Sussex Central 103-pound sophomore, Connor McDonald powered through the toughest

tournament in the nation this past weekend to become "Beast of the East"

Champion.

Held at the University

of Delaware, the "Beast" is the top wrestling tournament in America,

drawing the first, second, and third ranked high school teams in the nation,

plus over 40 other top ranked programs. To even stand on the podium at the

"Beast of the East" nearly assures a wrestler of All-American status. Not only

did SC's Connor McDonald stand up on the podium, he stood atop it as he was

crowned champion!

In the two-day event, McDonald entered as the number one seed and took a bye in the

first round. He followed his first round bye with a 12-6 victory over Josh

Fitch, and ended the first day of wrestling with a pin over Kegan Handlovic in

one minute and three seconds. On Day two, McDonald started the days action with

a Pin in three minutes and twelve seconds over Nick Berry in the

quarter-finals. In what was his most exciting match, McDonald pinned nationally

ranked Mat Bonson in a come-from-behind victory with just six seconds left in

the bout. In the finals, McDonald continued his rise to glory with yet another

defeat of a nationally ranked 103 pounder when he defeated Dan White with a 10-4

win.

Connor McDonald went into the "Beast of the East" with a national ranking of 6^th

in the nation, and his ranking is surely expected to rise with his championship

at the nation's top tournament.

The entire

Sussex Central Community of wrestlers, coaches and fans can't put into words how

proud they are of Connor's Achievement. We are sure he will continue to strive

to top his own records and achievements.