New blood makes impression at early-season Ches-Mont tournament
WESTTOWN >> With an early-season league tournament, locals got a chance to see where they’re at, and what they need to improve if they want to be wrestling three months from now.
At the Ches-Mont Championships, at West Chester Rustin, a couple freshmen made their presence known around the league, while some established names showed they’re not ready to relinquish any superiority.
Downingtown West’s freshman, Brayden Sigle, started the finals off with a 3-0 win over Sun Valley’s John DeOrio at 107 pounds.
Unable to find any offense in the first period, Sigle locked up a cradle and scored the only near-fall points of the match.
“There’s a lot better competition and you have to have a bigger gas tank,” Sigle said about what’s he learned after two weeks of high school competitions. “I really learned that last weekend, and again this weekend.”
Kennett’s Blake Boyer (127 pounds) was able to shake off a loss in the Solanco Mule Classic finals, a week ago, by roaring through his bracket, Saturday.
Against West Chester Henderson’s Alfie Overton, Boyer went to work on top and cruised to a technical fall win for his first high school championship.
“I felt good and felt like I was wrestling well and scoring a lot of points,” Boyer said. “I feel like I’m best on top when I’m getting my turns.”
Josh Barlow (160) and John Pardo (215) also won titles for Kennett, who tied Sun Valley for champs but finished in fifth as a team with a multiple wrestlers out due to sickness.
Absences were a side story on the day, as a handful or two of notable grapplers were forced to withdraw due to sickness or other reasons.
While Kennett only had eight wrestlers, Coatesville brought 10 and made a statement with a third-place finish.
At 172, Jack Weldon took advantage of a wide-open bracket and claimed the title with a 2-1 win over Unionville’s Ryan O’Leary. Earlier in the day, Andrij Szczesniuk used a couple of tilts to claim the 121-pound title over Kennett’s Zack Jaffe.
“100 percent, I wanted to make a statement,” Szczesniuk said. “I didn’t want anyone thinking they could gain any sort of confidence against me”
Like Szczesniuk, Unionville’s Cole Haines was a sixth-place finisher at regionals last year and got his season started with a championship. Haines was ridden out by Sun Valley’s Timmy Kearney in the third period to force overtime, but there, Haines coaxed a second stalling call and won the 114-pound crown.
West Chester Henderson took second as a team, with two Warriors getting to the top of the podium. Carmen Cortese (139) won his final via injury default against Sun Valley’s David Voghel and Liam Keevil (285) ended the day with a 3-2 win over Downingtown East’s Adham Abouraya.
West Chester East’s Max Parnis earned a 7-4 win over Sun Valley’s Alexander Gamble-Williams in a matchup of returning state qualifiers for the 152-pound title.
At 160, Barlow shook off a tight, rideout win over Coatesville’s Jacob Ruttman in the semifinals and went on to pin Rustin’s Gavin Seaman in the finals.
For the second straight week, Pardo scored a decision over Oxford’s Jeremy McKinney. This one was for the 215-pound championship, after McKinney pinned West’s Mason Hale in semis.
Sun Valley’s Brecken Strickland was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after his come-from-behind pin to win against Kennet’s Kane Lengel in the 133-pound final.
Brandon Carr (145) and Will Cadden (189) also earned golds for the Vanguards.
Team Standings
1. Sun Valley, 218.5; 2. West Chester Henderson, 168.5; 3. Coatesville, 143; 4. Downingtown West, 142; 5. Kennett, 141.5; 6. Oxford, 107; 7. West Chester Rustin, 94.5; 8. West Chester East, 93.5; 9. Downingtown East, 66; 10. Avon Grove, 63; 11. Great Valley, 55.5; 12. Unionville, 49
Championships Finals
107- B. Sigle (Downingtown West) dec. DeOrio (Sun Valley), 3-0
114- Haines (Unionville) dec. Kearney (Sun Valley), 3-2 SV
121- Szczesniuk (Coatesville) dec. Jaffę (Kennett), 4-0
127- Boyer (Kennett) tech. fall A. Overton (WC Henderson), 15-0
133- Strickland (Sun Valley) pinned Lengel (Kennett), 5:52
139- Cortese (WC Henderson) inj. def. Voghel (Sun Valley)
145- Carr (Sun Valley) maj. dec. Pepe (Kennett), 11-1
152- Parnis (WC East) dec. Gamble-Williams (Sun Valley), 7-4
160- Barlow (Kennett) pinned G. Seaman (WC Rustin), 1:38
172- Weldon (Coatesville) dec. O’Leary (Unionville), 2-1
189- Cadden (Sun Valley) pinned Vitelli (Avon Grove), 2:22
215- Pardo (Kennett) dec. Je. McKinney (Oxford), 5-3
285- Keevil (WC Henderson) dec. Abouraya (Downingtown East), 3-2
Consolation Finals
107- McFarlane (WC East) pinned Jackman (WC Henderson), 4:23
114- C. Sigle (Downingtown West) pinned J. Overton (WC Henderson), 2:18
121- Pedrick (Sun Valley) pinned Schalleur (WC Henderson), 4:14
127- Jo. Schaible (Oxford) pinned Richmond (Downingtown West), 2:09
133- Whitaker (WC Henderson) dec. Je. Schaible (Oxford), 13-9
139- Bernhard (Downingtown West) dec. Cooper (WC East), 6-1
145- Jo. Barry (Downingtown West) dec. Canaday (Oxford), 6-5
152- E. Seagreaves (Coatesville) dec. R. Seaman (WC Rustin), 8-3
160- McMonagle (WC Henderson) pinned Ruttman (Coatesville), 4:24
172- Spancake (Avon Grove) no contest over Labus (WC Rustin)
189- Luton (Coatesville) dec. Covington (WC Rustin), 7-1
215- Hale (Downingtown West) pinned Laird (Sun Valley), 3:45
285- Thompson (Sun Valley) pinned McGuire (Coatesville), 2:56
