The three Arlington Diocesan schools performed well at the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Wrestling Championships Feb. 2 at McNamara H.S. in Forestville, Md.

The order of finish was: 1) DeMatha - 267.5 points, 2) O'Connell - 173.5, 3)Paul VI - 144, 4) Ireton - 111, 5) St. John's - 95, 6) McNamara - 42.5, 7) Good Counsel - 37.5 and 8) Gonzaga - 26.

Last season, O'Connell tied DeMatha for the conference title (the first and only time that DeMatha has not won the title outright).

O'Connell is coached by Bill Carpenter, Robert Yates, Fred James and David Buckingham. Paul VI is coached by John Welcher, Mike Walsh, Chip Hill and Roy Hippert.

Ireton is coached by Scott Racek, Don Dight, Will Behan and Jim Carney.

The Knights, Panthers and Cardinals have all finished in the upper tier of the conference over the past several seasons.

Carpenter (19 seasons), Welcher (13 seasons) and Racek (six seasons) have put together a combined 38 seasons of head coaching in one of the entire area's most difficult conferences.

Paul VI is one of the few schools in America that have ever defeated the DeMatha Stags in dual match competition in back to back seasons. The Panthers accomplished that feat in the '99/'00 and '00/'01 seasons.

Thus far this season, O'Connell weighs in with a 16-1 dual match record. Paul VI and Ireton weigh in with dual match records of 13-4 and 8-14 respectively.

O'Connell's only loss was to DeMatha. Paul VI lost to DeMatha and O'Connell within the conference.

Nearly 30 Knights, Panthers and Cardinals placed either first, second, third or fourth at the 2002 championships.

The Knight's sophomore Steve Ratley (152 pounds) pinned all three of his opponents and now weighs in with a 30-0 season record, including 25 pins. The Washington Post has Ratley ranked as the top 152 pound grappler in the entire region.

Panther senior Jamie Kaye (135 pounds) decisioned all three of his opponents, improving his season record to 13-4 with seven pins.

Panther senior Matt Horton (145 pounds) received a quarterfinal bye, and then pinned both his semi-final and finals opponent to claim the championship. Horton improved to 38-2 with 17 pins.

Panther junior P.J. Worosz (160 pounds) received a quarterfinals bye, and then decisioned his semi-finals opponent and 'tech' decisioned his finals opponent to claim the victory.

Knight junior Dan Yates (140 pounds) pinned his quarterfinals opponent, and then decisioned his semi-finals opponent. Yates, a team captain along with Ratley and brother Joe Yates, lost a decision in the finals.

Knight sophomore Norman Anderson (112 pounds) received a quarterfinals bye, before decisioning his semi-finals opponent. Anderson, a two-year starter, lost a decision in the finals.

Panther senior Ed Watkins (189 pounds), a team captain along with Jamie Kaye, Matt Horton and Joey Carpenter, captured second place in the tournament.

Panther sophomore Jeff Marcey (215 pounds) received a quarterfinals bye and then won in the semi-finals due to an injury default by his opponent. Marcey was pinned in the finals.

Cardinal junior Mark Malloy (103 pounds) pinned his quarterfinals opponent and decisioned his semi-finals opponent, before being pinned in the finals.

Cardinal junior Brendan Pauls (119 pounds) received a quarterfinals bye and then pinned his semi-finals opponent. In his finals match, he narrowly lost a decision in the closest match of the day that required two overtime periods. Pauls record now stands at 31-7 with 26 pins (one of the highest win and pin totals in Cardinal history).

Cardinal freshman Kwinten Brown (125 pounds) pinned his quarterfinals opponent and 'tech' decisioned his semi-finals opponent, before losing a narrow decision in the finals.

Cardinal freshman Jay Regner (135 pounds) received a quarterfinals bye before he pinned his semi-finals opponent. Regner lost a close decision in the finals. "I'm happy with the second-place finish," said O'Connell's Carpenter. "The future looks pretty good. We're going to do our best these next three weekends."

"I'm definitely pleased with the third-place finish," said PVI's Welcher. "We were pretty young this season. We have improved as the season went on."

"We were definitely in a rebuilding situation this season," said Ireton's Racek. "A lot of our guys had a really good tournament. Seamus and Jeremy were two of the best captains I've ever had in my six seasons. Twelve of our guys return for the '02/'03 season."