By NATE HECKENBERGER
nateheckenberger@gmail.com
@nheckenberger on twitter
WEST CHESTER >> Downingtown East senior Adham Abouraya has been in the midst of a raucous crowd plenty as a football player, but prior to Wednesday night, never had he experienced a moment so loud, so meaningful, all while so alone.
Turns out, the big University of Pittsburgh football recruit was perfectly comfortable in a winner-take-all bout.
Abouraya found a single-leg takedown with 91 seconds remaining to win his match, give the Cougars a 34-33 win over West Chester Henderson and clinch East’s first Ches-Mont National Division wrestling title since 2016.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Abouraya said. “We worked extremely hard for it and it’s not surprising at all. We are where we thought we would be.”
Henderson (2-2 division, 12-7 overall) took a six-point lead with two to go when Hayden Baldwin (189 pounds) used a lateral drop to earn a first-period pin.
The big boys from East (4-0, 12-1) made sure there would be no chance at a shared division title. At 215, Felix Mason turned it on in the third period to claim a major decision.
Abouraya (285) stepped in, but was taken down by Faizan Ahmad in the first. Ahmad chose neutral in the second, and after neither could find any offense, Ahmad let Abouraya up to start the third, tied, 2-2.
Twenty-nine seconds into the period, Abouraya got to Ahmad’s left leg and secured the winning takedown.
“They didn’t seem to budge,” East coach Joe Horvath said of his pair of big seniors. “They seemed dialed in despite the pressure. They’ve been really solid for us and I’m happy for them.”
After a fall by Henderson’s Charlie Ball (107) started the action, East got a pair of pins by Christian Fosmire (114) and Valen Piff (121) and a decision from Declan McDowell (127) and led by nine.
Alex Belfer (133) pinned and Angus Whittaker (139) won a decision to tie things back up for Henderson. Alfie Overton (145) used a late drop in a match he was losing to deck Steve Elinski, and Jackson McMonagle (152) made quick work for another six, giving Henderson a 12-point advantage.
“The kids worked hard but we have a lot of things to improve on,” Henderson’s first-year coach Joe Gartland said. “I’m sad we couldn’t get it done for the seniors.”
The Warriors’ lead did not last long, as Ricky Jewell (160) and Cade McDowell (172) worked falls to knot the meet at 27 with three to go.
“I’d say overall we wrestled poorly,” Horvath said. “Our mat awareness of where we are and not being aware of dangerous positions was not good. We’re capable of wrestling better than that. I’m happy we got the win, but we’ll definitely get back to work.”
The Cougars host West Chester East (0-4, 4-7) with a chance to go undefeated in the division. With its win over Avon Grove in early January, East holds the tiebreaker should the Vikings pull an upset.
While Abouraya and his teammates may not have been surprised by winning the division, Horvath didn’t see it coming.
“It means a lot,” Horvath said. “To be honest, I didn’t think we’d be here. We don’t have the blue chip talent, but we try to put a dual lineup together and be strategic the best we can. We hunt for results and really did that this year.”
Henderson will finish its league slate at Downingtown West next Wednesday with third place in the National on the line.
Downingtown East 34, West Chester Henderson 33
107- Ball (WCH) pinned Page, 3:32 (0-6)
114- Fosmire (DE) pinned Rowe, 5:34 (6-6)
121- V. Piff (DE) pinned Farnesi, 1:01 (12-6)
127- D. McDowell (DE) dec. Schalleur, 5-2 (15-6)
133- Belfer (WCH) pinned Hydutsky, 5:10 (15-12)
139- Whittaker (WCH) dec. Warnock, 10-8 (15-15)
145- Overton (WCH) pinned Elinski, 2:41 (15-21)
152- McMonagle (WCH) pinned Acevedo, 1:38 (15-27)
160- Jewell (DE) pinned Hawkins, 4:22 (21-27)
172- C. McDowell (DE) pinned Simon, 1:51 (27-27)
189- Baldwin (WCH) pinned Aikens, 1:48 (27-33)
215- Mason (DE) maj. dec. S. Ahmad, 11-3 (31-33)
285- Abouraya (DE) dec. F. Ahmad, 4-3 (34-33)
