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!
Tag: jv
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!
East braves the snow and comes back from West Grove with a decisive victory!
The remnants of winter storm Jonas could not slow down the Cougar wrestlers as they travelled down Route 1 South to Avon Grove HS Wednesday night and proceeded with league action. East cemented a 61-12 victory while visiting the Devils, winning 12 out of 14 bouts. Lukas Richie (106), James Strommer (113), Brett Horne (120), Connor Birzes (126), Wade Cummings (132), Nik Zimmerman (138), Jude McDowell (160), and Alec Horne (170) all recorded falls for the Cougars. Jack Clay collected his first league decision at 152, and Owen Morris battled to an epic tie-breaker win at 195. The JV Cougars also put on a show, finishing the contest with all wins. Jarrett Hansen, Praneeth Ramesh, Jett Lucas-Murphy, Stuart Regitz, Jack Lawton, Wayne Salt, Jack Hayward, Luke Moran, and Josh Wileczek all collected victories in a total team effort. Congrats on another league win and good luck with the first round of District 1 Duals!
D-East comes out on top vs. Coatesville!
Wednesday night (1/13) saw league action roll back into play for East wrestling. They faced the black and red of Coatesville at home and defeated the Red Raiders 49-18. Although Coatesville got out to 3-match lead, East stormed back with falls by Brendan McGinley (285), Lukas Richie (106), Connor Birzes (126), Wade Cummings (132), and Nik Zimmerman (138). Senior James Strommer (113) returned to action with a technical fall, and Brett Horne (120) earned a major decision to increase the total. Decisions by Josh Wileczek (195) and Owen Morris (220) sealed the victory. On the JV front, Jett Lucas-Murphy (132), Stu Regitz (138), and Jack Hayward (152) all claimed wins to extend their league winning streaks. Next up for the Cougars is the ever-tough Tom Hecker duals at Garden Spot HS. Good luck to the squad for the weekend and keep up the strong effort!
Downingtown East collects 4th straight title at the Ralph Wetzel Classic
The Winter break saw the Downingtown East wrestlers pack the bus and head to Bucks County to defend their title at Hatboro-Horsham’s “Ralph Wetzel Classic.” The 28 team tourney draws competitors from District 1 as well as Delaware, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. The Cougars finished with 221 team points and the top honor, claiming the championship for the 4th straight year. They out-distanced runners-up Unionville by over 60 points. Wade Cummings (132), Nik Zimmerman (138), and Alec Horne (170) all claimed gold medals and undefeated marks. James Strommer (113) and Brent Czajkowski (182) finished with silver, while Lukas Richie (106) won the bronze. Other place-winners were Brendan McGinley (285) who finished 5th, Brett Horne (120) and Owen Morris (195) who finished 6th, and Connor Birzes (126) and Carter Regitz (220) who finished 7th. Collectively, the team hit the event in stride and picked up bonus points at every corner helping them secure the team title. In the JV portion of the classic, Jett Lucas-Murphy (126), Stu Regitz (132), and Josh Wileczek (195) all won championships, while first-year wrestler Jack Hayward (152) lost in ride-out to take 2nd. The JV grapplers wrestled 4 or more times each and showed their grit as they aligned their championship intentions with the Varsity. Congratulations go out to the entire team as they put forth another monumental effort! Happy New Year to all and best of luck to the DE wrestlers in 2016!
The JV Cougars open their season at Pennsbury
Congratulations to the Downingtown East JV wrestling squad as they journeyed East and competed at the 3rd annual Pennsbury JV Classic! Eight wrestlers made the trip, and the team finished with 4 place-winners in Josh Wileczek (195), Wayne salt (152), Fernando Gomez (152), and Jake Neubaum (145). Josh Wileczek went 3-0 and collected the gold medal. His performance throughout the day was sound and fundamental, a style he has adapted to put wins in the win column. Wayne Salt went 3-1 on the day and defeated teammate and wrestling newcomer, Fernando Gomez, for the bronze. Our sincerest congrats go out to Fernando and fellow fourth-place finisher, Jake Neubaum, who are brand new team members and competing for the very first time. Also wrestling were Stu Regitz (138, 1-2), Jett Lucas-Murphy (132, 1-2), Jack Hayward (152, 0-2), and Praneeth Ramesh (132, 1-3). The coaches and fans in attendance could not be more proud of the JV contingent and look forward to watching them return to action after Christmas at the illustrious Ralph Wetzel JV Classic! To the entire DE Wrestling family, please have a wonderful Christmas!
The Chester County JV Championships fly high at Downingtown East!
Downingtown East HS and Downingtown East Wrestling hosted the annual Chester County JV Championship tournament on Monday 2/16. The event was packed with young talent from across the county, including PAC-10 competitors O.J. Roberts and Springford, and county neighbors, Garnet Valley and Ridley. The tourney had some of the most challenging brackets in its history, with wrestling lasting clear up to 7:00pm. From the host team, Connor Birzes (120) and Brendan McGinley (220) claimed championships, while Phips Jules (182) and Carter Regitz (195) came in runners-up. Josh Wileczek (195) ran through the wrestle-back gauntlet to claim 3rd place. Great efforts were put in by all East-side JV grapplers including Shea Milligan (126), Harris Alliger (126), Jack Lawton (126), Charlie Roos (126), Praneeth Ramesh (132), Wayne Salt (145), Luke Moran (145), and Jack Clay (152). Congratulations go out to the entire D-East JV contingent for an incredible 14-15 season! Time to refuel, prepare for the off-season, and set new goals to come back and contribute on the Varsity next year!
Downingtown East Wrestling 