QUARRYVILLE — Wise beyond his years, Coatesville’s Chase Stephens has already discovered the benefits of a good afternoon nap.
“I needed to get some sleep,” Stephens said. “I hardly got any sleep (Friday) night and I felt drained and weak, and after the semifinal match I knew there was something wrong. I went home and took a two hour nap and felt good.”
The result was like a dream, as Stephens captured his second consecutive title at the Solanco Mule Classic, Saturday, this one coming at 160 pounds.
Stephens started slowly in the finals bout against Sanford (DE) junior, Andrew Brooks, a Delaware state champ at 138 last winter. Brooks scored the lone takedown in the first period, but Stephens started the second on top and ended it that way.
After lifting Brooks and employing a turk, Stephens wrenched him to his back and decked him 50 ticks into the second.
“It doesn’t matter what the tournament is,” Stephens said. “Taking first is great. There’s no better feeling.”
Coatesville finished eleventh out of 21 teams in the two-day tournament, despite being without seniors Brent Windle (145 pounds) and Sean McBride (182), and losing Alex Raimondo (220) to an injury Friday night.
Ryan Dellicompagni (145) was another finalist for the Red raiders, but he dropped a 7-1 decision to Northern Lebanon’s Stevie Herb. Brennan McBride (seventh at 106), Nate Gathercole (eighth at 138) and Ayden Geter (seventh at 285) also got to the podium.
Oxford finished highest of the three Ches-Mont League schools, taking sixth. Brandon Sheffield (138) was the only finalist for the Hornets, but after jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead, Northern Lebanon’s Zach Kelly was better in the scrambles and with his lungs and won, 7-2.
Oxford’s returning state qualifier, David Cox (170), had a productive third-place finish. In the semifinals, Cox got a rematch against Penn manor’s Jonah Barley, the kid who eliminated him at states last winter in the blood round. Cox led 4-1 in the second and 6-4 late in the third, but Barley rallied to win, 8-6, in sudden victory. Cox responded with two straight wins, the last an 8-0 major over Dallastown’s Drake Pew.
“It’s a good matchup and (Barley) is a tough kid,” said Cox, who’s scheduled to be at the same tournament as Barley again next weekend. “He’s really good with the low leg stuff. It’s great to get tough matches at the beginning of the year and it’s a learning experience. There’s a lot of positive and negative things to learn from.”
Oxford’s David Cox scores a takedown on his way to a major decision in the 170-pound consolation final. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)
Brendan Forsythe (126) also took third for the Hornets, while Will Johnson (fifth at 138), Tim Davis (sixth at 182) and Sam Blevins (fourth at 195) medaled, as well.
West Chester East matched Oxford’s six medalists, but finished twelfth. Corey Celenza (113) and Joe Timm (285) were the highest placers, at third. Celenza erased an early 2-0 deficit by dominating on top to earn an 8-2 victory over Caesar Rodney’s Kevin Bowne in the consolation final.
“I learned to never doubt myself,” Celenza said. “Even if the opponent is better than you in certain areas, you still have a chance if you’re better than them in other positions.”
West Chester East’s Corey Celenza rides his way to a third-place finish. (Nate Heckenberger – For Digital First Media)
Tommy Luke (fifth at 132), Campbell Wolov (sixth at 138) and Syncere Cooper (sixth at 195) placed, as did Andrew DiBernardo, who finished seventh in the ultra-tough 170-pound bracket. DiBernardo lost to Barley and Solanco’s Ben Root, but his three wins were all by fall.
Team Standings
- Northern Lebanon, 241; 2. Dallastown, 162.5; 3. Caesar Rodney (DE), 120; 4. Penn Manor, 113.5; 5. Upper Perkiomen, 112; 6. Oxford, 109; 7. Germantown Academy, 108.5; 8. Solanco, 101.5; 9. Carlisle, 99.5; 10. Delone Catholic, 94; 11. Coatesville, 86.5; 12. West Chester East, 86.
Championship Finals
106- Kim (Germantown Academy) dec. Primo (Caesar Rodney), 6-2
113- Kuhns (Upper Perk) dec. Seidman (Germantown Academy), 3-0
120- Hayes (Caesar Rodney) maj. dec. C. Leonard (Northern Lebanon), 16-8
126- Daugherty (Dallastown) dec. Burkholder (Donegal), 6-2
132- Miller (Pequea Valley) dec. T. Leonard (Northern Lebanon), 10-7
138- Kelly (Northern Lebanon) dec. Sheffield (Oxford) 7-2
145- Herb (Northern Lebanon) dec. Dellicompagni (Coatesville), 7-1
152- Bressler (Northern Lebanon) pinned Huff (Carlisle), 2:50
160- Stephens (Coatesville) pinned Brooks (Sanford), 2:50
170- Barley (Penn Manor) dec. Group (Susquenita), 7-5
182- Funck (Northern Lebanon) pinned Jones (Penn Manor), 1:16
195-Weder (Solanco) maj. dec. Sawyer (Germantown Academy), 9-0
220- Shields (Dallastown) dec. Modugno (Upper Perk), 5-0
285- Perkins (Delone Catholic) dec. Anderson (Dallastown), 2-1
Consolation Finals
106- Anspach (Northern Lebanon) pinned Childs (Rising Sun), 4:34
113- Celenza (WC East) dec. Bowne (Caesar Rodney), 8-2
120- Portilla (Carlisle) dec. Harsh (Penn Manor), 3-2 SV
126- Forsythe (Oxford) dec. Fafal (Penn Manor), 5-0
132- McDonough (Sanford) pinned Svanson (Upper Perk), 2:07
138- Dean (Caesar Rodney) maj. dec. Jumper (Carlisle), 10-1
145- Johnson (Dallastown) maj. dec. McIlvaine (Upper Perk), 14-4
152- Griffith (Sanford) dec. Hart (Delone Catholic), 11-7
160- Shermeyer (Delone Catholic) dec. Folk (Upper Perk), 2-0
170- D. Cox (Oxford) maj. dec. Pew (Dallastown), 8-0
182- Salmon (Germantown Academy) dec. Green (Dallastown), 5-1
195- Donahue (Hershey) dec. Blevins (Oxford), 6-4
220- Chapman (Hatboro Horsham) pinned Tucker (Solanco), 2:03
285- Timm (WC East) dec. Hess (Lampeter Strasberg), 3-2
