FRANCONIA >> With a roar from both sides of the crowd consuming the Souderton gym, Downingtown West’s Max Hale rose from the mat, pinning his pointer finger with his thumb to let three fingers on each hand flare out to the onlookers.
Having just won his third straight Class 3A Southeast Regional title, it was an appropriate celebration, but it was also fitting, considering third time was the charm against recent rival, Joey Milano of Spring-Ford.
It was a banner day for the Ches-Mont League, with a tournament-high seven champions, but none shined as bright as Hale, who was voted Outstanding Wrestler, Saturday.
“It’s obviously pretty cool,” Hale said. “I’m a three-time champ, but never got (OW) before. It’s a single step toward bigger goals and bigger aspirations.”
Downingtown West’s Max Hale scores a takedown against Spring-Ford’s Joey Milano before pinning him in the 182-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Hale, the No. 3-ranked 182-pounder in the state on papowerwrestling.com, lost two one-point decisions to Milano, who was ranked No. 2, earlier in the season. But Hale was the aggressor early on, having taken the Ram junior down twice.
Midway through the second period, Milano got in deep on a shot and the two scrambled around for awhile before Hale landed on top and finished him. The loss made Milano’s season record, 43-1, and Hale became the first wrestler at West to win three regional titles.
“I’ve been working on my scrambling the last couple weeks, in case I needed it,” Hale said. “I stayed calm in every position and kept moving and changing my ties, and eventually I caught him on his back.”
Downingtown West’s Max Hale gets his hand raised after pinning Spring-Ford’s Joey Milano for the 182-pound title. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Two matches later, West’s Chase Mielnik (220 pounds) rode the wave, pinning Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Paolo DiSanto, who was also undefeated, in the first period for his first title.
“I think that was the best thing that could’ve happened,” Mielnik said of Hale’s pin. “It was totally momentum-creating and I was excited to go out running on all cylinders.”
Downingtown West’s Chase Mielnik nears a pin against Plymouth Whitemarsh’s previously undefeated, Paolo DiSanto, in the 220-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
West’s Dom Findora (113) finished runner-up, but the late surge moved the Whippets ahead of Owen J. Roberts for fourth in the team standings, the highest of all the locals.
Downingtown East finished sixth with a pair of champions, Keanu Manuel (106) and Matt Romanelli (170).
Manuel scored five in the first and shut out Oxford’s Cannon Hershey the rest of the way for his first championship.
“It’s a really big moment in my high school career,” Manuel said. “Freshman year I got injured, and last year I lost a tight one in the semis, so it feels really good to get the gold.”
Downingtown East’s Keanu Manuel controls Oxford’s Cannon Hershey in a 5-0 win in the 106-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Romanelli used a 7-2 decision to defeat Neshaminy’s Gunner Spain, giving East two regional champs for the first time since 2005 (Paul Girafalco and Mike Lukenda).
“Coming in, I lost as a freshman and I sat in the stands and my goal was to win it as a sophomore,” said Romanelli, who missed his sophomore postseason due to injury. “Obviously that didn’t happen, so the goal remained the same. I knew I could do it.”
Downingtown East’s Matt Romanelli takes down Neshaminy’s Gunner Spain en route to a 7-2 win in the 170-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Ryan Loraw (fourth at 113) gave the Cougars three qualifiers.
The 120-pound class was pushed to the final bout of the night, making the rematch between Coatesville’s Nate Lucier and West Chester Henderson’s Killian Delaney the feature.
Lucier erased any notion that his win over Delaney a week ago was a fluke with a 4-3 win for his first career gold.
“I tried to get my confidence up and know what I’m capable of doing,” Lucier said.
Coatesville’s Nate Lucier fights for positioning against West Chester Henderson’s Killian Delaney in a 4-3 win in the 120-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Henderson finished ninth, as a team, with Sammy McMonagle (126) taking third.
West Chester Rustin got a pair though, with Alex Pratzner (145) taking fourth, and Jimmy King (120) winning his fifth-place match. Josh Viarengo was forced to medically forfeit his fifth-place match with a head injury sustained against Kennett’s Trent Kochersperger in the consolation semifinals.
The win for Kochersperger made him the first Blue Demon to qualify for states since Kyle Bove in 2009. In the consolation final, he pinned Strath Haven’s Chase Barlow for his 100th career win.
“From where I started the season to where I’m at right now, it’s a game-changer,” Kochersperger said. “All my focus is on wrestling at states, and I’m not worried about how many wins I have or what place I got.”
Kennett’s Trent Kochersperger pins Strath Haven’s Chase Barlow for third place at 132 pounds. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)
Sun Valley’s Ryan Catka (195) and Hunter Catka (285) gave the Ches-Mont two more crowns, and like Hale, Hunter won his third straight regional title.
Also qualifying for states was Conestoga’s Matt Hamilton (182), who took fourth. At the Class 2A tournament, Church Farm’s Emmanuel Lawal (285) placed third to become the first three-time state qualifier in school history.
The 14 Class 3A Southeast Regional champions. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Team Standings
1. Council Rock North, 135.5; 2. Spring-Ford, 107; 3. Council Rock South, 96; 4. Downingtown West, 86.5; 5. Owen J. Roberts, 84; 6. Downingtown East, 72; 7. Sun Valley, 62.5; 8. Neshaminy, 57; 9. West Chester Henderson, 56.5; 10. Bensalem, 55.5; 18. West Chester Rustin, 35; 20. Oxford, 31; 24. Coatesville, 26; 25. Kennett, 25; 35. Conestoga, 14; 48. Great Valley, 3; 50. Avon Grove, 1; 50. West Chester East, 1; 53. Unionville, 0.
Championship Finals
106- Manuel (Downingtown East) dec. Hershey (Oxford), 5-0
113- Maldonado (Boyertown) dec. Findora (Downingtown West), 4-1
126- Lucerne (Council Rock North) dec. Waterman (Council Rock South), 14-8
132- Martin (Neshaminy) dec. England (William Tennent), 6-0
138- McNair (Methacton) pinned Hodges (Lower Merion), 4:23
145- Petrucelli (Owen J. Roberts) dec. Eck (Bensalem), 9-3
152- Robinson (Council Rock North) dec. McGill (Spring-Ford), 9-3
160- Quinn (Owen J. Roberts) dec. Lledo (Lower Merion), 7-3
170- Romanelli (Downingtown East) dec. Spain (Neshaminy), 7-2
182- Max Hale (Downingtown West) pinned Milano (Spring-Ford), 3:51
195- R. Catka (Sun Valley) maj. dec. Carbajal (Spring-Ford), 11-2
220- Mielnik (Downingtown West) pinned DiSanto (Plymouth Whitemarsh), 1:11
285- H. Catka (Sun Valley) pinned Miller (Plymouth Whitemarsh), 3:33
120- Lucier (Coatesville) dec. K. Delaney (Henderson), 4-3
Consolation Finals
106- Kinne (Council Rock South) maj. dec. Ortlip (Spring-Ford), 8-0
113- Martin (Upper Perkiomen) pinned Loraw (Downingtown East), 2:02
126- McMonagle (Henderson) maj. dec. Babb (Boyertown), 11-0
132- Kochersperger (Kennett) pinned Barlow (Strath Haven), :45
138- DeFalco (Quakertown) tech. fall Rozanski (Upper Perkiomen), 5:00
145- Hayes (Council Rock North) tech. fall Pratzner (West Chester Rustin), 3:11
152- Tamburrino (Hatboro-Horsham) maj. dec. Martsinovsky (Council Rock South), 11-3
160- Sheehy (Council Rock North) dec. Moser (Methacton), 1-0
170- Boaman (Owen J. Roberts) pinned Niedosik (North Penn), 4:46
182- Gilch (Council Rock South) pinned Hamilton (Conestoga), 2:46
195- Green (Pennridge) dec. Collins (Central Bucks East), 5-3 SV
220- Flynn (Hatboro-Horsham) dec. Keller (Wissahickon), 3-2
285- Klewin (Bensalem) inj. def. Laventure (Upper Darby), 3:55
120- Hauserman (Council Rock North) pinned Puliti (Garnet Valley), :34
Fifth-Place
106- Burke (Council Rock North) dec. Milkowich (Upper Perkiomen), 4-1
113- Shaw (Upper Darby) maj. dec. McCaughey (Abington), 12-3
126- Hollingsworth (Garnet Valley) dec. Partsanakis (Penncrest), 3-0
132- Tobin (Spring-Ford) med. forfeit Viarengo (West Chester Rustin)
138- Morrow (North Penn) dec. Leister (Owen J. Roberts), 3-2
145- Kibler (Abington) pinned Nania (Marple Newtown), 1:48
152- D’Agostino (Interboro) maj. dec. Lesser (Harriton), 12-4
160- Colajezzi (Council Rock South) dec. Pisarchuk (Bensalem), 6-0
170- McAdams (Haverford) dec. Alexander (Boyertown), 7-4
182- Federico (Strath Haven) dec. Nankay (Academy Park), 3-2
195- DiGiorgio (Central Bucks West) dec. Lee (Pennsbury), 8-1
220- Danny Eckley (Central Bucks East) dec. Van Horn (Pottsgrove), 5-0
285- Harar (Council Rock North) pinned Jerome (Radnor), 1:47
120- King (West Chester Rustin) dec. Miller (Quakertown), 6-2
