Wrestling

Revenge, missed weigh-in help Dtown West upend Dtown East

by
Nate Heckenberger
February 5, 2020

UWCHLAN >> After a one-point loss to Downingtown East, last season, Downingtown West entered Wednesday’s dual with revenge on the mind.

Add to that a botched weigh-in by a key Cougar, and the Whippets, all of a sudden, not only had the extra motivation, but a tactical advantage.

Those two pre-contest dimensions worked out for the visiting Whippets, who won eight bouts and stole a 43-30 win, to claim second place in the Ches-Mont National Division.

“When it’s East-West, everything is up for grabs,” West coach Brad Breese said. “It doesn’t matter how hard you prepare, when it comes to East-West, it’s a whole other entity in itself.”

Downingtown West’s Harrison Hayford cross-faces Downingtown East’s Vic Cozzone in an 8-2 win at 126 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

East freshman Ryan Loraw missed weight at 106 pounds, where the dual started. As a result, Ryan Note (106) pinned for West (4-1 division, 6-4) and Dom Findora (113) followed with another, against a bumped-up Loraw, to put East (3-2, 13-9) in a 12-point hole.

“That changed the entire course of the event,” East coach Joe Horvath said. “It was a huge mistake and we have to learn from it, collectively. You can’t have errors like that in a rivalry match and it cost us.”

Downingtown East’s Sean Mullen uses a cradle to pin Downingtown West’s Ben Hinrichsen at 132 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

East’s Keanu Manuel (120) and Sean Mullen (132) sandwiched a decision by Harrison Hayford (126) with pins to bring the dual within three. Grant Hanak (138) and Dan Lilley (145), responded, adding four of West’s 19 bonus points to push the lead to 13 before the heart of the Cougars’ lineup.

East took its only lead, 27-25 with four to go, thanks to pins by Bo Horvath (152) and Matt Romanelli (170). But, West’s Ryan Gallagher scored two takedowns against Spencer Uggla at 160, to limit the returning regional sixth-place finisher to an 8-6 decision.

“That match at 60 was huge,” Breese said. “It was big for us that (Gallagher) made that a battle and not give up six there.”

Downingtown West’s Ryan Gallagher, near, takes down Downingtown East’s Spencer Uggla. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

East’s two-point lead was short-lived, as Mason Hale (182), Max Hale (195) and Chase Mielnik (220) slammed the door shut with three straight falls.

“It feels great,” Mielnik said. “This is my last dual meet and our last dual meet as a team, so it’s great to get a win like this.”

After a grueling tournament slate that included Beast of the East and Escape the Rock, West finished strong as it starts to zero in on the individual postseason, which begins February 21.

“I think this has been one of the most productive seasons since I’ve been in high school,” Mielnik said. “It’s been great for learning and we’re going to go all-out in our last go. I think it’s been a great season and a great finish after some great competition.”

Downingtown West’s Chase Mielnik takes Downingtown East’s Ray Wileczek down before pinning him at 220 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

West’s win may have come as a surprise to some, but Breese saw it coming.

“It’s huge for Max and Chase to get the win,” Breese said. “They’ve been big cheerleaders all week, making sure the guys were up for this. We had a really good practice (Tuesday), so I knew something special was going to happen. It feels really good to get this done.”

West will wrap up its regular season next Saturday, with a six-team Whippet Duals tournament. From there, Hale will look to add to his sixth and fifth-place state medals, while Mielnik and Findora hope to find their ways back to states and onto to the podium.

Downingtown West’s Grant Hanak scores near-fall points against Downingtown East’s Alex Viscomi in a major decision at 138 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

East hosts Neshaminy, Saturday, in a rematch of the district duals first-round dual, won by the Redskins, 40-32. The Cougars will conclude their regular season at Pottsgrove, Tuesday.

“We have some individuals moving in the right direction,” Horvath said. “We have two dual meets left and we have to finish the right way and be more prepared.”