War on Shore Underway at Decatur

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur High School’s 6th Annual War on the Shore wrestling tournament got underway this morning with some of the best high school wrestling programs in the mid-Atlantic area converging at the Berlin school for the two-day event.

The annual event, which features 24 of the best high school wrestling teams from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, will be held at Decatur for the sixth and final time this weekend. Next year, the tournament moves to the Ocean City Convention Center.

Among the teams participating are Baltimore powerhouses Mount Saint Joseph and Archbishop Curley, 1A/2A state champion Rising Sun, 3A/4A state champion La Plata, four of the top 10 teams from Delaware including Indian River High School, three of the top five teams from Virginia, a top 10 team from Pennsylvania, and, of course, Decatur, which has won the event two times in the first five years of its existence.

The two-day event gets underway this afternoon with preliminary matches beginning around 3 p.m. at Decatur and will continue practically around the clock until late tomorrow when team and individual champions will be crowned. Last year, the Seahawks collected 133 team points to finish in sixth place in the field of 20 teams. The annual event provides the perfect early season barometer for the Decatur program, which has used success in the tournament as a launching pad for a string of several successful seasons. For example, the Seahawks have won six straight District 8 championships and appear to have the firepower to build on than success as they start their new season.