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| Downingtown East Cougar Wrestling |
| Coach Horvath wrestled for West Chester East High School where he graduated in 1990. While there, he was a 2 time Section IV champion, District 1 South champion, and District 1 Regional champion, amassing over 90 wins. He also served as a team captain his senior year. Coach then travelled to Bucknell University where he graduated in 1994 with a B.A. in English and Education. While there, Coach Horvath competed for the varsity Bison at 158 lbs. for his first two years, but then left the team after nagging injuries and falling short of personal expectations. To this day, leaving the wrestling team in college is one of his greatest REGRETS! After college, Coach started teaching and coaching in the Downingtown Area School District where he's taught English for 7 years and Alternative Education for 7 years. He's been the head coach of Downingtown and Downingtown East wrestling for 13 years winning multiple Ches-Mont, Section IV, and District 1 South crowns with his teams. He has also coached numerous state qualifiers and medalists, some now wrestling in college. In 2008, Coach Horvath picked up his 100th team win and starts this 10-11 season with a coaching record of 145-66. Coach Horvath has two Master's degrees from West Chester University, one in Secondary Education, and the other in Athletic Administration. Currently, he is pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Immaculata University. Coach lives in Chester Springs with his wife Susan, son Bo, and daughter Bailey. Coach's Words of Wisdom- "The sport of wrestling builds tremendous discipline, confidence and comradery. There is no substitute, nor equal. You will remember your days as a wrestler and teammate because they will be the basis for all of your future endeavors." |
Coach May grew up in Western, PA and wrestled for the Sharon Tigers in Section 6 in the W.P.I.A.L He started wrestling in 9th grade and was Conference, Sectional, and Regional Champion his Senior year, and lost in the quarter finals of the State Championships in State College , PA. As team captain that year, he received the "Don Thomas Award" for Leadership and Work ethic. Jim went on to wrestle in the NCAA / Division 1 at Franklin & Marshall College at the 142 and 150 lbs. weight class. He broke into the line up his Freshman year and competed in the Eastern intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships for F&M. Coach May currently resides in the Downingtown area with his wife, Lynne and children Ali and CJ "It’s all about HEART Cougars." |
| Coach - Jim May |
| Bill Heemer is a 2009 Graduate of Downingtown East High School. During his time at East he amassed 87 wins against 32 losses and was a 2 year captain for East. He was also a 3x 1st team all Ches-mont along with being 1st team all area as a senior. He was a 2009 Section 4 Champion and a State Qualifier after never making it out of sectionals the 3 years prior. Bill spent a year wrestling D1 at Campbell University starting at both 141 and 149 lbs and wrestled in the Eastern Regional Championships placing 5th. Currently Bill is attending West Chester University and is a part of their club wrestling team. |
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| 2006-2007 |
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| 2004-2005 |
| 2005-2006 |
| Coach - Ben Young |
| Ben Young is a graduate of Downingtown. He wrestled for Coach Horvath before the split and is one of Downingtown's all-time best.....3X State qualifier, Section, District, and Regional Champion, and placed 7th at the PIAA State Tournament in Hershey , PA. While attending college at Slippery Rock University , he was an Eastern Regional Champion and 2004 NCAA qualifier. After his first year of college Ben transferred to Bloomsburg University where he received his teaching degree in 2007. This is his third year teaching at Oxford High School and third year with the team |
| 2007-2008 |
| Head Coach - Joe Horvath |
D'town East's Horvath picks up 100th career win Downingtown East coach Joe Horvath will tell you that wrestling is the toughest sport in which to preach the idea of "team." He may also tell you that wrestling, as sports go, is the toughest to compete in. And while both statements may be up for debate, one thing about Horvath that is not questioned is his passion for the sport he coaches and the results he gets. Saturday, at the Octorara duals, the Cougars won the title, and Horvath notched his 100th career victory as head coach. In his 10th season at the helm, starting with Downingtown High and continuing with Downingtown East after the district split, Horvath has guided his team to an 8-4 record this season. "To be honest, it feels really good," Horvath said of the milestone. "I'm not over concerned with wins, I'm more concerned with the progress we're making and the progress we made at Downingtown and now Downingtown East." Horvath took over the helm as head coach when he was 24 and fresh out of Bucknell University, where he earned an English and education degree following his high school career at West Chester East. Since then, his belief in the idea that some of life's greatest lessons can be learned on the mat has helped motivate high schoolers to compete as a team in a sport dominated by the individual. "I tell kids, 'You'll reap the greatest rewards in the sport of wrestling when they learn to be a part of a team and step above and beyond an individual.' So much character is built doing something extremely difficult." |
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2008-2009
| Peter Carozza is a 1984 graduate of Springfield Delco High School where he was a 3-yr varsity starter on the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams. He was a wrestling and football teams. He was a starter on the 1982 state championship lacrosse team Peter attended West Chester University where he was a 2-yr starting defenseman. After college, he started teaching in the Coatesville Area School District where he taught for 9 years; coached middle school football (2 yrs); was the Head Varsity Lacrosse coach (3 yrs) and Assistant Varsity Wrestling coach (2 yrs Peter is now at DEHS teaching social studies and second year Assistant Wrestling Coach. He has been an Assistant Lacrosse Coach for DEHS for 4 years. |
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| 2009-2010 |
| Brian Carter was a graduate of Downingtown East High School in 2009. He wrestled for Coach Horvath, Coach May, and Coach Young for four years while at East, where he became a 3 year lettermen and a former recipient of the Rookie of the Year Award in 2005-2006. Brian was also a former captain his senior year for the team during the 2008-2009 season. In addition, he played soccer for East during his four years and lettered in two of them. He also ran track for two years. Brian is currently attending West Chester University where he continues his wrestling career for the Golden Rams club team. During his freshmen year, Brian placed 2nd in the Middlesex College Open Tournament at 149 lbs. and was part of the team who placed fourth at the 2010 National Duals in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Brian plans on getting his bachelors degree in Kinesiology while he attends West Chester University. |
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| Coach Cummings is a graduate of Smithtown East High School in New York. He was a Suffolk County Champion and a New York State Runner-up. After high school, coach attended Bloomsburg University where he was a member of a top 10 Division 1 program and was a 2X PSAC place-winner. After college, Coach Cummings was an assistant coach for Great Valley High School (7 years), assistant coach for Downingtown High School (5 years) and the head coach of Downingtown West High school (7 years). As a head coach, his teams compiled 4 Ches-Mont Championships, a District 1 Central Title, a Section 4 Title and a 4th place at District 1 Duals. Coach was named Ches-Mont Coach of the Year 4 times and Daily Local Newspaper Coach of the Year 4 times. Coach Cummings is a 6th grade teacher at Lionville Middle School. Coach resides in Chester Springs with wife Thea and children, Sydney and Wade. |
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| Coach Bill Heemer |
| Coach Brian Carter |
| Coach Pete Carozza |
| Coach Chandler is a 2003 graduate of Coatesville Area High School where he captained the wrestling team for two years wrestling at heavyweight. He was a regional qualifier as well as a Junior-National qualifier in Freestyle although he did not wrestle his senior year due to a shoulder injury. He went onto wrestle for the University of Illinois being a member of the 2005 Big Ten Team Champions.Wrestling at the 285 lbs weight class his first two years, he dropped down to the 197 lbs weight class to find better success and to prevent further injury. After graduating early from Illinois in 2006, Coach Chandler was the assistant wrestling coach of Coatesville Area High School for 3 years. Coach now works as an engineer and owner of Chief Technologies based in Chester County. He also works as a materials research consultant to a nanotechnology firm in Malvern, PA. Coach is currently pursuing his Masters of Engineering from the University of Michigan. He and his wife Kristie live in the Downingtown Area. |
| Coach- Darrin Cummings |
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| Coach Kyle Chandler |