Photos special to the Delaware State News/Gary Emeigh

LEWES — Little Dylan Andruzzi was swallowed up by the rest of the Smyrna High starting lineup clad in red warm-up sweatshirts, all 88 pounds of him disappeared, the only part of him still visible was his wavy blonde hair.

The cause for celebration was obvious. After 11 losses to begin his varsity wrestling career, Andruzzi had recorded his first win.

And what a victory it was. In the second match of the night, Andruzzi came back from an early deficit with a pinfall for the maximum six points.

That set the stage for a 47-12 Smyrna victory at Cape Henlopen High on Wednesday night in a showdown between unbeaten Henlopen Conference Northern Division teams.

“My teammates just kept telling me to keep working hard and eventually I’d get my win,” Andruzzi said. “Even after all those losses they would say, ‘good match’ or ‘good workout.’ It felt really good to get my first win and to know I pinned him. I knew that I sent the tempo and it just felt really good because I knew my teammates would follow.

Andruzzi’s pin led to an early Smyrna run which virtually wiped away any drama this contest had.

Cape Henlopen elected to forfeit at 113 pounds then Nick Natarcola earned a pin in the 120-pound matchup. Smyrna Cole Sebastianelli followed that with another pin, this one just in the nick of time with only 16 seconds remaining in his bout.

That had Smyrna out to a 24-3 lead after the first five matches.

“This is unbelievable,” Natarcola said. “I’m so happy and excited. We showed a lot tonight. If we wrestle like this all the time, no team in the state can stop us.”

The wide-margin of victory likely reaffirmed Smyrna’s status as the team to beat once again this season in Division I. The Eagles have won the last three Division I state dual meet titles and have not lost a dual to a Delaware opponent since the 2012 state championship match against Caesar Rodney.

Based on early season scores in dual meets and some team invitationals, Smyrna’s closest competitors, like Cape Henlopen (9-1), looked to be closing the gap on the Eagles.

After the first five matches, it was apparent Smyrna (5-0) has built that gap back up.

“You can’t help but notice when there’s a lot of chatter going on,” said Smyrna coach Kurt Howell. “Like ‘oh this is Cape’s or Sussex Central’s year.’ When you see or hear stuff like that you have to use it the right way. My boys used it the right way and tried to get motivated.”

Howell pointed out just how much Andruzzi’s victory set the tone for his team.

“He’s been struggling all year because obviously he’s little,” Howell said. “Getting that pin is just unbelievable. It was like a lightning rod went through our team. That was definitely the turning point.”

Greg Baum (132) and Chase Archangelo (145) each won via major-decision for the Eagles. Tony Wuest (195) won his match on a forfeit while Nate Bryant (152), Larsen Wilson (170) and Hunter Moyer (182) all earned decisions.