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• The Facts
• Sussex Central
• Cape Henlopen
• Indian River
• Sussex Tech
• Past Champions

Tournament Facts

• What: Henlopen Conference Wrestling Tournament
• Where: Dover High School
• When: Action begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. and includes preliminary matches, championship quarterfinals and consolation preliminaries. On Saturday, championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals start at 11 a.m., consolation semifinals at 2 p.m., consolation finals at 6 p.m. with championship finals to follow.
• Tickets: $10 for both full days, $4 for Friday's single session, $4 for Saturday single session, $8 for both Saturday sessions.

With the dual-meet high school wrestling season at an end, the spotlight now falls on the individual athletes as they attempt to capture conference and state titles.

Wrestlers from nearly every Delaware high school are gearing up for conference and state tournaments to be held during the next two weekends.

The Henlopen Conference hosts its annual tournament Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19-20, at Dover High School, with the state tournament to follow Feb. 26-27 at Delaware State University.

"Each match is like a stepping stone," Indian River wrestling coach Kurt Howell said. "It gets you ready for the big dance at the end of the year."

Here's a look at some Sussex Central, Cape Henlopen, Indian River and Sussex Tech wrestlers to watch during the next two weeks:

Sussex Central

The Golden Knights have strong contenders in James Leyh (103 pounds), Steve Swain (112), Joey Davis (119), Teddy Thompson (135), Anthony Andrews (140), Deon Brunskill (160) and Kurt Wolfe (171).

"I think I can get three to four conference champs out of them. I think that's a realistic goal," Sussex Central coach Phil Shultie said. "I'm very optimistic about it."

Leyh (13-0), Andrews (13-0) and Brunskill (12-0) are all undefeated in the conference and should receive high seeds.

Davis (11-2) was a conference champ last year at 112 pounds while Wolfe (13-1) finished second at 152.

"Joey always turns it on at conference time," Shultie said of Davis.

Wolfe and Indian River's Shawn Watkins are the two best 171-pound wrestlers in the conference and appear on track to meet again in the conference final. Wolfe defeated Watkins 3-2 at the Milford Invitational in December but Watkins got revenge with a 3-2 win in dual-meet competition.

"I foresee them being in the finals," Shultie said.

Thompson enters the postseason with a solid 10-3 conference record while Swain, despite an unimpressive 6-5 mark, could also be ready to step up. Shultie noted Swain has lost three matches by a single point.

The top six finishers in each weight class qualify for the state tournament.

"If we do very well in the conference ... that's going to put us in a good situation for the state tournament," Shultie said.

He believes Brunskill, Andrews and Wolfe will also contend for state titles.

Cape Henlopen

Although Cape struggled in dual-meet competition, it has perhaps the best heavyweight wrestler in the state in senior Matt Graviet.

At 13-0, Graviet has pinned every conference opponent he's faced and his 91 career victories are a school record.

"I think he's going to win the state championship, hands down," Cape coach Chris Mattioni said. "His confidence is the thing that's doing it. This year he hasn't held back."

Mattioni noted 112-pounder Straughn Gorman (11-2) could also make some noise in the conference tournament.

"He's got a legitimate shot at placing," he said. "He's been a finalist before (in 1997)."

Other Cape wrestlers who could place high in the conference tournament are 160-pounder Brian Travis (10-2) and 171-pounder Kyle Inman (10-3).

"This is when the pressure is on because they have to be ready," Mattioni said.

Indian River

Like Cape, Indian River had an unimpressive dual meet record. But the Indians boast two of the best wrestlers in the conference in Will Carroll (135) and Watkins (171).

"They both have some stiff competition but They've been working real hard," Howell said.

Watkins (13-0) will likely be the top seed at 171 and battle Wolfe and Inman for the conference title. He should also be in the running for a state title but will have to get past Wolfe and some tough upstate competition that includes defending champ Brian Santora of St. Mark's.

"I don't think Shawn and Kurt (Wolfe) are a step below," Howell said of the statewide competition. "I think the Henlopen Conference has forced them to get tougher."

Carroll comes in with an 11-2 conference record and should get a top-four seed. His losses came to Seaford's Brook Riggleman and Sussex Central's Thompson but he also defeated those wrestlers at other tournaments during the season.

"In my mind, I believe he's as good as anybody in the state," Howell said. "I believe in Will because he's a scrapper and he's motivated. I think he thrives on competition."

Howell noted 103-pound freshman Quinn Revel (10-3 conference, 15-6 overall) could also be a contender along with Luis Perez (140) and Saeng Vongpouthone (145).

Sussex Tech

Tech's best shot at a conference crown is 189-pounder Jimmy Hudson who sports a solid 11-2 record. "I'm looking for big things out of Jimmy," Tech coach Dave Rogers said. "He's got a lot of wrestling experience."

Freshman Wyatt Hall (9-2) could also make a splash at 130 pounds and Daniel Betts (7-6) is a darkhorse contender at 119.

"He's learned how to wrestle at the high school level," Rogers said of Hall.

Betts, a senior who had never wrestled before this season, has come on strong in recent weeks.

"He's starting to understand what the sport is about," Rogers said. "He really improved toward the end of the season."

The Ravens were a much-improved 7-8 in dual-meet competition and the program has a bright future. Rogers noted the team has a positive attitude heading into the postseason.

"Everybody wants to go in there with an attitude that they want to place in the top six," he said. "They want to be successful now."