Smyrna’s Greg Baum (top) works to roll Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean on to his back in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
GEORGETOWN – Jackson Dean’s first match against Greg Baum was a perilous adventure.
The Caesar Rodney freshman was in deep against the Smyrna junior, who won the state title at 120 pounds last season. Dean trailed 11-4 through two periods, but whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a furious rally that tied the score.
Then he finished the comeback, pinning Baum with three seconds remaining for a shocking victory that netted the 132-pound crown and the outstanding wrestler award on Saturday at the Henlopen Conference Wrestling Championships at Sussex Central.
“When I put him to his back, I was thinking, ‘Keep him there,’” Dean said. “… I always believe. I always keep that in the back of my head. You can always come back.”
In each of the last four years, 10 of the 14 weight-class winners at the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships have come from the Henlopen. There were six returning state champs in the conference finals on Saturday, and three of them lost.
That’s how tough this meet is.
Baum had his way with Dean early, and it took the freshman two periods to solve the riddle.
“I think the first takedown kind of set me back a little bit,” Dean said. “Him on bottom, he does that little hook and turns out. That was kind of funky. I’m not used to that. … I just had to come back from that.”
He did, sensing that Baum was tiring late.
“I was putting my hands on him, and he wasn’t coming up like I would expect him to,” Dean said. “I knew he was starting to break.”
READ MORE: Milford rallies for Division II state mat title
Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista lifts Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson off the mat in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
The top six in each weight class advanced to the DIAA meet, to be held next Friday and Saturday at Dover High. Almost all of them will be contenders to win, as evidenced last year by Smyrna’s Larsen Wilson, who finished fourth in the conference at 170, then won a DIAA title as a No. 8 seed. On Saturday, Wilson lost a 3-1 decision to Sussex Central’s Blake Chambers, who earned his 100th career victory.
Two 2016 state champs met for the second time in five days, as Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson turned the tables with a 3-1 decision over Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista at 160 pounds.
On Tuesday, Bautista nipped Lawson 4-3 in the final match to push the Golden Knights to a 28-26 win in the semifinals of the DIAA Dual Meet Championships. Sussex Central then upset Smyrna 32-30 for its second state team title, a fact that still burns Lawson.
“That was probably one of the most humbling, worst experiences I’ve ever gone through,” Lawson said. “I didn’t talk for two days. I felt like I let my team down, and that’s what we train for.
“I went into this week thinking, ‘Win this or die.’ That’s all I really had, and I just went all out.”
Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris won his fourth straight nailbiter decision over Milford’s Dominyc Hovington at 220, surviving a late takedown in overtime for a 6-4 victory.
READ MORE: Sussex Central shocks Smyrna for D1 title
“I’m still in shock right now. I don’t even know what happened,” Morris said. “There was so much adrenaline, and it’s always a battle when you wrestle him.”
Morris earlier edged Hovington at the Milford Invitational, Battle at the Beach at Indian River and War on the Shore at Stephen Decatur (Md.). Three of their four meetings have required extra time, and it would be no surprise if they locked up again at the state meet.
“I’d rather wrestle someone I don’t really know,” Morris said. “Anything can happen in any match, but with him, he’s tough.”
Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo lost in the conference final last season, then won a DIAA title at 132. The senior is up to 145 now, and he blanked Dover’s Nick Lee 7-0 on Saturday.
“We can’t take anything lightly in conferences,” Archangelo said. “I made a mistake last year, and that’s a good place to do it. But this year, I just went out there and did my thing.”
Smyrna also did its thing as a team, piling up 260 points to take the overall title over Central (204), Cape Henlopen (196½) and Dover (180½).
Other individual winners were Indian River’s Will Rayne (106), Milford’s Robbie Rosser (113), Caesar Rodney’s Cameron Hayes (120), Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton (126) and Lucas Hudson (182), Dover’s Anthony Fisher (138), Smyrna’s Nate Bryant (152) and Tony Wuest (195) and Cape Henlopen’s Zach Flores (285).
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
Sussex Central’s Lucas Hudson, left, and Indian River’s Zeke Marcozzi wrestle in the 182 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Blake Chambers brings Smyrna’s Larsen Wilson down to the mat in the 170 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Larsen Wilson, left, and Sussex Central’s Blake Chambers battle for position in the 170 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson, left, works to bring Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista down to the mat in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson, left, hold the leg of Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson, left, and Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista wrestle in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson, left, hold the leg of Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Cory Lawson, right, and Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista wrestle in the 160 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo holds Dover’s Nicholas Lee down on the mat in the 145 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Nate Bryant (top) and Dover’s Divine Watkins wrestle in the 152 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Nate Bryant lifts Dover’s Divine Watkins off the mat in the 152 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo holds the leg of Dover’s Nicholas Lee in the 145 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo lifts Dover’s Nicholas Lee on to his shoulder in the 145 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Dover’s Anthony Fisher (top) defeats Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Dover’s Anthony Fisher gets rolled over by Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego, right, holds on to the leg of Dover’s Anthony Fisher in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego, right, reaches for the head of Dover’s Anthony Fisher in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego, left, and Dover’s Anthony Fisher wrestle in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego, left, and Dover’s Anthony Fisher wrestle in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Caesar Rodney’s head wrestling coach, Dan Rigby, congratulates Jackson Dean after defeating Smyrna’s Greg Baum in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Greg Baum is pinned by Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Vincent Diego, left, and Dover’s Anthony Fisher wrestle in the 138 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean raises his fist after defeating Smyrna’s Greg Baum in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Action shots from the finals of the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament. Presto ID 97919668
Smyrna’s Greg Baum looks to his coaches for instructions while wrestling Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Greg Baum, right, wrestles Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean tries for a pin on Smyrna’s Greg Baum in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Greg Baum, right, wrestles Caesar Rodney’s Jackson Dean in the 132 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton works to roll Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli on to his back in the 126 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton works to get away from a hold by Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli in the 126 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton, left, wrestles Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli in the 126 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton holds the legs of Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli in the 126 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton goes for the legs of Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli in the 126 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Nick Natarcola (top) brings Caesar Rodney’s Cameron Hayes down to the mat in the 120 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Nick Natarcola works to get out of a hold by Caesar Rodney’s Cameron Hayes in the 120 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Robbie Rosser, left rolls over Sussex Central’s Yony Morales in the 113 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Robbie Rosser (top) brings Sussex Central’s Yony Morales down to the mat in the 113 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Indian River’s Will Rayne (top) holds Caesar Rodney’s Michael Primo down on the mat in the 106 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Zach Flores points to the crowed after defeating Milford’s Bryan Wynes in the 285 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Indian River’s Will Rayne’s chin straps momentarily covers his mouth while wrestling Caesar Rodney’s Michael Primo down in the 106 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Cape Henlopen’s Zach Flores, left, and Milford’s Bryan Wynes battle for position in the 285 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris, right, pushes back on Milford’s Dominic Covington to stay in bounce in the 220 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Dominic Covington, left, and Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris battle for position in the 220 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Dominic Covington, left, works to get out of a hold by Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris battle in the 220 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Dominic Covington, left, works to get out of a hold by Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris battle in the 220 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Smyrna’s Tony Wuest (top) defeats Sussex Tech’s Robert Van Pelt in the 195 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.
Milford’s Dominic Covington, left, and Sussex Central’s Johnny Morris battle for position in the 220 pound championship match at the Henlopen Conference wrestling tournament at Sussex Central High School.