Lucas-Murphy (132, 1-2), Jack Hayward (152, 0-2), and Praneeth Ramesh (132, 1-3). The coaches and fans in attendance could not be more proud of the JV contingent and look forward to watching them return to action after Christmas at the illustrious Ralph Wetzel JV Classic! To the entire DE Wrestling family, please have a wonderful Christmas!
The Cougars Scratch and Claw on the Mountain!
Once again in December, Central Mountain HS in Lock Haven hosted one of the state’s toughest tournaments, “The King of the Mountain.” Once again, the Cougar grapplers threw their names in the mix and faced some of the greatest challenges in PA wrestling. Downingtown East finished in 25th place out of 32 teams and placed one wrestler, Wade Cummings who took 2nd at 132lbs. The competition was stiff and East took several lumps as the two-day event lit up the Central Mountain gym. Lukas Richie (106) went 3-2 with 3 technical falls, but fell one match short of placing. Also going 3-2 were James Strommer (113), Alec Horne (170), and Brendan McGinley(285). Wade Cummings fell in the final to District 1 nemesis Zach Trampe of CR South, 6-2. The crowd saw an exciting final, and we’re sure they can’t wait to see the re-match whenever it goes down. Above all, the Cougars learned what is necessary to compete at the highest level in this state. It takes unwavering commitment and a winning attitude no matter who is standing in the opposite corner. East will now lick their wounds and get back to work as they await the Ralph Wetzel Classic at the end of the month. Merry Christmas and happy Winter Break!
Downingtown East storms the Ephrata Duals on opening day!
On Saturday 12/5, the Downingtown East Cougars opened their ’15-’16 campaign with a perfect day at the Ephrata duals in District III. The team went 5-0 and reclaimed the championship from PIAA 9th ranked Mifflin County in the finals. The Cougars defeated Ephrata 68-6, Biglerville 50-20, Reading 46-15, Garden Spot 45-32, and Mifflin County 49-29. Lukas Richie (106), James Strommer (113), Wade Cummings (132), Nik Zimmerman (138), Alec Horne (170), Owen Morris (195), and Brendan McGinley (285) all went undefeated at the event. Carter Regitz (220) and Connor Birzes (126) finished the day with just one loss. D-East managed to put together strong team performances despite injuries and an array of new wrestlers in the line-up. When 14 stand tall together, the team score works itself out. Congrats to the Cougars for a fine season opener and good luck next weekend at the ferocious “King of the Mountain!”
The Cougar Invades North Carolina!
Congratulations to D-East wrestling captain Wade Cummings for his 5th place finish at the nation’s illustrious SUPER 32 tournament held in Greensboro, NC! With 131 competitors loaded into the 132 lb. weight class, Wade wrestled 9 matches over two days to capture a 5th place medal with an overall record of 7-2. In the hectic field, Wade defeated Darius Wiles (Lake Braddock HS) Fall 3:39, Taner Day (Mounds View) 8-1, Evan Drill (Somerville) 3-2, Kizhan Clarke (Riverview) 5-4, Jake Spiess (Delta HS) 3-2, Jake Wasser (Palisades) 3-1 SV, and Durbin Lloren (Buchanan) 2-1. He fell to finalist Colby Smith (Holt, MO) and Sam Sasso (Nazareth, PA) for his only losses of the event. It was truly a great run for Wade and once again he’s put himself and Downingtown East wrestling among the stars of wrestling! Nice Job Wade!
BUCKNELL’s team camp makes the Cougars hungry!
The Summer of 2015 has seen its share of storms, but wrestling teams from across the tri-state area descended upon Bucknell University 7/11 – 7/15 to experience the hurricane! Downingtown East Wrestling attended Bucknell’s annual Bison Legend Duals and team camp to take on some of the best and learn some valuable technique. On Saturday’s “Bison Legend Duals,” the Cougars finished 2-2 dropping duals to Weaver Elite and Contender Elite, but defeating Manittuck and White Buffalo (NY). The competition was heavy and the learning curve high! Over the course of the university’s team camp, D-East went 11-1 in duals, falling in the final to District 7 giants Kiski Area HS 34-27. The Cougars captured 7 wins against Kiski, but lost the race for bonus wins. The Cougars defeated Souderton, Ridge (NJ), Smithtown East (NY), Hills Hollow East (NY), Foran (Conn.), Miller Place (NY), Selinsgrove, William Floyd (NY), Voorhees (NJ), Shoreham Wading-River (NY), and Garden Spot. Undefeated wrestlers on the week were Wade Cummings (132lbs., 12-0), Nik Zimmerman (138lbs., 12-0), and James Strommer (113lbs., 12-0). Brett Horne (120lbs.), Lukas Richie (103lbs.), Jude McDowell (152lbs.), and Carter Regitz (220lbs.) all finished 11-1, while Brent Czajkowski (170lbs.) and Alec Horne (182lbs.) ended 10-2. Congratulations to the Cougars for once again putting in a terrific effort at Bucknell and getting the most out of their Summer training! Now it’s time to fall back to set pre-season goals and search the soul to see what the team wants to accomplish in 2016! Stay hungry…
The Myrmidons take to the Summer mats at Boyertown!
This past week, 20 of our Myrmidon wrestlers made the daily journey up to Boyertown to compete at their annual “Grizzly Duals.” From Monday to Wednesday, the team wrestled two to 3 matches a night and faced opponents such as Boyertown, O.J. Roberts, Springford, Methacton, Pottstown, and other local adversaries. The event draws Summer wrestlers looking to skip the weigh-ins and team scores and just WRESTLE! Wade Cummings wrestled to a 6-0 record, while Nik Zimmerman, Brett Horne, Brent Czajkowski, and Owen Morris collected 5-1 finishes. Congrats also go out to first time team members Lukas Richie (9th), Jett Lucas-Murphy (9th), and Zach Aceto (8th) for battling with their future teammates! Once again, the “Grizzly Duals” gave our grapplers the opportunity to measure their current level and identify what needs to be developed for the Winter season. Full-steam ahead….next up, Bucknell University’s team camp in July. Good luck gentlemen!
Congrats to DE Wrestlers for inclusion in the Daily Local News All-Area Team
Congratulations go out to the following members of our 2014 – 2015 Chesmont championship wrestling team for their inclusion in the season’s “All-Area” (Chester County) team as selected by the Daily Local News!
Wrestler Of The Year
Wade Cummings (126 lbs.)
1st Team
Wade Cummings
James Strommer
Austin Lillis
Billy McGinley
2nd Team
Jude McDowell
James Meyer
Alec Horne
Honorable Mention
Brett Horne
Nik Zimmerman
Brent Czajkowski
Jason Gibson
Downingtown East Wrestling 