Sussex Academy hosts wrestling tri-meet, battles IR and A.I. du Pont
Kicking off their season by hosting a wrestling triple-header, Sussex Academy wrestlers were unable to pick up a win against either A.I. du Pont or Indian River, but they did show growth from last year.
“It was a fun one; the first match, we fought hard. I think we left some points on the board, but I think we made a lot of steps from year one to year two,” said Seahawks coach Cory Lawson. “The first time we wrestled Indian River, we got completely shut out, now we get 18, it's just small building steps.”
Lawson said he was proud of his grapplers but knows there is room to improve.
In the first match against A.I., Sussex Academy started in a 12-0 hole due to forfeits, but the Seahawks battled to close the gap. Ryan Buckler lost the 120-pound match 16-13, but nearly earned a pin in the closing seconds. Andy and Tony Escalante-Roblero built off that momentum to produce two tech falls that sandwiched an A.I. forfeit. Another forfeit in favor of the Seahawks brought the hosts within four, 26-22.
Sophomore Rico DiSalvo ignited the crowd with a convincing pin in the first period to put Sussex Academy on top, 28-26.
“We're trying to teach Rico to stick to what he can be, because he can be such a great wrestler,” Lawson said.
While the Seahawks picked up another six with a forfeit, they were unable to maintain their lead, losing 44-34.
IR jumped out to a 36-0 lead in the Seahawks’ second match of the night. Senior Gabe Hill, however, shifted momentum back to Sussex Academy after working hard toward and executing a thrilling move to pin Czar Henry in the second, after a close first period.
“I was super proud of Gabe and the way he wrestled in that second period,” Lawson said. “He wrestled tough on top, and he's capable of that all season.”
Following two IR pins, DiSalvo took advantage of another momentous situation. The sophomore trailed 12-5 in the match, in part due to aggression, before flipping the script and pinning freshman Levi Perez.
“He's a strong kid – he's got the technique – so we are teaching him to stay in control, but that's what he is,” Lawson said. “He wasn't gonna quit on this team, and he never will.”
“First one, I felt very confident, and then I was starting to slip a little because I was getting nervous,” DiSalvo said about his A.I. pin. “Then the second one, I felt good. He was a lot bigger than me, but once I got on bottom, I kind of changed my mindset to, ‘You got this!’ and then from there, I escaped and took him back down.”
Senior Doug Horton, who finished third in the Henlopen last year, made quick work of sophomore Karl Erickson to make it two pins in a row for the Seahawks.
“Doug's a great wrestler, just got to keep him on a roll,” Lawson said.
Sussex Academy’s next dual meet will be at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 8, in Laurel. The Seahawks are slated to compete in this weekend's Delmar Wrestling Invitational, the Parkside Holiday Tournament next weekend, and King of the Castle at Sussex Central over the holiday break.
