MIDDLETOWN – “I’d say it’s a preview of the state finals, honestly.”
That came from Dover wrestler Anthony Fisher, who had a firm grasp of the situation going into the 138-pound championship match Saturday at the Canal Classic.
Fisher edged Middletown’s Dante Immediato for the second time this season, scoring the only takedown in the second period for a 3-1 decision. It was one of at least three finals at Middletown High that could be replayed five weeks from now at the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships.
Immediato won the state title at 126 pounds last year, while Fisher finished third at 132. Now they’re in the same, contentious bracket. Fisher nipped Immediato 3-2 in the 138 final at the season-opening Polytech Invitational on Dec. 3, and he did it again Saturday on his rival’s home mat.
“I’ve just got to build on this,” Fisher said. “I came in saying I’ve got to defend this. Now I’ve done it once, and I’ve got to do it at least one more time.”
Down 3-0 entering the third period, Immediato earned an escape and desperately tried to catch up. He had Fisher scrambling in the final seconds.
“He’s tough,” the Dover senior said. “One thing about him, he doesn’t stop. I respect that.”
The 126-pound final was just as intense, as Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton got past Charter of Wilmington’s Jessey Muaka 4-3. They squared off twice at the state meet last year, with Muaka winning 8-5 in the quarterfinals and Stratton returning the favor with a 5-3 decision in the third-place match.
“It’s good to see where I’m at with him now, see what I need to do next time I wrestle him,” Stratton said. “I’ve got to work on some things and practice. … His misdirections are hard to defend.”
Polytech’s Avery Mayan stretched his margin over Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista in the 160-pound final, scoring takedowns late in the second period and early in the third for an 8-3 decision.
“You just have to tire him out,” Mayan said. “Once I could weather the storm in the first and second periods, the third is when I could breeze by.”
Bautista won the state title at 152 last year, while Mayan finished third at 170. Now Bautista has moved up and Mayan has moved down, and Mayan won a 3-2 decision over Bautista in the Delcastle Invitational finals two weeks ago.
“He comes out hot,” Mayan said. “It’s tough to defend against. … Our styles clash a lot. I wrestle relatively similar to him, and I think I just come out on top each time because of my aggression.”
But it’s far from over. Mayan and Bautista could meet at least three more times – in a dual meet Feb. 1 at Sussex Central, in the Henlopen Conference championships Feb. 17-18, and at the state meet Feb. 24-25.
Sussex Central won six of the 14 weight classes and dominated the team standings with 286 points, well ahead of runner-up Dover (172½) and Middletown (158½). In addition to Stratton, the Golden Knights got titles from Javon Saffold (106), Blake Chambers (170), Lucas Hudson (182), Michael Wright (195) and Johnny Morris (220).
Middletown got victories from Hunter Hamill at 113 and William Carl at 120. Other weight-class winners were Delcastle’s Liam O’Connor (132), Dover’s Nick Lee (145), Sanford’s Timmy Griffith (152) and A.I. du Pont’s Jay’Juan Jones (285).
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.
Blake Chambers of Sussex Central (top) defeats Blake Chambers of Sussex Central in the 170-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Blake Chambers of Sussex Central (right) defeats Blake Chambers of Sussex Central in the 170-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Avery Mayan of Poly Tech (left) defeats Brandon Bautista of Sussex Central in the 160-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Timmy Griffith of Sanford (top) defeats Brian Schneider of Middletown High School in the 152-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Nicholas Lee of Dover (left) defeats David Flanigan of Wilmington Charter in the 145-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Avery Mayan of Poly Tech (top) defeats Brandon Bautista of Sussex Central in the 160-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Rashad Stratton (top) of Sussex Central defeats Jessey Muaka of Wilmington Charter in the 126-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Nicholas Lee of Dover defeats David Flanigan of Wilmington Charter in the 145-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Liam O`Connor of Delcastle (bottom) defeats Drew Massetti of Kennet High School in the 132-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Anthony Fisher of Dover defeats Dante Immediato of Middletown High School in the 138-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.
Anthony Fisher of Dover (left) defeats Dante Immediato of Middletown High School in the 138-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.