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Ott and Smith crowned conference champions

Vikings send eight to this weekend's state meet
Cape 138-pounder Garrett Smith works to escape the grip of Milford's Alvontae Drummond in the finals of the Henlopen Conference Championships. Smith won by a 2-1 decision. BY NICK ROTH
Nick Roth
February 19, 2012
Cape 220-pound wrestler Thomas Ott has the upper hand on his opponent in the semifinals. Ott was later crowned the champion of his weight class. BY NICK ROTH
Cape's Tadeo Gonzalez tries to turn his opponent in a 160-pound match. BY NICK ROTH
Cape coach Chris Mattioni gives some words of encouragement to Austin Smith. BY NICK ROTH
Thomas Ott works against Lake Forest's Marshall Hobbs in the 220-pound finals. BY NICK ROTH
Garrett Smith lines up Milford's Alvontae Drummond during the 138-pound championship match. BY NICK ROTH
Sammy Mohr tries to get the upper hand on Polytech's Kurt Bentley in the championship match of the 152-pound weight class. BY NICK ROTH
Cape coach Chris Mattioni watches intently as the 152-pound match comes down to the wire. Sammy Mohr was defeated in the match by Kurt Bentley in overtime. BY NICK ROTH

Cape Henlopen wrestlers Thomas Ott (220) and Garrett Smith (138) stood atop the podium at the Henlopen Conference Championships Feb. 18 at Sussex Central High School.

Ott edged Lake Forest's Marshall Hobbs 5-4 in the finals, while Smith sneaked past Milford's Alvontae Drummond 2-1.

Smith dropped both previous meetings with Drummond this season, each by one point. The latest installment saw the wrestlers tied 1-1 with under 30 seconds left. Just as Smith charged for a 2-point takedown, Drummond evaded him off the mat. Much to the dismay of Milford coaches, the referee awarded Smith 1 point after determining Drummond was fleeing.

Senior Sammy Mohr wasn't as fortunate. Leading 3-2 in the waning seconds of the final period of the 152-pound championship match,  Mohr was called by the referee for stalling. In the ensuing sudden-death overtime period, Polytech's Kurt Bentley scored the winning point when he was able to escape Mohr's grasp.

In total, eight Vikings will be headed to the state meet next week at Cape Henlopen High School, including Nick Carroll, Andre Flowers, Tadeo Gonzalez, Justin Lopez, Austin Smith and the aforementioned three.

Cape state qualifiers

Nick Carroll (195) – Sixth place
Andre Flowers (182) – Fifth place
Tadeo Gonzalez (170) – Fourth place
Justin Lopez (145) – Third place
Sammy Mohr (152) – Second place
Thomas Ott (220) – First place
Austin Smith (126) – Third place
Garrett Smith (138) – First place

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Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams. 

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