Wrestling

WC East honors Gallo’s 150th but Cortese, Henderson stay winning

by
Nate Heckenberger
January 4, 2023

WEST GOSHEN >> Stick around a sport long enough and one can see the ebbs and flows of success.

West Chester East’s head coach, John Gallo, can attest to that. Prior to the Vikings’ dual meet against West Chester Henderson, Wednesday, Gallo was honored for his 150th career win, which came weeks prior at an apropos event, the Colley Classic, named after his predecessor.

West Chester Henderson senior, Carmen Cortese, has stuck around long enough to become the leader of a new-look Warriors’ team. When Cortese arrived at Henderson in 2019, he was in the room with a two-time state medalist and a future two-time state medalist and a couple eventual state qualifiers.

After chasing a bar that had been set high by teammates, Cortese has become the pacesetter at Henderson.

West Chester Henderson’s Carmen Cortese. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“It’s really weird for me,” Cortese admitted. “I’m really not getting used to it as quick as I thought. It’s easier to look up to people than it is to hold up that standard. A lot of our guys lack experience and I don’t have a lot of patience, so it’s been a little difficult for me.”

While the Warriors continue to rebuild after some marquee talent has graduated the last few years, Cortese and his fellow light-middleweights came through against East. Up nine with four bouts to go, Henderson scored the final 20 points to separate from the hosting Vikings, 50-21, in the Ches-Mont National Division dual meet.

The Warriors have now won 21 straight division duals, dating back to 2018.

West Chester Henderson’s Brien Wildermuth nears a takedown against West Chester East’s Jefferson Cooper in an 8-6 win at 145 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“It’s hard getting to the top, it’s harder staying there,” Henderson coach Rob Beighley said. “It’s a challenge to maintain this level with newer kids and lofty expectations and to remain where we’ve been and where we want to be.”

For Gallo, taking over for coach Mike Colley, who took the Vikings to their highest heights as a program and won 303 dual meets, has been a challenge in its own right.

A 40-33 win over Central Bucks East at the Colley Classic gave Gallo his 150th career win, and Wednesday, he was presented with a banner for the accomplishment.

West Chester East’s Max Parnis takes down West Chester Henderson’s Phalen Seman before pinning him at 152 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“It’s been a great ride,” Gallo said. “The No. 1 thing I’m happy with is when the kids who wrestled for both Mike and I come back and support the team. It continues year in and year out with kids we hopefully made a difference with.”

Against Henderson (1-0 division, 1-0 overall), East (0-1, 2-3) had early hope of an upset.
Max Parnis (152 pounds) opened with a first-period fall and Ashton Sylvia (160) followed with a decision.

Jackson McMonagle (172) and Stephen Beatty (215) picked up pins for Henderson, and East forfeited 189 and 285 to give the Warriors a 15-point lead.

West Chester East’s Zach McFarlane. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

Zach McFarlane (107) stopped the bleeding for a minute, for East, with a fall two seconds shy of the second-period buzzer.

“The No. 1 thing with Zach is his work rate and his confidence have improved, even since the start of the season,” Gallo said. “He believes he can beat anyone.”

Henderson’s Jack Overton (114) and East’s Mus’ab Hussein (121) traded pins, keeping the Warriors’ lead at nine with four to go.

West Chester East’s Mus’ab Hussein. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

From there, Alfie Overton (127) and Angus Whittaker (133) worked quick falls, Cortese rattled off a technical fall and Brien Wildermuth (145) came from behind to top Jefferson Cooper, 8-6.

“It’s a backyard match and a league match, so there’s always a lot at stake,” Beighley said. “We just wanted to be aggressive and score points.”

West Chester Henderson’s Angus Whittaker gets behind West Chester East’s Brody Maisch on his way to a first-period fall at 133 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

For Cortese, leading the pack has been a learning process, but with nothing but dual meets for Henderson until the postseason, the yoke should only get lighter.

“It feels nice to squeak out a win,” Cortese said. “We didn’t squeak out a win, but it felt a lot closer than it was. As a team, we have things to work on.”