LEWES — Sussex Central High’s Malachi Stratton out-dueled Sussex Tech’s Anthony Andrews to win his third-straight DIAA wrestling state title on Saturday night.
The top-seeded …
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By Andy Walter
The top-seeded Stratton edged Andrews just 3-2 as the two-day individual state tournament wrapped up at Cape Henlopen.
Seven Henlopen Conference competitors won state championships, including two apiece from Lake Forest and Sussex Central. Saint Mark’s and Delaware Military also had two state champions.
The seven champions are the most for the Henlopen since it also had seven in 2021. The conference had only four in each of the last two state tournaments.
The Golden Knights’ Gabe Cannon capped off the night with an 11-9 decision over Saint Mark’s top-seeded Luke Spoor to win the title at 175.
Stratton is Delaware’s 42nd three-time state champion. A junior who went 53-7 this winter, he is now in position to become just Sussex Central’s second four-time state champion next season.
The only other Golden Knight four-time state champion was Codey Combs (2008-11).
Competing in his fourth-straight state final, Caesar Rodney’s Trevor Copes earned his first state title at 126. The top-seeded junior posted an 8-5 decision over No. 3 Gavin Mundy of DMA in the title match to end the year with a record of 46-3.
Caravel’s 138-pounder, Eddie Radecki, put himself in position to make some history when he won his fourth state title with a pin in 1:58 over St. Georges’ Gavin Sheehan. He won all four of his tourney matches by fall.
The junior from Newark is the 14th Delaware wrestler to accomplish the feat. Radecki can become the state’s first five-time champion next season.
In an all-Henlopen Conference final at 144, Sussex Tech’s Dustin Elliott — the No. 2 seed — upset top-seeded Nicholas Walker of Cape Henlopen, 5-2, for the title. Elliott, who posted a record of 49-3, won three of his fourth matches by pin.
Lake Forest’s second-seeded Case Dempsey earned the title at 150 with a 13-1 major decision over No. 13 Charles Hackett of Appoquinimink. Dempsey finished the season 43-3.
Senior Nurrideen Ahmad-Statts then followed by winning the crown at 157. Seeded third, Ahmad-Statts edged top-seeded Malcolm Roy of DMA, 8-7, in the finals to claim his second title.
Ahmad-Statts, who won the title at 150 last year, is Lake Forest’s first two-time state champion.
Cape Henlopen’s top-seeded Austin Guerrieri won the 106-pound title with an 8-6 decision over Saint Mark’s Clif Bakhsh, the No. 2 seed. A freshman, Guerrieri finished the season 45-7.
At 132, Sussex Central’s Evan Cordrey fell to Saint Mark’s Christopher Foster, 3-1, in the finals.
In the 215-pound finals, Cape Henlopen’s Patrick Donahue was pinned by top-seeded James Miller of Salesianum in the title bout.
At 113, No. 2 Tye Bellarin upset top-seeded Dominic Lician of Salesianum, 5-4, in the finals.
At heavyweight, DMA’s Cale DeNigris posted a 3-0 decision over Caravel’s Brock Rhoades in the finals to win his second straight state crown. DMA also won the title at 190 where Hayden Moaney posted a 10-2 major decision over Red Lion’s Jacque Wilson.
In the 165-pound finals, second-seeded Jacob Ebaugh upset top-seeded William Penn’s Franklin Norris, 9-6, for the crown.
The Henlopen Conference put 11 wrestlers in the finals following Saturday morning’s semis.
