Smyrna wins dramatic dual meet over Cape 37-29
Coach Chris Mattioni caught what’s going around and left school early on a frigid two-hour delay Jan. 22, and missed the canned heat of an intense Smyrna match the Eagles won in dramatic fashion 37-29.
“We just all need to be on the same page at the same time," said assistant coach Shane Jensen.
The match started at 157 pounds, and after six bouts rolling into the light weights, the match was tied at 15-15.
Cape got a big win from Carson Tuer, who pinned Teddi August at 165. Later Luke Arnold-Decyk bumped up a weight class to decision Mason Schulenburg 5-2 at 215, and Patrick Donahue followed with a first-period fall over Takai Fearon at 285.
Smyrna got wins from Carson Casey at 157, an 8-6 decision over Aidan Baum; Ithan Caballero at 175, fall over Yusef Smith; and Teagan Gratkowski at 190, a win by pin over David Citro.
Cutting to the quick, Cape trailed 31-24 with only 144 and 150 matches remaining. Cape’s Nick Walker held the hammer at 150, and everyone in the double-decker gym knew Nick would deliver bonus points.
The focus was on 144, where the Eagles sent out Ian Alfree, last year's winner of the Henlopen Conference tournament, to grapple with Colin Poulis of Cape.
Poulis led 3-0 after one period. He was meeting the moment. But then he rolled into a quick pin, and before Cape coaches could yell, “Get out of there!” the mat was slapped and Smyrna celebrated.
Walker followed with a 15-0 tech fall win over Jacob Kaminski worth five team points.
“Colin puts himself in a good spot against a guy who won the conference tournament last year only to get touch-pinned ... It didn’t look like he was, but even still, Colin kind of acknowledged that he shouldn’t have put himself in that situation,” Jensen said. “We’re still doing a lot of that – putting ourselves in bad situations.”
Cape got wins from Austin Guerrieri at 120, fall over Sam Dulin, and Tripp Gannon at 132, an 11-8 decision over Donald Smith.
Smyrna wins were at 106, where freshman Jamen Haliburton pinned Nolan Wright; 113, Michael Pierson, 10-2 major over Blake Walker; Gabriel Crenshaw, 126, an 11-6 decision over Cale Baker; and 138, Warren Coats, a 7-1 decision over Max Meadows.
Cape wrestles at Sussex Central Saturday, Jan. 25, varsity only. The match begins at noon.
Notes: Cape had beaten Smyrna four times in a row before the loss. Some of those wins were dramatic, including a 34-33 victory in 2019 brought home by Jackson Handlin with a 5-2 decision at 160; a 34-30 win in 2022 secured by a Carson Kammerer fall in the final bout at 170 pounds; and a 33-31 win, also in 2022 in the semifinals of the state dual meet championships which Cape went on to win with a victory over Caesar Rodney.
