SMYRNA – With the DIAA Dual Team Wrestling Championships back on the calendar this year, Cape Henlopen saw it as a new opportunity.
The Vikings had won their first Division I team wrestling title last season. But that was a byproduct of their showings in the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships, where their best athletes piled up enough points to outscore the others.
This time, Cape was going to have to win head-to-head, through all 14 weight classes.
The Vikings got it done on a long Saturday at Smyrna High, defeating Caesar Rodney 43-26 in the final for their second straight championship.
“It’s the team event, so those lesser guys are just as important as your all-stars,” Cape coach Chris Mattioni said. “Last year, it was all about our top guys performing. … It’s a whole different dynamic for the team, but it’s just as exciting this year as last year.”
The top-seeded Vikings (15-2) downed William Penn 47-24 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, then survived a 33-31 nail-biter against host Smyrna early Saturday in the semifinals before winning the final decisively.
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“I think it was a little bit more pressure. But the guys, for the most part, they handled it really well,” Mattioni said. “I haven’t slept all week. There’s definitely more pressure being the No. 1 seed as opposed to being the one that’s trying to get to the top.”
Cape won eight matches against third-seeded Caesar Rodney (9-6), five by pin. The first of those came in the opening match, as Josh Wright floored his opponent in 4:49 at 126 pounds.
“Josh Wright got us going,” Mattioni said. “That was huge, set the tone.”
The score was tied at 9 through four matches. Then came the big stretch for Cape, which swept five in a row from 145 to 182 pounds to build a 31-9 lead.
The most exciting of those came at 182, where the Vikings’ Alex Taylor trailed the Riders’ Brock Conner 7-2 after two periods.
Early in the third, Taylor made his move and shocked the crowd with a pin.
“I always have a mentality of I’m going to wrestle hard. No matter what, I’m going to keep going until I can’t go any more,” Taylor said. “You know, I got in the body lock and I took him down to his back and I pinned him. Honestly, it felt good.”
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The Vikings clinched it with Lucas Ruppert’s pin at heavyweight, with three matches remaining.
C.J. Fritchman (160) and Holt Baker (120) also earned pins for Cape. Michael Frederick (160) and Carson Kammerer (170) earned technical falls, and Andrew Schaen grinded out a 15-10 decision at 145.
Shamar Nelson had the only pin for CR, at 195. Cameron Cataldi (138) and Alexander McEvoy (106) scored technical falls, Marlon Smith (132) earned a major decision and Josh Dyer (220) and Cole Moffett (113) won decisions.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
DIAA Dual Team Wrestling
Division I
Championship
Cape Henlopen 43, Caesar Rodney 26
126 – Wright (Cape) pinned Bennett, 4:49; 132 – Smith (CR) maj. dec. Alvares-Ramos, 17-5; 138 – Cataldi (CR) tech. fall Cole, 23-8; 145 – Schaen (Cape) dec. Waski, 15-10; 152 – Frederick (Cape) tech. fall Kopp, 16-1; 160 – Fritchman (Cape) pinned Bush, 1:58; 170 – Kammerer (Cape) tech. fall Baker, 17-2; 182 – Taylor (Cape) pinned Conner, 4:27; 195 – Nelson (CR) pinned Couchman, :44; 220 – Dyer (CR) dec. Deevey, 7-5; 285 – Ruppert (Cape) pinned Meister, 3:40; 106 – McEvoy (CR) tech. fall Goodsell, 20-4; 113 – Moffett (CR) dec. Meadows, 6-4; 120 – Baker (Cape) pinned Darby, 1:41.
Semifinals
Caesar Rodney 37, Salesianum 34
120 – Darby (CR) pinned Bartkowski, 5:48; 126 – Colin Honaker (Sal) dec. Bennett, 9-8; 132 – Smith (CR) maj. dec. Munch, 9-0; 138 – Cataldi (CR) pinned Borzio, 4:50; 145 – Kist (Sal) pinned Rosbury, :51; 152 – Waski (CR) pinned Sullivan, 2:59; 160 – Dellicompagni (Sal) maj. dec. Bush, 11-3; 170 – Bartkowski (Sal) dec. Baker, 4-1; 182 – Conner (CR) pinned Minner, :39; 195 – Agresti (Sal) pinned Soghomonian, :28; 220 – Nelson (CR) pinned Miller, 2:44; 285 – Dyer (CR) dec. Sama, 7-2; 106 – Catania (Sal) won by forfeit; 113 – Davis Jr. (Sal) won by forfeit.
Cape Henlopen 33, Smyrna 31
120 – Giampietro (Smy) pinned Baker, :37; 126 – Watkins (Smy) dec. Alvares-Ramos, 7-3; 132 – Wright (Cape) pinned Wagner 5:21; 138 – Heath (Smy) pinned Schaen, 4:41; 145 – Frederick (Cape) tech. fall Dixon, 26-10; 152 – Hudson (Smy) maj. dec. Johnson, 10-0; 160 – Fritchman (Cape) tech. fall West, 16-1; 170 – Kammerer (Cape) pinned Atkinson, 3:09; 182 – Taylor (Cape) dec. Davis, 10-4; 195 – Downward (Smy) pinned Couchman, :32; 220 – Deevey (Cape) pinned Howell, 2:57; 285 – Ruppert (Cape) dec. Eule, 7-0; 106 – Coates (Smy) dec. Goodsell, 10-7; 113 – Miller (Smy) dec. Perez-Mejia 8-4. One Cape point subtracted for unsportsmanlike conduct.
