Cape wrestling opens season with 41-23 win over Milford
The Milford at Cape afternoon wrestling match Jan. 16 was a traditional light-to-heavyweight format commencing right in the wheelhouse of the Buccaneers.
“I knew they’d get out to a lead,” said Cape coach Chris Mattioni. “It just depended on how big.”
Mattioni’s Vikings steamrolled back from a 20-3 deficit after five bouts to win 41-23, capped off by a pair of forfeits.
Mattioni is now in his 26th consecutive year as head coach of the Cape wrestling team. Don Parsley just retired from the teaching ranks. He has coached Milford wrestling for 31 years, and somewhere in the middle took five years off. He remembers coaching against Mike Morris and Mike Dominguez.
Milford won state titles in 1980 and 1981 under Roy Rigby, both earned at one final big meet. Milford has won seven Division II state titles, including five under Parsley.
Mattioni and Parsley know the matchups and what needs to happen to win a close dual meet. They both have seen many strategies blow up in their faces.
Milford’s Emily Thode at 106 had Arthur Bennett on his back, but couldn’t punch him out and lost 9-6. Milford’s Trevor Copes, a potential pinner, couldn’t put away Rony Perez Majia of Cape in the 113 bout. The match was tied at 3-3, but easily could have been 12-0 Milford.
Milford’s Corey Messick earned a tech fall over Josh Wright at 120, Milford’s Jack Thode pinned Grant Barzak at 126 and Trent Grant pinned Cape’s Bryan Garcia at 132 to give Milford a 20-3 advantage heading into the four middleweight bouts with the Basement Boys of Anna B Street working out in Scott Kammerer’s basement wrestling room.
Cape’s Mikey Frederick survived a tough bout with Aaron Briscoe at 138 to win 4-3. Luke Bender (145) earned a tech fall over Ryan Mejia of Milford. Cape’s C.J. Fritchman controlled Tim O’Hara to earn a 5-3 win in the 152-pound match. Then Cape’s Carson Kammerer, the bionic man recovered from multiple orthopedic surgeries, beat Averi Copes 11-5 at 160 pounds.
Cape trailed 20-17.
Dwayne Wiltbank of Milford won a close decision over Mike Elphick to extend the Bucs’ lead to 23-17.
Alex Taylor (182), a committed Cape wrestler down from higher weights, pinned Oliver Barnes in 1:29, which was followed by a Jackson Handlin pin of Rafeal Mejia in 1:06 to give Cape a 29-23 advantage with two remaining bouts. But Parsley forfeited 220 to Dalton Deevey and 285 to Lucas Ruppert for the final 41-23 score.
The storyline: The match was much closer than the score indicates. That’s always true when Milford and Cape go head to head.
