PHOTOS: Lower produces team title, MOW and individual record, coach awards and 7 champs while Middle claims MOW and 2 champs at district wrestling tournaments

Posted: March 2nd 2026

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

The Lower Cape May Regional High School wrestling program shrugged off its close loss in the state championship match recently to produce a record-setting performance at the District 32 Tournament.

Lower produced seven champions and three other top-three finishers to advance 10 wrestlers to this weekend’s Region 8 Tournament.

Middle Township also enjoyed success at District 30, as two Panther wrestlers emerged as champions and four others finished among the top three in their weight classes to advance to Region 8.

For Lower, the accomplishments were plentiful at the District 32 event at Rowan College of Gloucester. 

CHASE HANSEN: SJ wins record and MOW award

Chase Hansen became a four-time district champion and set the South Jersey all-time wins record in rolling to the title at 138 pounds. Hansen wrestled for a total of less than two minutes at the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, he recorded a pin in 42 seconds in the semifinal fall before another win by fall in 1:09 in the final.

Hansen, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, broke 2018 Seneca graduate Joe Manchino’s South Jersey career wins record with his win in the semifinal. Hansen enters the Region 8 Tournament with 171 career victories.

Tristan Rosemeyer (113), Eli Glover (132), Gabe Tosto (150), Shane Morrell (175), David Douglass (190) and Jake Heaon (285) also each won district titles for Lower, giving the Caper Tigers seven district champions overall.

Rosemeyer had a first-round bye before winning by major decision in the semifinal and by pin in the final. Glover was never challenged, winning all three of his bouts by technical fall. Tosto earned two pins before scoring a 5-1 decision over top-seeded Anthony Russo of Red Bank Catholic. Morrell won by major decision in the semifinal and by a 10-4 score in the final. Douglass won both of his bouts by pin, the championship victory coming in just 54 seconds. And Hearon scored a pair of pins before sneaking past Salem’s Abdullah Jenkins, the top seed, by a 1-0 scoreline in the final.

Two other Lower wrestlers lost close bouts in the final to finish second. Bryce Paley suffered a 3-2 ultimate tiebreaker setback to Joseph Vezzosi of Red Bank Catholic in the 120-pound final and Danny Byrne fell by an 8-6 score in the 157-pound final to Clearview’s Elijah Beaty.

Billy Whitney also advanced to Region 8 for Lower, taking third place as a No. 5 seed at 144 pounds.

Lower won the team championship, nipping Red Bank Catholic. It represents the program’s first team district championship since 1982.

The Caper Tigers also claimed the two coaching awards as Billy Damiana and Dennis Elia were named District 32’s head and assistant coaches of the year, respectively.

At District 30 at Absegami, Middle Township’s Tyler King was given the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award after winning the 150-pound championship. King won the title in dramatic fashion, pinning top-seeded Ryan Glenn of Kingsway 19 seconds into overtime in the final. 

Middle’s Nate McCrone was a champion at 285 pounds, scoring a 14-5 major decision in the championship bout after winning by fall and technical fall in earlier rounds.

Middle’s Calvin Parke placed second at 106 pounds after losing by a 10-1 major decision in the 106-pound final. Teammate R.J. Attenborough was second at 165 pounds after a 7-1 defeat to Vincent Esposito of Southern.

R.J. Garden (138) and Connor Hagan (190) also advanced to regions for Middle by winning consolation finals to place third.

Middle finished third in team scoring at District 30 behind champion Southern and second-place Kingsway.

The Region 8 Tournament is scheduled for this weekend at Williamstown High School.

(photos courtesy Heidi Ray/LCMR wrestling and Matt Wolf/MTHS wrestling)

District 30 champions Tyler King (left) and Nate McCrone (right) of Middle Township flank head coach Matt Wolf.

Lower Cape May's David Douglass was the 190-pound champion at the District 32 wrestling tournament.

Eli Glover of Lower Cape May was the 132-pound champion at the District 32 Tournament.