Cape wrestling comes back to beat Smyrna 34-30
Cape wrestling trailed visiting Smyrna 30-15 with just four bouts remaining in their Jan. 12 match.
Coach Chris Mattioni rolled the dice, and played a little bump-and-run, sending out junior varsity wrestler Braydon Cole at 138 to face powerful Jamar Wells.
Wells pinned Cole in the first period, but Cape had four hammers left in the toolbox.
Andrew Schaen (145), Mikey Frederick (152), C.J. Fritchman (160) and Carson Kammerer (170) outscored the Eagles 19-0 for a 34-30 Cape team victory.
“That was a strategy from the beginning,” Mattioni said after the match. “We needed to find wins and bonus points.”
Schaen, a transfer back to Cape from Lake Forest, got a major decision over Tyree Heath 15-4, closing the gap to 30-19.
Frederick bumped up to 152 and outpointed Michael Blair 18-2 for a five-point tech fall and five team points. Cape trailed 30-24. The crowd on both sides of the gym sensed what was up.
Fritchman scored a major decision over Brandon West 10-2 to cut the Smyrna lead to 30-28 before the final bout at 170 featuring Kammerer of Cape versus Shaun Atkinson of Smyrna.
Kammerer, who wrestled like a carnivorous plant, awkwardly throwing in intertwining arms and legs, finally pinned Atkinson at the 5:17 mark of the match to give Cape its most dramatic victory in the history of the young Big House.
Other Cape wins were Josh Alverez (132) over Jake Wagner 8-2, Alex Taylor (195) over Tyler Downward 19-12, Dalton Deevey (220) over Kael Howell 11-6 and Lucas Ruppert (285) who won by fall over Chijioke Eule in 1:27.
Smyrna wins came from Warren Coates (106) over Jacob Goodsell (fall, 2:54), Wyatt Miller (113) over Maxim Meadows 6-4, Gabe Giampietro (120) over Holt Baker (fall, 1:49), Qwantez Watkins (126) over Josh Wright 12-5, and Derek Davis (182) over Jack Wiggins (fall, 3:37).
Cape will participate in the Grapple at the Brook Invitational at Springbrook High in Maryland this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14 and 15, before returning home Wednesday, Jan. 19 to wrestle Polytech.
Smyrna will host Milford Friday, Jan. 14, and William Penn Monday, Jan. 17.
