On Saturday 2/20, the post-season began for all District 1 wrestlers. For the Cougars, the journey began at Bayard Rustin HS in a 14-team league tournament where only the top 7 place-winners advance to the next weekend. Individuals were asked to concentrate on their own performances, and in turn, the team component would work itself out. In the end, East wrapped up their 4th consecutive Chesmont League Tournament championship, collecting 210 team points and outdistancing 2nd place D-West and 3rd place Rustin by close to 30 points. The Cougars qualified 11 wrestlers for next weekend’s District 1 Central tournament and none of them finished any lower than 5th place. Champions Wade Cumimings (126), Nik Zimmerman (138), and Owen Morris (220) led the charge while runners-up Lukas Richie (106), James Strommer (113), Jude McDowell (152), and Alec Horne (160) rounded out the championship finalists. Brent Czajkowski (182) and Brendan McGinley (285) took 4th place finishes, while Connor Birzes (132) and Josh Wileczek (195) fought back for 5th. The team held firm to their goals and put on a strong performance to secure that 4th title. Now, the road leads to Oxford HS and the District tournament where only the top 4 place-winners will proceed. Good luck to the Cougars as they chase more hardware and continue the journey towards Hershey!
The JV’s finish strong at the Chester County JV Championships!
On Presidents’ Day, Downingtown East once again held its annual Chester County JV Championship tournament to close out the season for the young and aspiring. The competition brings competitors from all over the area, including Boyertown, OJR, Garnet Valley, and Ridley. At the day’s end, Downingtown East crowned 4 individual champions and 6 total medalists. Jett Lucas Muprhy (126), Stuart Regitz (132), Josh Wileczek (195), and Carter Regitz (220) all won gold medals, while Jack Hayward (152) finished a close second, and Praneeth Ramesh (126) battled back for fourth. Jarrett Hansen (120) and Jack Clay (152) went 3-1, falling just short of medal contention, and Luke Moran and Jake Neubaum finished 1-2. A sincere thanks and congrats go out to the JV Cougars for a tremendous season filled with notable improvement and much promise for the future. Aim high gentlemen, and start getting ready for 2016-2017!
Downingtown East takes college field trip to pick up some lessons!
On Friday night (2/12), the Cougar wrestlers, coaches, managers, and supporters hopped on a bus and took Route 100 North to the Lehigh Valley to watch NCAA #1 Penn State wrestle the Mountain Hawks at Stabler Arena. The place was packed to capacity and hotter than a furnace! PSU knocked off Lehigh 28-9, winning 7 of 10 bouts and picking up a fall and tech along the way. About 90% of the participants, both teams included, were Pennsylvania stand-outs in their high school days and it truly showed with the display of talent and work ethic. PA greats such as Megaludis, Cruz, Gulibon, Nolf, Brown, and Retherford all put on a show for the 5,000+ sitting in the stands. The Cougars picked up some valuable lessons watching the college giants wrestle. Now, it’s time to take those lessons home and put them to work as the PIAA season approaches! Good luck boys!
The Downingtown East grapplers end magical run with loss to Exeter
On Monday 2/8, the Cougars traveled the snowy road West to Exeter HS to take on the Eagles who placed 3rd in the District 3 Duals. The gym was packed and the tension high for the first round of PIAA duals. East couldn’t find any rhythm and made numerous mental errors which cost them the dual 51-15. When competing against a team as balanced and talented as Exeter, there can be no errors and performances have to be “next-level.” Sadly, the Cougar’s magical run came full circle. The lone winners for East were Lukas Richie (106) and Nik Zimmerman (138) who won by fall, and James Strommer (113) who earned a decision. One of the most notable observations of the evening was the shear passion and volume of the Exeter crowd; there are towns across this great state where wrestling is ingrained in the culture and the fans live and breath their local team. Despite the loss, it was truly awesome to be a part of this event. Next up for the Cougars, a trip to the Chesmont League Championships at WC Rustin! Time to regroup, re-fuel, and begin the chase for Hershey! Good luck boys!
The Cougars claim their place amongst the PIAA’s finest!
The first weekend of February created more magic for the Downingtown East wrestling team. Once again, District 1 rolled out the red carpet for it’s final 8 teams to compete for a birth in the state duals, and the Cougars showed up committed to the task. East honored it’s seed and captured 3rd place in the duals, solidifying their place as one of the best 20 wrestling teams in the great state of Pennsylvania. On Friday night, they beat a state-quality laden Pennridge 32-28, but fell to Council Rock South 44-21. The next day saw the Cougars defeat Chesmont-American league rival WC Rustin 37-31, and Upper Darby 46-24 in the consolation finals. The weekend was grueling, but the pay-off was large. This ’15-’16 East team is the second team in Chester County history to reach the apex of the PIAA duals; the other team was the ’12-’13 Cougars. Talented freshman Lukas Richie (106) and senior captains Wade Cummings (132) and Jude McDowell (160) went undefeated on the weekend. James Strommer (113), Nik Zimmerman (138), and Alec Horne (170) suffered just one loss during the competition. Hats off to team members such as Jake Neubaum (145) and Jack Clay (152) who didn’t check marks in the win column, but battled every second of every match to stave off ranked opponents and protect team points for the Cougars. Congrats also go out to Wade Cummings for collecting his 100th fall and chiseling another record in the Chester County wrestling history books. The East wrestlers showed tremendous courage and resilience in a challenging District 1 field and now deserve their first round PIAA state dual at Exeter HS on Monday night. Keep it rolling gentlemen, and most importantly, believe in what you’ve done!
Downingtown East defeats West and sews up 5th straight league crown!
Downingtown wrestling’s annual “Battle of the Brandywine” visited Boyer Gymnasium at Downingtown East HS Wednesday night (2/3). Fans from across the community came out to support the boys from East and West, some of whom have been wrestling together since their elementary days with Downingtown Thunder. The crowd cheered as the two local powers, both undefeated in the league, put on a great show of wrestling! By evening’s end, the Cougars won 10 of 14 bouts to secure a 41-18 victory and a 5th consecutive league title. Wade Cummings (132), Josh Wileczek (195), and Owen Morris (220) won by fall while James Strommer (113) and Brent Czajkowski (182) picked up major decisions. The heavyweight battle pitted two long-time Downingtown scrappers against each other in Brendan McGinley and Chad Giles. The two giants went into overtime with McGinley prevailing 3-1; the crowd went into frenzy mode! The East-side JV contingent also finished on top winning 6 of 7 bouts. Jarrett Hansen (120), Stuart Regitz (138), Wayne Salt (152), and Carter Regitz (220) all collected falls. The event also recognized the tremendous efforts of East’s senior wrestlers and their parents. Congratulations and gratitude go out to those athletes and their families and best of luck as they reach for the next level. A big thanks goes out to all of the wrestling fans in this great town, East and West alike, and a hearty “good luck” to all of the athletes as they prepare for an exhilarating post-season.
The Cougars head west for the New Oxford Invitational!
This past weekend saw D-East wrestling pack the vans and head West to the historical Gettysburg area to conduct a battle scene of their own. New Oxford HS hosts a 32-team tournament that draws competition from all over the state. Lines were drawn and cannons fired! The Cougars finished the two-day event with 183 team points and a 2nd place finish, just nine points shy of champions Tunkhannock. They boasted 7 place-finishers, highlighted by champions Wade Cummings (132) and Nik Zimmerman (138). Lukas Richie (106) finished 2nd, while James Strommer (113) and Alec Horne (170) finished 3rd. East’s final medalists were Connor Birzes (126) who placed 4th, and Brent Czajkowski (182) who battled back for 5th. Wade Cummings was voted “Most Outstanding Wrestler” of the tournament. The East JV squad also had a great tournament finishing 2nd behind champions Milton-Hershey, who had double the amount of competitors there. Josh Wileczek (195) and Jarrett Hansen (120) took home top honors and Stuart Regitz (138) finished 2nd. The Cougars will refresh and gear up for another big week with league action and crosstown rivals D-West on Wednesday night and District Dual action on Friday night. Come out and support the Cougars as the season speeds towards an exciting post-season!
DE passes the first round of District 1 Duals with flying color
The Cougar wrestlers put on a strong performance Thursday night at the first round of District 1’s 16-team play-off. Facing the Panthers of Quakertown, East won 10 of 14 bouts and wrapped up the dual with a 44-20 scoreline. Wade Cummings (132), Nik Zimmerman (138), and Alec Horne (170) registered pins for the Cougars while Brett Horne (120) won by technical fall. Lukas Richie (106), James Strommer (113), and Connor Birzes (126) added to the total with dominant major decisions. With the victory, East advances to the next rounds of D1 action next weekend at Upper Dublin HS. The stakes get higher and the competition gets hotter! Good luck Cougars!
Downingtown East Wrestling 