Share: 

Cape’s Andre Currie wins 170-pound Henlopen Conference title

Smyrna wrestling wins team event with five champions
February 24, 2020

After two crazy days at Milford Central Academy for the Henlopen Conference Wrestling Championships Feb. 21-22, 14 individual champions were crowned and team scores were kept. 

The podium honored the top six in each weight class, but only the top four are guaranteed a spot in the individual state championship meet Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-29 at Cape Henlopen High School. Brackets for the state championship meet are expanded to 16 grapplers per weight class.

Smyrna crowned five champions in the Henlopen Conference meet and won the team title with 221 points. The Eagles’ winners were Gabe Giampetro (106), Amir Pierce (132), Joe Natarcola (145), JT Davis (182) and Hugo Harp (220). 

Milford was second with 184 points, including three champions in Jack Thode (120), Trent Grant (126) and Anthony Diaz (285). 

Cape’s Andre Currie placed first in the 170-pound bracket and led his team to a third-place finish with 179 points. Sussex Central came in fourth with 178 points, as Dylan King took the top spot at 113. Caesar Rodney crowned two champions in Patrick Wisniewski (138) and Jackson Dean (152), and placed fifth with 137 points.

“We had a good tournament with a young team, so the coaches are really happy,” said coach Chris Mattioni, now in his 25th year as head coach at Cape. “We had Andre [Currie] place first at 170, Luke Bender [132] and Finbar Rishko [152] each got second, and Holt Baker [106], CJ Fricthman [126], Mikey Frederick [145] and Jackson Handlin [195] all placed third.”

Carson Kammerer placed fourth in the 138-pound class. Gary Hayes at 182 and Lucas Ruppert at 285 each finished in seventh place.

Cape seeded wrestlers for the upcoming state meet. Currie is second seed at 170, Frederick is third at 145, and Fricthman at 126, Bender at 132 and Rishko at 152 are all seeded fourth. 

Kammerer at 138 pounds, Handlin at 195 and Baker at 106 come in as sixth, seventh and eighth seeds, respectively. Ruppert at 285 and Josh Wright at 113 are each seeded 11th, while Juan Lares at 160 is seeded 15th. Hayes is first alternate at 182 pounds. 

Complete brackets can be found online at trackwrestling.com.

 

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter