BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity wrestling team turned in a strong performance at the Bayside Conference championships last weekend but fell just short of a team championship by a narrow two points.
The Seahawks’ Jagger Clapsadle and Caleb Bourne won conference championships at 106 and 220 respectively. However, when the dust settled and the scores were counted, Decatur finished a mere two points behind North Caroline. North Caroline finished with 208 team points, while Decatur finished with 206.
At 106, Decatur’s Clapsadle was the top seed and earned a first-round bye. Clapsadle beat North Caroline’s Brett Blue in the second round and beat Logan Trader of Mardela in the second round to reach the championship bout. In the final, Clapsadle beat Bennett’s Nico D’Amico.
At 220, Bourne earned a first-round bye and beat Gabe Colon of Wicomico in the second round. Bourne then beat North Caroline’s Martin Rivera to advance to the title bout. In the final, Bourne beat Kent Island’s Haydn Blanchard to win the Bayside championship at 220.
Decatur’s Cade Solito earned a first-round bye at 120 and beat Tyler Johnson of Snow Hill in the second round. Solito then beat Queen Anne’s Hunter Charles to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, however, Solito fell to Ryan Bauer of North Caroline to finish second in the bracket.
At 126, Decatur’s Jeremy Danner earned a first-round bye and beat Chris Bouchelle of Parkside in the second round to advance. Danner then beat Camden Harrison of Easton to reach the championship. In the finals, Danner fell to Eric Smith of Queen Anne’s to finish second in the bracket.
At 160, Decatur’s Johnny Hofman beat Kent Island’s Joe Colony in the first round. Hofman then beat Hunter Cale of Cambridge-South Dorchester in the second round, but fell to Nick Parsons of Mardela in the third round. Hofman then beat Colony again and Bennett’s Eric Ward to finish third at 160.
At 195, Decatur’s D.J. Taylor earned a first-round bye and beat Randy Main of Kent Island in the second round. Taylor then lost to Jordan Bishop of Snow Hill in the third round. Taylor beat Bennett’s Troy Gibson and lost to Jordan Gabriel of Colonel Richardson to finish fourth at 195.
Decatur’s Justin Manganiello earned a first-round bye at 285 and beat Eli Brown of Mardela in the second round. Manganiello then lost to Angel Trujillo of Bennett in the third round. Manganiello beat Skylar Wockenfuss of Colonel Richardson, but fell to Angelo Moore of Queen Anne’s to finish fourth at 285.
At 152, Decatur’s J.J. Purnell beat Kent County’s R.J. Ball in the first round, but fell to Nick Leisenring of Kent Island in the second round. Purnell then beat Ian Weingaertner of Queen Anne’s and Clayton Gaskill of Snow Hill, but fell to Cody Holder of North Caroline to finish fifth.
At 145, Decatur’s David Braciszewski beat Tanner Faro of Bennett in the first round, but lost to Dylan Finlay of Kent Island in the second round. Braciszewski then beat Zach Draper of Colonel Richardson and Sam Balcerak of Mardela, but lost to Michael Daugherty of Parkside to finish sixth.
At 113, Decatur’s Tony Scafone beat Snow Hill’s Damon Hardy in the first round, but lost to Devin Webb of Parkside in the second round. Scafone beat Jonny Williams of Kent County and Joseph Cropper of Mardela to finish seventh.
At 138, Decatur’s Jhymir Blake earned a first-round bye and lost to Josh Valdez of Easton in the second round. Blake then beat Kent County’s Shane Warren to finish seventh in the bracket.
Decatur’s Lukas Layton earned a first-round bye, but lost to Micah Reddish of Bennett in the second round. Layton then lost to Dylan Wilson of Colonel Richardson and finished eighth in the bracket at 170.