NEWARK, Delaware — Dom Sumpolec’s workout partners paid a serious price this past week for the Notre Dame-Green Pond senior’s finishing what he deemed a disappointing fifth place at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament.

Sumpolec’s opponents also paid the price at this weekend’s Beast of the East tournament, which he capped Sunday at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center with an 8-4 decision over Blair Academy’s Salah Tsarni in the 190-pound final.

“After Ironman, I just went in the room with the mindset to be the best,” the George Mason-bound senior said. “I kicked the [crap] out of my partners and pushed myself to the limit. My coaches told me I could be No. 1 in the country. That’s going to take some time, but I’ll get there.”

Sumpolec, one of five Crusaders to earn a medal, will need to repeat his performance at next weekend’s Powerade tournament at Canon-McMillan. But he feels he is better equipped this season to achieve what he believes is possible.

He already has taken a step in that direction by taking the championship hardware and moving on mentally.

“Truly, I don’t even remember the [championship] match,” the senior said. “I just know I won.”

Sumpolec displayed all the tools necessary to be successful at this weight. He used his speed and athleticism to secure an early takedown in the final, then his scrambling ability and strength get another to build a 7-0 lead.

Sumpolec’s determination from the start of his first match this weekend was evident to his coach.

“I told him he wrestled to about 10% of his potential [at Ironman],” Crusaders coach Matt Veres said. “Look what he did here. It was good to see him wrestle better, more to his potential. Obviously, you win a tournament, enjoy it for a couple days and then it’s on to the next one, Powerade. You can’t get too excited about it. You just have to keep getting better.”

Bethlehem Catholic’s Keanu Dillard felt he didn’t work as well as he should on his feet, but he won the 138-pound title because he was solid in the other two positions.

The senior overcame a stall call with one second left in regulation to knock off Malvern Prep’s Tyler Conroy 2-1 in an ultimate tie-breaker.

He was winning 1-0 and riding Conroy out in the third before getting hit with two stall calls in the last 10 seconds to send the match into overtime.

“Definitely a crazy match,” Dillard said. “I stayed mentally tough, but I just wish I got to my offense more. I’m always confident in top, bottom. I feel I can ride anyone and get out on anyone. I haven’t been great on my feet the last two weeks. I feel like I’m better than a lot of people on my feet, but I’m just not showcasing it in tournaments.”

Dillard finished fourth at last weekend’s Ironman, where he scored three points in his two losses.

Sumpolec and Dillard led 12 Lehigh Valley-area medalists. Max Quarry (second at 106), Cael Muller (fifth at 113), Connor Smalley (fifth at 215) and Noah Knorp (seventh at 285) were the others on the awards stand from Notre Dame-GP, which finished fifth in the team standings with 147 points. Blair Academy won the team title.

“It’s all about improvement and development,” Veres said. “You want these guys to win those grinding matches, those overtime matches. Even if they don’t, you want them to be in them because come March they are going to be in those tough matches. This is just more preparation for getting to the top of that mountain.”

Other area medalists were Saucon Valley’s Carter Chunko (third at 126), Whitehall’s Willmont Kai (third at 132), Nazareth’s Cade Campbell (157) and Brayden Zuercher (fifth at 190); Southern Lehigh’s Brock Frable (sixth at 175) and Bethlehem Catholic’s Jack Cole (fifth at 126).

Kai avenged his quarterfinal loss to Cedar Cliff’s Kavin Muyleart with a 4-1 overtime win in the third-place match. Muyleart got a takedown with seven seconds left to win 4-1 in Sunday morning’s quarterfinals.

Chunko rebounded from a semifinal loss to take third at 126 with two wrestleback victories by a combined 16-3 score.

Bethlehem Catholic was tied for seventh (110) in the team standings, followed by Nazareth (10th, 94), Whitehall (14th, 68), Easton (tied for 24th, 58), Saucon Valley (33rd, 52.5) and Southern Lehigh (tied for 36th, 50.5).

Beast of the East results

(locals only)

FINALS

106: Evan Cies (Malvern Prep) dec. Max Quarry (NDGP), 6-1

138: Keanu Dillard (BC) dec. Tyler Conroy (Malvern Prep), 2-1 UTB

190: Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) dec. Salah Tsarni (Blair Academy), 8-4

THIRD-PLACE MATCHES

126: Carter Chunko (SV) dec. Finnegan O`Brien (Blair Academy), 5-0

132: Willmont Kai (Wh) dec. Kavin Muyleart (Cedar Cliff), 4-1 SV

157: Brian Chamberlain (Wyoming Seminary) dec. Cade Campbell (Naz), 4-2

FIFTH-PLACE MATCHES

113: Cael Muller (NDGP) dec. David Dight (Thomas Edison) 4-0

126: Jack Cole (BC) dec. Jayden Jackson (Loyola Blakefield), 7-5

175: Nate Moore (Grassfield) dec. Brock Frable (SL), 4-2

190: Brayden Zuercher (Naz) dec. Braeden Simoneaux (N.Y. Military Academy), 4-0

215: Connor Smalley (NDGP) dec. Bradley DiMiglio (Malvern Prep), 9-3

SEVENTH-PLACE MATCHES

285: Noah Knorp (NDGP) dec. Izaque Tomaz (Frank W. Cox), 3-2 UTB

SEMIFINALS

106: Max Quarry (NDGP) dec. Forest Rose (Immaculata), 7-0

126: Jack Baron (Germantown Academy) dec. Carter Chunko (SV), 3-1 TB-2

138: Keanu Dillard (BC) dec. Aiden Herndon (Cedar Cliff), 2-0

157: Joe Monticello (Hanover Park) dec. Cade Campbell (Naz), 1-0

190: Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) dec. Nevin Mattessich (Don Bosco Prep), 6-4

QUARTERFINALS

106: Max Quarry (NDGP) dec. Cody Weidner (Civics), 5-0

113:  Liam McGettigan (Lake Highland Prep) maj. dec. Cael Muller (NDGP), 12-0

126: Carter Chunko (SV) ) dec. Eli Gabrielson (Archbishop Spalding), 5-1

132: Kavin Muyleart (Cedar Cliff) dec. Willmont Kai (Wh), 4-1; Anthony DiAndrea (Watchung Hills) dec. Nick Salamone (E), 5-2

138: Keanu Dillard (BC) dec. Jack Dragoumanos (Belmont), 4-0

144: Jackson Butler (Bishop McCort) dec. Jack Campbell (Naz), 2-0; Matt O’Neill (Malvern Prep) Mack Santoro (SV), 0:37

157: Cade Campbell (Naz) dec. Drew Moro (Brecksville), 3-1

175: Noah Tucker (Bullis Prep) dec. Elijah Simak (Naz), 9-6

190: Nevin Mattessich (Don Bosco Prep) dec. Brayden Zuercher (Naz), 8-3; Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) maj. dec. Colton Bell (Lake Highland Prep), 16-5

215: Devin Downes (Plainedge) dec. Connor Smalley (NDGP), 2-1

EIGHTH-ROUND CONSOLATIONS

113: Killian Coluccio (Lacey) pinned Cael Muller (NDGP), 4:29

126: Carter Chunko (SV) maj. dec. Jayden Jackson (Loyola Blakefield), 10-2; Finnegan O`Brien (Blair Academy) dec. Jack Cole (BC), 6-4

132: Willmont Kai (Wh) dec. Colton Hagerty (Washington Township), 5-3

157: Cade Campbell (Naz) dec. Zane Leitzel (Archbishop Spalding), 4-1

175: Noah Tucker (Bullis Prep) dec. Brock Frable (SL), 11-7

190: Tanner Hodgins (Howell) dec. Brayden Zuercher (Naz), 4-1

215: Tyler Palumbo (Christian Brothers Academy) dec. Connor Smalley (NDGP), 4-0

SEVENTH-ROUND CONSOLATIONS

113: Cael Muller (NDGP) dec. Paden Alyea (Skyline), 1-0

126: Jack Cole (BC) dec. Sean Elliott (Howell), 7-1

132: Willmont Kai (Wh) dec. Dalton Weber (Pope John Paul XIII), 8-1

175: Brock Frable (SL) dec. Tyler Whitford (St. Joseph Metuchen), 4-3

190: Brayden Zuercher (Naz) pinned Colton Bell (Lake Highland Prep), 4:55

285: Chris Funches (Grassfield) dec. Noah Knorp (NDGP), 3-2 UTB

SIXTH-ROUND CONSOLATION

113: Cael Muller (NDGP) dec. Logan Forgatch (Parsippany Hills), 7-1

126: Jack Cole (BC) dec. Eli Gabrielson (Archbishop Spalding), 7-2

132: Kai (Wh) dec. Dillard (BC), 9-6 SV; Richard Delorenzo (Toms River East) dec. Nick Salamone (E), 11-4; Lukas Littleton Mascaro (Malvern Prep) dec. Caleb Kosko (Naz), 4-1

144: Laudan Henry (St. Peter Prep) maj. dec. Mack Santoro (SV), 11-2; Benjamin Aguilar (Mountain View) dec. Jack Campbell (Naz), 10-4

175: Anthony Verdi (St. Peter Prep) dec. Elijah Simak (Naz), 6-4, TB-2; Brock Frable (SL) inj. def. Blake Hostetter (Oxford), 2:40 (leading 10-5)

190: Brayden Zuercher (Naz) dec. Dustin Kohn (Mountain View), 1-0; Colton Bell (Lake Highland Prep) maj. dec. James Hopkins (Wh), 14-4

285: Noah Knorp (NDGP) dec. Declan Joyce (Hunterdon Central Regional), 3-2 UTB

FIFTH-ROUND CONSOLATIONS

120: William Russell (Manhasset, N.Y.) dec.  Emili (BC), 7-1

126: Cole (BC) maj. dec. Austin Guerrieri (Cape Henlopen), 13-3

132: Reef Dillard (BC) dec. River Hibler (Paramus Catholic), 6-1; Kosko (Naz) pinned Michael Lamb(Haddonfield), 4:32

138: Jack Abramson (Piscataway) dec. Noah Fenner (E), 5-0

157: Brady Little (Howell) maj. dec. Barker (SL), 10-0

165: Colton Quinn (Christian Brothers Academy) pinned Dominick Tunison (Naz), 3:30

175: Frable (SL) dec. Cole Dunham (Pope John Paul XIII), 11-6

190: Hopkins (Wh) pinned Jesse Adams (Parkersburg South), 2:02; Dustin Kohn (Mountain View) dec. Connor Gillahan (BC), 6-1

215: Marquez Gordon (Bishop McCort) tech. fall Alonzo Parker (E), 20-5, 4:51

285: Knorp (NDGP) dec. Noah Lawrence (Gilman School), 2-1 TB-2

Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com