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OxFord Wrestling Camp Wrap

SOUTH PARIS- The importance of learning the fundamentals is essential and younger individual’s listened and executed those skills at the 2^ND annual Hills Area wrestling camp

University of Southern Maine coach Joe Pistone was the clinician during the three-day commuter camp. The techniques demonstrated will work at all levels of wrestling. The Huskies coach issued a challenge to those young wrestlers who are willing to work toward future goals.

The campers went through double sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It was great to see kids here, again,”Pistone said. “I’m blown away by the amount of progress these same kids have made over the year. Also, I promised they would be better wrestlers by the end of this camp. Later on, it was great seeing the kids executing the moves and (hopefully) they’ll be successful in the future.”

Pistone firmly believes that off season wrestling is a second season and it is necessary to achieve one’s goals. If a student athlete decides to slack in the off-season, goals will be harder to achieve as it is likely that their opponents have been working hard in the off season.

The commuter camp was designed for all ages, from second grade to high school. A variety of techniques were taught and it’s an excellent opportunity to learn from Pistone who is a highly successful national competitor.

“It’s so important to learn the basics,”Pistone said. “Younger wrestlers, like most attending this camp, need to develop a good foundation and work on these moves.”

The moves needed to get by include single and double-leg takedowns, high-crotch series, half nelsons, escapes and a pinning combination. The ability to learn and execute moves, provides wrestlers with the incentives to seek out increased knowledge, about the worlds oldest sport.

“We did change one thing this summer,”camp co-director Jack Pike said. “Coach (Pistone) adapted his teachings, to include more live wrestling. Last year, there was a lot more drills (repartition), but the kids asked for live wrestling.”
Pistone certainly knows what is necessary to be successful at each level. The Huskies mentor earned Division II All American and was a two-time place winner in the Eastern Regional. He won 120-matches during a stellar career.

“Wrestling continues to evolve,”Pistone said. “Therefore, it’s important for me as a coach, to keep up on new techniques and training procedures. The wrestlers deserve to see these things first hand, so they have an opportunity to compete.”

Maine high school coaches need to be more educated on the values that wrestlers can receive at USM, both academically and in athletics. Competitors benefit by working in close against opponents and developing good habits.
USM, Division III, is the only higher institution that offers wrestling, in the entire state. Mainers wrestlers who were recruited by USM include, four-time state champion Chris Barkac of Dexter, Keith Sleeper of Gardiner, three-time state champion Tony Gilmore of Belfast and Dan McClean of Oxford Hills.
“USM wrestling is strong,”Pistone said. “And the program is continuing to grow. We recruit kids from through out the country. A big selling point is the fact, that they have an opportunity to become the first All American in school history. That is a big deal because achieving All American status, changes your life.”

The 21st annual Friendship Series has choosen a team of Maine wrestlers who is scheduled to compete in Nebraska in June. The cultural exchange between the two states, is the oldest in the nation.

The group will travel through out the Cornhusker state and wrestle at four venues.
''I honestly feel that this team is very strong,"Maine team leader Shawn Guest said. "There are some very good seniors on this team who have displayed their talent on the mats of Maine for years. Even the youth on this team is talented. Many of these kids have been to elite wrestling camps, and many have traveled throughout the USA wrestling against very tough competition."

There are 11 state champions on the team, including two-time Class B state champion Brendan Bradley-Mountain Valley and Alan Stein, a three-time state champ from Deering. Ben Cox-Mt. Ararat and Dustin Crocker of Mount Ararat, Carlin Dubay-Caribou, Jake Longley-Noble, James Spencer-Belfast, Jake Badger-Noble, Logan Russell-Morse, Jacob Berry-Camden Hills, Keith Sleeper-Gardiner, Mike McCrillis-Noble, Doug Williams-Sanford, Travis Spencer-Belfast and Jesse Rayworth-Noble. Gardiner coach Matt Hanley will serve as the Maine coach.

The objective for selecting a team is twofold because of the considering factors. The skills and character- on and off the mat- weigh heavily in the process. Guest is looking for leadership from the seniors. This conception was born after talking to many coaches this winter about their kids and other kids.

"I feel as if we have put together a team of not only quality wrestlers, but quality kids who we want to take to represent the state of Maine,"Guest said. "The interest is still very much there to be a part of this team. Some kids could not participate because of work obligations and lack of funding. I think that every kid who I asked to go really wanted to go, and that they felt it was an honor."

Co-founder Wally LaFountain and Dennis Walch were team leaders for 21 years and the Series is well-respected. Guest is determined to carry on this tradition. It is a wonderful experience that kids want to be a part of.

The Series would benefit greatly if a corporate sponsor could be secured. The additional funding would allow those kids who want to go, even if they can't afford it. The coaches, schools, and businesses in Maine, have helped the Series to continue. Numerous coaches have donated time, money and resources to help their kids, as well as other kids from other schools within the state. That is somewhat unique with the sport of wrestling in Maine as compared to other sports and is just another example of that generosity.

Brendan Bradley Feature

RUMFORD-An athletic career can be a series of peaks and valleys because of unforeseen road blocks, however, Brendan Bradley has enjoyed being on a magic carpet ride for the previous two years. The Mountain Valley senior certainly doesn't have any regrets, when he reflects on the numerous coaches and friends who have helped along the way. Bradley has accomplished quite a bit, but it would be believe these exploits simply materialized over night. The Falcon standout has strengthened the theory that self-sacrifice and hard work pays dividends

The three-sport standout is currently playing Lacrosse, however, his career will be extended an extra month. The senior has been selected to wrestle in the 21st annual Friendship Series. A team, comprised of wrestlers from through out the Pine Tree state, will travel to Nebraska in June.

"It was kind of a surprise to me being invited to Nebraska,"Bradley said. "I
thought they would have invited James McPhee from Foxcroft, but I'm definitely honored to be going and represent Maine. Mountain Valley teammate_ Dave Smith went to Nebraska in 2004 and informed Bradley about the activities, like going to a concert, and traveling through out the Cornhusker state. The people are interesting and it's a full schedule, but he'll be able to make new friends from other teams in Maine.

Bradley is certainly deserving of the trip, having always rose to the occasion and winning two-individual state championships. These runs were each made in the 215-pound class, which is well-known for attracting strong and athletic competitors. Bradley excelled on the mat, despite weighing under 200-pounds as a junior and senior.

"Brendan came out of no where last year,"Mountain Valley wrestling coach Gary Dolloff said. "He worked hard and overachieved. But, he did things his own way on the mat because he had a certain style and (executed) it. One of the things that really helped him was realizing the importance of physical conditioning."

Bradley credited being able to partner with two of the best wrestlers in the state of Maine, in multi-state champions Chris and Dave Smith. He'd always receive ribbing during weigh-ins because the scale would read 190. The consensus would be, "you could wrestle 189 what are you doing up in 215?" I would simply answer back with "I love to eat,"Bradley said. "The past two years have been some of the best times in my life. I mean it has one big roller coaster ride and I have had a lot of help along the way. It has been a lot of fun." Bradley realized the importance of being in shape and always put a little extra running time after practices. He credited Dolloff and Ryan Casey for working with him on conditioning in high school.

This season created even greater challenges because the expectations grew on Bradley, following a career-ending injury by Dave Smith. Every wrestler needs to figure out their major assets and Bradley realized opponents had a size advantage. "I am strong for my size,"Bradley said. "I would utilize my quickness. But, I think just having the determination to overcome the size difference and step up for my team, when they needed me. It was a hard lost and everyone was looking for me to step up because I was now the only state champ from last year to still be wrestling."

Bradley, the 2006 Sun Journal Wrestler of the Year, saved his best for last, when every thing was on the line at the state meet. A dominating win in the semi-final, had set-up a rematch against Joe Brownwell in the state final. Bradley had lost to Brownwell 9-8 in the regional final the previous week, however, the rematch would be different story. Bradley came from behind in the third period for a 6-4 decision and also clinched the team title. It was the Falcons second-straight state championship.

"Brendan didn't receive any respect,"Dolloff said. "Usually after winning a state title, there's a little intimidation, but when opponents had to wrestle him, it was no big deal. But, I honestly believe it helped because he had to work harder."

Bradley was a two-way starter on the football team that won the Class B state championship in 2004. It was during the Falcons unbeaten run that Bradley became recognized for his reckless abandon, an ability to punish opponents with hard-clean tackles The opportunity to play along side teammates Travis Fergola, Aaron Arsenault and Dave Smith, was instrumental in bringing out the best.

"I think the easiest way to sum up how I tick in football is I love to hit,"Bradley said. "It doesn't matter how. Whether I'm getting hit and getting my bell rung or if I'm the one hitting someone. Of course it's better for me to be the one (hitting)." Bradley summed up his philosophy on living and letting thing fall into place. "I hate to lose,"he said. "But losing is apart of life everyone sometime has to face it. So I
just learn from my losses."

2006 Maine Wrestling All State

First Team
103 Carlin Dubay Caribou Sophomore
112 Jeremiah Barkac Dexter Junior
119 Allen Stein Deering Senior
125 Joe McGowen Camden Hills Senior
130 Tony Gilmore Belfast Senior
135 John Hussey Marshwood Senior
140 Jarod Rideout Foxcroft Sophomore
145 Steve Chenard Noble Senior
152 Dustin Crooker Mount Ararat Senior
160 Alan Loignan Biddeford Junior
171 Josh Eon Massabesic Sophomore
189 Adam Tweedie Bucksport Senior
215 James McPhee Foxcroft Academy Senior
275 Josh Pelletier Foxcroft Academy Senior

Second Team
103 Brian Anderson Noble Sophomore
112 Jake Longley Noble Junior
119 Sam Webber Mount Blue Sophomore
125 Tyler Clark Lisbon Junior
130 Ben Shutt Morse Sophomore
135 Jon Smith Dirigo Sophomore
140 Joe Eon Massabesic Freshman
145 Bill Barry Wells Senior
152 Doug Williams Sanford Junior
160 Travis Spencer Belfast Freshman
171 Logan Kelley Belfast Junior
189 Tyler Child Mountain Valley Junior
215 Brendon Bradley Mountain Valley Senior
275 Elijah Trefts Lisbon Senior
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Josh Pelletier, Foxcroft
Coach of Year: Bob Eon , Massabesic
Honorable Mention: 103 Jeff Cossar, Lisbon; 112 Josh Robbins, Belfast; 119 Derek Daley, Dirigo and James Spencer, Belfast; 125 Chris Smith, Deering and Derick Sicotte, Mountain Valley; 130 True Bragg, Camden Hills; 135 Shawn Hogeland, Fryeburg;140 Jacob Berry, Camden Hills; 145 Billy Greene, Dexter; 152 Henry Simpkins, Camden Hills; 160 Cody Loiselle, Marshwood; 171 Henry Pearson, Camden Hills;189 Ollie Bradeen, Camden Hills; 215 Tyler Robinson, Cony and Jon Bronwell, Wells; 275 Matt Foley, Kennebunk

NEW HAVEN, CT-There was no hiding and every point was important at the 42nd New England High School championships, held Friday and Saturday. The spacious field house at Hilltop High School was filled with stiff competition.

The brackets were filled and included over 40 Maine state champions, from Classes A, B and C. The Pine Tree state wrestlers had qualified at their respective state meets last month. The Maine Principal' Association wasn't represented at the NE Council.

''The wrestlers are aggressive,''Mount Ararat coach Eric Jensen said. ''But, some Maine kids can compete well down here. A couple of circumstances need to be changed.''
Four Mainers reached the semi-finals, including Jeremy Barkac of Dexter 112 and Josh Pelletier of Foxcroft placed at 275. Barkac was countered seven times on deep leg shoots and lost 5-4 to Tim Rich in the SF. Barkac kept going and scored five-unanswered points in the third period against Brian Peak of Rhode Island, to place. Gilmore, a three-time state champion, faced 2005 NE champion Corey Greene of Mt Anthony, VT in the SF and was taken to school. Gilmore placed fourth, surrendering a takedown with 11 seconds left. Barkac and Pelletier had each placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in NE last year.

Alan Loignon 160 of Biddeford and Pelletier were each finalists. Loignon 38-3 lost 3-0, but Pelletier, 1-0 decision in SF, also won the final in a thriller. Tom Ferrel of Mount Manfield was leading 1-0, when Pelletier broke a wrist grip and tossed the bigger opponent, 29 seconds left, for a reversal and near-fall points.

''It definitely helped having been here before,''Pelletier said, while receiving congratulations. ''Last year when I came here I didn't know what to expect, but this year we had a plan. I just knew I'd have to work hard to get off the bottom.''

Pelletier' father Maynard, also assistant coach, who a NE championship at UMAINE 23 years ago.

Dirigo teammates Derek Daley 119, Jon Smith 135 and Kyle Meile 171 each had mixed results Friday evening. Smith started strong by pinning Matt Desabrais of Vermont in 58 seconds. The next match was against Massachusetts state champion John Archambault who controlled the action. The Ludlow wrestler, eventual finalist, was over powering and Smith was unable to put forth a counter attack.

''I was really excited about having won my first match,''Smith said. ''The Mass kid was just to strong and I couldn't move off the bottom. I didn't adjust because he secured his legs, so I went with the style that got me here.''

Smith was eliminated Saturday morning. Daley led 5-3 and attempted a head and arm, but his opponent rolled through it and stuck the Cougar.

Brendon Bradley of Mountain Valley was the lone area wrestler, who had competed at the NE championships in 2005.

Bradley was tied entering the third period of a preliminary /non-team scoring/ match, but fell behind after two quick takedowns. The Falcon lost 7-3 and teammate Tyler Child was hampered by sore ribs, also losing by decision.

''Kids can get by with the basics,''Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. ''That includes a single and double-leg takedown, plus leg rides. The control and degree of angles is important because when the kids get inside, they turn their hips on a dime and slide behind.''

Lisbon was represented by Jeff Cossar 103, Tyler Clark 125, Andrew Dubois 152 and Nic Adams 160. Several Maine wrestlers endured some doses of hard ache, including Clark who lost a quarterfinal match in overtime. The Greyhound had escaped late in regulation, to force the extra session. Travis St Halaire, eventual champion, slid behind for a takedown, with one second remaining to win. Jarod Rideout 140 of Foxcroft was leading, but over extended his arms and was pinned. Dustin Crocker of Mount Ararat also forced OT, but lost 3-1. Belfast freshman Travis Spencer lost a one-point decision and Tyler Robinson 215 of Cony won his initial match, but was then short sided on a controversial call and lost a preceding match.
''Dustin wasn't himself,''Jensen said. ''He is usually more aggressive, but he was hesitate to go through with moves, in fear of making a mistake.''

Numerous matches were decided in the final seconds, as the wrestlers each were the best from respective state. Therefore, nothing could be taken for granted and it was imperative to remain active, until the completion of every match. Previously unbeaten Jon Hussey of Marshwood was humbled in a quarterfinal match, the sophomore had placed fifth in NE as a freshman.
''It's a whole different level down here,''Noble coach Kip DeVoll. ''Every match is a super bowl, there are no easy one's. Until we are able to bring our best wrestlers from Maine and stop this three-week layoff, it will be a struggle. Maine teams need to get outside of the state and wrestle against stronger competition, during regular season.''

Other Mainers who had styles toned down, included Deering teammates Allen Stein and Chris Smith at 119 and 125.

Josh Eon 171 of Massabesic and James McPhee 215 of Foxcroft, who suffered a cut nose and donned a face mask, placed fourth, respectively, at 171 and 215. Former two-time NE champion Dekota Cotten of Noble placed fifth in the National Junior College Championships, recently. Foxcroft finished fifth, behind Timberlane, which scored over 100 points, to repeat as champion. The Ponies finish is the best for a Maine team , since Rumford was fourth in 1977. The Panthers were led by finalist Larry Gill, Steve Nokes third and Jeff Irish fourth.
''Honestly, when we came here, I wasn't even thinking about team standings,''Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala said. ''But, this morning we was eighth and kept climbing. The kids came through and it shows that if you practice hard and dedicate yourself, good things will come from it.''

The cream rises to the top and Noble scored 150.5 points to win its eighth-straight Class A state championship

BANGOR-The cream rises to the top and Noble scored 150.5 points to win its eighth-straight Class A state championship runner-up Massabesic had 113.5

Bryan Anderson 103, Jake Longley 112, Jake Bager 125, Peter Bonder 125, Ben Lewis 130, Mike McCrillis 140, Steve Chenard 140 and Jessie Rayworth 189 each earned medals for the Knights.

Local wrestlers in finals were Sam Webber of Mount Blue, Ben Cox 145 and Dustin Crocker of Mount Ararat and Dan McLean 215 of Oxford Hills.

The two-day state meet always creates some interesting delimmas because of the chilly-cavenous Audotroium. It comes down to how the kids perform on the mats.
''Noble is certainly deserving of state crown,''Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff said, 65 points for fourth, best finish in years. ''We brought nine kids and six placed for medals. Then, there's Dan McLean with a torn ACL, but he wanted to come back.''

Webber, who was a state finalist last year as a freshman, met multi-champ Allen Stein of Deering and was decisioned 9-5. The Cougar sophomore had decisioned Bobby Dedovic of Bonny Eagle in the semi-finals.

Cox was pinned, however, Crocker pulled off a 9-8 upset against defending state champ Doug Williams of Sanford.

''Bobby Eon's Massasbesic team is young, but experienced,''Bonny Eagle asst coach Ted Reese said. ''Noble was happy to see us knock Massasbecic a couple times. We are young also, but have all but one returning.''

Tom Moulton of Oxford Hills had lost a heart-breaker in overtime Friday night. Moulton advanced back for third.

Nick White was fourth and Gary Begin of Mount Blue won a 4-2 decision to place third. Viking teammates Ben Stoodley 145 placed third, Brad Smith fourth at 152 and Keith Brown fourth, last second near fall at 189.

Mount Ararat had stepped-up to win the Eastern Regional championship, but Theo Marshall 135, Josh Stuart 140 and Zach Chandler 171, each faltered in the state meet.
Massabesic champs were brothers Joey Eon 140 and Josh Eon 171. Unbeaten John Hussey 135 of Marshwood, Chis Smith of Deering and Alan Loignon of Biddeford each
repeated as a state champion. The individual state champions in Classes A, B and C have automatically qualified for the New England championships to be held next month.

Camden Hills `and Mountain Valley was expected to battle for the 2006 Class B state wrestling championship

BANGOR-Camden Hills `and Mountain Valley was expected to battle for the 2006 Class B state wrestling championship and no one was disappointed.

The teams engaged in a struggle for superamcy Saturday, but the Falcons 171 points, floored the Jammers 169.5.The Windjammers and Falcons had tied for the state crown a year ago.
MV led by 7.5 points entering the finals yesterday.

Mountain Valley was led by Derek Sicotte, Ben Matthews 140-pounds, Aaron Arsenault 152, Tyler Child 189, Brendon Bradley 215 and Kyle Dow 275.

Camden Hillswas equally as strong with Joe McGowen 125, Jacob Berry 140 and Harry Pearson 171. The Windjammers pulled ahead by 24 points in the semis.

The contenders each wanted to advance as many individuals in to the finals, however, it was also essential to have wrestlers advance back through the consolations. Every point was vitial.
''The kids were focused today,''Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. ''We had hoped for six in finals and got them in. Camden has eight, but we'll see.''We were ahead, but not by much, con-finals was great. We'll need to win the head-to-head matches.

CH and the Falcons went head-to-head four times in the finals. Falcon sophomore Derek Sicotte lost 5-4 on a takedown to Joe McGowen . Ben Matthews of MV was pinned by Jacob Berry. Arsenault, state finalist in '05, missed a head and arm and lost to Henry Simpkins and Child executed a standing escape in the last minute to win 6-5 over Ollie Bradeen
''I` sprawled on him,''Child said. ''He had beaten me before and he is strong. The firemens carry was there, so I took it.''

MV received help by third-place Belfast and Billy Berry of Wells, by beating CH in finals.
Bradley decisioned Philip Genther of Medomak Valley in the SF, to set-up a rematch with Jim Baughter of Wells in the finals. Thed Falcon won his second state crown and clinched team title.

''Gethner was strong, but not tenchical,''Bradley said. ''I did what I had to do, but I can do better. Revenge is on my mind for the final, we'll see. There was pressure in the final, but I knew I had to step up''

Dow, who became the starter two weeks ago, The regional champion lost 6-4 on a late takedown by Bill Chadwick of Lake Region.
Shawn Hogeland 135 of Fryeburg won a state crown by decisioning Keith Sleeper of Gardiner.

''I go out there and wrestle, instead of just going out there just to win,''Hogeland 31-5 said. ''My brother is my inspiration and I win for him. He's our assistant coach. I have to give Sleeper credit, he was tough, but I wanted it more.''

Kristi Pearce of Camden first female finalist, overtime loss, in Class B state meet.
Mountain Valley scored well in the cons, with TJ Burgess third at 112, Mike Gilbert fourth at 119. Ernie Matthews was third, a freshman, who lost by one-point to True Bragg of Camden in 130 semi-final match . Chris Cayer rallyed for a grapevine pin for third at 145, Jeff Pelletier 160, nursing sore ribs, pinned with a cradle for third.
Tony Gilmore of Belfast won his third-state crown.

A trio of teams had a legimete shot in Class C, however, Lisbon stood above the rest

A trio of teams had a legimete shot in Class C, however, Lisbon stood above the rest to score points and win the state championship.

The Greyhounds had won three-straight crowns, Foxcroft had won titles in '04r and '05.

Dirigo points was second 148, edging Foxcroft 143, was impressive with Derek Daley 119-pounds, Jon Smith 135 and Kyle Meile 171.

Lisbon was led by Tyler Clark 125, Andrew Dubois 152, Nic Adams 160, Mark Stambach 215 and Elija Trefts 275.

''The team was aggressive today,''Clark said. ''We had a lot of team meetings and we stayed together. We stayed by the mats and didn't mingle through the crowd.''
Clark won 5-2 for 100th career win. Dubois executed pinning combinations. The Greyhounds Dan Cornell lost 6-3.

The ability to wrestle back through helped Dirigo.
''Proud of my kids,''Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. ''They came to wrestle.''
Daley was` sick both days, however, he gutted out a pin and major decision. In the finals, he stuck Kyle Pelletier of Madawaska, with a head and arm.

Jeff Cossar of Lisbon pinned Narin Frichitivang of Traip in 103 finals.
''This started in November,''Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. ''The kids didn't let up. We received a boost from Cam Bubar and Mike Bubduc, even in losses. The kids wrestled hard. .''Smith 36-1 decisioned Ryan Guisto of Lisbon 5-1. Smiths father, Harry won a state championship over 35 years ago at Mexico. Daley and Smith were each state finalists in '05.
''All the hard work paid off,''Smith said. ''In pee wees and junior high, I have to credit coach Hanson.''

Adams of Lisbon escaped in the final minute for a 1-0 decision against Devin Brann of Dirigo. Brann became the school all-time career win leader after stopping Joe Stoper of Bucksport in the semi-final.

The Cougars Kyle Meile was down 16-5, reversed and pinned Brian Vainio of Penobscot Valley. The Cougars Brett Staples was third at 112.

The Greyhounds Stambach and Trefts drew strong Foxcroft state champions James McPhee and Josh Pelletier.

''Team had a good day,''Trefts said. ''We put eight in finals and two in con finals. I feel good, after pinning Calais kid in semi-final. As for football, I have an interview with Yale next week and if accepted, thats where I'm going.''
Mike Bolduc of Lisbon was third at 145.

Lisbons Dan Cornell lost a finals to C.J. Maguire of Wiscasset Jon Pelletier of Bucksport
Mike Danforth 125 of Monmouth was third. The Cougars Mike Jonaitis 140 of Dirigo injury defaulted to Cam Bubar of Lisbon for third. Freshman Josh Palmer of Dirigo was decisioned 10-6 by Billy Greene of Dexter. Jermiah Barkac 112 of Dexter won his third state title

BANGOR-Camden Hills `and Mountain Valley was expected to battle for the 2006 Class B state wrestling championship and no one was disappointed. The teams engaged in a struggle for superamcy Saturday, but the Falcons 171 points, floored the Jammers 169.5.
The Windjammers and Falcons had tied for the state crown a year ago.
MV led by 7.5 points entering the finals yesterday.

Mountain Valley was led by Derek Sicotte, Ben Matthews 140-pounds, Aaron Arsenault 152, Tyler Child 189, Brendon Bradley 215 and Kyle Dow 275.

Camden Hills was equally as strong with Joe McGowen 125, Jacob Berry 140 and Henry Simpkins 152. The Windjammers pulled ahead by 24 points in the semis.

The contenders each wanted to advance as many individuals in to the finals, however, it was also essential to have wrestlers advance back through the consolations. Every point was vital.
''The kids were focused today,''Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. ''We had hoped for six in finals and got them in. Camden has eight, but we'll see.''We were ahead, but not by much, con-finals was great. We'll need to win the head-to-head matches.

Child executed a standing escape in the last minute to win 6-5 over Ollie Bradeen.
''I` sprawled on him,''Child said. ''He had beaten me before and he is strong. The firemens carry was there, so I took it.''

MV received help by third-place Belfast and Billy Berry of Wells, by beating CH in finals.
Bradley decisioned Philip Genthner of Medomak Valley in the SF, to set-up a rematch with Jim Brownell of Wells in the finals. The Falcon came from behind in the third period for a 6-4 decision and won his second state crown. It clinched team title.

''Genthner was strong, but not tenchical,''Bradley said. ''I did what I had to do, but I can do better. Revenge is on my mind for the final, we'll see. There was pressure in the final, but I knew I had to step up''

Dow, who became the starter two weeks ago, The regional champion lost 6-4 on a late takedown by Bill Chadwick of Lake Region.

Shawn Hogeland 135 of Fryeburg won a state crown by decisioning Keith Sleeper of Gardiner.

Kristi Pearce of Camden first female finalist, overtime loss, in Class B state meet.
Mountain Valley scored well in the cons, with TJ Burgess third at 112, Mike Gilbert fourth at 119. Gilbert lost 1-0 on an escape by Jeremy Burnside of CH. Ernie Matthews was third, a freshman, who lost by one-point to True Bragg of Camden in 130 semi-final match . Chris Cayer rallyed for a grapevine pin for third at 145, Jeff Pelletier 160, nursing sore ribs, pinned with a cradle for third.

"This is sweet,"Dolloff said, during ceremonies. "It's nice to be able to celebrate at the place that you win it, instead of two weeks later."

Tony Gilmore of Belfast won his third-state crown. The Lions had five state champions, including freshman Josh Robbins 112, James Spencer 119, Travis Spencer and Most Outstanding Wrestler Logan Kelley 171.

Dirigo battles for runner-up spot in Class C state wrestling meet

A trio of teams had a shot in Class C, however, Lisbon stood above the rest to score points and win the state championship. The Greyhounds had won three-straight crowns, prior to Foxcroft winning titles in '04 and '05.

Dirigo points was second 148, edging Foxcroft 143, was impressive with Derek Daley 119-pounds, Jon Smith 135 and Kyle Meile 171.
Lisbon was led by Tyler Clark 125, Andrew Dubois 152, Nic Adams 160, Mark Stambach 215 and Elija Trefts 275.

''Proud of my kids,''Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. ''They came to wrestle.''
Daley was` sick both days, however, he gutted out a pin and major decision. In the finals, he stuck Kyle Pelletier of Madawaska, with a head and arm.

Jeff Cossar of Lisbon pinned Narin Frichitivong of Traip in 103 finals. Cossar had lost to the Ranger wrestler the previous two Saturdays.

''This started in November,''Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. ''The kids didn't let up. We received a boost from Cam Bubar and Mike Bubduc, even in losses. The kids wrestled hard. .''Smith 36-1 decisioned Ryan Guisto of Lisbon 5-1. Smiths father, Harry won a state championship exactly 35 years ago at Mexico. Daley and Smith were each state finalists in '05.

''All the hard work paid off,''Smith said. ''In pee wee and junior high, I have to credit coach (Dennis) Hanson.''

Adams of Lisbon escaped in the final minute for a 1-0 decision against Devin Brann of Dirigo. Brann became the school all-time career win leader, after stopping Joe Stoper of Bucksport in the semi-final.

The Cougars Kyle Meile was down 16-5, reversed and pinned Brian Vainio of Penobscot Valley. The Cougars Brett Staples and Pat O'Leary each placed third at 112 and 215, respectively. Cougar Josh Ronan executed two takedowns in the final 50 seconds, to tie the Friday night match, but was dinged one-point for locking hands, at buzzer.

The Greyhounds Stambach and Trefts drew strong Foxcroft state champions James McPhee and Josh Pelletier. Both Ponies won 3-2 decisions down the stretch.

''Team had a good day,''Trefts said. ''We put eight in finals and two in con finals. I feel good, after pinning Calais kid in semi-final. As for football, I have an interview with Yale next week and if accepted, that's where I'm going.''
Bubar and Bolduc was third at 145.
Lisbons Dan Cornell lost 6-4 final.

Mike Danforth 125 of Monmouth was third. Mike Jonaitis 140 of Dirigo injury defaulted to Bubar for third. Freshman Josh Palmer of Dirigo was decisioned 10-6 by Billy Greene of Dexter. Jeremiah Barkac 112 of Dexter won his fourth

FROM: JEFF SCULLY; Executive Director, Maine Games (<mailto:jeff@mainegames.org>jeff@mainegames.org) 207-284-2003

RE: 2006 MAINE GAMES STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

GORHAM, MAINE - The Maine Games has announced that the 2006 Maine Games State Wrestling Championships will be held on June 24 and 25, at Gorham Sports Center.

The youth tournament (kindergarten through 8th grade) will be held on Saturday, June 24, and the High School and Open tournament will be held on Sunday, June 25.

The Gorham Sports Center is a multi-purpose indoor sports facility which opened in 2005 and currently hosts soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball and softball leagues and tournaments. This is the first time the venue will be used for wrestling.

"I can't imagine a more impressive or unique venue than this," said Maine Games Executive Director, Jeff Scully. "It will almost be like wrestling outdoors, without the hot sun or chance of rain. This building is huge. We've held the last three events in the Portland Expo. You could fit three Expos in this building!"

The Gorham Sports Center measures 185 feet by 270 feet. The sports field is covered with sport turf.

This is the fourth annual Maine Games State Wrestling Championships and again state and regional champions will register to compete for Maine Games gold, silver, and bronze, as well as qualification for the 2007 State Games of America, being held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the United States Air Force Academy.

Registrations have opened and athletes submitting their registration before May 1 will receive a free event T-shirt. The cost until May 1 is only $20. The cost for registration from May 1 until May 31, is $25, and from June 1 to June 17 the fee goes up to $30. After May 1, the event T-shirts will cost $10 with registration or $15 at the venue.

To find registration materials or to register online, go to <http://www.mainegames.org/id18.htm>http://www.mainegames.org/id18.htm.

For more information about the Maine Games; <http://www.mainegames.org/>www.mainegames.org.

Wrestling fans wishing to volunteer for this event should send an email to: <mailto:info@mainegames.org>info@mainegames.org, and put "Wrestling Volunteer" in the subject line.

Officials wishing to work this game should contact Dennis Bishop.

###

Jeff Scully (207-284-2003) jeff@mainegames.org

1. Camden Hills Jammer' rise to the occasion
2. Noble Knights armed and dangerous
3. Massabesic Mustangs have another battle
4. Mountain Valley Falcons set-up for state meet
5. Foxcroft Ponies could three-peat
6. Belfast Lions will be in hunt
7 Dirigo Cougars recaptured regional
8. Mount Ararat Eagles finally landed
9. Lisbon Hounds are not going away
10. Oxford Hills Vikings still have hill to climb

*Why are teams worthy of ranking?
What competition do they face?
Intangibles?
Regional?

RUMFORD- Kyle Dow realizes that he needs to build-up endurance by spending time on a wrestling mat and his wish was granted as Mountain Valley scored 241 points to easily win the Class B Western regional championship Saturday over runner-up York 127 points. The Falcons won seven individual championships 13 wrestlers in the top three of the respective weight classes.

The Falcons who have won the regional four-straight years, started strong and refused to let up through out the entire event. A key figure was Dow who executed a standing escape with three-seconds left to win a thrilling 9-8 decision against Bill Chadwick of Lake Region The junior was elevated to starter because two-time state champion Dave Smith has suffered a career-ending knee injury.

"I was a little winded,"Dow said, following a pin in the semi-finals. "I have to do things a little harder to prepare myself to wrestle, that includes running. When I found out I was the starter, it changed my (mind set)."

Other Falcon champions included Derek Sicotte (125), Ernie Matthews (130), Ben Matthews (140), Aaron Arsenault (152) and Tyler Child (189),

The top four in each weight class automatically advance to the state meet next Friday-Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium. The goal of the teams was to get the most quality wrestlers in the top seeds.

Cayer had a solid day and stuck Cody Poland of Lincoln Academy in the finals. The Falcon senior had rallied with a spadle-pinning move in a 5-4 win over Billy Barry of Wells in a semi-final match.

"He had me early on because of his strength,"Cayer said. "I couldn't do much until I got a reversal. When I came around front, the opportunity to hit (paddle) was there, so I went with it."

Falcon teammates T.J. Burgess 112 , Mike Gilbert (119), Chris Brennick (171) and Brendan Bradley (215) . Gilbert was decisioned 6-4 by Jim Cryer of Wells, on a takedown. Bradley lost 9-8 in overtime in a wild finish. Bradley had escaped with seconds left, but Jim Baumger slid behind for a takedown before the buzzer sounded.

"We sewed up the team title early,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "The kids had to stay focused and get set-up for states."

Mountain Valley also rose up in the consulation finals Cory David (103) and Jeff Pelletier 160 each placed third.

Joe Wysocki of Oak Hill was third at 125 and five Raiders placed fourth.
Ernie Matthews had trailed, but engineered a reversal and secured a cradle, to show Tom Ciampa the lights.

"I pulled it out,"Matthews said. "A huge amount of adrenalin went through my body. I could feel a thing (kept moving)."

Arsenault won a hard-fought 12-10 decision over Bill Hardy of Wells.
."He kept shooting on me,"Arsenault said. "He really wanted it, but I had enough to pull it out."

Fryeburg champions were Matt Badeau 103, Nick Novia at 112 and Shane Hogeland (135). Badeau won by injury default over Oak Hill freshman Ken Pinard. Hogeland earned his 100th career match with an 8- decision over Ryan Vartanian of Wels. The Raiders fifth with 96.5 Sequoyah Reynoso 152 placed third.

Dirigo wrestling team is on a mission and its performances spoke loud and clear to win the Class C Western regional championship

RUMFORD-The Dirigo wrestling team is on a mission and its performances spoke loud and clear to win the Class C Western regional championship with 202 points. Lisbon was a close second, but it as Dirigo who ruled the day-long event.

The Greyhounds had seven individual champions to win their first regional crown since 1990.
Dirigo received big wins by Brett Staples (112), Derek Daley (119), Jon Smith (135), Mike Jonaitis (140), Josh Palmer (145), Devin Brann 160 and Kyle Meile at 171.

Lisbon had won five-straight regional championship. Dirigo had won regional crown from 1996-2000. A key was Dirigo winning four of five head-to-head matches against Lisbon in the finals. "We had talked about it all week,"Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. "We had to beat Lisbon in the championship finals. Also, a big lift was A.J. Carrier (third at 275) winning to put us ahead, prior to the finals. It was a total team effort."

Lisbon (11 qualified) ad champions Tyler Clark (125), Dan Cornell 130, Mike Bolduc (145), Andrew Dubois (152), Mark Stambach 215) and Elijah Trefts at 275.

The Cougars Jon Smith 33-1 won 10-4 over Ryan Guisto of Lisbon; Mike Jonaitis won a 13-1 major decision against Cam Bubar and Cougar freshman Josh Palmer held back Mike Bolduc 7-4.

Dirigo senior Devin Brann (160) out performed Nic Adams of Lisbon 5-2. Brann had decisioned Adams at Mid States last week.

"I controlled the third period,"Brann said, who has 106 career wins, one behind Merle Lufkin for the school record. "He seemed tired and was holding back. He was hoping that I'd make a mistake, but I was on the offensive."

Meile, who scored a maximum 24 points, continued on fire. The junior pinned three opponents.

"the team did a great job,"Meile said. "We had confidence after finishing ahead of Lisbon last week. We'll have plenty of momentum entering the state meet."

The finals started with a bang as Lisbon Jeff Cossar lost 7-2 to Narin Fritchittavong of Traip. Cossar had lost 11-8 to the Ranger wrestler last week.

Clark, state finalist in 2004, was unable to compete in the regional last year because of a weight issue, pinned Mike Danforth of Monmouth. "Yes, I had some thing to prove today,"Clark (37-3) said. "I really wanted this."

Staples pined Melanie McInnis of Monmouth and Daley decisioned Zachary Vickers of Hall Dale.

Cornell said beating Josh Ronan of Dirigo in the quarterfinal had been redemption. The Greyhound wrestler won 7-5 over CJ Maguire of Wiscasset. Ronan placed third with a 7-5 decision over Erik Taylor of Monmouth.

Stambach decisioned Pat O'Leary of Dirigo. Dubois won a major decision and Trefts also won by pin. Monmouth third 77.5, had a second finalist in Joel Emery (189), thirds by Cody Guzman 135.

Intangibles?
Which tournaments did they compete in?
Lard Pond and Skin Lake don,t cut mustard

YORK-It was a combination of grit and determination that led Mountain Valley wrestling team to score 208 points and pull away from runner-up Dirigo 158.5 at the 2005 Mid-State League wrestling championships in Robert Butler Gymnasium Saturday
Mountain Valley Lisbon

MV individual champions included T.J Burgess 112-pounds, Ben Matthews 140, Chris Cayer 145, Aaron Arsenault 152, Tyler Child 189 and Brenden Bradley 215 . The Falcons ran away with the title by winning 10 semi-final matches.

Lisbon 150.5 was third behind champions Tyler Clark 125, Dan Cornell 130 and Mark Stambach 215 and Elijah Trefts at 275.

Dirigo was solid with Derek Daley 119, John Smith 135, Devin Brann 160 and Kyle Meile 171.York and Wells finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The MSL was highly anticipated because of the addition of five teams. This provided increased competition and filled out the 14 weight classes.
Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. ''For the past several years, we've strengthened our schedule by competing in several tournaments and then we'd come to the Mid-States and there was only two or three kids in a weight class. It wasn't good because the best way for wrestlers to learn is by competing on the mat.''
Mountain Valley

Dirigo and arch-rival MV went head-to-head four times in the finals. Brett Staples and Burgess, who executed a standing escape in third period en route to a 7-5 decision. Daley /bloody nose/ won 3-0 over Falcon Mike Gilbert.
''I felt more confident against him this time,''Daley said. ''I wasn't able to do some things I wanted to do, cause of his style, but I got the win.''

Meile, competing with a mask to protect a broken nose, beat Chris Brennick of MV. Meile was voted most outstanding wrestler.

''We was in pretty good shape coming in here,''Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. ''The kids had to wrestle up to their seeds. A main goal for todays competition was to get ready for regional next week .''

The Falcons Ernie Matthews injury defaulted to Cornell, in first period. Ben Matthews dcisioned Mike Jonaitis of Dirigo. Cayer 34-4, decisioned Bill Berry Wells.

''I knew he liked cradles, so I stayed away,''Cayer said. ''Plus, I moved over to the right on cross body because he is so strong. I'll face him next week again.''

Arsenault 26-8, used an overhook to secure a takedown with 20 seconds left, to decision Billy Hardy of Wells
'

'I'm excited,''Arsenault said, who won his 100th career match. ''I've been sick with strep throat and I weighed in at 143 today, but I'm working hard in practice to build back my stamia. I need to be able to finish matches in the third period.''

Child, who won an overtime match in the SF, slid behind for a takedown with 20 seconds left, to win Dan Gallaher of MadisonBradley and Mark Stambach of Lisbon The duo had wrestled THREE OVEERTIMED MATCHES, decisions during the season, in overtime during the final, both escaped. Bradley sped off with a standing escapne with four seconds left in double OT.

''I knew I had to get away,''Bradley said. ''He kept grabing my ankle. I'm glad I was on bottom, he's a tough kid.''

Trefts pinned Steve Chadwick of Lake Region. Absent was David Smith of MV, the two-time Class B state champion, is sidelined knee injury for the rest of the season.

Smith improved to 30-1, executed four takedowns in a 12-4 win. The Cougar sophomore was tested by Shawn Hogeland of Fryeburg. Fryeburg won the Sportsmanship award.

''The confidence of having beat him before helped,''Smith said. ''I had a headache and was nervous. He is strong, but I ajusted.''

In another rematch, Brann 24-3 held off Nic Adams of Lisbon 6-5.Brann is the third Cougar wrestler to surpass 100 career wins, tying Derek Turnbull and has a chance to reach all-time leader Merle Lufkin 107 wins.

''I was stoked at getting my 100th on monday,''Brann said ''I had nothing to lose, so I went all out.'' Pat O'Leary iced the the Cougars standing, by placing third at 215.

''This isn't a typecial MSL.''Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said, voted coach of year for fourth time. ''It is a big tournament now. Our team had a biggest semi-final round in a long time. Brett Staples and Mike Jonaitis really pulled through.''

Lisbons Jeff Cossar was decisioned 11-8 by Nain Frichittvang of Traip in 103 finals. Clark shot-in for a takedown with 35 seconds left, to win 5-4 against Derek Sicotte of Mountain Valley. The Falcon sophomore had let Clark up with one minute, but the strategy backfired. The Greyhounds Ryan Guisto 135 and Mike Bolduc 145 and Andrew Dubois 152, also Mike Danforth of Monmouth were each third.

What competition do they face?
Which tournaments do they compete in?
Lard Pond and Skin Lake don,t cut mustard

Hyde School JV Wrestling Jamboree

Date: Wednesday February 1, 2006

Place: Hyde School Gymnasium
616 High St.
Bath, ME 04530

Tournament Director: Logan Kidwell
Office: 207 443 7149 Email: <mailto:lkidwell@hyde.edu>lkidwell@hyde.edu

Athletic Director: Thomas Bragg
Office: 207 443 7142 Email: tbragg@hyde.edu

Schedule: 2:30pm Arrival time
2:40pm Coaches meeting
3:00pm Wrestling commences
7:00pm Approx. completion time

Scoring Help:                        Please have at least one experienced table worker accompany you

Entry Fee: $5.00 per entry. Please pay with advanced registration; to cover the cost of referees, trainer, participation gifts, etc.

Format:          This tournament will be run as a jamboree on at least four mats. Each wrestler will be grouped by weights on site. Every wrestler will have at least two matches, possibly more if time allows.

Changing Room: We have limited space for changing and lockers and the space we have must be shared with other sports and wrestling teams. We encourage your wrestlers to bring a bag for their belongings and to not to bring any valuables, or to make separate arrangements for securing valuables.

Inclement Weather: Please contact Thomas Bragg (443 7142) on Monday (January 30) if the weather is questionable.

Roster:           Each school must fax or email a roster of participating wrestlers to Logan Kidwell (Fax: 443 1450) by the evening of Friday January 27, 2006. Please use the format below so that wrestlers may be matched up as fairly as possible. Please include how long each wrestler has been wrestling (1- new wrestler, 2- experienced, 3- competitive).

1. Camden Hills impressive performance at Noble tourney
2. Noble Knight will be there in the end
3. Massabesic Mustangs youthful, but deep and dangrous
4. Belfast Lions definitely in state race
5. Mountain Valley Falcons humbled at Noble, but will regroup
6. Bonny Eagle Scots are starting to come together
7. Lisbon Hounds' finishing strong
8. Foxcroft Academy Ponies could compete in Class A
9. Dirigo Beware of the Cougars snarl
10. Oxford Hills Vikings are continuing to improve each week

Note: Based on the results I've seen so far there are several teams that are competing
intensely with Mt. Ararat and Oxford Hills for the last 2 spots on the poll.
Dirigo, MCI, Marshwood, Dexter, Lincoln Academy, Erskine Academy and
Kennebunk are all right in the hunt, but none higher than 9th.

For the past decade, the Mid-State League has been considered mediocre, however, the opportunity to increase the level of competition proved to be an overwhelming factor in finally adding five teams and bringing instant respectability.

The MSL nearly doubled in size to 12-teams, with the addition of Wells, York, Lake Region, Fryeburg Academy and Traip Academy. The five programs, based in southern Maine, were each members of the Western Maine Conference.

The change became official last Friday when several athletic directors met and agreed to make the change. The meeting and proposal was organized by Dirigo athletic director Jeff Turnbull.

"Jeff deserves a lot of credit,"Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. "We just told him what we had suggested and he did all the leg work, assembled every body and ironed out the details."

The initial idea had been laid out during a statewide coaches meeting last month at Scarborough High School. The respective coaches fully supported the changes and were eager to proceed to the next phase.

"It was quite easy,"Gilbert said. "We got the coaches behind closed doors and told them what we had in mind. They all agreed with the idea. It really makes sense because the additional teams immediately increase the competitiveness of the entire league."
The MSL was comprised of Lisbon, Mountain Valley, Dirigo, Monmouth Academy, Wiscassett and Madison. The 2006 championships, originally scheduled at Dirigo, will be held at York on January 28.

The major obstacle the MSL faced in the past was the lack of wrestlers to fill each weight class and it had a direct bearing on the results. In an effort to raise the level, teams would strengthen its respective regular-season with the most competitive schedules available. This has included tournaments such as Mc Donald's, Wells Atlantic, Noble, Redskin and Essex Classic to prepare for the regional and state championships.

"The Mid States has (seen) a drop in level of (overall) competition because the lack of the number of teams,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "However, the quality of wrestlers that Mountain Valley, Dirigo and Lisbon have put on the mat has been incredible. In addition there are always some talent sprouting up from other teams, but the numbers are not always there."

This provides the MSL with a greater amount of success, along the lines of the three major entrants in the state. This includes the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference; Southern Maine Activities Association and the Penquis Valley League.
"The increase in number of teams will fill the brackets,"Stevens said. "It brings (MSL) wrestling back up to a third more meaningful for the athletes. Any decision to make wrestling more meaningful for the kids is a good one."

A new Weight Management Program has been instituted for every high school wrestler in the state and is designed to prevent wrestlers from becoming involved in yo-yo dieting.
.

Each wrestler had his/her body fat measured during preseason and can not drop any additional weight; if the individual body fat is below predetermined levels. The percentage is 5 percent for males and 12 percent for females. This means that if a wrestlers weighs, 137 pounds and their body fat is at or under the percentage. They will be allowed to compete at 140, they won't be allowed to compete at 135. This may affect teams that have several wrestlers at or near, the same weight. Coaches will hopefully MAKE wrestlers adhere to this procedure.

Deanna Rix is only the second female in the United States to win over 100 varsity matches and was a finalist in the '05 Class A state meet. She also won her third-straight national girls championship in '05 and was MOW. She received a scholarship to Northernn Michigan. Rix father Matt coaches at Marshwood and has compiled an impressive record of over 240 wins and 50 losses. Rix has always produced solid tournament teams, which has included approximately 40 individual state champions.

This past season Colby Lamson won his third-straight and continued the Hawks tradition of having wrestlers win multiple state crowns. The Whalen and Buttrick brothers combined to win over 10 crowns. Marshwood finished seventh in the 1999 New England tournament, led by finalist Daric Buttrick.

Chris Barkac of Dexter became the seventh wrestler in Maine history to win four state championships. He was 132-1 in-state and 138-8 overall career record, winning state crowns at 103, 119, 125 and 130. Barkac, a finalist at the '05 New England championships, is now wrestling at Norwich University in Vermont; while younger brother Jeremiah Barkac (79-0 in-state) has already won two-straight state championships and placed fifth at the '05 N.E.
The Barkac' certainly benefited from blending in to a positive atmosphere at Dexter and learned the winning ways. Tiger coach Dave Gudroe, older brother Steve and Dave's son Adam were each four-time finalists, winning three state championships.

The Maine Principal' Association is commended for doing the right thing and naming Mountain Valley and Camden Hills co-state champions. The Class B crown had been awarded to Camden Hills, however, MV coach Gary Dolloff discovered a scoring error. CH had been awarded two-additional points for a bye. The MPA recognized it and upheld the appeal.

The Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Banquet proved to be an overwhelming success at the Hyde School. A vast amount of effort was put forth by Chuck Alexander in arranging the event. The 2005 class included Dennis Bishop, coach Matt Rix and wrestlers Bryan Brunk and Tom Layte. The MAWA has inducted individuals annually for the HOF to further promote the worlds oldest sport.

Noble won its seventh-straight Class A state championship in '05 and really benefited by a team effort. Zack Douchette won the lone individual state crown, but the Knights depth had produced a solid lead in the consolations. Sanford won eight state crowns from 1961-68.

Chris Barkac of Dexter and Caleb Pelletier of Foxcroft Academy earned 2005 Honorable All American honors by Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

Success breeds success are those traits have been carried on by Chris Barkac of Dexter and Caleb Pelletier of Foxcroft Academy who each have earned 2005 Honorable All American honors by Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

The wrestlers who attend high schools a few miles away have won a combined seven Class C state and Eastern regional championships. It requires a tremendous commitment to achieve success and each certainly exceeded expectations.

Both seniors were selected to the SunJournal first team All-State and Barkac also earned the 2005 SJ Wrestler of the Year honors.

Barkac, who had transferred from Pennsylvania, is the seventh wrestler in Maine history to win four state championships. The Tiger standout burst on to the mats as a freshman and despite missing a month with a broken arm, rose to the occasion in the post season. He was 132-1 in-state and 138-8 overall, winning state crowns at 103, 119, 125 and 130.

Barkac was well known for being a superior takedown artist and he was always looking to wrap-up opponents. This strategy proved to be overwhelming and it produced a 12 second pin against Mike Jonaitis of Dirigo in the state final.

"Chris is a hard worker and very dedicated, Dexter coach Dave Gudroe said. "This type of (mind set) carry,s through to the classroom because he,s also a good student. Even as a freshman, I knew Chris would have plenty of talent because Pennsylvania wrestlers have a strong reputation.

Barkac, who placed fifth at the 2002 New England championships, was a finalist at the NE in March. He was out schooled 19-7 against All American Dave Labrock of Mount Anthony, Vermont who won two N.E. championships.

Barkac hopes to continue wrestling at Norwich University in Vermont or at William Penn in Iowa and Pelletier (3.4 GPA) will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Pelletier won three-straight state championships and finished his career with a 122-25 record. He placed third in the state meet as a freshman.

Barkac and Pelletier each have younger brothers who are carrying on the tradition. Jeremiah Barkac (79-0 in-state) has won two-straight state championships and placed fifth at the 05 N.E. Josh Pelletier won a state crown and placed sixth in N.E.

The Barkac, certainly benefited from blending in to a positive atmosphere at Dexter and learned the winning ways. Tiger coach Dave Gudroe, brother Steve and Dave,s son Adam were each four-time finalists, winning three state championships. Dave Gudroe was a N.E, finalist in ,76. The Pelletier, father Maynard, an assistant coach, won a N.E. championship for the University of Maine in 1984.

Steve Swindells of Augusta was named the Maine Person of the Year by the national publication in recognition of being an active official for over four decades.

In 1973, he was asked by John Smith and Wally LaFountain to officiate and he has tried to be consistent and give the wrestlers a fair opportunity. Swindells was advised that a good referee is not part of the show, but is in the back ground. He is extremely grateful because he has never missed a meet or state tournament. Numerous current coaches in Maine were wrestlers that he had the honor of officiating and longevity has provided more fun and found memories than any one man could possibly expect.

SENIORS School Accomplish Record
Derek Young Camden Hills 1x SC,2nd IN B 2 130
Tony Gilmore Belfast 2x B SC 125
Josh Pelletier Foxcroft Academy 2x SC 35-0 215
David Smith Mountain Valley 2x SC,6th NE '04 '05 39-3 275
JUNIORS
Alan Stein Deering 2x SC 36-0 103
Jeremiah Barkac Dexter 2x C SC,6th cadet, 5TH NE 44-1 103
True Bragg Camden Hills 1x SC 44-9 119
Tyler Clark Lisbon 2nd(beat Class A SC twice) 30-1 119
Cody Laite Camden Hills 1Xsc 49-9 140
Doug Williams Sanford 1x A SC 152
Cory Smith Oxford Hills 1 x SC 36-4 189
SOPHOMORES
Derek Daley Dirigo 2nd C 31-5 103 Murphy McGowen Camden Hills 1x B SC 50-6 103
Jim Spencer Belfast 2nd in B 103
Chris Smith Deering SC 40-3 112
Sam Webber Mount Blue 2nd 112
John Hussey Marshwood 1x A SC 5th NE 44-1 125
Jerod Rideout Foxcroft Academy 1x C SC 31-4 135
NE is New England
SC is state champ

OVERALL SPORTMANSHIP: Dan West (Jr. 158), Allen Muir (Jr. 210)
KIDS DIVISION
Kids 50 lbs
1. K. Taylor
2. J. Turner
3. A. McLaughlin

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
Jr 100 lbs
1. C. Deering
2. J. Longley
3. K. Belts
4. K. Dawe

Mid-Maine Spring Freestyle Wrestling Classic May 8, 2005 RESULTS 2
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION (Continued)
Jr 135 lbs
1. S. Leadbetter
2. J. Berry
3. C.J. Maguire
4. S. Maguire

Jr 234 lbs
1. J. Bowen
2. G. Bryant
3. B. Murray
4. A. Muir
Mid-Maine Spring Freestyle Wrestling Classic May 8, 2005 RESULTS
OPEN DIVISION

First Team
103 Jeremiah Barkac Dexter Sophomore
112 Kyle Bonin Belfast Senior
119 Zack Douchette Noble Junior
125 John Hussey Marshwood Freshman
130 Chris Barkac Dexter Senior
135 Shane Webber Mount Blue Senior
140 Dylan Wentworth Skowhegan Senior
145 Colby Lamson Marshwood Senior
152 Caleb Pelletier Foxcroft Academy Senior
160 Harry Pearson Camden Hills Senior
171 Andy Semple Deering Senior
189 Chris Smith Mountain Valley Senior
215 Josh Pelletier Foxcroft Academy Junior
275 David Smith Mountain Valley Junior

Second Team
103 Samual Stein Deering Junior
112 Justin Cornell Lisbon Senior
119 True Bragg Camden Hills Sophomore
125 Tony Gilmore Belfast Junior
130 Norman Gilmore Belfast Senior
135 Mike McCrillis Noble Junior
140 Cory Laite Camden Hills Sophomore
145 Ben Dunham Belfast Senior
152 Doug Williams Sanford Sophomore
160 Doug Rayworth Noble Senior
171 Randy Briggs Foxcroft Academy Senior
189 Cory Smith Oxford Hills Sophomore
215 Brendan Bradley Mountain Valley Junior
275 Jon Benson Biddeford Senior

Most Outstanding Wrestler Chris Barkac, Dexter
Coach of Year Gary Dolloff, Mountain Valley

Honorable Mention: 103 Derek Daley, Dirigo and Jake Badger, Noble; 112 Chris Smith, Deering and Joe McGowen, Camden Hills; 119 Tyler Clark, Lisbon and Anthony Moriarty, Marshwood; 125 Charlie Stambach, Lisbon and Zack Hale, Noble; 130 Shane Ledbetter, Sanford and Deanna Rix, Marshwood; 135 Jarod Rideout, Foxcroft;

140 Dustin Crooker, Mount Ararat; 145 Dan West, Sanford; 152 Tom Burns, Ellsworth; 160 Ben Madigan, Mountain Valley and Alan Loignon, Biddeford; 171 Jacob Treadwell,Wells; 189 Jack McDonough, Bonny Eagle and James McPhee, Foxcroft; 215 Nate Webster, Marshwood and Jake Sprinkle, Lisbon; 275 Bryan Kraus, Noble
////

It requires a tremendous commitment to achieve success and Chris Barkac of Dexter certainly exceeded expectations to earn the 2005 Sun Journal Wrestler of the Year honors.
Barkac, who had transferred from Pennsylvania, is the seventh wrestler in Maine history to win four state championships. The Tiger standout burst on to the mats as a freshman and despite missing a month with a broken arm, rose to the occasion in the post season. He was 132-1 in-state and 138-8 overall career record, winning state crowns at 103, 119, 125 and 130.
Barkac was well known for being a superior takedown artist and he was always looking to wrap-up opponents. This strategy proved to be overwhelming and it produced a 12 second pin in the state final.

"Chris is a hard worker and very dedicated,"Dexter coach Dave Gudroe said. "This type of (mind set) carry's through to the classroom because he's also a good student. Even as a freshman, I knew Chris would have plenty of talent because Pennsylvania wrestlers have a strong reputation."

Barkac, who placed fifth at the 2002 New England championships, was on a mission to the finals at the NE last month. He had won a semi-final match 6-1, however, he was out schooled 19-7 against a Mount Anthony opponent in the finals.

Barkac certainly benefited from blending in to a positive atmosphere at Dexter and learned the winning ways. Tiger coach Dave Gudroe' brother Steve and Dave's son Adam were each four-time finalists, winning three state championships.

Barkac hopes to continue wrestling at Norwich University in Vermont or at William Penn in Iowa. Younger brother Jeremiah Barkac (79-0 in-state) has already won two-straight state championships and placed fifth at the '05 N.E.

Also considered for wrestling honors was Chris Smith of Mountain Valley. The Falcon senior won three Class B state championships. In the past two years, Smith compiled a 72-1 record during the regular season and his last loss against a Maine wrestler was to Rob Hespe of Lisbon in the 2003 Mid-State League championships.

Smith set some lofty goals and achieved two in the New England championships at North Andover, Massachusetts. Smith, all-Academic, eventually earned a sixth-place medal and along the way he broke the school record for career wins.

History was made as Chris and David Smith and the Barkacs are the first-ever brothers from the Pine Tree state to earn medals in the same N.E. The Smith brothers are believed to be the first to win both football and wrestling state championships in the same year.

On Mountain Valley being named co-state champions in Class B, Chris Smith said
"I was really excited. Coach (Gary) Dolloff had wanted to win it for a lone time. It really feels great to win state championships in both football and wrestling with my brother in the same (school) year. The senior class at MV was really dedicated to athletics."

At N.E., Smith had been informed that he needed one more win to pass Anthony Mazza who held the record with 128 wins. This provided extra incentive for Smith who executed a pre-determined strategy en route to record a 45-second pin. Smith had also secured a head and arm hold for a 37 second pin.

"I had planned on trying to work the move,"Smith said. "I had seen him wrestle and he left himself open for it. The wrestlers are so technical down here, so they quite possibly had never had a head and arm tried on them. They are used to going six minutes, so if I can get (match) over quickly, I'm going to try it."

The deeper he advanced in to the tournament, the matches became even more competitive. He was unable to secure the hold again and lost a 3-2 decision in the consolation final.
"I'm really happy with my career,"Smith said. "I never thought that I'd get this far. I hadn't done that well as a freshman at 135. But, the coaches kept encouraging me to work harder. The experiences of playing football also helped because I gained 20 pounds each year."
///////////////////

A matter of over coming adversity certainly was a key element in naming Gary Dolloff as the 2005 SunJournal Coach-of-the-Year.

Mountain Valley endured road blocks early on, however, every body held together and made great strides during the last six weeks of the regular season. This was necessary because of injuries, in addition to Dolloff missing a significant amount of time, while under going tests in a Boston hospital.

"This was the most (surreal) seasons I've ever coached,"Dolloff said. "It started out with (Derek) Sicotte (season-ending) injury, but then things were picking up when team won the Atlantic (tournament) and then we had a couple more injuries and I was in the hospital."
Dolloff was quick to credit assistant coaches Chris Bean and Jeff Gilbert for guiding the team through out his absence. The duo maintained a positive atmosphere and this was a big incentive for the team being able to strive toward its goals.

The Falcons were in a state of disarray following a 48-36 loss to rival Dirigo and a feeling of self doubt filtered through out the team. They relied on each other and then received a shot in the arm when Dolloff returned to guide the team.

"We talked things over (refocusing) our efforts,"Dolloff said. "That weekend, we went to Camden Hills and won four of five meets and the kids felt better about themselves. Things went right after that and the team began peaking at the right time, through Mid-States, repeating as the Class B regional champion and then we sweated out three additional weeks before earning a share of the state championship."

A scoring error had been made at the state meet, however, Dolloff discovered the infraction and contacted the Maine Principal' Association. It prompted an appeal and it's believed to be the first time the MPA voted to up hold the action. The MPA ultimately made the correct decision because Mountain Valley had actually tied Camden Hills on the mat.
"It was certainly a roller coaster ride,"Dolloff said. "A lot of things occurred during the season and then we had to wait for a decision to be made. We also had solid leadership with seniors (Ben Madigan and Chris Smith), plus we had a good core of juniors. It was fitting that in the end things turned out the way it did because the kids deserved the state championship."

Former Olympian Lou Rosselli highlights the Hills Area wrestling camp this summer.

SOUTH PARIS- An opportunity to learn wrestling from some one who has earned accomplishments at the upper level will be transmitted when former Olympian Lou Rosselli highlights the Hills Area wrestling camp this summer.

Rosselli, currently the head assistant coach at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, will be offering his expertise at the three-day wrestling technique wrestling camp on July 6-8. They are now beginning to receive pre-registrations for youth entering the second grade up to high school. The camp will be run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with a separate tournament on Saturday.

"We are trying to offer something that the area kid's don't have to spend a small fortune on and get some good instruction,"Oxford Hills wrestling coach Mark Dolloff said, a Rumford native.

The camp theme boasts that "Wrestling does not build character, it reveals it."
Rosselli teaches techniques that will work at all levels of wrestling. A challenge has been issued to those young wrestlers who are willing to work toward future goals.
Rosselli, who was a member on the 1996 Olympic team, is extremely well qualified and has accomplished a great deal through out his career. He won a World Cup championship, three-time United States National champion, a University National champion and earned a silver medial in the Pam Am games.

The camp staff will consist of Dolloff, University of Southern Maine coach Joe Pistone, Viking assistant coaches Cimiron Colby and Tony Stevens and Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff. Several area coaches will also be encouraged to participate and pick up some coaching tips.

Lou's focus is on basic techniques,"Mark Dolloff said. "He has a rather intense nature, so it makes for a great teaching atmosphere. He will gear what he teaches to what the staff would like to see. Lou is great with tilts and control wrestling so that is a lot of his foundation."
For the past two seasons, Oxford Hill's have taken a team to Bruce Baumgartners camp at Edinboro. Baumgartner, head coach at Edinboro, is an Olympic Gold Medalist. The Vikings also have sent several individuals to Rosselli' summer camp in August.

Former Viking two-time state champion Seth McAlister is a freshman at Edinboro. McAlister, who red shirted this season, was Shawn Bunch's practice partner and Bunch was a finalist at the NCAA Div. 1 championships in March. Rosselli has said that the Mainer does really well against Bunch and also wrestled strong in three open tournaments.

Rosselli will be well compensated for his services, so organizers feel a solid turn out of camper's to make it successful. The cost is $135 per wrestler, however, it's $110 for early registration. If the camp does draw enough kid's, hopefully a larger camp can be held next season.

"This is our first formal camp to date,"Dolloff said. "So, we are hoping it goes well and we can expand the concept. It appears camps are picking up in Maine during the summer and that can only help our sport."

There are several camping areas and other accommodations in the area, so parents are encouraged to stay and watch.

For more information, contact Dolloff at 743-2378 or Jack Pike 743-2078. Email:fahma@adelphia.net.

The sport of wrestling is demanding, however, it's essential to build a strong foundation and Pine Tree Wrestling League certainly provides a solid opportunity

ROCKPORT-The sport of wrestling is demanding, however, it's essential to build a strong foundation and Pine Tree Wrestling League certainly provides a solid opportunity. In addition to being extremely competitive, each individual can learn a great deal about sportsmanship.

The Mountain Valley and Dirigo Middle Schools hopefully continue on the path because the rivals each performed exceptional by scoring 121 and 94 points to finish third and fourth, respectively in the PTWL championships last Saturday.

The efforts fell short of Troy Howard who won the championship with 133 points to out distance Sugg of Lisbon 122. TR based in Belfast scored 21 points in the final two rounds behind individual champions Zack Shellabarger 99-pounds, Kote Aldus 129 and Travis Spencer 141 and Mark Smith who placed third at 165.

Ernie Matthews 117 completed a near-perfect day as the lone Mountain Valley individual champion. The Hawks finalists included Cody Magoon (81), Garrett McPherson 99 and George Tuttle at 180.

The impending crown was up for the taking as a six point margin separated TH, MV and Sugg entering the championship and consolation finals.
"Its up for grabs,"MV coach Joe Thornton said, referring to the log jam.
WM, comprised of Dixfield and Peru, had remained in contention through out the day and champions Ryan Lemay 75, Josh Palmer 123 and A.J. Carrier at 240. It was the fourth-straight year WM had three champions.

The championships were held in the Camden Hills High School Gymnasium. There were expectations of the event being extremely competitive and things panned out. HAL (Appleton, Lincolnville) won the PTWL in 2004, but had finished bridesmaid to Sugg (Lisbon) and TH in the Eastern regional a week earlier. The Hawks had won the Western regional over WM.
"The kids came in here feeling cocky,"Thornton said. "We didn't have a very good week of practice. But, a couple kids got woken up in the first round."

Mathews (11-0) and Palmer (18-0) each experienced eighth graders stuck their respective opponents in the finals. It was Matthew' fourth-PTWL finals and Palmer won his second-straight PTWL crown.

Matthews wrapped up Zack Monroe of HAL in the middle frame.
"When I go out on thee mat, I'm thinking get the job done,"Matthews said. "I use the bow and arrow, cradle and a half nelson and wrist for securing pinning moves."
Palmer, who was not scored against this season, The three periods are one-minute each.
Palmer produced a big lead, before catching Chris Carter of Sugg.

"I go out on the mat and give it all I've got,"Palmer said. "I try (securing) and (working) off a three-quarter nelson. I'm really looking forward to wrestling in high school."
The Hawks also had Taylor Carey 93 and Taylor Bradley 105 place third. Carey, a fifth grader, decisioned Joe Rinaldi of Mount Ararat 6-2. Bradley executed a takedown to beat Bradon Rich of HAL 3-1 in overtime. First-year wrestler Steve Jeselskis 180 and Brian Cogley 210 each placed fourth.

WM had a strong showing, beginning with Lemay who won 3-2 in the finals. The sixth grader executed a single-leg takedown in the first period and escaped Casey Perry of Brewer. Lemay rolled through a head and arm with 10 seconds left in the match. Carrier, who was third at the regional, was extremely aggressive and stuck Evan Goodine of Bucksport in 20 seconds in the finale.

"We entered the day optimistic,"WM coach Dennis Hanson said. "But, I don't have any complaints. The kids wrestled well and Carrier proved that hard work pays off. He had to beat the number (East) one seed."

WM teammates Josh Hines 87 and Garrett Flagg 155 placed third and fourth, respectively. Hines decisioned Chianne Simmons 6-2 in the con-final.

Magoon and McPherson each came out on the short end of 2-0 decisions. Magoon couldn't work inside against defensive-minded Jacob Powers of HAL, so he attempted to secure a head and arm. Unfortunately, Powers countered the pressure by stepping backward. Magoon tried a hip toss, but a perquisite of the move is to control Powers head. Magoon lost his grip and Powers leaned-in to earn the takedown. McPherson also allowed a takedown to Shellabarger and wasn't able to score a single point during the match. Tuttle was stuck by Bud Walker of Sugg in the second period.

Jarrad Bisson of the Heritage School in Peru was a finalist at 147. Bisson took a 5-0 lead, however, he was eventually stuck by Garrison Beck of Monmouth. Bisson' 16 points were more than seven teams.

Zach Chandler of Sugg pinned Dalton Hines of Troy at 155. In two classic finals matches, Aldus won a 3-2 decision over Mustafa Hassanzada of Augusta and Robbins bested Cameron LeBrecque of Oak Hill 2-0. Gardiner champions were Matt Delgallo 87 and Toran Castro 210 pinned Eric Benzanson of Winslow in 38 seconds.

Mountain Valley High School wrestling team has been declared co-champions of the 2005 Class B state meet

RUMFORD- It was definitely worth the wait because the Mountain Valley High School wrestling team has been declared co-champions of the 2005 Class B state meet.

The appeal was upheld by the Maine Principals' Association management committee (Board of Directors) in Augusta. Mountain Valley Principal Bruce Lindberg presented his findings to the committee in a closed-door meeting Thursday morning in Augusta.

The final results at the conclusion of the state meet had Mountain Valley finishing second with 164.50 points, exactly two points behind Camden Hills. Fortunately, a scoring error was discovered that showed Camden Hills was actually awarded two additional points.
Lindberg had contended that maintaining a running score for all teams at an eight-mat tournament would be impossible to do. That is why the MPA hires a scorekeeper and a meet director to insure issues like this don't happen. It's routine for each team to keep a running score through out a tournament.

The wrestling committee recognized that a (software) scoring mistake had been made, however, it didn't feel it had the authority to change the original scoring totals. Its reasoning was based on the federation rulebook which states that an appeal must be made 30 minutes following the completion of the state meet. The next step in the process was appealing to the MPA B.O.D.

Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff had recalculated the scoring during the night, discovered the error and contacted the committee by 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

"It's very satisfying,"Dolloff said. "It has been in the back my mind for nearly a month, But, I think the (MPA) made the right decision. It's good for the kid's because they worked hard for it. It will also be rewarding to be able to hang a state championship banner up on the wall at school."

The Falcons points were earned by state champions Chris Smith (189) and Brendan Bradley (215) and David Smith at 275. Other finalists were Brendan Bradley (135), Aaron Arsenault (152), Ben Madigan (160) and Tyler Childs (171). Ben Matthews placed third at 145. Mike Gilbert and Chris Cayer were each fourth at 112 and 140, respectively.

The error occurred with Murphy McGowen at 103-pounds who received four-advancement points. The Camden Hills freshman had a bye in the quarterfinals and wasn't able to earn advancement points, until he won his next match. McGowen won a semi-final match and eventually won a state championship with an 8-5 decision against Jim Spencer of Belfast.
Lindberg had polled every Class B coach to find out if they each keep a running tally of their own scores. They agreed that maintaining other team scores would not be possible."
Lindberg has covered the bases to present to the MPA management team. This included contacting Camden Hills Principal Jim Anastasio agreed a scoring error had been made and wrote a letter to the MPA, in support of naming Camden Hills and Mountain Valley as co-champions.

It's the first wrestling state crown in the River Valley since Rumford won Class A in 1981. Mexico won Class B in 1980. Camden Hills had won the previous five state championships, with Mountain Valley finishing second five times.

Mountain Valley has now won three state Class B championships in four months, including football in November and boy's skiing last month.

Falcons come up short against Windjammers in Class B state wrestling championship in Maine

David Smith of Mountain Valley repeated as a state champ, but the Falcons were two points shy as Camden Hills High School won the Class B state wrestling championship, 166.50-164.50, for the sixth-straight year before 5,000 fans at the Augusta Civic Center Saturday.

Mountain Valley has finished second three years in row. The Falcons came on late by winning the last three finals matches, but Smith needed a pin. The Falcons state champions were Chris Smith (189 pounds), Brendan Bradley (215) and Dave Smith at 275.

Camden issued a challenge again with 13 wrestlers competing. The Windjammers won four titles.
Rounding out the top five were Belfast (136) and Wells (75.50), and Ellsworth (57). The 14 individual state champions are eligible to compete in the New England Championships in North Andover, Mass., next month.
Camden coach Pat Kelly said several times that the Jammers' were never out of it.

Camden Hills and Mountain Valley battled from the get-go. The teams were tied at 148 entering the finals. The Windjammers led by 18 points after wins by freshman Murphy McGowen (103), True Bragg (119) and Cory Laite (140) and Harry Pearson (160).

"Kids came to wrestle today," Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "I told the kids to wrestle up to their seeds and not to worry what Camden is doing."

Chris Smith (36-0) won his third-straight crown by pinning three opponents in the first period. Younger brother David Smith (33-0) couldn't turn over Dan Hatch of Old Town.

"'I felt good coming in today,'' Chris Smith said. ''Comfident, not cocky, go out on the mat and get the job done.''
Brendan Bradley executed a back Salo to show the lights to Eddie Baggs of Wells..

The Falcons' snowball effect came to a halt in the finals. Zack Bradley trailed 3-2 with 12 seconds left, but couldn't execute a takedown and lost 5-2. Aaron Arsenault (152) lost in waning seconds to Tom Burns of Ellsworth. In a key match, Ben Madigan was decisioned by two-time champion Harry Pearson of Camden Hills. Madigan won a state championship in 2002. The semifinals proved exciting as Madigan escaped with 15 seconds left in the third period.

''Time was running out,'' Madigan said, while icing a sore neck. "I had a burst of energy and got out. This was my last chance to reach the finals because the previous two years hadn't gone well.''

The Falcons Tyler Child lost 4-1 to Jacob Treadwell of Wells in the 171 final. Child had escaped in double overtime to win a semi-final match. Mike Gilbert broke his hand at 112 and Chris Cayer (140) placed fourth. Ben Matthews (145) rolled through for a pin to place third.

''There was a few close matches in the semis, but we won them,'' Dolloff said. ''The kids kept wrestling the entire time. Matthews wrestled out of his head today. This team stayed together while I was hospitalized and credit my assistant coaches Chris Bean and Jeff Gilbert.''

In a battle of state champions, Kyle Bonin of Belfast stuck Joe McGowen of Camden. The Lions Tony Gilmore 125, Norman Gilmore 130 and Ben Durham 145 each won crowns.

The strength of Foxcroft Academy proved too much again as the Ponies captured their second-straight Class C state wrestling championship over runner-up Dexter on Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer
AUGUSTA - The strength of Foxcroft Academy proved too much again as the Ponies captured their second-straight Class C state wrestling championship over runner-up Dexter on Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

Foxcroft rang up 183 points, while Dexter tallied 144.5. Lisbon finished third at 138.
Foxcroft led entering the finals and pulled away in the upper weights. Lisbon earned titles by two-
time champions Justin Cornell (112-pounds) and Charlie Stambach (125), who each won by pin.
"I've learned that you can't expect help from other teams in a tournament like this," Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "You really need to take care of business. Foxcroft was just too strong."

Foxcroft led by 40 points after eight wrestlers won in the semis.
Cornell (25-2) repeated as state champion with a 45-second stick. Stambach used movement for a major decision, 13-4, over Dirigo freshman Jon Smith. The Greyhound senior is 28-4.

Fifth-place Dirigo (68 points) entered the day beaming with confidence, which showed on the mat. Sophomore Mike Jonaitis (130) reached finals again, however, he was stuck Chris Barkac of Dexter. The Tiger wrestler won his fourth-straight title. Cougar freshman Derek Daly was stuck by two-time state champion Jeremy Barkac in the 103 final.

"I was a little nervous today, but confident,'' Daley said. ''My moves were working smooth today. The team worked hard. I practiced and it helped me.''
The Cougars' Randy Hall was fourth at 171.

The Greyhounds' finalists included Ryan Guisto (135), Josh Dubois (140), Nick Adams (152), and Jake Sprinkle (215). The Ponies earned titles by Cyle Heaney (119), Ryan Wittimore (145), Caleb Pelletier 152, Brady Briggs (171), James McPhee 189 and Josh Pelletier (275). The 'Hounds' Jeff Cossar 103 and Elijah Trefts 275 each finished fourth.
Chris Barkac of Dexter became the seventh-ever wrestler to win four state championships.

This time it wasn't even close as Lisbon repeated in the Mid-State League championships. The Greyhounds took full control by advancing nine wrestlers to the finals and eventually beat Mountain Valley by 47 points.

Last year, the finals proved to be a battle as the Greyhounds rallied for an eight-point win. The tournament had remained elusive to Lisbon who had finished as bridesmaids (2001-3), despite three state championships.

"This year's results were similar to last year,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "We matched up in six matches with Mountain Valley and we won three of them. That was a goal because we wanted to maintain our lead going into the finals."

Champions included Justin Cornell 112, Tyler Clark 119, Charlie Stambach 125, Josh Dubois 140 and Jake Sprinkle at 215 helped lead the way.
There were several exciting matches that could have provided a big swing. Charlie Stambach executed a nice single-leg takedown to win in overtime against Jon Smith of Dirigo. The Lisbon senior was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second-straight year. Sprinkle out-muscled an escape with 10 seconds left in Double OT against Brendan Bradley of Mountain Valley.

Dirigo had taken advantage of some seeds to grab the lead after the first round. The Cougars champions were Derek Daley 103 and Devin Brann 160, but just didn't have the power to come through.

Mark Stambach (189) wrestled a solid match, but lost 7-1 to the Falcons two-time state champ Chris Smith.
"It was a measurement of progress for Mark,"Stevens said. "In (wrestling), some of our best matches are losses, and we certainly learn more from them."

Mountain Valley also benefited from the competition as Zack Bradley (135), Aaron Arsenault (sore ribs at 152) and David Smith (275) each won crowns. The Smith brothers remain unbeaten.

//////////////////////////////
When opportunity knocks take full advantage of it and that's exactly what Shane McNear did when accepting the head coaching position at Mount Blue two weeks ago. The helm became vacant when Nate Platt resigned for personal reasons.

McNear, who grew up in Leeds, had never wrestled in high school. Despite the lack of experience, McNear felt confident after having watched and listened during the past four years.

"The kids are all familiar with me,"McNear said. "I've been helping with the program for four years, so when the chance to coach became available I jumped at it. I was fortunate to have worked with (former coach) Nate Phillips who taught me the techniques and drills."
Mount Blue is a force and backed it up with a fourth-place finish at the KVAC Championships last Saturday. Seven wrestlers earned medals, including unbeaten Shane Webber (135) who won a championship. The Cougars will host the Class A East Regional this Saturday.

"We'll be determined to defend our crown,"McNear said. "It certainly won't be easy because Oxford Hills, Mount Ararat and even Skowhegan will be very competitive. But, we have team goals and will be ready."

//////////////////
The following two weeks are extremely important for two reasons and it usually requires every body involved to consider the circumstances. The term quality and quantity is always bounced around, regarding the available wrestlers.

Ben Madigan of Mountain Valley certainly fits in to the former category because he will be a key in the Falcons post-season results. Madigan, a former Class B state champion, has been sidelined with a neck injury suffered three weeks ago at the Redskin Invitational.
"We decided to have him sit out (Mid-State League) championships on Saturday,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "There was no sense to push the issue and we had to keep an eye on the big picture. It was more important to let him remain idle another week because the team will need him this weekend."

Individuals need to place in their respective regional tournament this Saturday, in order to qualify for the state meet Feb. 12 at the Augusta Civic Center. Madigan won a regional title in 2004 and the final placement this could have a direct bearing on the 2005 state meet.
The top four wrestlers in 14 weight classes of the two respective regional tournaments will compete again. The finishes are usually crucial because the brackets will be reversed at the state meet. These factor heavily in the semi-finals matches.

////////////////////////////
History was made when Deanna Rix of Marshwood became the first-ever female wrestler to win 100 career matches. Rix 130 reached the century mark under a mat light last Thursday, however, the Hawks suffered their first loss 33-29 to Noble.
Rix, a senior, is considered a favorite to win the Class A West regional and state meet. She utilizes n aggressive style against opponents and isn't afraid to mix it up on the mat.

Rix certainly cherries being in the spotlight became she is a two-time United States Girls champion. Rix hasn't allowed a single point scored against her in the past two USGW tournaments.

Jenn Wormwood of Oxford Hills also won two USGWA crowns. The former Viking wrestler is the only female to place, third 2001, in the Class A state meet.

The two York County teams are expected to battle the next two weeks in both the regional and Class A state meet. Marshwood features state champions Colby Lamson and Tad Butterfield. Noble, six-time defending state champions, counter with Zack Hale 119, Mike McCrillis 135 and Doug Rayworth 160.

SOUTH PARIS-In a tournament it all depends on who shows up and the Camden Hills wrestling team certainly made a showcase by scoring 183.5 points to win the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships Saturday. The Windjammers have been pegged reachable through out the season, however, their youthful line-up proved to strong for Belfast who finished second with 143.

A solid finals by Oxford Hills vaulted it to third 107.5 led by champions Tom Moulton (152-pounds), (Cory Smith 189) and Tyler Guerin 215. Mount Blue was strong all day, paced by champions Shane Webber 135.

"In a setting like this you need some kids to come through,"Camden Hills coach Pat Kelly coach said. "Of the 13 in the semi-finals, nine were freshmen or sophomores and five won. We needed to win the matches that were in reach. I always say keep (score) within five points and stay alive."

Rounding out the top nine was Skowhegan 75, Cony 65, Mount Ararat 50 and Lincoln oking for tilts when on (offense),"Moulton said. "Takedowns are my strong points. I had beaten him by points before."

Four-time defending champion Camden Hills had scored heavily to take a 48 point lead after the second round. The champions included Murphy McGowen 103, True Bragg 119, Jacob Berry 125 and Harry Pearson at 160. McGowen had pinned Tom Hall of Morse. Berry earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler award after out working Tony Gilmore of Belfast.

Webber took advantage of an opening to pin Randy Lemar of Camden in the first period. Teammate Nate Childs advanced to his first-ever finals, but was pinned by Tyler Robinson of Cony.

Oxford HHill trailed by nine points, but, Moulton got things going with a 6-3 win over Tim Caldwell of Cony. The Viking sophomore (29-6) executed an escape and takedown in the third period.

"I'm lo Smith recorded three takedowns in the middle period en route to a 10-5 decision against Oliver Breeden of Camden. Guerin pushed down on a bear hug and spun behind with one second left in overtime against Joey McInnis of Cony. The Vikings Brad Smith was a finalist at 145 and Dan McClain placed third at 215.

"We had a good semi-finals,"Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff said. "Brad Smith is wrestling well because he's learning how too control his balance, so he can leg ride. We've got a good group of sophomores."

Mike Taylor of Mount Ararat won a championship at 171. Eagle teammate Dustin Crocker (140) was stuck by Dylan Wentworth of Skowhegan. John Stuart was third at 130.

Mount Blue had five advanced back in the consolation finals, but only freshman Sam Webber placed third by decisioning Nickole Lemay of Oak Hill. Cougar Gary Begin lost on a late takedown at 125.

"We lost several close matches," Mount Blue coach Shane McNear said. "But, the kids wrestled back through. The team had some goals today. I had sat down with Nate Childs and gone over the seeds. He knew what he needed to do in order to make the finals."

In a battle of Class B state champions, Joe McGowen of Camden Hills was out classed by Kyle Bonin of Belfast. The Lions Norman Gilmore and Ben Damon won at 130 and 145, respectively.Neil Wood of Belfast was voted KVAC Coach of the Year.

Just ask the Lisbon team who discovered first hand who they are and where they have been. The Greyhounds competed in the Atlantic Invitational and Noble tournament during three-straight days.

It truly tested the mental and physical character of each wrestler because numerous hours were spent, shuffling on I-95, on a school bus. The team rose Tuesday morning and traveled to Wells, returned to Lisbon that night; traveled to North Berwick Wednesday morning, returned home that night; the same trip was repeated on Thursday.

"It will test the team character,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said, during the Atlantic. "They'll be a lot of traveling and wrestling. The kids will need to be up to it."

The team finished a strong second at Wells, behind Class B Mountain Valley 168.5 to 158.5 points. They certainly performed stout, placing 10 wrestlers, in the top four of their respective weight classes. The team scored 178 points to finish fourth at Noble, trailing defending state champions Noble, Camden Hills and Foxcroft.

At the Atlantic, seven individuals advanced to the finals, led by eventual champions Justin Cornell (112), Charlie Stambach (125), Josh Dubois (140) and Jake Sprinkle (215).

The Greyhounds did nearly all that could be done, winning head-to-head three times against the Falcons in the finals. Cornell pinned Mike Gilbert. Dubois used pinning combinations in a 10-3 decision against Chris Cayer. Sprinkle used a head and arm to pin the Falcons' Brandan Bradley

There were several outstanding matches in the early rounds. Mark Stambach (fourth at 189) trailed 11-3, but won by pin. Charlie Stambach executed a takedown with six seconds left against Jon Smith of Dirigo in the semifinals. In the finals, Stambach and Dubois wins, put Lisbon ahead by half a point, both times.

''I like to stick with the basics,'' Stambach said. ''But in the third period, you need to be offensive. There's no holding anything back.''
The Greyhounds have had strong performances by Jeff Cosar and Nick Adams at 103 and 152, respectively.

Oxford Hills have a youthful team, however, the best counter weight is to gain experience on the mat. The philosophy is already paying dividends because the wrestlers are proving it by showing greater intensity. The Vikings also were busy last week and the future schedule is equally demanding.

The team scored 110 points in the Noble tournament and then won the Cony Duals last Friday. The lineup is comprised of mostly underclassmen, including three freshman and five sophomores. The Vikings placed seven wrestlers in the top six of their respective weight class.

"We got home at 10 pm on Thursday,"Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff said. "The next day we were back on the bus to go to Cony Duals at six am. The kids really surprised the coaching staff because it was if they hadn't wrestled in a while. They wrestled with a purpose they won the duals."

Cory Smith (189) continues to impress by advancing to the finals, against 2004 state champions, in the McDonalds and Noble tournaments. Smith earned a first place finish (10-5 decision) against Adam Tweedie from Bucksport last week.

Oxford Hills and several area teams will compete in the Redskin Invitational at Sanford this weekend. The two-day event features approximately 25 teams from through out New England.

"We are starting to win the close matches,"Dolloff said. "That will help them in the regional and possible states. I see a shift in competition when we wrestled Noble, Lisbon and Camden. We won matches that the last two years, we have been losing, it is extremely encouraging."

1. Noble
2. Marshwood
3. Camden Hills
4. Bonny Eagle
5. Mountain Valley
6. Belfast
7. Foxcroft
8. Deering
9. Bucksport
10. Lisbon/York

1. Noble
2. Camden Hills
3. Marshwood
4. Foxcroft
5. Deering
6. Mountain Valley
7. Lisbon
8. Belfast
9. Mount Blue
10. Skowhegan

The 2005 Maine Games (http://www.mainegames.org )wrestling tournament has been set for June 25 and 26 at the Portland Expo.

As in the past two years, youth wrestlers (grades k-8) will wrestle on Saturday (25) and high school and open wrestlers will compete on Sunday (26).

Registrations for Wrestling at the 2005 Maine Games will begin on March 1 and close on June 20. No registrations will be accepted after that date.

Olympic gold medalist, Rulon Gardner, has agreed to take part in a special evening on Friday, June 24, 2005. Gardner's appearance is courtesy of the National Congress of State Games (http://www.stategames.org/) and local sponsors.

Medalists in the 2003 and 2004 Maine Games have already qualified for the State Games of America in 2005 (http://www.stategames.org/site/sga/index.html) and medalists in the next Maine Games will qualify for the SGA in 2007, scheduled to be held in Colorado Springs at the United States Olympic Training Center, and the United States Air Force Academy.

Jeff Scully
Executive Director
Maine Games

The mission of the Maine Games is to provide all Maine athletes, regardless of age and ability, the opportunity to perform on a statewide stage, to celebrate athleticism, physical activity, good health, sportsmanship and camaraderie.

The end results will be settled on a wrestling mat, however, the 20th annual Friendship Series is shaping up to be memorable. A team from Maine will travel to Nebraska this weekend. The cultural exchange between the two states is the longest in the nation.
"This is a great experience for wrestlers, coaches and hosts,"Maine team leader Dennis Walch said. "Seems like a good roster, but you never know. I have good feeling about this group. Always have a problem getting the wrestlers I want and never know if you make the right choices until you live with them for eight days."
Area wrestlers include Justin Cornell and Derek Guisto of Lisbon; Seth McAlister of Oxford Hills and David Smith of Mountain Valley. Mark Stevens of Lisbon and Neil Wood of Belfast will serve as co-coaches.
The Mainers will compete at Creighton on Tuesday; at Hastings 24th; at Kearney 26th and June 28 at Millard South (Omaha). The visiting team will spend two days at each site with host families and wrestle every other day. The team will return to Portland on June 29.
" The team from Maine might be the best that has come to Nebraska,"Nebraska team leader Tom McCann said. " We have the Disney Duals, the USA Cadet duals, and Jr. Duals about the same time, so getting real quality wrestlers has been tough
> in some weight classes. Dennis has a few guys around 155-160, so this is going to be interesting."
McAlister, won Class A state champions as a freshman (2001) and last February. The Viking senior (49-2) compiled an 80-0 record in career dual meets. McAlister and Dekota Cotten of Noble each won a national Ironman championship last month. Cornell was (23-0) in Maine en route to winning a Class C state championship at 112.
Giusto (33-4), a three-time Class C state champion, won over 100 matches during his Greyhound career. Guisto, who earned All American Honorable Mention, returned from an elbow injury last season, to win his third state crown. Ironically, Giusto had suffered a elbow injury during the Maine Games last June and was unable to compete against Nebraska.
"I really hope (Derek) takes advantage of it this year,"Stevens said. "My feelings are the kids with the most guts will do well. Not always the ones with the best records, but we have several (quality) wrestlers who always wrestle one way. It is going to be fun getting to know these guys on a different level, while the experience and memories will be priceless."
Smith (37-3) earned a solid reputation as a solid competitor through out last winter on the Falcon wrestling team. The first-year varsity starter certainly made an impact en route to earning the tag as the best heavyweight wrestler in the entire state.
Smith swept through the regular season unbeaten in-state and then pinned opponents to win the Mid State League and regional crowns. This was capped off by winning a Class B state championship, for a 34-0 record and he placed sixth in the New England championships.
The Maine roster is extremely talented, which includes N.E. champions Chris Remsen (49-0) of Camden Hills and Cotten (61-0). Cotten who also won a N.E. title in 2003, is a All American. Remsen, a four-time state champion, also earned All American honors. They are the winn-ingest wrestlers in Maine with 180 career wins.
Ben Kinerson (36-6) won a national prep champ at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Other multiple state champions include Jake Rollins (37-8), Camden Hills; Norman Gilmore (29-6), Belfast; David Gregory (34-5), Lincoln Academy; Brooks Thompson (46-2), Skowhegan; Caleb Pelletier (34-2), Foxcroft Academy. Kyle Bonin (38-5), Belfast; Jarred Porper (46-6), Noble; Marshwood teammates Colby Lamson (45-3), Scott Holton (33-4) and Jon Brooks (49-4) and Chris Desrosiers (42-2), Winslow complete the Mainers.
McCann isn't fooling any one because there is plenty of talent through out the state. The Kearney roster includes approximately nine state champions, led by four-time champion - Jason Katusin. He wrestled at 119 last year, but might compete at 130 or higher next week.
"I think that the edge has turned to the traveling team for both states,"McCann said. "Maine did a really nice job out here two years ago. Nebraska may have the edge because we have more kids that wrestle and more schools that compete in the sport, giving us a larger group to select teams from."
Maine has approximately 55 schools that offer wrestling, compared to 200 in Nebraska. A two-day training session in Westbrook will precede the trip.
Friendship Series Roster
115 Kyle Bonin 11 Belfast B 38-6 1st, 2nd, 4th
120 Justin Cornell 11 Lisbon C 23-0 1st, 3rd
125 Jake Rollins 12 Camden Hills B 37-8 1st, 1st, 2nd
133 David Gregory 12 Lincoln Academy B 34-5 1st, 1st, 2nd
138 Brooks Thompson 12 Skowhegan A 36-2 2nd, 2nd
140 Derek Giusto 12 Lisbon C 33-4 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd
148 Seth McAlister 12 Oxford Hills A 49-2 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
155 Jarred Porper 12 Noble A 46-6 1st, 1st
158 Colby Lamson 11 Marshwood A 45-3 1st, 1st, 4th
160 Caleb Pelletier 11 Foxcroft Academy C 34-2 1st, 1st, 3rd
163 Chris Remsen 12 Camden B 46-0 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st
165 Shane Holton 12 Marshwood A 33-4 2nd
170 Decota Cotten 12 Noble A 61-0 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
186 Jon Brooks 12 Marshwood A 49-4 1st, 2nd
190 Ben Kinerson 12 Blair Academy A 36-6 1st, 1st, 4th
230 Chris Desrosiers 12 Winslow B 42-2 2nd, 3rd, 4th
260 David Smith 10 Mountain Valley B 37-3 1st

The opportunity to compete was the center of attention for the Maine All-Star team that wrestled in the 20th annual Friendship Series. The competition was extremely tight on the mat and the MaineRS won 13-5 at the final stop on the tour through the Cornhusker state.
The hosts won the first three meets', however, the scores of several matches could have reversed the out come. It certainly proved to be a strong showing by the Maine team.
The efforts paid dividends at the last venue in Omaha, with a trio of Mainers finishing up strong. Chris Remsen won all five matches at 165 pounds), Dekota Cotten 4-1 at 175, Ben Kinerson was 4-0 215. Remsen of Camden Hills and Cotton of Noble each won New Rngland championships last March. Kinerson won a national prep championship at Blair Academy in New Jersey.

Also having a successful trip was Seth McAlister of Oxford Hills who won four of five matches. The trip started south, with a 3-0 set back, but McAlister regrouped and won 8-2 and 5-0 decision. The two-time Class A state champion executed a pin in his finale. McAlister had a 5-5 draw, but the Series credits each team with a win.
Maine had lost a close 10-8 on the first stop at Hastings. This included three losses by one point.

"We did not wrestle well (overall) in the first meet," Maine team leader Dennis Walch said. "But, we improved through the week. All wrestlers won at least one match."
Chris Smith (266) of Mountain Valley lost 2-1 when his opponent escaped in overtime.
Smith responded with a 6-5 win, but then lost two matches. He was the first Falcon to wrestle in Nebraska since Jesse Peterson went 6-0 in 2000.

Lisbon teammates Justin Cornell (1-3 at 120) and Derek Giusto (1-4 at 145) each found the matches to tough early on. They finished strong, winning a 13-3 decision and a pin. Giusto, three-time Class C state champion, recorded the fastest pin (1:36) by a Maine wrestler.
"Hosts kept us busy with activities," Walch said. "We visited an elk and buffalo ranch, then water skiied on the Missouri River. The kids enjoyed a rock concert and the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument was really nice. They certainly didn't spare any in terms of food, we ate well." David Gregory of Lincoln Academy had won two of his first three meets, but then suffered a broken wrist. Maine lost 12-7, along the Platte River in the south east region of the state and also 11-7.

There was a little bit of excitement on the air plane, coming out of Chicago. A big bang and a flash, was thought to be lighting. The captain informed them it was fine, just a static discharge from the rain on the plane. Maintenance said to continue to Omaha.

A trio of Marshwood teammates included Colby Lamsen 2-2 at 166, Scott Holton 2-2 at 172 and John Brooks 1-3 at 189. The Sportsmanship Award went to Brooks. This is voted on by the coaches and given to the wrestler who conducted them self in high regards, both on and off the mat, through out the trip.

Kyle Bonin of Belfast and Caleb Pelletier of Foxcroft each were 2-2. Chris Desrosiers (220) and Brooks Thompson (138) each won one of four matches. Thompson of Skowhegan, lost a 7-4 decision to 4x state champ Jason Katusin. Jake Rollins was 1-4 at 127.
ÿ "We wrestled well (in Kearney) against the toughest team we faced," Walch said. "(Nebraska team leader) Tom McCann brought in wrestlers from all over the state. Some were five hours away and there were 11 Class A multiple state champs. Chris Remsen, Decota Cotten and Ben Kinerson beat highly regarded wrestlers."

Bob McPhee's awarded
Bob McPhee receives a well deserved award for "Outstanding Achievement" this past week-end at the annual Maine Hall of Fame banquet in Portland.. Several hundred folks (including great crew who came special to see Bob honored) gave Bob a standing ovation which lasted several minutes..

Bob is a true "Hero" to all who know him.. We were all proud of his moment of recognition... JP

The ability to adapt to different situations was at a premium and Seth McAlister certainly succeeded by winning the Ironman wrestling championship. The national event was held over three days at Bloomsburg University in Pa., with competition in three styles of wrestling.
McAlister, a recent graduate of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, had to be able to remain focused mentally and physically because of the skills required to compete. McAlister (145-pounds) won in Folk style and Greco-Roman, while placing third in Freestyle. Each competitor earned points, based on their overall performances.

"It was a really fun tournament,"McAlister said. "I believe I had thirteen matches. There were only sixteen man brackets, but I lost (early) in the freestyle portion, so I had to wrestle back to place third."

McAlister had started out strong by winning four matches in Folk style during the first day of competition. Folk style is used in Maine wrestling, so the two-time state champion was able to put forth a solid effort. Each of the three styles has separate rules and regulations.

The Maine Trappers Wrestling Club had 15 wrestlers place in the top six of their respective division, including Dekota Cotten of Noble also won an Ironman championship in the same Elite division. Cotten (171), an All-American, placed first in Folk and Freestyle, while placing third in Greco. Mike Dumis of Kennebunk finished second after placing second in each wrestling style at 140.

" These results are to the best of my knowledge,"Trappers coach Al Kinerson said. "Over 600 wrestlers were entered in this challenging tournament. All of our Maine wrestlers did a great job. Many of them without much Freestyle and no Greco experience."

The Maine Trappers wrestled 188 matches total. Matt Rix (98) of Marshwood won a Ironman Championship in Schoolboy and freshman Jermiah Barkac (98) of Dexter placed second in Cadet.

McAlister only had to wrestle an entire six-minute match three times and two was against Drew Barder of Pa. In Freestyle, McAlister lost a 9-7 decision to Barder, but McAlister beat the Keystone wrestler in the other two styles. Freestyle is geared toward takedowns and rolls, so opponents need to be defensive and use counter moves.

"I think the freestyle was the toughest,"McAlister said. "Just because the kids I wrestled were more experienced than I was. The kid (from Minnesota) that won freestyle didn't even place in folkstyle and I tech-fell him (10-0) in Greco. I just don't know or haven't perfected my

technique in freestyle yet."
The third day featured Greco, which requires being able to execute throws. The competitors can only use their arms because the rules prohibit any use of legs. Therefore, it's an advantage to have a strong upper body.

This proved to be an asset for McAlister who won four matches, two tech-falls and two pins. The former Viking standout recognizes throws are not a strong point yet, so he relies on countering moves.

"I love Greco the most out of the three styles,"McAlister said. "I don't know why. I have a fairly strong upper body, so it makes it somewhat easier. But, I like the strategy. It's all strategy with Greco which I thoroughly enjoy."

McAlister will attend Edinboro University in Pa. this fall and will most likely redshirt his freshman year. This philosophy (sitting out) is common in collegiate athletics because it allows younger wrestlers to still practice with the team and gain some more experience.
"The (current) varsity 141-pounder will be graduating in 2005,"McAlister said. "So, hopefully I can challenge for the spot. Next summer is probably more work for college (academics) and wrestling. I don't know if I am going to return home for that or stay right at Edinboro, so I can train for the following year."

This turned out to be a banner year for four Maine wrestlers who earned All American honors by Wrestling U.S.A. magazine. It marks the most ever wrestlers from the Pine Tree state having been recognized by the national publication.

Leading the way is Dekota Cotten of Noble who received All American after completing an outstanding career. Cotten won his second straight New England championship in March and was voted the Most Outstanding wrestler of the tournament. The two-time Class A state champion had a career record of 180-16 and had won his final 105 matches. Cotten' last set back was a 7-5 overtime thriller against former Skowhegan 3x state champion Brandon Hamilton in the 2002 state final. Noble has won six-straight state crowns.

"Dekota will certainly be missed,"Noble coach Kip Devoll said. "He's been an important part of our program and an absolute joy to coach. When ever the team did push-up drills, he'd do more or running drills, he'd be the leader. The younger kids all looked up to him and he proved what can be accomplished through hard work and dedication."
Cotten, who enroll in and wrestle at Blair Academy next fall.

Three Mainers earned All American Honorable Mention, including Derek Giusto of Lisbon, Chris Remsen of Camden Hills and Mike Dumas of Kennebunk. All four wrestlers were on the Sun Journal first team All-State.

Giusto won three Class C state championships and had a 117-13 career record. The Greyhound standout won four regional crowns and was also a state finalist as a freshman. Lisbon won three state titles from 2001-3.

Giusto had to over come adversity this past season after being sidelined with a elbow injury in December. He returned to the mat and was nearly unbeatable through out the remainder of the season.

Chris Remsen of Camden Hills became the sixth wrester in Maine history to win four state championships. The Windjammer won a NE championship in 2004, dominated three different weight classes and had a career record of 180-13.

"Chris is the most dedicated athlete that I've ever coached,"Kelly said. "He trains each day with renewed intensity, (trait) very rarely seen in high school athletics. He drives himself to get better each workout and he is never, and I repeat never satisfied."

Remsen, the '04 Sun Journal wrestler of the Year, competed year round and placed third in the NE tournament in 2003. He also placed sixth in a national tournament in Maryland last summer. Remsen has a burning drive to win and so does the Camden Hills team. In the past four seasons, the Windjammers have swept the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, regional and state meets.

"This is a small piece of my career,"Remsen said. "I accomplished a lot during high school, but I certainly don't consider it as a climax of my career. If I thought about that way, then I'd have nothing to train for."

Remsen is also equally impressive academically, with a 3.8 GPA and is an award-winning artist with sculpting. Remsen will be enrolling in and wrestling at North Carolina State next fall.

It also was the first time the state has two NE champions since Bob Elwell of Morse and Tim Gotto of Rumford each won in 1978.

Dumas had won a Class A state crown as a junior, but lost in the 2004 state finals to Seth McAlister of Oxford Hills. Fortunately, the Ram wrestler received a second chance to compete in the NEs because a wrestler elected not to go. Dumas made the most of the opportunity and placed fourth at 140.

When opportunity knocks, it's best to take advantage of it and that's how area wrestlers saw things when they were extended an invitation to join the Maine team in June during its tour through Nebraska.

The 20th annual Friendship Series, a cultural exchange between the two states, is the longest active one in the United States. It's considered a great honor to be selected to participate in this prestigious event.

Area wrestlers include Justine Cornell and Derek Guisto of Lisbon; Seth McAlister of Oxford Hills and David Smith of Mountain Valley.

"This is a very good team,"Maine team leader Dennis Walch said. "I got most all the wrestlers I asked. I sent the roster to (Nebraska team leader) Tom McCann and he is impressed with who I was bringing. Hope we do well, but no matter what, it will be another great experience."
The potential venues include Creighton, Hastings, Kearney and Millard South (Omaha).
Cornell was unbeaten in Maine en route to winning a Class C state championship at 112. Guisto, a three-time Class C state champion, won over 100 matches during his Greyhound career. Guisto returned from an elbow injury last season, to win his third state crown.
"Derek Giusto was four seconds away from being a very rare four-time Maine State Champion,"Maine co-coach Mark Stevens of Lisbon said. "He was winning (state finals match) and got turned and pinned with four seconds left on the clock, his freshmen year. Since then, he never looked back. That loss made him more determined, and he became the only the fourth- three time state champion is Lisbon History.

McAlister, won Class A state champions as a freshman (2001) and last February. The Viking senior (43-3)compiled an 80-0 record in dual meets. McAlister, ranked 11th in his class, plans to attend and wrestle at Edinboro University in Pa. next fall.

Smith earned a solid reputation as a solid competitor through out last winter on the Falcon wrestling team. The first-year varsity starter certainly made an impact en route to earning the tag as the best heavyweight wrestler in the entire state.

Smith swept through the regular season unbeaten in-state and then pinned opponents to win the Mid State League and regional crowns. This was capped off by winning a Class B state championship, for a 34-0 record.

"I think he is going to turn out to be one of the top wrestlers they bring out there,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "It will be a great experience for him. I hope to get some wrestling with him before he goes. But it is an honor to be asked to go."
Smith has credited his success on the mat to hard work and good coaching. Every wrestler develops certain routines and Smith is no exception. This also includes his way of clearing his mind during warming- up, prior to each match.

"I prepare the same way for each match,"Smith said. "I do deep breathing excises. It calms me down, so I don't go out there thinking I'm going to win or lose. I just approach every match as totally new and try doing what comes naturally."

The Falcon sophomore also maintained his focus to place sixth at the New England Championships in March. Smith had pinned both opponents Friday, with a tight lateral drop and a head and arm in the first period, to be one of three Maine wrestlers to advance to the semi-finals.

The Mine roster is extremely talented, which includes New England champions Chris Remsen (44-0) of Camden Hills and Dekota Cotten (60-0) of Noble. Cotten also won a N.E. title in 2003 and Remsen is a four-time state champion. Ben Kinerson won a national prep champ at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Other multiple state champions include Jake Rollins (32-6) of Camden Hills; Norman Gilmore (29-6) of Belfast; David Gregory of Lincoln Academy; Colby Lamson (44-4) of Marshwood and Caleb Pelletier of Foxcroft Academy. Kyle Bonin (38-5) of Belfast; Jared Porper of Noble; Scott Holton and Jon Brooks of Marshwood and Chris Desrosiers of Winslow complete the Mainers. Neil Wood of Belfast is also a co-coach.
"It is an honor for me to have been asked to represent Maine Wrestling this summer,"Stevens said. "I am looking forward to seeing Tom (McCann) and the rest of the great people that I met (Lisbon hosted) last summer. Maine has an outstanding cast of wrestlers going, not only good talent, but great all-around-kids."

Stevens added, the kids all have great (personalities) which is a pre-requisite for being offered a spot on the exchange team. However, once the fierce battle is over on the mat, and the hand shakes have been done, we can count on some awesome mid western hospitality."

NEW HAVEN, CT-It certainly wasn't for the faint of heart because there was some serious business being taken care of at the 40th annual New England championships last weekend.
The history books were rewritten as a tandem of Maine wrestlers completed perfect seasons by each winning New England crowns. Chris Remsen of Camden Hills ended three years of frustration to win at 145-pounds and moments later Dekota Cotten (152) of Noble repeated as a champion. Both wrestlers proved to be totally dominating through out the two-day tournament, held in the spacious Field House.

Dekota Cotten, who won a N.E. crown last year, utilized his lightening quick speed to get the job done. The Knight senior won four matches- two pins and two major decisions- largely by being quicker on his feet, which allowed him to dictate the tempo of each match.

This was certainly evident in the finals against Greg Dussoi as Cotten swept in repeatively for takedowns en route to a 14-5 decision. The match was tight after one period, however, Cotton took control in the second frame.

"I knew that I had to wrestle,"Cotten said. "In order for me to repeat this year, it required a lot of hard work. There were no big surprises through out the tourney and I was able to set the pace in all of my matches."

There was some history between the two because the Connecticut state champ had recorded back points against Cotton in the semi-finals in the N.E. a year ago.

Cotten (60-0) set a new record this season as the all-time winningst wrestler in Maine, with 180 wins. The former mark was 163 wins, held by former Noble standout Doug Bruce
Cotten, who enroll in and wrestle at Blair Academy next fall, won his last 105 matches and his last loss was in the 2002 finals in the Class A state meet.

Remsen, a four-time Class B state champion, completed a mission by sailing through his four matches. In the final, Remsen (40-0) carefully set up his opponent for deep shoots that resulted in three takedowns against Tony Pallaria of Central Catholic in a 7-3 decision.
"I was so comfortable in the finals, that surprised me,"Remsen said. "I had a different mindset this time because it was my senior year, so I needed to take advantage of the opportunity. It made training that much more important and I had set my goals high."

Remsen had placed third and fifth in the previous two NE tournaments. It also was the first time the state has two NE champions since Bob Elwell of Morse and Tim Gotto of Rumford each won in 1978.

The rest of the Maine wrestlers found the competition extremely hard as four individuals placed in the top six of their respective weight classes. They included sixth by Derek Giusto of Lisbon and David Smith of Mountain Valley.

Giusto, three-time Class C state champion, wrestled back through the losers bracket and recorded impressive wins against state champions from Vermont and Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the Greyhound senior was unable to counter aggressive shoots in the consolation final.

Smith, the first-ever Falcon to medal at the NEs, lost a hard fought 3-1 decision. The Connecticut had decisoned Smith in a tournament this season, so a new strategy was devised.
"I knew that I couldn't throw him,"Smith said. "(Tim Ferreira) does Greco Roman and he weighs 278-pounds, so I tried shooting on him. He caught me with a Japanese wiza, but it was an honor to come down here and compete. I did my best and accomplished my goal of winning a medal."

Alternates Mike Dumas (140) of Kennebunk and Dan Cofojne (189) of Westbrook each placed fourth.
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Troy Clark has certainly been busy doing double duty through out the season. The Lisbon senior won his second Class C state championship last month.

In addition, Clark is ranked third nationally in Racewalking. These events are held through out the nation.

"I first saw racewalking in middle school,"Clark said. "I thought it looked funny, but I was interested in trying it. It sure is a lot different than wrestling, I'm not overly aggressive on the mat and racing requires a different mindset."

Clark was a finalist at the Essex Classic in Vermont in January. He left that night and won a national qualifying race the next day in Boston. He enjoys traveling and has accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside next fall.

In the New England, Clark lost two matches, however, he cherished the experience to have competed.
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Youthfulness can be an advantage also, just ask David Smith of Mountain Valley who breezed through two matches on Friday night. The lack of nervousness and uncanny thinking helped in setting up a semi-final match at high noon on Saturday.

The Falcon sophomore had pinned both opponents Friday, with a tight lateral drop and a head and arm in the first period. This wasn't unusual because Smith had a 34-1 record this season, en route to winning a Class B state championship.

Smith was given a choice of sorts, prior to a second match. Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff had accompanied Smith and informed Smith of the situation. A loss would force a early wake-up call Saturday, but a win would allow for extra sleep.
Smith promptly accepted the latter.

The degree of contact in wrestling requires the competitors to remain sharp- physically and mentally- in order to maintain their maximum potential. Unfortunately, one of those elements was lacking in the Maine wrestlers through out the recent New England championships.
The Maine state championships were held February 6-7, with the champions from Classes A, B and C automatically qualifying. There was an entire month of training, largely alone, although some individuals banded together to practice. Still, the quality and intensity levels are dramatically reduced during this time.

Still, why doesn't an All-State tournament exist during that idle period?
It could serve as a qualifying tournament, so Maine would send its best student-athletes to the N.E. Unfortunately, the Maine Principal' Association wrestling committee is dragging its feet.
"The majority of coaches are in favor of holding one,"Belfast coach Neil Wood said. "I'd like to see an All-State tournament and the MPA has discussed it. It needs to be organized earlier during the season, so every one is aware of the existence of it. The coaches need to stand up and lobby. A tournament will come in time."

A major roadblock has hindered around some Class C coaches reluctant in giving up an automatic spot for state champions in the N.E. Fortunately, the stakes are equally high for Class A and B wrestlers because they could also be unseated. This all relates back to the beauty of the sport, its two competitors on the mat and the same rules apply for each one. Class A, B and C wrestlers each have an equal chance of winning or losing.

The wrestling season in Maine used to run from early December through the third week in February. The season has been reduced by nearly three weeks over the past decade.
The proof is in the performances, although the N.E. features high quality competition. The out of state wrestlers just held its respective state meets and they each hold All-State tournaments, prior to the N.E. tournament.

"I thought the Maine kids were OK conditioning wise,"Noble coach Kip Devoll said. "A month was a long time and some kids let their weight go. They figured they had time, but I hated to see kids cutting weight for a tournament of this magnitude."

There is 42 entrants from Maine (three each in 14 weight classes) and a trio advanced to the semi-finals last wekend. Chris Remsen of Camden Hills and Dekota Cotten (Most Outstanding Wrestler) of Noble each won crowns. Mike Dumas of Kennebunk and Dan Cofone of Westbrook each placed fourth. Derek Giusto of Lisbon and David Smith of Mountain Valley each placed sixth.

"Maine wrestlers were lacking an edge,"Viking coach Mark Dolloff said. "I'm not making excuses, but the month off obviously hurt. It's just not the same practicing with one or two people. I had Seth McAlister and my assistant Tony Stevens and I each worked with him, but it wasn't the same intensity."

There are several reasons or obstacles that could be debated over having different alternatives. But, holding an All-State tournament would provide wrestlers with an incentive. The extra practices would help keep them prepared for the rigors of wrestlers.

An All-State tournament actually existed through out the 1990s and was sponsored by the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance. The tournament received mixed reviews because some champions stayed away, in fear of losing to another champion. The MPA tried to stop the tournament, but finally proceeded when until Maine was reinstated back in to the N.E. tournament in 1999. The additional financial cost of holding a tournament, persuaded the MPA to simply qualify the three state champions.
Where is the competition?
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National Prep school crown, at 215. The former Ram wrestler had won the 2002 Class A state crown, however, bigger aspirations drew him to enroll at Blair Academy in New Jersey.
In the national meet, he beat his first two opponents by major decisions and pinned the last three from the quarter finals through the finals. Kinerson, despite weighing 185-190 all season, finished the season with a 36-6 record. He also placed fourth at Asics Ironman at Beast of the East. He was a finalist at
Hurricane Classic.

Kinerson, a junior, competed with a knee injury that required surgery last week. Blair won its 24th straight- national championship

1. Camden Hills Windjammer will be prepared and focused
2. Noble Knights remain on track for sixth straight
3. Lisbon Hounds' might be looking over shoulder
4. Marshwood This could be Hawks to grab
5. Mountain Valley Falcons are primed to pull off upset
6. Foxcroft Ponies control their own destiny
7. Mount Blue Cougars have momentum
8. Oxford Hills Vikings youth could be factor
9. Winslow Black Raiders came alive in regional
10. Bonny Eagle Scotsmen have been close

CLASS A WRESTLING NEWS

I. Rankings: League record, overall record
1. Loomis Chaffee 1-0 (4-0) 4. Exeter 0-0 (3-1)
2. Tabor 4-0 (5-0) 5. NMH 3-1 (4-2)
3. Hyde ME 1-2 (3-3) 6. Choate 0-0 (2-1)

II. Matches This Week:
Saturday, January 10
Hyde CT Tabor Hyde ME Milton
Hyde CT Thayer Hyde ME Tilton
Tabor Thayer Hyde ME NMH
Exeter Loomis Tilton Milton
Exeter Brooks Tilton NMH
Loomis Brooks NMH Milton
Deerfield Pomfret Andover Choate
Deerfield Suffield WMA Canterbury

III. Tournament Reviews:
Parker Invitational 14 schools with NMH, Tabor (McCarthy brothers), Williston, Canterbury, Belmont Hill, St. Mark's, and Suffield representing the preps. The 7 publics were led by Killingly CT (who won the tourney) and had teams from three states.
Defending NE champ Cournoyer (Suffield) was at the Beast of the East, but defending champ Hamm from St. Mark's was there and was impressive at 125. Another defending NE champ won, Uyehara (130) from Williston.
Suffield and Canterbury are putting together a solid nucleus that will make them a competitive dual meet team and Tabor, obviously has an excellent core group of solid young wrestlers. They probably are a year away from challenging for a league title, but they're pretty solid now as a dual meet team.
Choate participated in the Moorestown NJ tourney, but no results forwarded to me.
Loomis had both the Norwich (CT) HS and Beast of the East on their schedule. At the Beast of the East, Powers was 4-2 with 4 pins but did not place; excellent showing for a 10th grader. At Norwich, a partial team placed 7/15 with Lawrence (145)1st , Richardson (140) and Kreitman (215) 2nd and Glotzer (125) 4th.
Tilton had the Southegan Invitational and placed 6th as a team with Harbour and Tsiaras placing 2nd and Denutte taking 3rd .

IV. Wrestler of the Week: Peter Lawrence (145, Loomis) placed first in the 15 team Norwich (CT) HS holiday tournament.

V. Scuttlebutt: Featherstone, 4th at Preps last year, is doing a PG year at Salisbury and wrestling 171. He lost to Stolpinski 2-1 in the consolation finals at the preps. Finally heard from Andover and they return Worgaftik (119) 2nd A's, Shvartsman (125) 2nd A's, 2nd NE's, Pena (130) 3rd A's, 2nd in NE's, Fay (140) 3rd A's, 5th NE's, and Yates (152) 5th A's. Loomis Exeter on Jan 10 might be interesting, as well as Choate-Andover.
Hyde ME who wrestled at the DA quint without Wolstein (160) are obviously much stronger and would have beaten Tabor and possibly NMH if he was in the lineup. They will be looking for revenge vs NMH on Jan 10.

VI. Rules Update: from Bill Barron
Tie Breaker Criteria # 6 is based on the total first points scored not the total times a team's wrestler scored the first point.
Criteria # 7 - total near fall points earned
Team Scores - score to be reported at 39-39 winner in tie breaker

VII. Weigh-in Vote 11 of 13 coaches responded to my request to cast a vote. Since 8 voted
one way, the missing two votes will not change the decision. Therefore, a wrestler must weigh-in 50% of all matches, not just Class A matches, at his lowest weight in order to wrestle at his lowest weight in the Class A tournament.

IX. TV Coverage: The Beast of the East finals were shown in their entirety in my area on 12/27 at 5:00 p.m. Good coverage and knowledgeable announcer for a change. The finals, as expected, was a clinic on takedowns. Blair won with two finalists, compare that to their usual 11-13 at the National Preps! Three champs from the Beast will be at the National Preps.

Brunswick 48 15 Choate
103 VanLKang Wfor
112 Hotchkiss 6 9 Cholnoky
119 Van Lang WBF 0:57 Smith
125 Dubois WBF 1:28 Harvey-Lewis
130 Collins 6 0 Chan
135 Lansing 9 8 Bennick
140 John 5 8 Anderson
145 Ill 5 9 Lee
152 Gasidrowski 8 7 MarvinSmith
160 Hoelscher WBF 3:48 Walker
171 Hoyos 7 6 Bertossi
189 Brodsky 5:00 WBF Carr
215 Hoyos WFor
Hwt Boysen WBF 1:!5 Gelzer
Date: 12-17-03 Site: Brunswick
First wt class wrestled: 130

Hyde 42 36 Mt. Ararat
103 Mirko Jurcan FORF --- Forfeit
112 Forfeit --- FORF Taylor Tolbert
119 Travis Snow 3:31 WBF Ben Cox
125 Noah Freeman 3:10 WBF John Johnson
130 Wit Morris 1:15 WBF Theo Marshall
135 Andrew Pearce 2:47 WBF Dustin Crocker
140 Forfeit FORF --- Shane Smith
145 Harry Hayward WBF 3:03 Dorian DeVocht
152 Damion Mathis WBTF 17-1 Jeremy Jauniaux
160 Danny Wolstein 9 2 Mike Smith
171 Forfeit --- FORF Mike Taylor
189 Bern Schwartz WBTF 16-1 Joel Lallier
215 Russ Caldwell FORF --- Forfeit
275 Bu Morris FORF --- Forfeit
Date: 12-17-03 Site: Topsham, ME
First wt class wrestled: 189

Knights have been reloading
Hawks will test opposition
Never under estimate Windjammers
Falcons have unbeaten foursome
Scotsmen could be back in contention

Greyhounds pulling it together
Dolloff could be sandbagging Vikings
Blue Blazes could be a surprise
Peter Lee paces the Black Raiders
Ponies have a McPHEE, say no more.

The lessons learned in wrestling can be utilized through out life, and it was echoed by each of the five individual inductees of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Hall Of Fame.

The 2003 class proved to be the center of attention through out the MAWA banquet before the largest-ever crowd Saturday evening at the Hyde School in Bath. The inductees brought the total to 36 who will have been enshrined in the MAWA HOF since 1993.
The class included Larry Gill of Rumford and former Morse coach Jim Coffin. Other wrestlers were Brian Walch of Westbrook; Dennis Sprague of Belfast; and Mark Perkins of Mount Ararat.

Sprague and Gill were the first two introduced and true to character their messages was short and to the point. This certainly wasn't out of character. Both achieved a great deal of respect and admiration by display a no-nonsense approach toward each match through out their wrestling careers.
Gill, who works in the Maintenance Department at Mead-Westvaco, had stepped on the mat, with absolutely no previous experiences about the sport. Gill adapted immediately took to the sport and earned a strong reputation for having a tireless work ethic.

"Wrestling is a team sport,"Gill said in his acceptance speech. "It's a combined effort, but when you step on to the mat, it's one on one. It doesn't matter what size you are because the sport allows any one with an opportunity to succeed. Weather one does or doesn't depends on the amount of effort and sacrifices that is willing to be made."

He was one of the first-ever freshmen to have earned a starting position at Rumford in 1973. He won the first of four Class A regional crowns and finished fourth at 112 on the 1974 state championship team.

During a stellar four-year career, Gill set numerous records and when he graduated held school records for takedowns, pins, two and three-point near falls and reversals. Gill had a career record of 96-13-1, however, he only lost four matches the final three years.
Gill had dedicated himself to winning a state title, but adversity hit the week of the state meet during his junior year. A snow blower had cut off half of one finger and he was advised against any competition. Gill ignored the stitches and pain, eventually beating John Cogley of Mexico to win his first of two state championships in 1976.

Gill bumped up to 119 as a senior and repeated as a state champion in 1977. He was also a New England finalist.
Gill compiled a respectable 4-4 record, in both Freestyle and Greco Roman, while touring Europe on an A.A.U. team in 1975. Gill also wrestled against teams from Poland, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Gill and fellow HOF Kevin Gilmore of Morse are the top two Maine wrestlers with international experience.

Sprague is the oldest competitor in the 2003 class who had advanced to three state finals in the early 1970s. Sprague won state championships as a junior and senior and was known for perfecting an over-head takedown his strong pinning combinations. Sprague had a 91 percent winning percentage, second best at Belfast behind 2000 HOF Kevin Marriner. He compiled a 25-0-1 record en route to winning a New England title as a senior. The championship erased a year of frustration because Sprague had been a N.E. finalist as a junior, but lost on Riding time.

Coffin coached at the Bath-based school for 24 years and was extremely effective at getting a solid effort out of the wrestlers. They respected him and appreciated his over all concern for their well-being. The Shipbuilders had some solid team' and the individual performances on the mat was a directly related to Coffin' mentorship. That's because there were several important facets associated with the sport that could be taught and hopefully be carried over through out life.

Coffin, a fisherman, had a unique way of being able to break into in to a wrestlers mental state of mind. He accomplished this by quoting numerous philosophers and by using positive reinforcement.

"My first thought of wrestling leads me to look at the circles on the mat,"Coffin said. "The inner ring represents one's inner self and it really allows an individual to discover what's inside them. Also, at the NCAA Division tournament the announcer always welcomes every one to the world's oldest and great sport. That is certainly a true statement."

Walch won two Class A state championships at Westbrook and compiled a 130-27-1 record. During his high school career, Walch competed in four different weight classes. Walch was unbeaten as a junior and senior.

"Brian grew up knowing the sport inside and out,"father/coach Dennis Walch said. "He is the only person I know who could have wrestled competitively on a varsity team for six years. I can honestly say that he was the best mat wrestler ever in our state." Brian Walch is a Physical Therapist in New Jersey and Dennis Walch is the 2003 runner-up National runner-up Coach of the Year in Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

The younger Walch achieved success at the next level by competing at Ithaca College in New York four years and was a member of the 1994 Division III national championship team. Walch was a two-time Academic All American and was All-NY state twice.
The MAWA honored Ben and Cindy Brassch as its Person of the Year. The married couple have been a driving force in support of the Deering wrestling program.

Perkins was also a two-time Class A state champion at Mount Ararat. As a junior, the former Eagle wrestler had gained some momentum after having upset the top-seed Mark Dolloff of Rumford in the regional and at the state meet. This continued at the state meet and carried over to a record-breaking season in 1983.

"I have some fond memories,"Perkins said. " Wrestling provided me with sportsmanship and integrity. As a trial lawyer I encounter some tough attorneys who don't always want to look at all the (aspects). I hope that I never turn out like that" Perkins resides in Massachusetts and referees in youth wrestling Perkins went on to wrestle at Blair Academy in New Jersey and placed fourth in the Prep nationals. The expose led to interest from the University of New Hampshire and as a senior captain, won the Division I New England championship.

The annual John Caramihalis Scholarship was awarded to Chris Tracy of Westbrook. The other finalists included Levi Rollins of Camden Hills and Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan. The $1000 scholarship is named in honor of the father of Maine wrestling who created a program at Sanford in 1959. Caramihalis was the first individual inducted n to the MAWA HOF in 1993.

First Team
103 Paul Desmaris Noble Senior
112 Jim Gaudette Biddeford Senior
119 Chris Barkac Dexter Sophomore
125 Seth Webber Mount Blue Junior
130 Levi Rollins Camden Hills Senior
135 Brian Bourgue Sanford Senior
140 Chris Remsen Camden Hills Junior
145 Colby Lamson Marshwood Sophomore
152 Decota Cotten Noble Junior
160 Brandon Hamilton Skowhegan Junior
171 Jeff Harris Mount View Senior
189 Kellen Hollenkamp Deering Sophomore
215 Chris Tracy Westbrook Senior
275 Joey Schreiber Lisbon Senior

Second Team
103 Ian Venskus Mountain Valley Senior
112 Aaron Kaluzynski Monmouth Senior
119 Kyle Hale Noble Junior
125 Keith Thompson Dexter Junior
130 Nate Hix Lisbon Junior
135 Derek Guisto Lisbon Junior
140 Mike Dumas Kennebunk Junior
145 Jake Sinclair Ellsworth Sophomore
152 Chris Smith Mountain Valley Sophomore
160 Kirk Nelson Mountain Valley Senior
171 Chad Edwards Sanford Senior
189 Josh Bishop Dexter Senior
215 Adam Lord Lisbon Senior
275 Tom Mango Fryeburg Senior

Most Outstanding Wrestler Decota Cotten, Noble
Coach of Year Bob Gaudette, Biddeford

Honorable Mention: 103 Kyle Bonin, Belfast; 112 Tony Gilmore, Belfast and Jake Rollins, Camden Hills; 119 Nick Lavigne, Westbrook; 125 Norman Gilmore, Belfast and Troy Clark, Lisbon and Greg Croteau, Noble; 130 Seth McAlister, Oxford Hills and Jarod Proper, Noble and Mike Ames, Belfast; 140 Brain Blackler, Medomak Valley; 135 Kyle Young, Camden Hills;140 Jake Sinclair, Ellsworth and Adam Bourgon, Bucksport; 145 Jake Laselle, MCI and Kyle Fitzgerald, Noble; 152 Jim Smith, Biddeford and Robert Hespe, Lisbon; 160 Anthony Cicotta, Biddeford and Travis Pelletier, Bucksport; 171 Randy Briggs, Foxcroft; 189 Bryan Creamer, Camden Hills and Don Cofone, Westbrook; 215 Pat Casten, Wells 275 Brent Armstrong, Deering
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A lot of hard work and dedication is necessary in order to achieve a dream season, however, that's precisely what Decota Cotten accomplished en route to going unbeaten and winning the New England championship. Cotten' superior performances on the mat have earned him the 2003 Sun Journal wrestler of the Year honors.

Cotten simply dominated the 152-pound division in compiling an unblemished 46-0 record, by relying on his quickness and crisp takedown techniques to win tournaments in New York, Vermont and Maine. He certainly needed all those skills in winning the New England crown in Lowell, Massachusetts March 8.
The Pine Tree state had several others considered for the annual honors, including Jim Gaudette, Biddeford; Chris Remsen, Camden Hills; Brandon Hamilton, Skowhegan; Chris Tracy, Westbrook and Joey Schreiber, Lisbon.

"Decota knows where he is at all times on the mat,"Noble coach Kip Devoll said. "That's a great asset to have and it's some thing that can't be taught. A person has to have a sharp mind and be fully aware of the situation."

Cotton had utilized his aggressive offensive skills through out the season and the tactics held true in the first two matches at the New England's. Fortunately, the Knight wrestler adapted to a different style in the finale. The normal hunter became the hunted, but an ability to modify to a defensive style provided a big advantage.

Cotten won a 3-2 decision by executing a standing escape with 54 seconds left in the match. He then successfully countered the repeated shoots by Mike Raqusa of Foxboro.

Cotton, a junior, surpassed the century mark earlier this season and now has 119 career wins. The Knights, five-time defending state champions, have created a strong tradition and Cotton learned first hand last season. Cotten lost in overtime to Hamilton in the state finals.

"I was on a mission this season,"Cotten said. "Especially after having come so close last year. My goal was to win the states. I hadn't really thought about competing in the New England', but my mind really changed leading up to it because I was practicing for it."

Cotton certainly knew how prestigious aura that existed because his older brother James has placed fourth in the 2001 New England. Last year, Decota Cotten traveled to Rhode Island to watch the championships.

"Decota is a very intense wrestler,"Devoll said. "He gets a lot of that from his father who really follows the sport. Decota is a great role model and the younger wrestlers really look up to him. In fact, several pee-wee wrestlers traveled down to the New England's to watch Decota and a couple teammates."
The Maine wrestlers earned a higher degree of satisfaction because nine individual's earned medals at the regional tournament. These positive performances were inspired by four wrestlers advancing to the semi-final', however, the consolation matches set the tone. Maine had several multiple state champions and the experience was invaluable.

The first team is comprised of four three-time state champions, including Camden Hills teammates Remsen (140) and Levi Rollins (130) who placed third and fifth, respectively. Hamilton placed sixth at 160 and Joe Schreiber of Lisbon failed to switch styles against a heavier opponents.

Schreiber, who weighs approximately 214 pounds, only wrestled an entire match once during the season. The Greyhounds lone loss was a 4-3 decision to a multiple Vermont state champion.
Seth Webber of Mount Blue kept the name in the spotlight for the fourth-straight year. Older brother Scott was an SJ first team from 2000-02.

Also, history was made because the SJ first team includes transfers Jeff Harris 171 of Mount View and Kellen Hollenkamp 189 of Deering each won state championships. Harris, formerly from Oklahoma, also placed fourth in New England.

Every match was as competitive as the preceding one, however, there was a silver lining illuminated when Decota Cotten achieved history by winning a hard fought 3-2 decision to claim the 152-pound New England championship late Saturday night before an over flow crowd.

Cotten' monumental achievement was a first on two fronts as he became the first-ever Noble wrestler to win a New England crown. It also ended nearly 25 years of frustration by becoming the first Maine wrestler to win the prestigious crown and received a huge ovation from the appreciative fans at Lowell High School.

Cotten executed a standing escape with 54 seconds left in the match and then successfully countered the repeated shoots by Mike Raqusa of Foxboro. Interestingly, Cotten broke free five seconds after the match had resumed following a rules clarification of a reversal attempt.
"This was one of the toughest matches I've had all season,"Cotten said. "My (strategy) going in to the match was to get takedowns. I was trying outside sweeps and double-under hooks, but I just wasn't able to get the job done."

Cotton, an afro-American, finished his junior campaign with a perfect 46-0 and improved his career record to 119-6. The Knight wrestler joins Bob Ewell (155) of Morse and Tim Gotto (185) of Rumford who each won New England crowns in 1978.

Cotten had engineered a sweeping takedown, but Raqusa escaped to trail 2-1 after the first period. The Warrior wrestler escaped again early inn the middle frame to knot the score 2-2. The wrestlers were then able to block each others attempted set-ups.

"I knew what I needed to execute,"Cotten said. "I wasn't able to because (Raqusa) was denying me by keeping me from getting (positioning) on him."

Cotten and teammate Paul Demarais scored 37 points to secure a top-10 finish for Noble. The Knights previous best in NE was 11th place. Salem, NH won the New England title, followed by Bishop Hendricson (53) and Mount Mansfield (52).

Maine advanced four wrestlers to the semi-finals in the 22-man bracket for the 14-individual weight classes. Cotten executed five takedowns to win a 13-5 decision, but Levi Rollins (130) Camden Hills, Brandon Hamilton (160) Skowhegan and Chris Tracy (215) Westbrook each lost decisions.

Tracy fell shy 3-1 against eventual champion Joe Fensone of Central Catholic, placed third when he was illegally body slammed to the mat in the consolation finals. Chris Remsen battled back with three decisions to place third at 140.

Mainers earned eight medals, including Desmarais (103), Brian Bourgue 135 of Sanford and Jeff Harris 171 of Mount View each placed fourth. Rollins was fifth and Hamilton sixth.

Wrestlers from Mountain Valley and Lisbon learned the hard way as they were each relegated to ride the pine after combining to win two of 13 matches. The early exits included several decisions, however, the Achilles heal was a lack of energy down the stretch.

Senior Ian Venskus of Mountain Valley was bounced early after losing a first-round match 7-4 to Ken Clay of Rhode Island at 103. Venskus fell victim to not being able to adjust to the different style of wrestling.

"It's definitely an eye opener down here,"Venskus said. "It's good to see how you compare up against the rest of New England. He was defensive, so he'd wait for me to shoot-in or make a mistake and then spin behind me."

Falcon teammate Chris Smith achieved a personal goal by winning a pigtail match by pin, but then lost a 5-2 decision. Smith returned Saturday morning and lost another decision after getting caught in a head and arm.

Kirk Nelson also lost a 7-4 decision, but was eventually eliminated because his opponent lost a preceding match.

"The matches were all very competitive,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "The scores were close and the matches could have gone either way. That was nice to see because it shows the kids that they are not far off, but the length between wrestling did hurt the Maine wrestlers."

Derek Guisto, a two-time Class C state champion, returned and recorded a pin in 15 seconds. His opponent came out trying to wrestle totally upper body and Guisto 135 caught him with and under hook. Greyhound teammate Adam Lord 215, a two-time state champ, lost a decision on Saturday.
Also losing their lone match was Nate Hix 130, Robert Hespe 152 and Joe Schreiber 275 of Lisbon. Aaron Kaluzynski and Ryan Audet of Monmouth at 112 and 135, respectively.

///////////////
Rollins had been declared a winner following a quarterfinal match, however, a twist of events forced him to resume completion of the match 20-minutes later. The opposing coach protested any earlier technical-violation call that had awarded Rollins one point.
The referee eventually nullified the violation and instructed the match resume at 0-0 with 1:19 left in the third period. Rollins came back and promptly escaped in a 1-0 win.
Seth Webber, the top seed from Maine at 125, was in a tough opening match. The Mount Blue wrestler executed a reversal to tie the score at the end of regulation. In the extra session, Webber waited for an opportunity and slid behind for the winning takedown.
Chris Barkac, who finished sixth in New England last year, was ahead 1-0 until a locking hands violation tied the match. The Dexter wrestler eventually lost in overtime.

A set up inn competition always results in an increase in the competitiveness because there won't be any margin for error. The ability to be physically and mentally prepared will be on display at the 39th annual New England interscholastic wrestling championships in Lowell, Massachusetts Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event will feature 42 individual wrestlers from the state of Maine and also qualifiers from the other five N.E. states. The Mainers automatically secured berths in the championships by winning their respective Classes A, B and C state meets last month.
There will be preliminary (non-scoring) matches and a 16-man championship bracket.
Maine kids were seeded 1-2-3 in each weight class, based on criteria and additional information discussed at a meeting. Each of the six regional tournaments (Classes A, B and C) was represented. Hopefully, future meetings won't be necessary because the coaches association voted 40-9 in favor of a qualifying tournament. The Maine Principal' Association will need to approve it.

"It was very productive,"Dennis Bishop said, who facilitated the meeting. "There a diverse representation and each of the coaches came in with an open mind. Usually, coaches come in are territorial toward their kids, but there was none of that. They listened to the information and then after some debate, it was ultimately agreed upon that the seeds had each been given the proper time."

The coaches were determined to seed wrestlers correctly because last year was the worst showing by the Pine Tree state since it resumed competing in the New Englands in 1999. The two returning medallists are Chris Remsen (140-pounds) Camden Hills and Chris Barkac (119) Dexter, who placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

A majority of Mainers realize the rigors of the tasks and have been busy practicing at locations through out the state. A tune-up tournament was held at Marshwood high two weeks ago.
"The tournament at Marshwood was well worth it,"Westbrook coach Dennis Walch said. "It provided the kids with an opportunity to keep sharp, both physically and mentally. It was some thing new, so there was only three or four kids in some weight classes, but if it was a NE qualifier the attendance would have been better."

There are several Maine kids who are considered to have the skills necessary to earn medals this weekend. They include a trio are each three-time state champions, who came up empty the previous two years. Brandon Hamilton (160) of Class A Skowhegan, Levi Rollins (130) of Class B Camden Hills and Joey Schreiber (34-1 at 275) of Class C Lisbon.

Schreiber, despite weighing approximately 215 pounds, was totally in control against heavier opponents. His quickness and takedown skills could be an asset, however, he'll be going against quality competition. Schreiber received a taste of what's on tap, in a 4-3 setback against a multiple Vermont state champ at the Essex Classic finals in January.

"Joey has bigger hopes this year,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "Joey is looking for respect I think and multiple state champions from Maine are common to the NE tourney. Currently, he is ranked sixth in New England, but as everyone knows rankings don't mean anything when your on the mat."

Junior Seth Webber (34-1 at 125) of Mount Blue is competing for the first time, but he understands that preparation is essential. Older brother Scott Webber wrestled in three New England tournaments (1999-02). Belfast features brothers Tony and Norman Gilmore at 112 and 125, respectively.

Equally capable is Jim Gaudette (39-0 at 112) of Biddeford, Decota Cotten (41-0 at 152) of Noble, Kirk Nelson (34-1 at 160) of Mountain Valley and Chris Tracy (35-0) of Westbrook. Nelson' lone loss was a decision against Hamilton.

"The kids are taking it more seriously,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "It's an honor for them to go, but also a fun time. They each have their goals and it provides them with an opportunity to see how competitive they are against wrestlers from through out New England."

Three-time state champion Lisbon has the most representatives with five, including Nate Hix (32-4 at 130), Derek Guisto (33-4 at 135), Robert Hespe (23-6 at 152) and Adam Lord (34-1 at 215). Several other team' also have multiple representatives, but in a field of such high quality wrestlers, quality out shines quantity. The last Maine team to crack the top-10 was Marshwood in '99, when Daric Buttrick was a finalist at 152. The last champions from Maine were Bob Ewell (155) of Morse and Tim Gotto (185) of Rumford in 1978.

A key may be how much momentum a wrestler can achieve early in a match and this could propel Ian Venskus (34-0 at 103), Aaron Kaluzynski (24-2 at 112) of Monmouth, Nick Lavigne (21-2 at 119) of Westbrook, Mike Dumas (28-0 at 140) of Kennebunk, Colby Lamson (36-0 at 145) of Marshwood and Chris Smith (152) Mountain Valley.
A stroke of luck has allowed Kyle Bonin (103) Belfast, Ryan Audet (135) Monmouth and Pat McDonough (275) Bonny Eagle to each compete. The No. 4 seeds are elevated because higher-seeded wrestlers with drew from participating.

It will also be interesting to see how transfers Andy Harris (171) Mount View and Kellen Hollenkamp (189) Deering each fare.

There are times when silence is golden because each individually reacts differently depending on the situation. It actually all boils down to the psychological make-up of a competitor.
It's unlikely that Aaron Kaluzynski would disagree because the Monmouth Academy wrestler recently accomplished a piece of history at the Class C state meet last Saturday.

Kaluzynski certainly has a way of leaving every one in suspense, however, every thing turned out positive. There was no way to hold back the reins because the score was 0-0 entering the third period of the finals at 112-pounds.

Kaluzynski started in the defensive position and approximately 50 seconds had sat out and eventually switched around for a two-point reversal. Matt Ward of Dexter tried in vain to escape, but Kaluzynski successfully countered the moves to win his second state crown.
The match-up had actually been envisioned since Ward won a 6-5 decision in the finals of the Bonny Eagle tournament. There were a lot of things that could have happened in-between, but the incentives were simply to strong.

It had seemed like an eternity since Kaluzynski had climbed to the top step of the podium. He had won a state championship as a freshman at 103, but then endured some adversity in the preceding two state meets. Last year was especially hard because Kaluzynski lost to Chris Barkac of Dexter.

The title tied him with former teammate Mark McDonald as a two-time Class C state champion. The tandem are the only wrestling state champions in school history.
There's another record that Kaluzynski (24-2) doesn't have to share with any one and it's a first because he is the only Mustang wrestler with 100 wins. Fortunately, the approaching milestone wasn't even mentioned prior to stepping on the mat.

"I just wanted him to win the state championship,"Mustang coach Charlie Fyler said."Aaron didn't need to know that reaching 100 wins was also on the line. There was a question if Aaron would even get enough matches in because of (tri-meet cancellation) and some byes in two tournaments."

The senior leadership really shined as Monmouth enjoyed a good day by scoring 60 points to finish six. Four wrestlers placed in the top three of their respective weight classes. Ryan Audet had upset the Eastern regional champion in the semi-final, but was stuck in the final by 2x Derek Guisto of Lisbon.

Mike Boulette 140 and Jake Tidale 160 each placed third. Boulette stuck Jamie Bedard of Dirigo in the consolation finals.

"My seniors really came through,"Fyler said. "It was also great for the team because it's the first time we'd ever finished in front of Dirigo. That had been a goal."
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The state meet represent a number of different thing's to each individual because the atmosphere has increased three-fold with Classes A, B and C meets held at one venue. The spacious Augusta Civic provided an outstanding sight as the referees escorted 336 wrestlers around the eight mats during the opening ceremonies.

A lot of planning was done by site director Terry Devereaux in order for every thing to rum smoothly. The head table, directed by Wally Devoe of Hanover, Tom Ackley of Fryeburg and Kennebunk athletic director Marty Ryan, calculated the results of each match in a computer program.

It was an intimidating site for wrestlers who had never performed in that type of environment. The reaction, or non-reaction, by each individual has a direct bearing on his/her performances. The physical activities of the wrestlers can clearly be seen, but there's an equally important device necessary to complete the total package.

"A lot of what you see is mental today,"Lincoln Academy coach Andrew Mullins said, who wrestled at Mount Blue in 1982. "A wrestler's performances may go either way. It's up to the kids because the coaches have prepared them all season long. The state meet is supposed to be (competitive) fun because I believe the hardest part is getting by qualifying at the regional(s)."
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There's also a lot of thing's that transpire through out the day that go unnoticed, expect by the team or individual who is directly effected by the out come. Biddeford finished third in Class A, one and one half points behind Westbrook, so the logical deduction is to give the Blue Blazes a slight edge.

Biddeford had beat Westbrook head to head twice during the season, but things had started to unravel early last week. A wrestler who had placed second in the regional was declared academically ineligible. At the state meet, a wrestler was sick and did not even finish his first match, then forfeited the next one. A third wrestler wasn't allowed in the due to the 51% rule, not enough matches in a weight class because he was injured 90 percent of the year. The Tigers also lost one-team point for unsportsmanship, a wrestler hadn't taped his shoe laces.
Seth McAlister of Oxford Hills lost a tough 9-8 decision to Jarrod Porper of Noble in the Class A 130 final. The Viking junior trailed 9-5 late in the third period, but executed a reversal and tilted his opponent for near-fall points. Unfortunately, the shoulders were only exposed to the mat (less than 45 degrees) for a two count. Two points were awarded.

Camden Hills led by one half a point entering the consolation finals, however, it increased the lead to over six points by wining four matches to three by Mountain Valley. This included a head-to-head match in overtime that resulted in a six-point swing. The Windjammers also earned two-pin points.

When the Class B 130 went in to an extra session, most observers were puzzled because the match didn't resume with the wrestlers in a neutral position. The one-minute was started in the referee position because Mike Ames of Belfast had previously used a second injury timeout. Levi Rollins executed a standing escape to win his third crown.

The 42 state champions have automatically qualified to compete in the New England tournament in Lowell, Massachusetts on March 6-7. The Mainers will be seeded at a meeting this month at Morse High School. The seeds received will be based on predetermined criteria, including having previously placed in the tournament, head-to-head matches and number of state championships won.

1. Noble
2. Lisbon
3. Camden Hills
4. Mountain Valley
5. Westbrook
6. Biddeford
7. Belfast
8. Marshwood
9. Dexter
10. Skowhegan

Noble 5x in Class A 1999-03
Camden Hills 4x in Class B 2000-03
Lisbon 3x in Class C 2000-3
*Final until fall
Bob McPHEE

AUGUSTA - Things simply didn't go right for the youthful Dirigo High School wrestling team at the state meet last Saturday.

But, Lisbon put it all together again by scoring 210.5 points behind five individual crowns and won its third-straight Class C state championship.

Lisbon led wire-to-wire and there was never a doubt because of the team depth. The Greyhounds led 141-115 after the semifinals.

Dirigo stumbled with losses in the early going, but senior Curtis Brann at 171 placed third. Jamie Bedard (140) and Devon Brann 145 (hyperextended elbow) each finished fourth. The Cougars tied for seventh with 36 points, however, a majority of the team will return.

Lisbon champions included Nate Hix at 130, Derek Guisto (135), Robert Hespe (152), Adam Lord (215) and Joey Schreiber at 275. Guisto, Lord and Schreiber repeated as state titlists.

Troy Clark lost 6-4 in overtime at 125 and Guisto decisioned Ryan Audet of Monmouth. Hespe pinned Alex Tweedie of Bucksport.

"I've learned to expect the unexpected at the state meet," Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. 'There are always upsets and things go the other way. It's hard to stay on top as a team, but the thing that helps our kids is that they have been here before."

The Hounds received thirds from Justine Cornell at 103, Charlie Stambach (112) and Tim Swell (119).

Lord (100th career win) pinned Brian Brown of Boothbay. Teammate Josh Dubios was a finalist at 145.

"The team felt good coming in to today and the main thing is that we won another state title," said Stevens.

Dexter repeat champions were Chris Barkac and Josh Bishop at 119 and 189, respectively. "The kids proved it on the mat," Stevens said. "Bucksport deserves a lot of credit because they knocked a couple of our kids off. That happens in a tourney like this, but we had wrapped it up early for the second-straight year." Aaron Kaluzynski of Monmouth won a 2-0 thriller on a reversal in the third period in the 112-pound final. Kaluzynski (100 career wins) had won the state crown in 2000.

AUGUSTA - It all came down to the near end as Brian Creamer decisioned Jason Provencher 9-5 at 189-pounds as Camden Hills High School scored 173 1/2 points to win its fourth-straight Class B state wrestling championship.

Mountain Valley notched 167 points to finish second before 2500 fans at the Civic Center Saturday.
Falcon champions included Ian Venskus at 103, Kirk Nelson at 160, and Chris Smith at 152.
Rounding out the top five were Belfast (112), Wells (73) and Erskine (55). The 14 individual state champions are eligible to compete in the New England Championships in Lowell, Mass., in March.
"It (was) up to the kids at this point," Camden coach Pat Kelly said. "The coaches have helped prepare them throughout the season for this day. A lot of the (performances) come down to each kids' mental focus."

The Windjammers champions were Levi Rollins (130), Kyle Young (135), Chris Resman (140). Levi Rollins and Resman each won their third state titles.

Mountain Valley won two of three head-to-head matches against Camden in the first round. There was still several other match results that helped set the tone psychologically for the rest of the day.
"Things went okay for us early on," Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "We stayed close, but the consolation rounds were big because we needed kids to wrestle back through."
The finals began with Venskus winning 7-5 in overtime over Kyle Bonin of Belfast.
"It feels exhilarating," Venskus said. "I just used a football tackle for a double-leg takedown. His legs opened up, so I shot in."

Smith upset Shawn Studholm of Erskine 3-1 in OT. The Falcon wrestler had lost to Studholme a week ago. Nelson followed with a major decision, which set up the finale.

In a rematch of the '02 state finals, Ben Madigan lost by decision to Bryan Backler of Medomak Valley in the quarterfinals. The Falcons Jason McPherson (fourth at 171), who had won his 100th career match in the quarterfinals, struggled with sore ribs. Provencher pulled out a 9-8 decision in the semis by nailing a four-point move with seven seconds left.

Mountain Valley had an opportunity to soar ahead, but split six matches in the consolation finals. Travis Child (125), Aaron Arsenault (130), Madigan each won to place third. McPherson, and Travis Dragoon (215) each lost by two points, Jeff Waugh got stuck at 145..

Belfast's Mike Ames, a former state champion, lost in OT to Levi Rollins. Belfast got crowns from Rob and Norman Gilmore. Tony, a freshman, received the Wally LaFountain award as Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Nelson accomplished a major goal. The Falcon senior had placed third in the 2002 state meet.
"I felt confident today," Nelson said. " I stayed pumped up after marching in for the opening ceremonies. Plus, with the team scores so close, it kept me focused."

Mountain Valley earned points from every wrestler. Tom Mango of Fryeburg pinned the Falcons Mike Hanson in the 275 final.
Pat Casten (215) of Wells also won.