Back to back: DMA begins run of D-II wrestling team titles
Thirteen seconds into the final period at 157, Delaware Military's Malcolm Roy dropped his opponent on his back and pinned him.
The Seahawks bench erupted as Roy flexed and walked a lap around the mat, his mouthpiece falling to the ground.
"That was going to be a big one," said Cael DeNigris, a DMA junior who moments later won a major decision at 285. "I was like, 'OK, we have this. Nothing can stop us.'"
No. 2 DMA (11-0) never relinquished the lead, defeating No. 1 Saint Mark's (8-5) 38-32 to win the school's second consecutive DIAA Division II wrestling team championship.
A year after winning the seven heaviest weight classes at the state team final held annually at Smyrna High, DMA Saturday night won four of the six lowest weight classes, including the first three contests of the match at 113, 120 and 126.
"We were able to elevate some of these guys who weren't varsity last year and they stepped right in and filled those roles," said DMA head coach L.A. Collier, a state team and individual champ as a late 1990s Saint Mark's wrestler who also coached Hodgson to the 2008 Division II title and Saint Mark's to a Division I runner-up finish in 2011.
Collier praised Cole Perrin, a freshman who opened the match with a 45-second pin at 113, and Piero Papili, a sophomore wrestling in his first match for a state title who earned a 62-second pin at 138.
Gavin Mundy's win on a technical fall at 126 came in another critical matchup. Mundy's opponent Aaron Menickella won by decision when they faced each other last year.
"In our eyes, that was like a 50-50 match," Collier said. "We were just trying to get a decision out of it. For him to come out and do something that big really got the ball rolling."
DMA had a 23-3 lead by Papili's pin at 138, but then Saint Mark's won by decision at 144 and won at 150 on their first pin of the match from Ben Ranauto.
Roy's pin at 157, coming after two periods in which he staved off strong moves from Brayden Ranauto, reversed momentum and gave DMA a 28-12 lead.
"Malcolm came out and was able to bring us back up," Collier said. "It was definitely a pivotal match."
"I just took him and threw him," Roy said. "I can't really describe it."
DMA felt comfortable from there with senior Hayden Moaney (190) and DeNigris (285) looming.
"They're definitely the ones you can count on to win the matches in high-pressure situations," Collier said. "It's a special thing to have."
Moaney had his opponent on his back in the first seconds of his match.
"I got him on his back and the only thing that was going through my head was 'stick him, stick him, stick him,'" Moaney said. "I was like, 'don't let go.'"
As the clock wound down in DiNigris' major decision, energy from the DMA sideline and the school's supporters began to swell. The celebration began in earnest in the moments between DiNigris' win going final and the start of the last match of the day at 106. Before long, the team poured onto the center of the black mat, taking photos with two fingers in the air.
DMA has reached the Division II championship match in each of the past three seasons. The Seahawks lost to Caravel in 2022 then defeated the Buccaneers 36-24 last year for the first wrestling team title in school history. DMA is one of only nine schools to have won multiple team titles since the state moved to its dual-meet format in 1993.
Saint Mark's is also on that list and among the Delaware schools with the richest histories in the sport. The Spartans were Division I state champions seven times from 1995 through 2010, but failed to reach the dual-meet tournament in 10 consecutive seasons before making an appearance last year.
Saturday night's match, marking the last high watermark in the school's wrestling resurgence, featured wins from Spartans Christopher Foster (132), Alec Baxley (144), Jacob Ebaugh (165), Luke Spoor (pin at 175), Finn Hanna (215) and Clif Bakhsh (pin at 106), in addition to Ranauto's pin.
Saint Mark's and DMA advanced to Saturday night’s championship match with afternoon semifinal wins. DMA won 46-21 over No. 3 Lake Forest (15-5). Saint Mark's prevailed 43-23 against No. 4 Laurel (11-5).
DIAA Division II Dual Team Wrestling
Championship
Delaware Military 38, Saint Mark's 32
113-Perrin (DMA) pinned Till :45; 120-Delcollo (DMA) pinned Mark's 1:24; 126-Mundy won by tech.fall over Menickella 16-1; 132-Foster (St. M) dec. Delcollo 2-0; 138-Papili (DMA) pinned MacDonald 1:02; 144-Baxley (St. M) dec. Grandel 10-5; 150 Ranauto (St. M) pinned Perrin 2:11; 157-Roy (DMA) pinned Ranauto 4:28; 165-Ebaugh (St. M) maj. dec. MacDonnell 9-0; 175-Spoor (St. M) pinned Wesberry 1:23; 190-Moaney (DMA) pinned Hurst :45; 215-Hanna (St. M) maj. dec. Messina 16-3; 285-DeNigris (DMA) maj. dec. Zellman 9-0; 106-Bakhsh (St. M) pinned Hurley 3:43. (DMA had one team point deducted for excessive celebration.)
Semifinals
Saint Mark's 43, Laurel 23
106-Till (St. M) dec. Ferdinand 2-0; Bakhsh (St. M) pinned Ross 1:20; 120-Wootten (LH) maj. dec. Holmes 17-5; 126-Menickella (St. M) pinned Messick 1:34; 132-Foster (St. M) pinned Smith 2:33; 138-Littleton (LH) dec. MacDonald 6-3; 144-Baxley (St. M) maj. dec. Messick 14-2; 150-Pete (LH) maj. dec. Ranauto 10-2; 157-Limehouse (LH) dec. Ranauto 6-4; 165-Ebaugh (St. M) pinned Brandner :30; 175-Spoor (St. M) pinned Ellis :21; 190-Hanna (St. M) pinned Davis :30; 215-Rodriguez (LH) dec. McKelvey 3-2; 285-Baynard (LH) pinned Zellman 1:25.
Delaware Military 46, Lake Forest 21
106-Hurley (DMA) dec. McCray 6-0; 113-Perrin (DMA) pinned Ratledge 2:53; 120-Russ (LF) pinned Delcollo 1:40; 126-Mundy (DMA) pinned Ferrell 1:15; 132-Delcollo (DMA) pinned Pieller 2:47; 138-Howard (LF) dec. Papili 4-2; 144-Grandel (DMA) pinned Nance 3:40; 150-Dempsey (LF) dec. Perrin 6-4; 157-Ahmad-Statts (LF) pinned Ruiz 2:43; 165-Roy (DMA) dec. Ferrell 13-6; 175-MacDonnell (DMA) maj. dec. Thomas 13-4; 190-Moaney (DMA) pinned Lewis 2:24; 215-Parsell (LF) dec. Messina 5-0; 285-DeNigris (DMA) pinned Cannon 1:41.
Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on X and Instagram @holveck_brandon. Follow him on TikTok @bholveck.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DMA wins 2024 Delaware D-II wrestling team title over Saint Mark's
