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Cape freshman Austin Guerrieri state champ at 106 pounds

Sussex Central’s Malachi Stratton captures third straight state title
Like many of the Vikings’ faithful, Cape freshman Austin Guerrieri was caught up in emotion after he defeated Clif Bakhsh of Saint Mark’s in overtime to win the 106-pound state title. AARON MUSHRUSH PHOTOS
Aaron R. Mushrush
March 2, 2024

A thrilling DIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament at Cape Henlopen High School was headlined by quite a few Henlopen Conference grapplers, particularly boys from Cape, Lake Forest, Sussex Central and Sussex Tech.

A total of 11 wrestlers from the southernmost conference in Delaware battled for a state title in their respective weight classes, with seven of them claiming victory.

Coming away with a win for the host was Austin Guerrieri, a 106-pound freshman. Guerrieri, the top seed, battled Clif Bakhsh of Saint Mark’s in the championship bout. Guerrieri dramatically clinched his title, coming from behind to force overtime and working quickly in the extra period to take down Bakhsh. 

“Going into overtime, I was thinking I needed to shoot, and I needed to be offensive and not stay defensive,” Guerrieri said. “It all happened so fast, but I remember taking a shot. He sprawled, but I just kept pushing and pushing until I got to the leg and finished him off.”

The freshman, like many other Vikings fans, was overcome with emotion after being awarded the decisive two points.

“It feels amazing,” Guerrieri said. “I put all my hard work into this sport, and to come out here and win it during my freshman year is amazing.”

Delaware’s newest lightweight champ hopes he can make the title an annual occurrence during his high school career.

“It never gets old when you crown a champion; that’s what it’s all about,” said Cape coach Chris Mattioni. “Some guys can rise up to that level and meet the challenge, but it’s tough for anybody, especially a freshman. That’s why we go out of state and wrestle competitive matches so that we can challenge them, take losses and make improvements so that at the state tournament we’ve minimized mistakes and we’re wrestling at our best.”

Mattioni said he knew Guerrieri was talented, but the coaching staff needed to work on his mental game. Following a few losses on the team's South Carolina trip, the coach noticed Guerrieri responded well.

“He really matured and grew throughout the course of the season,” Mattioni said. “We saw him handle adversity, and that he was coachable and willing to watch film. He wants to get better and he asks questions. He’s just a great kid.”

Joining Guerrieri in a finals match from Cape were Nick Walker at 144 pounds and Patrick Donahue at 215 pounds. Walker, fresh off a Henlopen Conference title, had to do battle with Sussex Tech’s Dustin Elliott, whom he beat to win the conference title. Elliott avenged his loss to win a state title, but Walker kept things close in the 5-2 match. Donahue, who had a meteoric rise last year, fell short of a state title when Salesianum’s James Miller pinned him 29 seconds into the third period.

Winning his third title in a row, Sussex Central’s Malachi Stratton defeated Sussex Tech’s Anthony Andrews in the 120-pound final. 

Also earning recognition for Cape were Cale Baker, 113, and Max Meadows, 132, who each finished eighth in their weight classes.  

State champions

106 -  Austin Guerrieri, Cape Henlopen

113 -  Tye Bellarin, Red Lion Christian Academy

120 - Malachi Stratton, Sussex Central

126 -  Trevor Copes, Caesar Rodney

132 - Chris Foster, St. Marks

138 -  Eddie Radecki, Caravel Academy

144 - Dustin Elliott, Sussex Tech

150 -  Case Dempsey, Lake Forest

157 -  Nurrideen Ahmad-Statts, Lake Forest

165 -  Jacob Ebaugh, St. Marks

175 -  Gabe Cannon, Sussex Central

190 -  Hayden Moaney, Delaware Military Academy

215 -  James Miller, Salesianum

285 -  Cael DeNigris, Delaware Military Academy

Vikings sophomore Cale Baker grapples with Smyrna’s Ian Alfree at 113 pounds.
Cape sophomore Nick Walker defeated Delaware Military Academy’s Jackson Grandel via tech fall, 19-2, in the semifinals of the 144-pound bracket.
Vikings junior Patrick Donahue pinned Wilmington Charter’s Brandon King 1:25 into the first period of the 215-pound semifinals.
Cape junior Patrick Donahue rejoices after clinching a spot in the finals of the 215-pound bracket.
Vikings junior Max Meadows tries to escape from Appoquinimink’s Jordan Mills in the seventh-place match of the 132-pound bracket.
In a hard-fought seventh-place match in the 113-pound bracket, Cape sophomore Cale Baker nearly came from behind but lost 15-14 to A.I. DuPont’s Xavier Ramos.
Sussex Tech’s Hobe Givens gets a 15-7 major decision victory over St. Georges’ Nathaniel Wood and clinched a fifth-place spot.
Stanley Pete, the top seed, defeated Sussex Tech’s Bennett Brumbley 5-4 to secure third place after losing to the Raven in the quarterfinals of the 150-pound bracket.
Milford’s Greg Lockett pinned Wilmington Charter’s Brandon King with 18 seconds to go in the first period to claim third place in the 215-pound weight class.
Milford senior Jordan Curry checks the clock as he controls Finn Hanna of Saint Mark’s to lock up third place in the 190-pound bracket.
Cape junior Patrick Donahue battled Salesianum’s James Miller in the 215-pound championship. Miller, a senior, pinned Donahue 29 seconds into the third period.
Vikings freshman Austin Guerrieri checks the time as he puts Clif Bakhsh in a pretzel.
Cape freshman Austin Guerrieri eyes up his Spartans opponent, Clif Bakhsh, knowing he needs to collect points late in the match.
As Austin Guerrieri gains position on Clif Bakhsh, the Viking knows he has just defeated the Spartan for his first state title.
With the crowd showering him with cheers, Austin Guerrieri is so overcome with joy he can hardly stand.
Austin Guerrieri takes in the moment as he is declared the winner. He said after the match that he hopes to repeat this success.
Cape sophomore Nick Walker locks up with Sussex Tech’s Dustin Elliott in the all-Henlopen 144-pound final.
Nick Walker secured the top seed by defeating Dustin Elliott at the Henlopen Conference Championships. Although he lost in the state finals, it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Sussex Tech’s Dustin Elliott claims first place at 144 pounds, one year after finishing fifth.
Sussex Central junior Malachi Stratton clinched his third straight wrestling state championship after defeating Sussex Tech’s Anthony Andrews in the 120-pound match.
Winners, like Cape freshman Austin Guerrieri, get the brackets and the top spot on the podium. Shown are (l-r) Dominic Spennato, Mason Catania, Cole Perrin, Guerrieri, Clif Bakhsh, Ben Donato, Michael Pierson and Austen Decker.
Sussex Central’s Malachi Stratton won his third straight wrestling state championship, this time at 120 pounds. Shown are (l-r) Kaeden Fleming, DeMarion Russ, Cole Moffett, Stratton, Anthony Andrews, Russell Lloyd, Brayden Kelley and Tyler Delcollo.
Avenging a loss at the Henlopen Conference Championships, Dustin Elliott took first at 144 pounds. Shown are (l-r) Alec Baxley, John Rovillard, Jackson Grandel, Elliott, Nick Walker, Nick DiTomasso, Juan Carlos Santos and James Buggy.
While a loss in the finals is tough, Cape junior Patrick Donahue was bested only by outgoing senior James Miller. Shown are (l-r) Vaughn Brooks, Xavier Moore, Greg Lockett, Miller, Donahue, Brandon King, Jeremiah Eastburn and Dionysus Alston.

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