Author: dtowneastwrestling

After a heartbreaking league loss mid-week, the Cougar grapplers found their focus and regrouped to compete at Octorara’s annual “George Heebner Invitational.” This Friday night tournament is a blender with 3 lightning rounds and plenty of fast-paced action. East won the event last season, but knew they could not rest on past achievement to take the championship this year. After the dust settled, and all of the 1^st place hammers had been distributed, the Cougars took the team title with 7 individual champions and 225.5 points, beating 2^nd place Warwick by a stretch. Chris Fosmire (114), Valen Piff (127), Declan McDowell (133), Frankie Hydutsky (145), Cade McDowell (172), and freshmen Colin Smith (215) and Shammah George (285) all took top spot on the podium! Chris Munoz (121) and Caleb Aikens (189) lost hard-fought finals to take second. Congrats also go out to Rylan Piff (114), Noah Fosmire (121), Liam Aikens (127), and Nick Romano (172) who logged in their first Varsity tournament matches of the season. Now, the Cougars must set sights on the league again with a mid-week clash against WCE and a celebration of this year’s seniors. Stay WARM!!

In this third week of January, the Chesmont National reconvened and league duals took the spotlight across the county. Downingtown East travelled to Montgomery Avenue to take on the Warriors from West Chester Henderson, who they edged last season by a point. This year, the Cougars were not so fortunate, losing every swing match and falling to Hendy 28-34. Energy levels appeared low and East paid for it losing a few tightly-contested bouts that could have gone their way. Chris Fosmire (114), Valen Piff (127), and Cade McDowell (172) picked up the only falls for East, while Declan McDowell (145) received a forfeit. Caleb Aikens bumped to 215 and did an outstanding job securing a major decision. Hats off to Mike James (107), Declan Jewell (133), and Shammah George (285), who lost their matches, but fought bravely and saved crucial team points by battling to the end. The JV Cougars swept the Warriors 48-0, once again putting on an excellent performance! Now, it is time to regroup, but the time is short. East travels to Octorara/District III on Friday night for their annual George Heebner Classic. Best of luck to the Cougars! Let’s get back on track!

On Saturday 1/11, the Cougar grapplers once again travelled down to Boothwyn, Delaware County to rumble at Chichester High School’s annual winter duals. The 5-team event brought some heat to the frozen Delaware Valley for sure. East started slowly, but increased their focus to finish strong and secure a 3-1 mark on the day. They lost to Upper Dublin in a narrow defeat 29-34, but bounced back to beat Springfield (D) 44 – 16, Chichester 49 – 16, and Marple Newtown 57-12. Valen Piff (127), Declan McDowell (133), Scott Zhang (160), Cade McDowell (172), and Caleb Aikens (189) were all undefeated 4-0 at the day’s end. Mike James (107), Chris Fosmire (114), Chris Munoz (121), Mike Brady (139), and Frankie Hydutsky (145) finished with 3-1 records. In the JV room, the Cougars took the competition by storm and won 17 of 23 bouts! Job well done by the entire squad! Next week brings more Chesmont league action mid-week and another individual tournament at Octorara at the week’s end. Press On!

The new year has begun, and Chesmont wrestling is off to fast start. On Wednesday 1/8, league action raged across the county and Downingtown East hosted neighboring Coatesville in a high-powered dual. The tide shifted on many occasions, but in the end, the Cougars prevailed over the ‘Ville with a final score of 33-22. Mike James (107), Chris Fosmire (114), Mike Brady (139), and Caleb Aikens (189) collected falls for the blue and gold, while Declan McDowell (133), Scott Zhang (160), and freshman first-time Varsity wrestler Shammah George (285) won crucial decisions. Praise also goes out to first-year starters Chris Munoz (121) and Colin Smith (215) who battled their opponents and contained their match scores to keep the team score in check. Also on the evening’s slate, the JV Cougars won 10 of 13 bouts to route the Raiders 46-15. Liam Aikens (127), Declan Jewell (139), Mohamed Elkhouly (152), Nick Capell (160), Kaiser Ahmad (172), and Colin Kimble (215) secured falls or tech-falls in the effort! Congrats to both teams on a strong league performance. Next up, the Chichester Duals at the week’s end. Fasten your seat-belts as the action continues to rise in 2025!

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!!