Downingtown East Wrestling

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!!

Please consider supporting Downingtown East Wrestling by becoming a sponsor. Sponsorship levels and sponsor forms can be found on our Sponsorship Page. Our sponsors receive exposure on our website, on social media and at home meets on our sponsors banner and in our programs. Your support will help the team by providing necessary resources to continue to build on our past success and provide our athletes with an optimum training and competitive experience.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at our matches this season!

In the wrestling world, the second weekend in March is known as the PIAA State Tournament and it is one of the most challenging competitions in high school sports. Downingtown East sent 2 qualifiers and they fought to the best of their abilities. Felix Mason (2-2 at 215) and Adham Abouraya (1-2 at 285), both seniors, gave complete effort and wore the blue and gold proudly. Congrats go out to them and the rest of the team who fought all season! Many successes were earned and many lessons were learned this year and the question becomes, “What’s Next?” East is a young team with a lot of potential, but they must make a conscious and collective effort to improve before November 2024. They have to create a plan and follow it knowing even more success lies in front of them if they do. The stage is set. Finally, congrats and thanks to our departing seniors and their families for their hard work and leadership! You will be greatly missed! Best of luck to all! INVICTUS