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!
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!
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…
Downingtown East Wrestling 