The last holidays of 2018 have brought on some serious competition for the Downingtown East wrestlers. Once again, the Cougars competed in an event with only ten men and a tough field. Conestoga Valley’s annual Buckskin Classic during the weekend of 12/28 and 12/29 included 27 teams and a host of individual talents. At the conclusion of the two-day event, East finished in 7th place with 120.5 points, the second highest placing team from District 1. Keanu Manuel (106) was the lone champion for the Cougars, but Matt Romanelli (170) placed second, and Lukas Richie (138) and Jack Scheerer (195) claimed 3rd place finishes. Rounding out the placers was Zach Sharaf (285) who finished in 6th. All of the five fought their way to the semi-finals of the tournament, a strong number for only entering ten wrestlers. Now, 2019 and the dual meet season awaits and it’s time for the Cougars to rekindle the energy and motivation to make the big push towards March! Happy New Year to all DE wrestlers, coaches, parents, and community!
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Downingtown East rumbles at the “new-look” Chesmont League tournament!
This past Saturday, the Chesmont Legaue held its annual league tournament at WC Rustin. It seemed odd taking place in December, but the revamped qualifying system in District 1 allowed the league to bring its teams together nice and early! The twelve teams competed fiercely, and the Cougars made their mark. At the conclusion, East secured 4th place with 174.5 points, just shy of the 3rd place honor. Due to injury and illness, there were only 10 Cougars available, but these soldiers did their jobs. Keanu Manuel (106), Lukas Richie (138), and Matt Romanelli (170) collected championship gold, while Jett Lucas-Murphy (145) fell short in the finals and ended with silver. Kyle Mittelsadt (132), Jack Scheerer (195), and Zach Aceto (220) wrestled back hard after losses and took 3rd place finishes. Sean “The Iceman” Mullen (126) also fought back and secured a 6th place to round it out. East certainly exceeded expectations, and made the coaches and community proud putting themselves in the top third of the league. Next up for East is the prestigious Conestoga Valley tournament in a week. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!
The Cougars bring their game to Delaware Valley University!
Over this second weekend of the official season, the Cougar wrestlers travelled to Delaware Valley University to compete in Archbishop Wood’s annual “Kurt Meister Invitational.” The eight-team individual tournament got cooking at 9:00am and East battled with 10 wrestlers to claim a second place team finish. They lost by 2.5 points to champions Bangor, who were able to fill every weight class and barely edge the competiton. The Cougars had four individual champions: Keanu Manuel (106), Lukas Richie (138), Matt Romanelli (182), and Zach Sharaf (285). They also had a second place winner in Jett Lucas-Murphy (145). Collecting bronze medals were Kyle Mittelstadt (132) and Spencer Uggla (170). The event also had a JV scrum, and East registered big winners in Billy Dyer (170), Zach Aceto (285), and Connor Huntoon (145). Congrats go out to all of the wrestlers for a long day wrestling and valuable achievement! Next up on the schedule is the inaugural December “Chesmont Tournament” where league honors await! Good luck Cougars!!!
D-East kicks off 18-19 at the Ephrata Duals
On Saturday 12/8, wrestling teams across the great state of Pennsylvania began their campaigns for 2018-2019. Downingtown East was no different making their annual trip to Ephrata for their 8-team dual meet event. At the end of the day, East finished 5th with a final record of 3-2. They fell to Biglersville 37-34 and Spring Grove 54-16, but defeated Ephrata 54-21, Lower Dauphin 51-27, and Reading 48-30. Matt Romanelli (182) collected a 5-0 record on the day, while Keanu Manuel (106), Kyle Mittelstadt (132), and Jack Scheerer (195) all went 4-1. Junior utility man Sean “The Iceman” Mullen secured a 3-2 record and scored a few come-from-behind wins in the process. Overall, the Cougars were definitely rusty and need to continue their development. This coming practice week will demand serious focus as they get ready for The Kurt Meister Invitational, their first individual tournament of the year!
Lionville Wrestling Meeting Tues Nov 13th
The DE Wrestling season comes to an end at the GIANT Center.
The PIAA State Championships for Wrestling lit up the inside of Hershey’s Giant Center over the second weekend of March. The competition draws the top wrestlers from across Pennsylvania, and some of them, viewed as the best wrestlers in the nation. Downingtown East captains Josh Wileczek (195) and Lukas Richie (126) put their talents on the line in this great event and fought bravely. Josh lost his opener 7-5 in OT, and fell in his wrestleback 3-1. Being a senior, he will not be able to return to the championships, but the East faithful will never forget his efforts and leadership in the program. Lukas won his preliminary 4-2, but suffered a fractured finger in the quarterfinal and was pinned. In his wrestleback, Lukas lost 1-0 as his fracture swelled and he was unable to grip. Fortunately, Lukas has another season to make his mark at the tournament and his well-known work ethic will definitely lead him there. The coaches would like to thank all of the wrestlers, parents, sponsors, and community wrestling fans that made 2017-2018 possible. Despite the odds, the team made great strides in both league and non-league competition, and continued its tradition of sending wrestlers to the state tournament. Next season is just around the corner, so let the preparation begin. What are your goals? Set them now and see them within reach, sooner rather than later! INVICTUS
Two Cougars win trips to Hershey!
With seven remaining wrestlers, Downingtown East strapped on the headgear and competed at this past weekend’s SEPA Regional Tournament at Oxford HS. Each weight class started with 13 competitors, but in the end, only the top five could advance to the state tournament. Senior captain Josh Wileczek (195), and junior captain Lukas Richie (126) captured silver medals and punched their tickets to the big dance. Congratulations to the two, for taking the tournament match by match and continuing our school’s tradition of qualifying student athletes to states. Congrats also go out to East’s other regional competitors in Brett Horne (138), Jett Lucas-Murphy (145), and Matt Romanelli (160) who fought tooth and nail for the group and forged a 15th place team finish. The PIAA state tourney looms as the concluding and most exciting competition of the season! Good luck to Lukas and Josh as they prepare for this final st
age! Go Cougars!
D-East continues impressive run advancing 7 to regionals!
This past Saturday (2/24), the East grapplers made their way to ol’ Prospect Park and the District 1 West championships at Interboro High School. The pressure was on as nine Cougars had to find their way into the top 4 to qualify for next weekend’s SEPA Regional tournament at Oxford. In the end, East finished in second place with 104 team points and successfully advanced 7 wrestlers to the next stage. Lukas Richie (126) and Josh Wileczek (195) claimed individual titles while Brett Horne (138) found his rhythm and took 2nd. Keanu Manuel (106), Matt Romanelli (160), and Zach Aceto (285) stormed back after semi-final losses to capture 3rd place, while Jett Lucas-Murphy secured 4th. Congrats also go out to Jack Lawton (152), who took a non-qualifying 6th place, and Spencer Uggla (170) who went 1-2; both wrestlers picked up big wins for the team’s overall point total. East wrestling fans admire the team for a great showing at Interboro, rising above expectations and holding firm to the “no quit” mantra. Good luck to the remaining seven as they travel to Southern Chester County in one week to grab a golden ticket to Hershey!
Downingtown East Wrestling 