December 14/15, 2018
Penn Manor Holiday Tournament
The Downingtown West Whippets competed in their second tournament of the season this past week at the Penn Manor Holiday Tournament. Twenty-six high schools participated in the tournament with Downingtown West finishing 6th, with 5 wrestlers earning a place on the podium.
Dom Findora, wrestling at 106, started the day for the Whippets with a bye in the first round. In Round 2 Dom pinned his opponent in 1:14, earning bonus team points. In the quarterfinals Dom earned his second W with a 10-6 decision over Dominic Flatt from Solanco High School. In the semifinals, Dom fell to his opponent from Liberty High School – Bethlehem in a 4-3 decision. However, Dom came back and won his next two matches. In the consolation semis, Dom won with a 4 -3 decision which moved him onto the 3rd place medal round. In that round Dom beat his opponent by fall and earned himself a 3rd place finish.
Wrestling at 145, Kane Hayford started his day with a win by fall in 1:50 and moving onto the championship round 2. In round 2 Kane lost by a decision but came back in the 2Nd round of consolations with a pin in 0:51. In the 3rd consolation round, Kane won by fall in 3:11 – his third pin of the day and moving him on to consolation round 4. In the 4th round, Kane earned another with a 6 – 3 decision over his opponent. The following round faired more difficult for Kane, as he fell to his opponent from Penn Manor and putting him in for the 7th/8th place medal match. Kane ended his tournament with his first trip to the podium with an 8th place finish.
Maximus Hale, wrestling 182, had a great tournament and started his first round with a bye. In round 2, Maximus pinned his opponent in 0:49 seconds before moving on to quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Maximus won by fall again, pinning his opponent in 3:05 and adding to the overall team score. In the semi-finals, Maximus faced Kevin Hennessy from Liberty High school – Bethlehem, and beat him by major decision (17 – 6). In the finals, Maxiumus saw Steven Newell from Dallas High School and earned a spot on the top of the podium with a 6-3 decision.
Wrestling at 195, Chase Mielnik, also starting his tournament with a bye, earned himself his first W in round 2 with a fall in 1:41. In the quarterfinals, Chase won by fall again in 1:52 over Zack Jones from Bayard-Rustin High School and moving him into the semifinals. In the semifinal round, Chase faced Blaise Zeiders from Sellinsgrove Area High School and found himself with his 3rd fall over the day, pinning his opponent in 4:30. In the finals, Chase fell to Damen Moyer from Liberty High School – Bethlehem, earning himself a second place finish.
At 220, Pat Cusack also found himself on the podium. In round 1 Pat had a bye and in round 2 lost to his opponent from Liberty High School – Bethlehem. In the wrestlebacks, Pat beat his next two opponents with falls in 1:43 and in 0:31 and keeping his tournament berth alive. In the 5th round Pat found himself in a tough situation and suffered a loss, which moved him to the 7th place/8th place medal match. However, Pat came back with a win, his third fall of the day, pinning his opponent in 2:48 and earning a 7th place finish.
The Whippets also had 5 wrestlers who each had a win on the day; Ethan Niemeyer (120), Greg Chamberlain (138), Dan Lilley (152), Connor Smith (160), and Matt Micale (285).
This week The Whippets face West Chester Henderson in their first dual meet of the season. Please come support The Whippets at West Chester Henderson with JV starting at 6:30 pm with Varsity following.
