WESTTOWN — West Chester Henderson’s Sammy McMonagle has always been pretty stingy.
Out of 113 high school matches, the junior has given up bonus points in just five of them.
Saturday at the Ches-Mont Championships, just four days before Christmas, McMonagle wasn’t much in the giving mood, once again.
After a pin in the quarterfinals, McMonagle gave up one point in a technical fall in the semifinals, before shutting out Kennett’s Trent Kochersperger, 6-0, for the 132-pound gold.
McMonagle was one of three champions from Henderson, who coasted to the team title.
West Chester Henderson’s Sammy McMonagle eyes a shot against Kennett’s Trent Kochersperger during a 6-0 in the 132-pound finals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I’ve always had great partners in the room and I feel like I finally have the right mindset of not putting too much pressure on myself and just having fun,” McMonagle said. “It’s definitely helped me.”
Already a two-time state qualifier, McMonagle is off to his best start, with a major decision over a state qualifier and a 3-2 win over Manheim Central’s two-time state medalist, Will Betancourt, to his resume.
Saturday McMonagle moved to 12-0, and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He followed teammate Killian Delaney (126 pounds), who edged Coatesville’s Nate Lucier, 3-2, in the finals, to the top of the podium. Cash Artis (195) added another win for the Warriors, who sent nine to the finals.
“It’s awesome,” McMonagle said. “All 14 guys worked hard all summer, pushing themselves. It’s great to have guys in the room who want to get better.”
Many of the starters from Downingtown West and Sun Valley were competing in the Beast of the East tournament in Delaware, making a few weights wide open.
Downingtown East’s Ray Wileczek scores the winning points in the final seconds for a 10-7 decision over Avon Grove’s Josh Reuter in the 220-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Downingtown East cashed in, crowning a tournament-high six champs. The eye-opener was at 152, where freshman Bo Horvath was dominant. In the semis, Horvath was up big against top-seeded Alex Pratzner of Rustin before pinning him. In the finals, Horvath needed just 46 ticks into the second period to defeat Henderson’s Bobby English by technical fall.
“It’s a big accomplishment because I wasn’t sure if I was going to wrestle this year,” said Horvath, who became the second freshman to win a Ches-Mont title since the tournament began in 2012. “I realized if I didn’t, I’d have nothing else to do and probably would just sit around the house all day.”
Downingtown East’s Bo Horvath, top, scores near-fall points during a technical fall victory over West Chester Henderson’s Bobby English in the 152-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Fellow Cougars, Keanu Manuel (120), Matt Romanelli (170), Spencer Uggla (182) and Zach Aceto (285) pinned in the finals, while Ray Wileczek (220) used a last-second, four-point throw to sneak past Avon Grove’s Josh Reuter, 10-7.
Oxford finished third in the team standings, with four finalists. Sophomore Cannon Hershey (113) won his first league title with a 16-3 major over Henderson’s Max Jackman, and Landon Meredith (145) rode a 10-1 first-period lead to a 12-5 win over Henderson’s Palmer Delaney.
“I had that big lead, and I wanted to be able to score more points, but didn’t get to,” Meredith said. “I’m just happy I came out in first.”
Oxford’s Landon Meredith hits a dump against West Chester Henderson’s Palmer Delaney en route to a 12-5 win in the 145-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
The National Division accounted for 10 of the 14 champs, with West Chester East’s Connor Whitton pinning Oxford’s Reiland Canaday at 106 for one of them.
Josh Viarengo (138) made his first trip to the top of the podium for the host, Rustin. After shaking off a 12-7 win over West’s Grant Hanak in the first round, Viarengo outscored his next two foes, 21-0, to move to 12-1 on the season.
West Chester Rustin’s Josh Viarengo, left, holds on in a scramble against Oxford’s Kevin Quin, on his way to a 9-0 win in the 138-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Unionville’s Sam Elsen (160) won his 29th career bout, Saturday, with 20 of them coming by fall. That’s how the Indians’ junior made his hay, pinning his way to the finals. There, he erased a 2-0 deficit to Henderson’s Koh Bauman with a spladle for the pin, taking a page out of his former teammate Tyler Mousaw’s repertoire.
“As soon as I did it, I texted him,” Elsen said with a laugh. “It’s really exciting. I didn’t know what to expect so I took it one match at a time and here I am.”
Oxford’s Cannon Hershey works on top during a major decision win over West Chester Henderson’s Max Jackman in the 113-pound finals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Team Standings
- West Chester Henderson, 261; 2. Downingtown East, 193; 3. Oxford, 184; 4. West Chester Rustin, 183; 5. West Chester East, 130; 6. Avon Grove, 103; 7. Coatesville, 89.5; 8. Kennett, 77.5; 9. Downingtown West, 49; 10. Unionville, 46; 11. Great Valley, 45; 12. Sun Valley, 24
Championship Finals
106- Whitton (WC East) pinned Re. Canaday (Oxford), 1:18
113- Hershey (Oxford) maj. dec. Jackman (Henderson), 16-3
120- Manuel (Downingtown East) pinned King (Rustin), 3:53
126- K. Delaney (Henderson) dec. Lucier (Coatesville), 3-2
132- McMonagle (Henderson) dec. T. Kochersperger (Kennett), 6-0
138- Jo. Viarengo (Rustin) maj. dec. Quin (Oxford), 9-0
145- Meredith (Oxford) dec. P. Delaney (Henderson), 12-5
152- Horvath (Downingtown East) tech. fall English (Henderson), 2:46
160- Elsen (Unionville) pinned Bauman (Henderson), 1:27
170- Romanelli (Downingtown East) pinned Mas. Hale (Downingtown West), 2:31
182- Uggla (Downingtown East) pinned Baldwin (Henderson), 1:21
195- Artis (Henderson) dec. Fick (Coatesville), 7-3
220- Wileczek (Downingtown East) dec. Reuter (Avon Grove), 10-7
285- Aceto (Downingtown East) pinned Caruso (Henderson), 1:31
Consolation Finals
106- Cortese (Henderson) dec. Bournazel (Downingtown West), 7-0
113- Loraw (Downingtown East) pinned Ortiz (Avon Grove), 2:15
120- Wilson (Henderson) dec. Smith (Oxford), 6-3
126- Barlow (Kennett) dec. M. Parnis (WC East), 2-1
132- Johnson (Oxford) pinned Baldesari (Rustin), 2:47
138- Tran (Henderson) dec. Barrett (Kennett), 3-1
145- Corp (Rustin) dec. Landon (Avon Grove), 2-0
152- Pratzner (Rustin) pinned Pebly (Kennett), 1:54
160- Spaniak (Rustin) pinned Meyer (Coatesville), 4:43
170- Fenimore (WC East) pinned Kent (Rustin), 1:22
182- Griffith (Rustin) dec. O’Neil (Great Valley), 15-8
195- Figueroa (Oxford) pinned Myers (Rustin), 1:36
220- Meadows (Rustin) dec. Hampton (Henderson), 8-7
285- McGuire (Coatesville) dec. Nagy (Avon Grove), 2-0
