Stephens wins 100th as Coatesville surges past Avon Grove
COATESVILLE—Shaking off the disappointment of taking his first loss on the season this past weekend, Coatesville’s Chase Stephens took advantage of the home crowd support heightened by wrestling the final match of the evening, and collected career win No. 100.
Stephens’ win by fall capped a seven-match win streak for the Raiders, allowing them to erase a 30-9 deficit to win the dual meet over visiting Avon Grove.
“We got bonus points in six of those matches down the stretch,” said Coatesville Coach Bear Stephens. “We’ve been focusing on bonus points as much as we can, and the guys are finally just finding ways to win bouts and get them, and how to not give them up.”
With the team win wrapped up, all eyes were on Stephens when he took that mat at 152 pounds against the Devils’ Marcus Hector. Stephens went after right off the opening whistle, taking Hector down to his back on a double leg takedown. A few adjustments later, eventually settling into a headlock position, Stephens got the slap of the mat at the 1:09 mark, and his hand raised in victory for the 100th time.
“It’s something not everyone gets to accomplish, so to be able to do it while I’m still a junior makes it even more special,” said Stephens. “To be able to get it in front of the home crowd and all the support they’ve given me all along feels great. But now I have to get back working for my bigger goals for the year, and that is finishing in the top five at states.”
Coach Stephens was a bit more emotional about the win than his son was.
“I’m not sure anyone has ever done it in their junior year at Coatesville before,” said the elder Stephens. “It’s really a great accomplishment to get to 100 in less than three full years. I couldn’t be any more proud.”
The dual meet got underway at 160, where Coatesville’s Austin Geter broke a scorless tien in the second with a reversal, putting Grant Boyd on his back in the process for the fall in 2:15.
The Devils answered back with victories infive of the the next six weights. Joseph Moran worked a crossface cradle for the pin at 170. Brayden Peck followed with a pin of his own at 182, before the Raiders got back on the winning track at 195, where Alex Raimanod made a third period double leg takedown hold up as the difference in a 3-2 victory over Josh Walls.
The Devils collected a forfeit at 220, and a first period fall from Vince Walls at 285 and a Jordan Howard pin at 106, the Red Devils were up 30-9.
Besides Stephens, Coatesville got pins from Nathan Gathercole (113), Noah Norman (120), Ryan Dellicompagni (132), and Brent Windle (138). Joe Torres picked up a 7-1 victory at 120.
The penultimate match of the night figured to be a doozy, featuring two of the area’s better wrestlers at 145 in the Devils’ Kevin Edwards, ranked 1st by the Daily Local News, and the Raiders’ Collin McBride. McBride drew first blood, literally and figuratively, notching the first takedown just prior to the first of several blood stoppages to tend to Edwards. McBride slipped for an escape in the second, before landing a headlock for the takedown and fall in 3:35.
“Kevin and I have spent the last few summers training together at Defiant,” said McBride. “He knows me, and I know him. This was going to be a tough one. I would have never thought I would get a pin there. But things just felt right, like the headlock was there, so I took it. It’s crazy how the bonus points seemed to be contagious. Noah got us going, and then were were all just getting pins.”
Box Score
160—Au Geter (CV) pinned Boyd 2:15 6-0
170—Moran (AG) pinned Groce 4:14 6-6
182—Peck (AG) pinned S McBride 1:10 12-6
195—Raimondo (CV) dec J Walls 3-2 12-9
220—Santos (AG) by forfeit 18-9
285—V Walls (AG) pinned Ay Geter 1:49 24-9
106—Howard (AG) pinned Moses 5:29 30-9
113—Gathercole (CV) pinned Maxwell 1:41 30-15
120—Torres (CV) dec Novak 7-1 30-18
126—Norman (CV) pinned Bogio 1:52 30-24
132—Dellicompagni (CV) pinned Beattie 1:58 30-30
138—Windle (CV) pinned Rico 1:09 36-30
145—McBride (CV) pinned Edwards 3:35 42-30
152—Stephens (CV) pinned Hector 1:09 48-30
