VIDEO: Large crowd enjoys Caper Tigers’ dominance of Braves in dual match opener

Posted: December 17th 2025

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

ERMA – If you blinked, you may have missed it.

The Lower Cape May Regional High School wrestling team, in front of a near-capacity crowd for its home opener, thoroughly dominated Absegami Wednesday evening, scoring bonus points in every bout it won en route to a 72-6 trouncing of the Braves.

Of the 12 contested bouts, six didn’t go past the first period.

“This was a big dual meet and we knew that going into the season because we want to prove we’re a top contender in the state,” said Lower Cape May 120-pounder Bryce Paley, who won his bout by second-period fall.

Absegami may not be the powerhouse it was from the 1980s deep into the 2000s, but the Braves are still regarded by many as a Cape-Atlantic League blueblood, and for good reason. For example, the Braves placed third, two places behind champion Lower Cape May, at the 11-team Pete Adams Memorial Tournament at Vineland High School last weekend. But Lower Cape May exemplified how much talent it has and barely let the Braves breathe.

“When we warmed up, I could tell everyone was ready and locked in,” said 157-pounder Danny Byrne, who posted a 19-4 technical fall in the first period. “It was Absegami, and we wanted to show we’re dominant.”

They sure did.

With two wins via forfeit and only one bout that went the six-minute distance, the match took less than an hour to complete.

In addition to Paley, Tristan Rosemeyer (113), Eli Glover (132), Andrew Brant (150), Gabe Tosto (165) and Dave Douglass (215) each pinned their respective opponents. Along with Byrne, Dom Marrero (138), Chase Hansen (144) and Ashton Ray (175) each won by technical fall.

Only Ryan Morgan (126) wrestled for the full six minutes, and even that resulted in a convincing 12-2 major decision.

“I think we performed well for the first match but we still have a lot to work on,” said Hansen, a three-time region champion. “I’d like to see us keep improving. But it’s good to see us putting a lot of points on the board.”

There was a great buzz in the gymnasium for the match. Fans erupted when the Caper Tigers raced out of the locker room just before the start of the varsity match.

“We have one of the best wrestling communities in the state, I think,” Paley said. “We get a lot of support from the fans, our coaches and everyone involved. They all push us to help us be a better team.”

Those fans are out to see a team that has its sights set on winning the program’s second South Jersey title in three years and its first state championship in program history.

“This is something that’s fun for the fans,” Lower coach Billy Damiana said. “I wasn’t around, obviously, but we’ve all heard the stories from the ‘70s and ‘80s when coach (Bill) Garrison was the head coach and how there was a line to get into matches. A lot of the people in those crowds are older now and you hear them reminisce about it. 

“What we’ve been able to do over the last decade, it really helps get people involved. It even helps when you see Middle Township also coming around with their program being good, because it’s culminated in people being very interested in wrestling around here in our area.”

Hansen said he and his teammates appreciate the community support.

“It really helps having all these people here supporting us,” he said. “It makes us want to put on a good performance for the people who show up. It’s a good feeling. We’re trying to do something special. We’re trying to do something that’s never been done before.”

The good vibes from the Caper Tiger performance lasted well after the final bout was contested, with many fans hanging around the gym to discuss the match. But Damiana was quick to note that February is a long way away and there is still work to be done.

“We got a lot of nice bonus points and hopefully we can continue that trend,” he said. “But even though we did great here, we were still a little sloppy in some areas. But if we clean some things up, we’ll be fine.”

Hansen, the most accomplished of all of the talented wrestlers in the program, also preached caution.

“It’s very important to stay focused on the goal because this is just the beginning,” he said. “We have to keep working harder than everyone else and stay focused, have no distractions and keep getting better every day.”