Cape wrestling defeats Caesar Rodney 37-25
Cape wrestling won eight of 14 bouts against visiting Caesar Rodney Jan. 31 to claim a 37-25 victory in a match that started at 175 pounds.
The back-and-forth emotional match included Cape pins at 215, Patrick Donahue over William Smith (2:39); 120, Hudson Senard over Ashton Graham (1:30); 144, Nick Walker over Jamisen Dean (2:45); and Hayden Wheeler’s door-closing pin at 165 over Logan Heffington (1:17).
“I knew it was going to be close,” said Cape coach Chris Mattioni. “Some matches went our way, while others didn’t. There were big wins up and down the lineup, but no bigger than freshman Hudson Senard’s surprise win by pin at 120 pounds.”
Cape was leading 15-10 when Senard, trailing by two points, caught a high-riding Rider and rolled his shoulders to the mat for the six-point pin.
“He got high on me, so I just reached over his shoulder and drove him to the mat,” Senard said. “It’s been a tough season, but I’m really happy helping the varsity win a big match.”
With the Vikings leading 21-10, the Riders roared back with wins at 126, Alex Batton over Tripp Gannon (7-0); 132, Trevor Copes pin over Max Meadows (0:37); and 138, Breedern Bole over Colin Poulis (9-7).
The Riders took the lead 22-21 with 10 matches in the books, leaving four bouts to decide the winner.
Nick Walker's pin at 144 put Cape back in front 27-22. At 150, Craig Dixon decisioned Noah Diamond 11-6, closing the score to 27-25 with two matches remaining.
“Brady Cole has been tough at 157 for us; he just has to believe how good he is,” Mattioni said.
Cole got a major decision (10-2) over Miguel Sigaran, earning four team points and giving the Vikings a 31-25 advantage with just one bout remaining.
Assistant coach Shane Jensen smiled after the match. “I had confidence in Hayden Wheeler at 165, but nonetheless I checked all the tiebreakers and we lost them all,” he said.
Wheeler went hyperdrive and threw caution to the wind, ignoring advice from Mattioni, “Hayden, slow down!” and pinned his opponent in 1:17 for the final score of 37-25.
Takedowns - Cape got big wins from Luke Arnold-Decyk at 190 (4-2) over Owyn Meister; Tyler Costello over Caleb Kellum (6-0) at 285; and Austin Guerrieri over Ben Donato (7-2) at 106. Caesar Rodney’s Cole Moffett won by major decision (11-2) over Cale Baker at 113.
Cape is scheduled to wrestle three consecutive home matches over four days, beginning with St. Georges at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 2; Lake Forest at 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3; and Smyrna at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 5. Caesar Rodney still has big matches remaining against Saint Mark’s and Sussex Central. Sussex Central will host Salesianum at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 3.
The Middle School Wrestling Classic is all day Saturday, Feb. 3 at Milford High School.
Eleven of Cape’s 14 wrestlers in the starting lineup are underclassmen.
