Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance

Nestled in the heart York County, you know, where perennial champions Noble and Marshwood thrive, is another good team. The Wells High School wrestling squad usually plays a big role in the outcome of Class B wrestling in the state of Maine, and this year is no different. The Warriors, made up students from Wells, Acton and Ogunquit, are wrapping up the regular with a 13-6-1 dual meet record. This record is quite impressive considering the hurdles they have crossed. Giving up 12-18 points due to roster shortages, loosing two veteran starters early on and of course fighting the curse of all wrestling teams, disease and injury.

The Warriors started a bit slow, got moving, got into a slump, then got moving again….much like a good wrestler does during a tough match. Recent strong showings against tough opponents such as Mt. Valley (2 point loss at the Kennebunk Duals) and 6th place at the Southern Maine Classic (top Class B finish) show that they are getting ready for the year end "show" at York (Class B Regional Meet) and Bangor.

While there have been many surprise contributions to this year's team, some need to be highlighted. Sophomore Corey Brown, a non-starter at the beginning of the season, stepped in as a sub in a few varsity matches and has now earned a starting position at 140 lbs. Senior Wayne Wittman, looking for his first starting varsity spot, got it when the 171 slot unexpectedly opened. Wittman's extremely aggressive style has won him a good handful of matches, even though he typically is 10 pounds lighter then his opponents. Then there is senior Adam Chase. A four-year starter at the heavy weight class, Chase has dominated nearly all of his opponents compiling a 24-1 record. In past seasons, Chase would be the first to admit he lost because of one mental mistake. This year Chase uses his experience, strength and size (6'3", 265+ lbs.) to gain control and put them away.

Wells should expect to send many members to the States this year. A couple might even go as Western Maine champs. But as any coach knows, winning teams come from those extra "unexpected" 2nd, 3rd, 4th finishes. Let's watch and see how the Wells High Warriors do.

The true test of a wrestling team is gauged on how competitive it is in a tournament because the numbers of opponents create some interesting match-ups. That scenario really heats up beginning this morning with thee assembling of hundreds of competitors at two different venues.

The Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference will be a battle at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. The Mid-State League championships are at Mountain Valley High School is likely to be undecided until late in the finals.

Mount Blue is the defending KVAC champion, however, a trio of teams are fully capable of ending the Cougars reign. Camden Hills, Belfast and even host Oxford Hills will make its presence known throughout the event.

Although Mount Blue has the quality to win again, but the Cougar's are aware of the potential repercussions. The main objective remains are not putting all its eggs in one basket.

"It could be a four-team race (today),"Mount Blue coach Nate Phillips said. "Last year the team peaked at the KVACs last year and it eventually cost us We've guarded against that happening again. The approach to tournaments has been different this season, but the main goal is to win the state meet."

Mount Blue will be banking on seniors Scott Webber (112-pounds) and Matt Waite (215) to also repeat as individual champions. Webber is 23-0 and Waite (24-0) has only gone the distance in two matches this season.

Teammate Damian Osgood (145) faces an uphill battle, beginning with Dustin Armstrong of Belfast in the semi-finals. The winner will face three-time champion Ben Goulette of Morse in the finals. The Cougars also feature Shane and Seth Webber at 103 and 119, respectively.

"We drill a lot in practice,"Phillips said. "The kids are using the moves on the mat and that's nice to see. If we stick to the basics, I think we can be a championship team."

Chris Embleton has returned at 125, but a trio of wrestlers will be strong. Top seeded Chris McAlister of Oxford Hills will beat Levi Rollins of Camden Hills in the finals.

Ryan Bryce of Oxford Hills could be a finalist at 160. Oak Hill's Adam Buckingham must get by John Bursley of Mount Ararat at 275. Tony Collins of Oak Hill could face Chris Remsen of Camden Hills. A big rematch is looming between at 152 between Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan and Nick Ouimet of Belfast.

"I'm not like a lot of (colleagues),"Cony coach John Martin said. "The KVAC is a very tough tournament, but I wouldn't put a lot of stock in it. There's a good chance of getting hurt, so you need to look at the big picture. It's a (challenge), but we've also got a couple kids who will score points."

The Rams Brad Waugh (29-1) will meet Dan Stace of Winslow at 140.

The theme at Mid-States will be to receive a total team effort because there's little difference between Lisbon and Mountain Valley. Both teams have plenty of momentum and feature several potential individual champions. The opportunity to garner help from other forces exists, but the best thing is to rely on the respective teams to decide its own fate.

"We'll need (contributions) from every one,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "All our wrestlers will need to score points in order for us to be productive. We'll have champions, but it's widely known that teams need others to wrestle back through the consolations."

The Greyhounds feature Troy Clark (112), Derek Guisto (119), William Vice (125), Nate Hix (130), B.J. Hamm (135), Joey Schreiber (189) and Adam Lord (215). Lisbon was boasted by the return of Jamie Englebert (275) this week. The defending Class C state champion has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury playing football last fall.

A highly anticipated match-up will be between Hix and Ben Madigan of Mountain Valley. Hix decisioned the Falcon freshman 8-6 with a reversal at the buzzer, during the regular season.

Mountain Valley also have several contenders who will go head-to-head against the Greyhounds, including Travis Child (112) and Jason Provencher (189). The Falcons Kirk Nelson will rule at 152.

"We'll be underdogs, but that's not a big thing,"Falcon coach Gary Dolloff said. "A lot will depend on individual match-ups, but our wrestlers have goals and want to reverse the Lisbon score from a dual meet during the season."

Jason McPherson (160) and Craig Fergola (171) of Mountain Valley will face Dirigo teammates Nick Gurney and Derrick Gilbert. A logjam exists at 215 between Matt Thurston of Mountain Valley, Nate Butler (20-3) of Monmouth and Scott Skibitsky of Dirigo.

Aaron Kaluzynski (26-2 at 103) of Monmouth will be favored over

Falcon junior Ian Venskus. At 140, Jamie Bedard of Dirigo will battle Paul Rines of Wiscasset.

SOUTHERN MAINE MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Thursday the coaches and officials met at Massabesic HS to review the middle school schedule and other issues. Each school should have about ten (10) weekday dates and four tournaments.

Dick Heikkinen reviewed his assignments and dates and everyone was on board with the dates.

Also discussed were the female uniform requirements for this year. The group agreed that female wrestlers will wear a white tee-shirt and as the need arises a hair net. This is for good taste and follows the NFHS rules. We also agreed that wrestlers can tape laces by securing just the lace and avoid using a lot of athletic tape.

Coaches are encouraged to have their team weights and level of experience listed before each meet to make the match pairing and setup process run smoother.

Tournament cost per wrestler was set as a GUIDELINE at $6/wrester and a school has the option of charging what it feels is necessary for its program. MS can begin practice Feb 4th. Be looking on MAWA SCHEDULE for hte meet details.

WATERBORO - The Massabesic wrestling team upped its season record to 9-6 on Wednesday night with a decisive 52-15 win over Traip Academy.

The Mustangs continued to show improvement up and down the roster. Chris Chabot, 152-pounds, stood out among the middle weights as he got even with Traip's Tony Reyes. Chabot repaid Reyes for an earlier loss with a 10-3 decision on Wednesday.

Lightweights Cory Gallant, 103, impressed with a 17-0 technical fall win over Steve Bolz and Ken Belanger, 119, pinned Josh Bedard at 1:32.

As for the heavweights, Mustangs Eric White, 189, and Garron Courtway, 171, both won with first period pins and Traip forfeited at 215 and 275. With Andre Provencher, 160, winning a shootout, 19-14, Massabesic took all the points in the six heaviest classes.

Massabesic will take on Westbrook, Deering and Biddeford on Saturday in Biddeford.

RUMFORD-Success usually doesn't materialize over night because it requires a strong commitment and dedication in order to achieve one's maximum potential. Kirk Nelson has certainly paid his dues and now the Mountain Valley High School wrestler is in contention to win a state championship.

Although nothing is guaranteed, Nelson firmly believes the trials and tribulations encountered up to this point are assets. The physical talents are extremely important, however, the mental capabilities of any individual are directly related to being able to excel on the mat.

"I set some goals for this season,"Nelson said. "I felt I'd do well because most of the competitors who finished ahead of me last year were gone. Being able to win states is a goal, but I'm also hitting other goals along the way."

Unfortunately, a set back endured by Nelson in the finals of the McDonald was actually a turning point. The Falcon junior entered the match against Nick Ouimet of Belfast unprepared for action and was pinned in one minute and three seconds. It proved to be a valuable lesson because Nelson was inspired to develop a new approach to the competition.

Exactly two weeks later, Nelson had a new battle plan and earned revenge by pinning Ouimet in 1:06 to win the Atlantic Invitational championship. Nelson was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The potential rubber match between the tandum is anticipated in the 152-pound finals at the Class B state meet in February.

"The loss was largely mental,"Nelson said, regarding the McDonalds tournament. "Ouimet had beaten me last season also, so I didn't know what to expect. After that, I went back to practice and worked even harder. Coach (Gary) Dolloff has always been there to push me. In the Atlantic, I was pumped and determined. I knew (Ouimet) would be confident and shoot in, sure enough he did, so I countered the move."

The learning process had initially been encouraged to try wrestling by teammate Jason McPherson in the seventh grade. Neelson didn't have much success in junior high, but he caught the fever and decided to continue with the sport. He heightened his skills even further by attending summer camps in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

"Things were different when I came to high school,"Nelson said. "There were more moves that I learned from coach (Jerry) Perkins. I gained more confidence in my own abilities."

There are always peaks and valleys encountered throughout a career and Nelson pointed out a match as a freshman. In junior high, he had lost to David Flagg of Dirigo. The rematch proved to be a different story because Nelson beat the Cougar wrestler.

"I knew after the first month of practice that Kirk was for (real),"Perkins said, who retired. "He knew the difference between pain and injury. That's important (characteristic) to be able to distinguish and Kirk would listen to what was being taught."

Nelson improved last year and advanced to the regional finals. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry over and Nelson was shut out in the state meet. Still, the 29-10 record as a sophomore was encouraging for the future.

"Kirk is the kid you want on the mat,"Dolloff said. "He's smart and stays within himself. He has the best cross face (moves) I've ever seen, but he doesn't rely on it because he's willing to try single and double-leg takedowns."

Nelson has won 25 of 27 matches at 152 so far this season, however, the results of another match has provided him with a dose of reality. Nelson bumped up to 160 and was stuck by Nick Gurney of Dirigo.

"That really surprised me,"Nelson said. "I had come close against Gurney in the Mid-State League finals last year. In the match this time, it was a lot different and he over powered me. That match was difficult, but my goals this season is still to win leagues, regional and states."

Nelson will get an opportunity to win the initial leg of the Triple Crown this Saturday. Mountain Valley hosts the league meet will be co-favorites with Lisbon. The Falcons ended a 12-year drought by beating defending Class B state champion Camden Hills 38-36 last Saturday.

A wrestling team that has momentum can be extremely dangerous and that's exactly what Mountain Valley High School is using as a measuring stick. The Falcons have plenty of reason to be riding high after upsetting Camden Hills 38-36 in a duel meet last Saturday.

The win was monumental for a number of reasons, beginning with the first dual-meet win against the Windjammers in over a decade. The post-season tournaments are looming, starting with the Mid-State League championships this Saturday.

"I sat the kids down last Friday and pointed out how important the next three weeks were for the team,"Falcon coach Gary Dolloff said. "Our test actually started at Camden Hills. We've finished second to them in the last two (Class B) state meets. The win gave us a big boost."

The series of events fell in to place for Mountain Valley in the highly anticipated show down. Sophomore Mike Hanson (275-pounds) scored a 12-1 major decision in the first-contested match of the day. In a strategic move, Travis Child bumped up to 119 and recorded a pin. Ironically, the Jammers' had pulled off a similar move by having weighed in early a year ago.

The Falcons won the final four matches, including the meet-clinching pin by Jason Provencher with 40 seconds left at 189.

There is little time to savor the win because the Mid-State League tournament will present a new set of scenarios. The participation of more teams will create different match-ups and the potential upsets could be devastating.

Mountain Valley are the defending champions, however, Lisbon has elevated itself in to the role of favorite. Dirigo will also be a factor in the final out come.

"It's going to take a total team effort in order for us to win,"Dolloff said. "We'll be going in as underdogs, but that's not a bad thing. The kids in our wrestling room are aware of the situation and you can see it in their eyes. They want to win it."

Mountain Valley has a solid nucleus led by Ian Venskus (103), Child, Ben Madigan (130), Kirk Nelson (152), Jason McPherson (160), Craig Fergola (171), Provencher and Matt Thurston (215).

A recent showing by the Lisbon wrestling team will definitely serve as a motivating factor entering this weekend. The Greyhounds scored 185 ½ points to finish second in the 2002 Essex Classic in Vermont. The two-day event featured 20 teams from New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, including three-time defending Class A state champion Noble.

"After the first night we were two points out of first place,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "(Team) goal was to beat Noble. Even after the quarterfinals, we were within striking distance of eventual champion Queensbury, NY."

Lisbon beat Noble by 30 points and three individuals advanced to the finals. Senior B.J. Hamm and junior Joey Schreiber each won championships at 135 and 189, respectively. Derek Guisto fell one-point short at 119. The Greyhound sophomore had recorded a major decision in the semi-finals against Adam Hale, a 2000 state champion from Noble.

Lisbon received several outstanding performances and also benefited from the 32-person bracket. The top six places in each weight division earned medals. The opportunity to score additional team points was an incentive and Ryan Willey placed fifth at 171.

"It's a culture shock for our wrestlers,"Stevens said. "We competed against schools with enrollments of 1600 students and the wrestling out-of-state is so much more aggressive. The Noble wrestlers warned us that when a hard cross-faces put in, the kids were told not to expect the referee to make a call."

Jon Kane (171) of Deering pinned three of four opponents en route to being voted the tournaments Most Outstanding Wrestler.

This circumstances that Shaun Bridges endures daily to wrestle should serve as an inspiration to every one. The senior has shown courage and determination throughout his career at Westbrook High School. He has competed in a few varsity matches, but has never been a varsity starter. Unfortunately, he has always been behind great wrestlers.

Bridges was five years old when he suffered third-degree burns over 65% of his body. This required numerous operations, requiring special suits and splints, to be worn for a long time. His left foot amputated in the seventh grade and prosthesis is worn below his left knee.

"Shaun has limited use of his left arm and the artificial leg slows him down a bit," coach Dennis Walch said. "I've tried to talk him into wrestling without the leg. He is very quick without it and he weighs less. Shaun' scar tissue is so tight on his left arm that the skin often splits and bleeds. He wears high socks under the prosthesis, but the friction from training creates open sores. He is one tough young man."

Bridges hasn't allowed the physical disabilities to hinder his life style. The four years as a member of the Blue Blaze' wrestling team has helped provide him the strengths to deal with confrontations in the future. "I've stuck with wrestling,"Bridges said. "Even though I've been a JV, it has been important to me. It's all about fun."

Steve Michaud: An Update

A fund has been established to defray costs for Steve Michaud who suffered a broken neck in a wrestling match last month. The Medomak Valley sophomore is currently under going rehabilitation at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

Please send contributions to the Stephen Michaud Fund, c/o Doug Libby, Medomak Valley H.S., 320 Minkwood Road, Waldoboro, ME 04087.

WATERBORO - The Massabesic wrestling team came away with two victories Monday as it defeated both Windham and Kennebunk in a three way meet. The Eagles only brought four wrestlers to Waterboro, and one of them was forced to default with an injury as soon as the match began, which meant only three Mustangs wrestled against Windham as they rolled to a 68-6 victory.

The bout versus Kennebunk was more competitive, but the Mustangs easily had their way, winning 54-17. The highlight of the day was the Rams' Chris Seavey facing off against Massabesic's Matt Lude. The two heavyweights had split their previous two encounters, so this match was important for seeding purposes. The battle went into the third period before it was decided. Lude was able to escape from the bottom and never looked back as he pinned Seavey at the 5:29 mark.

"It was a lazy day match on a Monday morning," Massabesic coach Bob Eon said with a laugh. "But two wins are two wins."

The Mustangs improve to 8-6 with the victories. They will next face Traip Academy on Wednesday.

This weekend marks the beginning of the run toward the state championships for area wrestling teams. The Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and Mid-State League each hold their championships Saturday. These tournaments are followed on consecutive weekends by the regional and state championships for classes A, B, and C.

The KVAC tournament is considered one of the toughest competitions across the state and features powerhouse squads from both class A and B. Last season, Mt. Blue High School captured the team title by a mere one-point margin over defending champion Camden Hills Regional School. The two teams are considered the favorites again this season, but Belfast High School could be a darkhorse contender. While these three teams are likely to battle for the team crown, talented athletes from 13 other schools will vie for individual titles.

Although the seeding meeting to rank the competitors for each weight class will not be held until the night before the tournament, the following is an informal prediction of the top wrestlers in each field.

I. League Rankings: League record first, then over-all

1.NMH     10-0 13-0  4. Deerfield    6-1
2.Exeter   4-0  9-3  5. Moses Brown  4-2 5-5
3.Loomis   0-0  4-0  6. Choate       2-0 4-2

BIDDEFORD, Maine - Sean Bradburn went 3-1 on the day to capture second place in the 215 pound weight class Saturday, leading the York Wildcats to an eighth place finish in the Southwestern Maine Classic.

York finished the 14-team meet with 87½ points while first-place finisher Westbrook had 220. Other local teams were Traip in 11th (66) and Marshwood in third.

Other top finishers for the Wildcats were Mike Cicero, third at 189 pounds with a 4-1 record on the afternoon; Kyle Sullivan, third at 171 pounds with a 4-1 record; Brad Lajoie, fifth at 103 pounds with a 3-2 record on the day.

For Traip, the top competitor was Mike Navarro, who captured third in the 140 pound class with a 3-1 record. Josh Bedard took fifth-place in the 119-pound class while sixth-place finishers were Jake Bedard (125), Chris German (145) and Tony Reyes (152).

York will compete at the Western Maine Conference meet on Saturday at Traip.

BIDDEFORD - Biddeford's Steve White Gym was the place to be on Saturday for any self respecting wrestling fan. The host Biddeford Tigers opened the doors wide for 20 other participants to join them for a day of intense wrestling competition. Some of the best available talent in Classes A, B and C was on display all day long.

At day's end Westbrook stood atop the standings with 220 points, followed by Bonny Eagle with 195.5 and Marshwood with 187. The next six spots were all occupied York County participants - Biddeford at 170.5, Massabesic at 133.5, Wells at 127, Sanford at 92, York at 89, and Kennebunk at 83.

The host Tigers had six participants in the top four spots, led by individual champions Anthony Cincotta at 140 and Jimmy Smith at 152. Jimmy Gaudette added a second at 112 pounds, while Nate Vassill and John Cochrane each added a third at 103 and 125. Brett Given took home a fourth at 145 pounds.

Sanford's Redskins also had a pair of champions in Peter Wentworth at 112 pounds and Chad Edwards at 171. The 'Skins also had three fourth place finishers: Shawn Ricker at 103; Brian Bourque at 130, and Nick Legere at 160.

The Massabesic cause was led by captain Tom Metz who captured the 135-pound title. Corey Gallant at 103 and Matt Lude at 275 finished in second place, while 152-pound Chris Chabot finished fourth.

Adam Chase of Wells captured the 275-pound crown while Dylan Grethe and Edgar Wallace each took a second at 130 and 135, respectively. Pat Casten was fourth at 215-pounds.

Kennebunk contributed the competition's outstanding wrestler in 160-pound champion Ben Kinerson. The Rams also got two third place finishes from 130-pounder Mike Dumas and 145-pounder Anthony Racaniello

WINSLOW Al Surette quietly reached a coaching milestone on Jan. 5 when his Winslow High School wrestling team defeated Skowhegan. The win was the 100th by a Black Raider team since Surette took over as head coach in 1994.

There was no immediate fanfare over the achievement and Surette would have it no other way. Surette would prefer to direct attention towards the athletes he works with each day.

Surette has a reputation across the state, among officials and opposing coaches, as being a class act around the mat. Rarely demonstrative, Surette is proud of the fact that he has never lost a team point to an unsportsmanship penalty. That attitude carries over to his athletes.

"He stresses sportsmanship," said senior captain Dan Stace. "If we lose a match, he expects that we will handle it like gentlemen."

Stace has been one of the most successful wrestlers to come through the Winslow practice room and has been under Surette's tutelage since sixth grade. A two-time state class B runner-up, Stace won his 100th individual match early this season for Winslow, which goes into this weekend's action with a 8-5-1 dual-meet record.

Stace views Surette's concern for his athletes as a distinguishing characteristic.

"If we have a problem, he takes the time to help us work it out," he said. "The team is totally dedicated to him."

Surette's compassion for athletes with problems comes from personal experience.

"When I was a kid, I walked a fine line between trouble and staying on the right side of things," said Surette, who grew up in Dover-Foxcroft. "I definitely could have gone in either direction, but sports kept me in school.

While Surette competed in track and cross-country at Foxcroft Academy, it was on the wrestling mat where his competitiveness was fostered. He placed third in the Class B state tournament as a junior in 1985, and was poised to achieve his goal of winning a state title in his senior year. That dream was derailed in the regional tournament when he lost a dramatic overtime match to Belfast's Eric Harvey in the semifinals.

Physically and emotionally drained, Surette dropped his next consolation match to an opponent he had beaten a number of times during the season. The loss eliminated Surette from qualifying for the state tournament.

"When I lost I was devastated," said Surette, "but I took an important lesson away from the experience."

Now when an athlete loses a close match in a tournament, Surette makes sure the athlete is mentally prepared to wrestle back through the consolation rounds.

Surette views competing in the sport as a great preparation for the future. "Wrestling is a lot like life —you're out there one on one," he said. "I want to give kids more than just wrestling. I want to give them life values."

To ensure he provides those values, Surette has sacrificed much of his personal time. He lives in Harmony with his wife, Michele, and their two children, Josh and Haley. Every day during the season, he travels 100 miles a day between home, work in Burnham and practice. His days begin at 3:15 in the morning and on weekday match nights, may not end until 11 p.m.

"Wednesday's (match nights) are rough," Surette said, with a smile.

Surette is quick to credit people in the Winslow community who work behind the scenes to make the wrestling team successful.

"Mike and Nancy Desrosiers help set up the gym for home matches and also run the concession stand, and Dot Fogg is a big help with the booster's club," he said.

Mike Desrosiers also coaches the middle school program and Kevin Fredette runs the Pee Wee program. Former Black Raider standout Todd Fredette is the assistant coach on the varsity team and Mark Morrissette also helps out in the practice room.

Surette has been an exemplary coach, according to Winslow athletic director Sean Keenan. "We are lucky to have Al," said Keenan.

Keenan credits Surette with going the extra mile to be around his athletes on a year-round basis and is highly appreciative of his coaching style.

"Al is very soft-spoken, but there is no question of who is in charge," said Keenan.

Someone might ask what makes all the work worthwhile. Surette answers the question with a simple statement. "I want to give back (to kids) what the sport gave to me when I was growing up," he said.

Judging by the performance of the Winslow program, the time has been well spent.

SOUTH PARIS-It's essential to remain prepared because the competition in wrestling changes instantly and that was certainly the theme Saturday in Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference action.

Donny Stevens recorded a meet-clinching win at 171-pounds as Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School rallied back for a 42-33 win against Skowhegan in a thrilling dual meet. The Vikings (15-3) had six pins, started by Andre Wilson (189), in a convincing 57-18 over Cony.

Belfast flexed its muscles with a total of 23 pins, en route to winning three meets during the events. The Lions (15-2) beat feisty Oxford Hills 48-28, Skowhegan 47-18 and Cony 62-9. Each meet began with the 189-match because of the new automatic drawing.

Oxford Hills had plenty of incentive against Skowhegan because it had lost to the Indians last month. Unfortunately, Oxford Hills dropped four of the first five matches to trail 27-6.

"There were some good wrestling matches today,"Viking coach Chris Cobbert said. "I don't mind losing meets, if the competition is strong like it was today. We were down a couple wrestlers when we faced them before, but today we had a full lineup. The way things were going, I told Stevens it was going to come down to him."

Stevens wasn't overly excited about the aforementioned pressure, however, his performance on the mat proved to be superior. The Vikings had taken a 36-33 lead when Ryan Bryce stuck Matt Dyer at 160.

Stevens ended the drama quickly by showing Dean Redleuske the lights in the first period. The Vikings received three wins each by Seth McAlister (125), Josh Laird (135), Bryce and Nate Libby (275).

"We had started strong, but this team is young,"Skowhegan coach Kurt Wentworth said. "There are a lot of freshmen and sophomores and that's the way it goes some times. We knew that it would come down to the final match."

There were some highly anticipated individual match-ups because the KVAC championships are being held next Saturday in the same gym. McAlister, (24-1) a 2001 Class A state champion, scored a 13-3 major decision against Jing Mai of Cony. The Vikings sophomore executed a single-leg takedown, directly to a near fall, with five seconds left in the first period. Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan won a hard fought 1-0 decision against Nick Ouimet of Belfast at 152. Hamilton, (22-1) also a defending state champion, escaped with three seconds left in the match.

"I knew that I need to score points at the end,"Hamilton said. "It was tough because (Ouimet) is a phenomenal wrestler. We'll probably face each other again next week and he could have my number."

Cony (10-11-2 also lost 42-36 following a Redleuske in the final match. The Rams Brad Waugh is 29-1 at 140. The Lions triple winners were Kyle Bonin (103), Class B state champion Mike Ames (112) and Dustin Armstrong (145).

The Camden Hills Mountain Valley meet was very exciting with no more than 10 team points ever seperating the two. Came down to the last match with Camden Hills leading 36 - 32. Mt. Valley won the last match by fall to take the meet by four points. The match that was close on points till late in the third when Mt. Valley's Jason Provencher pinned Camden Hills' Brian Creamer at 5:20.

WATERBORO - On Wednesday night at Massabesic High School it was a rival wrestling match as the Mustangs hosted Sanford on the mats. The Redskins came away with a 44-32 victory, but Massabesic coach Bob Eon was still jovial.

"That match is one of the most fun ones that we have all season," Eon said. I get along great with the Sanford coaches, Mark (Hansen) and Charlie (Caramihalis). We, lost, but I'm still happy."

The Redskins jumped out to a quick 12-0 lead as Massabesic had to forfeit in the 119-pound weight class because Ken Belanger was out with an injury and then Shane Ledbetter pinned Keri Chevalier in 2 minutes 30 seconds. Sanford's Brian Bourque added three points to the lead in the next match as he won a hard fought decision, 4-2, over the Mustangs' Brian Pond.

Massabesic captain Tom Metz got his team on the scoreboard at 135 as he earned a technical fall victory over Micah Smith, 16-0, but the Mustangs never recovered from Sanford's early lead. Other winners for the Redskins were Nick Legere, Chad Edwards, Brian Briggs and Peter Wentworth. Massabesic's Corey Gallant, Richard Burns, Chris Chabot, Eric White and Matt Lude were all victorious.

Both teams will be at the Southern Maine Classic Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Biddeford.

Warriors 46, Wildcats 36

There is a new rule this year in high school wrestling that dual bouts will start at a randomly selected weight class. The 130 weight class was the starting point for the bout between Wells and York, and that worked out quite nicely for Warriors coach Mark Lewia and his squad.

Senior Dylan Grethe pinned his opponent at 130 in 2:48 to start things off. The Wildcats got those six points back as Wells had to forfeit at 135 because senior captain Edgar Wallace was out sick, but the Warriors went on a roll from there. Corey Brown at 140, Gale Pauley at 145, Matt Witham at 152 and Ben Pierce at 160 all followed with pins to give the home team a massive 30-6 lead.

York would counter with three straight victories by pin of its own, until Adam Chase stopped that streak with a pin at 275 in 2:13. Other winners for Wells were Steven Grethe at 112 and Malcolm Phillips at 125.

"The kids are really starting to come into it," Wells coach Mark Lewia. "We're tight where we need to be."

Blue Blazes 39, Tigers 28

The Biddeford wrestlers battled undefeated Westbrook to the wire on the Blue Blazes home turf Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they fell just short.

"The kids wrestled well, I'm not unhappy about that at all, it was a good match, we just came up on the short end," Biddeford coach Bob Gaudette said.

It seemed as though the close matches all went to Westbrook. At 160, Westbrook's Dan Cofone and Tony Goulet from Biddeford were tied, 2-2, with just :10 remaining when Cofone scored three points with a near fall. At 145, Jeremy Spofford narrowly defeated Biddeford's Brett Givin, 7-5. Don Flowers lost 3-1 at 135, Rich Morin lost 8-3, and on and on.

There were some real highlights for the Tigers however. Captain Jim Gaudette pinned Chris Landrum just :15 into the 112 match as he stuck an overhead cradle on a takedown right away. Anthony Cincotta was once again impressive at 140 as he earned a technical victory, 20-5, over Joe Lacourse. Jon Cochrane at 125 also won by tech. fall, 16-0. And at 152 Jimmy Smith earned his team six points the easy way, by forfeit. Not because Westbrook didn't have anyone in that weight class, but because they didn't have one in the weight class who wanted to face Smith.

Biddeford will get its chance at redemption this weekend when Westbrook arrives at the Southern Maine Classic.

LISBON FALLS-The reality involved with achieving success early in one's career usually requires an adjustment in future goals in order to reach the next level. That's exactly the position Joey Schreiber encountered when the time came to shift gears in preparation for the wrestling season.

The Lisbon High School junior had rededicated his efforts last year and Schreiber reaped the benefits by dominating the 189-pound weight class. He beat a defending state champion, to win the Class C individual state championship. The Greyhounds also celebrated by winning their first crown since 1964. The feats garnered Schreiber a number 16 ranking nationally this fall by Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

This past fall, Schreiber was a cog in the wheel for the Lisbon football team that reached the playoffs. The Greyhound standout came face-to-face with a personal crossroads in life.

"It was difficult to get motoivated,"Schreiber said. "The (wrestling) team and myself had each been quite successful the previous season. Then, I had just completed the football season and we had suffered a tough loss in the playoffs. It took a little time for me to get refocused and establish some new goals to strive toward and try to set."

Schreiber missed the first week of preseason wrestling practice and came close to not being able to wrestle at all. The situation was laid out quite clearly, if he missed another practice, he'd no longer be a part of the team. Schreiber realized how important the sport meant and made a big decision during a late night conversation.

"Joey has accomplished a lot early in life and it had led to some (early season) complacency,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "Joey needed to believe that he always needs to set higher goals. At 10:30 p.m. on a Friday, Joey knocked on my door and showed a great deal of humility when asking if he could be part of the Lisbon wrestling team.

Schreiber had sought advice from others on how to best proceed. The positive words given by Stevens, girlfriend Heather Roy and others were well absorbed. Still, Schreiber really showed signs of maturity by doing some soul searching. Schreiber admits that these decisions wouldn't have been given the time of day in the past.

"I told him that we would love to have him on the team as long as he expressed the same desire for the sport as he had in previous years,"Stevens said. "He was told that if he didn't want to be at practice it would drag the whole team down. I pointed out the story of great athletes who fade away before their time. Which happens all to often. He didn't want to be one of those stories."

Schreiber had success in the eighth grade and a win in the league championships capped off an unbeaten season. A year later, an important lesson was learned, following a disappointing fourth place finish in the state meet.

"I really learned not to take any thing for granted,"Schreiber said. I had gained some weight and I guess that you can call it freshman jitters, but I was really disappointed in myself.

Schriber has always worn his heart on his sleeve and it tends to get him in trouble on the wrestling mat. The expressions being shown are usually a measuring stick. The eventual results of a match or tournament can be determined by the look on his face.

"I've always been emotional throughout my youth,"Schreiber said. "I tended to have a thin skin (short fuse), so if some thing upset me, I'd let every body know it. I really think that I have a better handle on things now and it comes from within. Even when I do slip up, I realize it and more quickly and try sorting it out."

Schreiber is driven again and his performances certainly have been on a steady path. He entered this past weekend with a 17-1 record (14 pins). The lone blemish was a 3-1 over time loss in the McDonalds Invitation finals to a wrestler from New Hampshire. Ironically, Schreiber had beaten the same opponent in the tournament the previous year.

That was an adverse situation, however, Schreiber has had to deal with those all along.

This past summer had been extremely tough because an operation was necessary to repair torn cartilage in his knee. The idle time prevented him from competing on the freestyle circuit. Schreiber credits Morse coach Shawn Guest for helping him develop consistency on the wrestling mat.

Schreiber also looked up to individuals while growing up and realizes how important those types of relationships can be in a young persons life. He is an advocate for the less fortunate and helps returns the favor as a member of the Androscroggin Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

"I remember how it was growing up,"Schreiber said. "It was great having my brother Matt to look toward for support. I enjoy being involved with the program because I can hopefully have a positive effect. I had an out let and now I'm in a position to give it back."

The Monmouth Academy wrestling team may not have the depth to be labeled a contender, however, it will have plenty of opportunity to make some notoriety before the season finale. The beauty of the sport lies in the fact that each individual has an equal chance at being successful. The Mustangs wrestlers certainly fit the category.

Monmouth has been behind the eight ball at the start of every dual meet this season. A total of four forfeits add up to a 24-point deficit, but that hasn't prevented the Mustangs from compiling a near .500 record through 20 meets.

The Stangs' lost 48-30 to Dirigo last Saturday, however, a closer look tells a different story. Monmouth won the final six contested matches, so the score would have been 30-24. A math teacher could figure it by addition and subtraction.

"It's tough having to start out like that,"Monmouth coach Charlie Fyler said. "The 24 points are a lot to make up, but these kids keep plugging away. I don't think our dual meet record gives a true indication of the type of talent that we have on the team."

One of the most consistent strengths has been Aaron Kalzynski who has only lost one match at 103-pounds. The junior, who won a Class C state championship as a freshman, remains completely focused on winning it all again this season. In an effort to be prepared, Kalzynski bumped up to compete against a Class A opponent.

Senior Nate Butler is 17-3 at 215 and could be a factor in the post-season tournaments. Butler has placed fourth at the state meet in 1999 and 2001.

The Stangs' also have a potential sleeper in Heidi Bonderud at 112. The female, despite being a legitimate 103, has been out performing the heavier opposition. In a match last Saturday, Bonderud was trailing 7-0 to Eli Johnson of Dirigo. Bonderud executed a reversal and eventually settled in for a pin.

"We also have some other kids who are capable of pulling out some wins,"Fyler said. "A lot depends on the individual match-ups, but the opportunities are there. Wes Danforth has been a surprise at 119."

Despite an unusual style, Jake Tidsdale (160) has been winning and Mike Boulette is strong at 135.

It's common for a team to go in cycles when it enjoys success and then it has to struggle for recognition. The latter had plagued the Fryeburg Academy wrestling team, however, this season has produced a positive swing.

Fryeburg

Fryeburg is earning back some respect every time the wrestlers step on the mat. The competitiveness is evident because the Raiders are winning matches and have also two fifth place finishes in tournaments.

"I attribute a lot of the team success to the wrestlers,"Raiders coach Jeff Brown said. "They have put the time in by attending camps and competing during the summer. Plus, former wrestlers come back and show the younger kids certain moves or techniques. That type of progression is invaluable."

Although the numbers are still short of filling the entire 14 weight classes, there is plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the remainder of the season. The lone seniors on the team are Buck Brown (18-0) and Richard Chute (16-2) at 160 and 189, respectively.

Brown, a defending Class B state champion, won the 100th career match last week against Marshwood. The membership into the exclusive century club is extremely rewarding for a wrestler. It shows a commitment and dedication to the sport because the mark is achieved over a long period of time. Fryeburg has a rich tradition in wrestling dating back three decades ago. It began with the state championship teams (schoolboy and prep) led by Hall Of Fame coach Dave Woodsome. Former Raider Dan Fox, an All American, earned over 100 wins in the mid-1990s and was joined by Brendan Dagan two years ago.

The current team has also had some pleasant surprises, beginning with a solid junior class. Jesse Davidson (125) has placed in the tournaments and Tom Mango won the McDonalds Invitational at 275. Chris Randall (140), Tom Moore (145) and Craig Sergant (215) also capable of scoring points.

A knee injury that Ben Roberts suffered has sidelined him for the season. The spot in the lineup at 171 prompted Andy Davis to rejoin the team. Davis had placed in the state meet two years ago.

The future was looking promising because the high school team has been gradually gaining recruits from the junior high program. Unfortunately, budget short falls throughout the SAD #72 are posing a serious threat to it.

"I don't really know the direction of the program,"coach Brown said. "They are going through some budget woes and are thinking of cutting wrestling and football at the junior high level. Hat would be devastating to both of those programs. We've been in discussions with them and hopefully can find a (solution)."

Stephen Michaud

If a follow up on Stephen Michaud of Medomak Valley, the injured wrestler is still showing positive signs. The Panther sophomore suffered a broken neck during a match against Lincoln Academy last month. He was unable to move and underwent surgery to repair vertebrate at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

"I'm trying my hardest and will try staying positive,"Michaud said. "Both of my arms are moving, but there's no movement in my legs, yet. There's some feeling in them."

Based on the nature of the injury, the length of recovery is unknown at this time. The continued healing, positive reinforcement and extensive rehabilitation will be each determining factors in regaining functions in the future.

Oak Hill High School's Adam Buckingham is having a stellar year in the heavyweight division. The junior is currently 15-1 with eight pins to his credit. His sole loss was a 5-0 decision against Wells High School's Adam Chase, who Buckingham will likely face again in the Class B regional and state tournaments.

Coach Ric Swett views Buckingham the man to beat in the upcoming Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference tournament. Other strong performers for the Raiders are Tony Collins (135) and Ben Johnson (125). Collins sports a 14-3 record while Johnson's record stands at 10-3.

Gardiner Area High School's Taj McKay

Gardiner Area High School's Taj McKay (135) matched the school record for the fastest pin recently in a match against Lincoln Academy. McKay scored the quick fall in seven seconds. McKay shares the record with Robert Labonte who achieved the feat in 1994.

Cony High School's Chris Reynolds' perseverance

You have to admire Cony High School's Chris Reynolds' perseverance. The sophomore suffered through a tough freshman campaign without any wins except by forfeits. This season, he got his first mat victory in the season-opening Westbrook tournament and went on to finish fourth in the 119-pound class. He currently stands at 10-4 and is looking stronger as the year progresses.

Tough Lincoln Academy team

Opposing coaches are taking notice of a tough Lincoln Academy team this year. The Eagles are lead by coach Andy Mullin, who is in his seventh year at the helm of the program. Mullin was a 1982 graduate of Mt. Blue High School where he competed under legendary coach Tom Ward. Mullins' team is currently 18-10-1 in dual meet competition with David Gregory (119) owning a 21-4 individual record.

MAWA Scholarship

Senior wrestlers and team managers should be aware the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance offers a $500 scholarship for wrestlers looking to pursue higher education. The money can be used at a four-year college, a two-year college, technical school or prep school. The award is based on academic success and citizenship, and does not hinge on athletic success. Application forms can be found at www.mawaonline.org.

Combined state tournament

Final plans for the combined state tournament are underway. Wrestling is set for Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Bangor Auditorium. Friday's action is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. with the quarterfinal round. Estimated finishing time for Friday's competition is 9:30 p.m. Wrestlers will have to make weight (with a one additional pound allowance) on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Wrestling is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

KENNEBUNK - Out of towners took the top three spots in the Kennebunk Duals wrestling competition this past Saturday. A powerhouse Westbrook team rolled over its three opponents by a combined score of 198-29, to easily command the crown. Lisbon fell in the final by a 63-12 score, while Mountain Valley grabbed third with a 43-33 win over the top local finisher, Biddeford.

Other entrants included the host Kennebunk team, Wells, Fryeburg Academy and York.

Biddeford head coach Bob Gaudette was pleased with the overall effort of his team and noted that the two losses they suffered actually hinged on one or two critical matches.

The Tigers opened with a 53-26 victory over Fryeburg that included six forfeit wins, five pins, a technical fall win and a decision. In the second round they drew eventual runnerup Lisbon. This one came down to a pair of crucial matchup's between two very evenly matched squads. At 160 pounds, Tony Goulet was winning on points before he suffered a pin late in the going. A similar fate befell 112-pounder Jimmy Gaudette. Reverse those decisions and Lisbon's 43-30 victory goes the other way.

Bounced into the consolation bracket, Biddeford regrouped and took it to a young Wells club which proved to be a worthy opponent. The Warriors handed the Tigers a pair of forfeit victories to start the match and then fell by a score of 52-30.

The consolation final produced another even matchup between Biddeford and Mountain Valley. This one came down to the final match between 112-pounders. The Tigers' Gaudette knew that he needed to pin his opponent in order to earn enough points for victory. Toward that end he controlled the flow of the match nearly throughout, several times putting his opponent on his back, but never quite able to apply the final hold. In the end Gaudette himself was pinned, with a mere :20 left in the match, thus giving Mountain Valley the 43-33 victory and third place.

Performer of the day laurels for Biddeford, according to coach Gaudette, went to 103-pounder Nate Vassill, who has been enjoying an outstanding season and contributed three victories to the cause on Saturday. His one loss was by six points in the consolation final matchup.

Kennebunk head coach and meet director Aaron Germana was likewise pleased with the overall work of his club. The Rams had the misfortune of tangling with two powerhouse clubs from up north - Lisbon in their first match and Mountain Valley in their third - but hung tough in both cases

Having particularly strong day's for the Rams were 140-pounder Ryan Sullivan, who recorded two pins and a technical decision; 145-pounder Anthony Raconiello, who had three pins; 160-pounder Ben Kinerson, who had another pair of pins; and heavyweight Chris Seavey, who also pinned all three of his opponents.

MUSTANGS COLLECT THREE EASY WINS

The Massabesic High wrestling team climbed over the .500 mark on Saturday with three convincing wins on the road at Morse High in Bath. The Mustangs easily dispatched Lake Region (70-12), Mt. View (66-12), and host Morse (60-12).

Coach Bob Eon was pleased to see his charges rebound so well from their tough encounter with Bonny Eagle last Wednesday evening.

"We are young," Eon noted, "and the lessons just keep coming."

Among the more pleasant surprises for coach Eon was the performance of freshman newcomer Earl Heathcock, who just joined the team recently and fills the previously vacant spot at 140 pounds. Heathcock collected a pin in his very first varsity match to help the Mustangs win against Lake Region.

Another pleasant surprise is the continued strong showing of sophomore Justin Boucher at 160 pounds. On Saturday Boucher won all three of his matches by pinning the opposition in times ranging from :27 to 1:49. Senior Tom Metz, at 135-pounds, also recorded three pins on the day. Mike Hersom, at 215, added a pair while collecting a forfeit victory in his third scheduled match of the day.

Massabesic will be home to next door neighbor Sanford on Wednesday evening.

SOUTH PARIS-The drive for success can be a never-ending battle because there's usually an athlete, with the talent and ability to challenge for supremacy. Fortunately, Seth McAlister experienced the fruits of victory and the Oxford Hills Comprehensive

McAlister had earned a solid reputation for his winning routine, however, the rookie really excelled in the 2001 post season tournaments. The exploits on the mat eventually led to a Class A state championship at 103-pounds.

The current season has presented an entirely new set of challenges, but McAlister is well aware that resting on previous laurels isn't an option. An increase in weight to 125 hasn't slowed the Viking standout from striving for perfection, while having established new goals.

"I don't believe Seth has come close to his potential,"Oxford Hills coach Chris Cobbett said. "There are times when young wrestlers who have been successful early on will take things for granted. That's because their name is out there, but I don't see that with Seth. He is working just as hard as ever in practices."

McAlister entered last weekend with a 15-0 record, including 12 pins and was really looking forward to testing his skills in the Redskin tournament in Sanford. Unfortunately, the slate was blemished in a loss to a wrestler from Quincy, Massachusetts. Undaunted, McAlister shook off the set back and advanced back through to place third.

There's always space to create an edge and it has resulted in a new look around the Vikings wrestling room. Prior to the McDonalds last month, McAlister and a couple teammates to shave their heads.

"It's a superstition thing,"McAlister said jokingly. "I won the tournament."

There are always points in a wrestling career that can be looked upon as a turning point and McAlister met his waterloo at the 2000 McDonalds Invitational. A hard-fought loss to defending state champion Adam Hale of Noble, igniting a fire that McAlister didn't even know existed inside him.

"That loss was hard to take back then,"McAlister admitted. "I had been going pretty good, but that loss really set me back. The one good thing was that I knew I'd see him again."

The premonition held true because the tandem faced each other in the state finals. McAlister wasn't about to allow this second opportunity to slip away and executed the initial takedown. The Viking wrestler eventually recorded a 3-0 decision.

"It had been an eye opener,"coach Cobbett said, regarding the earlier loss. "It showed Seth that he was fully capable of achieving greater success that he had even imagined. This season, Seth has set a goal to place in the New England."

The current expectations for this season are dramatically different from a few years ago. McAlister had but been cut from the junior high basketball team, but coach Steve Cobbett introduced him to wrestling. In the eighth grade, McAlister was unbeaten and won the Pine Tree Wrestling League championship.

McAlister admits opponents are stronger because of competing at the heavier weight this season. Fortunately, McAlister credits the basic style taught by Steve Cobbett for being successful on the mat.

"I'm not fancy,"McAlister said. "My style is old, but that's how I first learned the sport. I stick with the basics and that's been successful so far. Along the way, I've also been helped by former teammates Brad Demers and Jenn Wormwood and now coach (Chris) Cobbett."

Besides playing baseball, McAlister also enjoys working around antiques. The aforementioned profession has a strong correlation with wrestling; because it forces him to focus intently on one object.

Last summer, McAlister traveled to Porto Rico and he was introduced to free style wrestling. The trip had been arranged by a former coach of Chris Cobbett, from American International College. FS influences individuals to utilize their techniques and McAlister adapted well by placing fourth in a tournament at 129.8.

"I really enjoyed that open style,"McAlister said. "It was nice to for me to have to rely on technique. It was like when I entered high school because I knew it was a big step. I really didn't know how well I'd do."

Supported by former wrestlers Mike Mayne '00 and Craig Rosen '90 as well as the Powlovich family, a core group of 9 Hyde athletes took on PCD, Deerfield, and Andover. Showing his dedicated team spirit, Mayne, a 1999 New England champion now wrestling at BU, drilled the team between matches and also helped with the scorekeeping. Depleted by injuries, illness, and work crew, we were far from uncertain going into today's matches; nonetheless the team responded with Hyde heart. In the first dual with PCD, Hyde won 3 of the 5 contested bouts; with the addition of forfeits, the Phoenix came out on top 42 - 24. The second dual was against Class A 4th-ranked opponent Deerfield; we won 5 matches to Deerfield's 6, highlighted by Damion Mathis' first victory and Matt Lemonds' come-form-behind pin, but we could not overcome 24 points in forfeits, falling 45 - 25.

The afternoon's final bout was made all the more exciting in that we began the match even, each squad trading one forfeit, meaning that the final score would be determined on the mat. Andover won the opening contests at 145 and 152, then Hyde scored 24 points in a row on Bornstein's pin at 160, a forfeit to Ferry at 171, Co-Captain Wes Matheny's critical fall at 189 (he moved up a weight to help the cause) and, following 3 double forfeits, Corey Littman's 2nd pin of the day with his trademark reverse cradle. When Andover picked up 6 with a forfeit at 119, making the team score 24 - 18 in favor of Hyde, that made Puglisi's pin at 125 a crucial victory. Andover came right back with a pin at 130.

In an act of true sportsmanship, instead of accepting a forfeit at 135, Andover's Class A Champ Dan Shvartsman moved up a weight to wrestle Hyde's Co-Captain Alex Rosen in the final contest. With the new random alignment of weight classes, this created an exciting final duel between two well-muscled adversaries. Rosen fought off several pinning attempts and hip tosses before catching Shvartsman on his back at the final buzzer. The resulting 26 - 15 match score earned 4 team points for Andover - not enough, as a small but proud Hyde - Bath team prevailed 30 - 28.

DIXFIELD- The ability to adapt to the situation is extremely important because it provides a wrestler with the knowledge necessary to react in a decisive strategic matter. The mental attributes utilized can neutralize an opponent's physical powers when countered approximately.

The Dirigo High School utilized a quick start, behind four straight pins, beginning with Kyle Dolloff (140-pounds) and then held on for a 48-30 win against Monmouth. The Cougars Derrick Gilbert was forced to make a decision, which produced positive results as the wrestler recorded a pin against Mike Mulligan in a 78-6 win against Hyde in Mid-State League action at Defoe Gym Saturday.

Monmouth (9-11) also received three pins in the first period en route to a 54-30 win over Hyde (3-5).

Gilbert immediately encountered a foreign environment because Mulligan was intent on using muscle strength in their 171 matches. The Phoenix wrestler executed the initial takedown, however, Gilbert scored a reversal and had two pinning combinations.

"I hadn't been against an opponent like that this season,"Gilbert said. "(Mulligan) just wanted to out muscle me and things I tried early on weren't (finishing). So, I decided to be patient and wait for him to make a move and then counter it."

In the second period, Gilbert had another reversal and then bided his time before Mulligan over compensated. The Cougar wrestler sunk in a reverse-half nelson for the stick.

"There's a great reliance toward strength on this team,"Hyde coach Brian Mulligan. "Mike (cousin) is a perfect example and we need to incorporate that with technique. Mike is aggressive and makes things happen."

Dirigo (9-9-1) also received pins by Dana McKeen (125), David Flagg (145), Curtis Brann (152), Nick Gurney (160), Scott Skibitsky (215) and Richard Williams (275). Brann and Skibitsky each used head-and-arm moves against Mike Deisig and James Finder.

Dolloff also settled in a reverse-half nelson on Dennis Trask of Monmouth. Gurney built up a 13-0 lead before sticking Jake Tidsdale. Gilbert pinned Jamie Hodsdon in 58 seconds. The Cougars Jason Capponi stuck Jason Diamond at 189.

Fortunately, Monmouth galloped back with six-straight wins, including a 4-0 decision by Nate Butler over Skibitsky. The match proved to be extremely competitive. Butler executed a takedown late in the first period and a switch in the second period.

"That one worried me,"Monmouth coach Charlie Fyler said. "I wasn't sure how it would pan out. Skibitsky had beaten Matt Thurston of Mountain Valley, but Nate (Butler) had lost to Thurston. The kids finished up strong today which was nice to see."

The Stangs' Aaron Kaluzynski (20-1 at 103), a former state champion, stuck Dirigo freshman Anthony Garcia. Wes Danforth (119) stuck Bub Millett and Ryan Audet also tilted Sonny McPherson at 130. The Mustangs have been hurt all season by having to forfeit four weight classes.

Heidi Bondagel (112) was trailing Eli Johnson 7-0, but sswitched and recorded a pin. Mike Boulette also rallied to decision Tony Smith 9-7 at 135.

Hyde received two pins by Virgil Buzzell at 189 and one by Mulligan.

Click to expand picture: Massabesic High's Ken Belanger tries to pin Westbrook's Lew Emery during the 119-pound championship bout at the Redskin Invitational Saturday. Belanger lost a 9-7 decision. Photo By Shawn Patrick Ouellette

SANFORD - The Redskin Invitational Tournament returned after a one-year hiatus and local wrestlers found it just as tough as ever to earn an individual championship.

A handful of York County competitors worked their way into the finals but none of them managed to grab a gold medal Saturday as the two-day event came to a close.

Kennebunk's Chris Seavey was this area's last hope as he stepped onto the mat against Westbrook's 275-pound Pat Begin for the final bout. They danced around the circle seeking to secure some sort of advantage for nearly two full periods. Begin managed the only point with an escape and then scored four more points in the third period. He jumped for joy when the buzzer sounded.

Seavey, the anchor of the Kennebunk lineup, had scored pins in his previous three matches at the RIT and was pleased with his overall effort.

"I'm happy," he said after the finals, "but I'm not satisfied. I kind of tired myself out."

This was his first foray into the Redskin Invitational. Seavey did not wrestle last season and was on the junior varsity team as a sophomore. He said because of those facts he hasn't been getting very many high seedings in tournaments this year.

That may now change as he feels he's gained a little more respect.

Seavey's big upset of the weekend came against top-seeded Matt Lude from Massabesic. Seavey pinned the big Mustang in 2:20. Sanford's Charles Carlson was his first victim and Mountain Valley's Mike Hanson also got pinned by Seavey.

He knows that before this season ends he'll likely be matching up against all but Hanson again in order to get through the Class A regionals and to the state meet. He used this past weekend's tournament as a great learning experience.

When he faces Begin again he said he needs to work more on breaking him down, and against Lude he'll need to continually strive to keep his own weight on top. Both are things he can work on at practice with Kennebunk coach Aaron Germana.

Seavey is one of only three seniors on the Kennebunk team. The Rams scored 67 points, well away from local rivals Biddeford, Massabesic and Sanford who jockeyed for position in the middle of the pack.

The Crimson Tide from Concord, N.H. took overall honors for the third time, scoring 174.5 points. Camden Hills (171) entered the final round with a chance to catch up but needed pins in the final round to do it. The Mt. Blue Cougars (third at 168) also had a shot at the top spot because of the four finalists with an 'MB' emblazoned on their backs. Three of them won titles. Westbrook and Mountain Valley rounded out the top five.

Biddeford, Massabesic and Sanford each had finalists and the host Redskins had two, but all three teams failed to score again once the last round began. Biddeford finished ninth with 86 points, the Mustangs scored 85 and Sanford had 84.5.

Massabesic's Ken Belanger had one of his best efforts this year, placing second at 119 pounds. He ended up losing to Westbrook's Lew Emery, 9-7, as time ran out on him after he had gotten a grip on Emery for a pinning combination.

"Ken did a fantastic job," Massabesic coach Bob Eon said. "He pinned a real good kid from Mt. Blue (second seed Scott Webber) to get to the finals and almost got another one."

Eon, a former Massabesic wrestler and RIT champion himself in the first meet held back in the 1970's, said he was happy to bring his team in for some good competition.

"If kids do well here," he said, "it's a very good measuring stick for them."

Jeff Lude battled back and took a third-place medal for the Mustangs as did Kennebunk's Mike Dumas (130) and Ben Kinerson (160).

Kinerson had been sent to the consolation bracket with a narrow defeat against Fryeburg's Buck Brown, the eventual champion.

Brown had all he could handle in the title bout as he and Sanford's Nick Legere went to double overtime. Legere, who earned the Ken Hover Memorial Award for being Sanford's top performer, lost for just the third time this season.

He said Brown proved to be a good defensive wrestler who knew how to use his strength. Legere said one of the biggest things he learned was the importance of scoring first. A new rule this year allows the first wrestler to score a point the choice to be up or down once the 30-second, second overtime begins.

Brown chose to be on his knees to start the second after a scoreless first OT and Legere just couldn't hang on.

"Nick and I had talked about that," Sanford coach Mark Hansen said. "It's a new rule and it really encourages a little more aggressive wrestling in a close match. That 160 class was a really tough weight class and Nick did a great job."

Hansen, in his second year as Sanford's coach, was unable to host last year's Redskin Invitational but said he was happy with the way things went this winter.

"We pretty much finished where I thought we would," he said. "There was some good competition as there always is here and I saw some good things."

Sanford's Chad Edwards, a junior co-captain, also took second place. He lost a 12-3 final match to Deering's Jon Kane, but had been nearly untouchable before that. Edwards had an 11-0 win, a 7-0 decision and he pinned Mt. Blue's Matt Ryan in 21 seconds to get to the finals.

Sanford's Brian Bourque earned a third-place medal in the tough 130 weight class and Sanford got a fifth-place effort from Peter Wentworth (112).

Anthony Cincotta was the lone Biddeford finalist as the Tigers (11-0 in dual meets) had a somewhat disappointing weekend.

Cincotta lost his 140-pound title battle to Mt. Blue's Ryan Hutchinson but not before nearly pinning the Cougar late in the third period. Jon Cochrane (125) was fifth for BHS and sixth-place honors went to Jim Gaudette (112) and Tony Goulet (160).

"We lost a lot of close matches early," Tiger coach Bob Gaudette noted. "In the consolation quarterfinals we had 12 guys in and six of them lost. That kind of set the tone for the day. The competition here was some of the toughest we've seen, it usually is.

"I think it was an awakening for some people. Now we really need to know what we need to work harder on in practice. We need to learn what it takes to compete at a high level in a tournament like this."

The Tigers put their unbeaten record on the line at home Wednesday, entertaining the three-time state champion Noble Knights. It's kind of like going from the frying pan into the fire and Gaudette's anxious to see how his Tigers react.

TOPSHAM - The Wells High wrestling team spent an extremely profitable Saturday in Topsham, collecting three victories over Maine Central Institute, Mt. View and the host Mt Ararat School.

In their matchup with MCI, the Warriors recorded a decision, a technical fall and five pins en route to a 56-11 victory. The pins were short, Matt Witham's in 52 seconds at 152, and not so short, Edgar Wallace's in three minutes at 135.

In their 63-6 matchup with Mt. View, the Mustangs' only victories came in matches where the Warriors had no competitors. Wells collected six pins, one decision, and four forfeits of their own. Dylan Grethe, at 130, recorded the quickest pin in 19 seconds.

Host Mt. Ararat provided Wells with the stiffest conpetition of the day before falling by a 40-37 score. The Eagles collected three wins in the first four matches before pins from Grethe, Wallace and Gale Pauly at 145 got the Warriors back into the match. Pins by Wayne Wittman at 171 and Pat Casten at 215 provided Wells with the winning margain.

Grethe and Wallace each recorded three pins on the day.

Pauly had two pins and a forfeit victory as did Casten. Witham had two pins and a decision while Ben Pierce had two pins before losing his final match.

Traip Academy sweeps

KITTERY, Maine The Rangers swept a pair of matches on Wednesday, beating Monmouth, 51-24, and Lake Region, 48-27, to improve its dual meet mark to 6-6-1.

Jake Bedard (125 pounds) paced Traip with a pair of pins in 38 seconds and 1:45. Other double winners for the Rangers were Josh Bedard (119, forfeit, pin 1:25), Mike Navarro (140, pin :24, decision 8-4), Mike Embry (130, pin 1:07, forfeit) and Tony Reyes (152, :39, forfeit).

The Rangers are at Bonny Eagle with Winslow on Saturday.

Marshwood 57, Fryeburg 21

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine The Marshwood Hawks continued their roll through the Western Maine Conference Wednesday, defeating Fryeburg on the strength of five forfeits by the Raiders.

Winners for the Hawks by pin included Pat Howard in the 130 pound class, Ben Conte in the 140 pound class and Deanna Rix at 119 pounds. Howard (16-0), Conte (14-0) and Rix (12-0) are undefeated in conference matches this season. Cody Lightfoot (16-0) won his 189-pound match with a 6-1 decision.

Winning by forfeit were Greg Hathaway at 135 pounds, Colby Lamson (13-0) at 145, Norman Searles at 215, Anthony Moriarty (12-0) at 103 and Jake Smith (9-0) at 112 pounds.

Marshwood (13-1) takes part in the Mt. Anthony Invitational on Saturday in Bennington, Vt.

Noble 62, Biddeford 18

BIDDEFORD, Maine Noble climbed to 9-0 on the year as they beat up Biddeford in Wednesday night Southern Maine Activities Association action.

Winners for the Knights were Paul Desmarais (103 pounds), Kyle Hale (112), Adam Hale (119), Greg Croteau (125), Travis Bentley (135), Mike Reynolds (140), Decota Cotten (152), James Cotten (171), Spenser Eldridge (189), Dick DeCato (215) and Matt Whiteside (275).

Noble will compete at the North Attleboro (Mass.) Invitational on Saturday.

A wrestling team endures a variety of changes throughout a season, however, the main objective is to strive toward improvement. That's exactly what Mountain Valley has continued to do and more even more importantly its performances in tournaments have provided a perfect measuring gague.

Class B Mountain Valley have a good mixture of veterans and younger wrestlers who are eager to make positive contributions. There were a few adjustments that needed to be made, but first-year coach Gary Dolloff helped make sure things ran smoothly.

Dolloff familiarity with the wrestlers was a huge advantage because he has been the assistant varsity coach and over saw the junior high team. Still, Dolloff had some big shoes to fill, after replacing retired Hall of Fame coach Jerry Perkins.

The Falcons provided an indication to themselves and others that it has the depth necessary to be a factor. The team scored 137 points to finish fifth at the Redskin Invitational last weekend.

"It was very good for us,"Dolloff said. "To finish fifth in the Redskin says a lot for the team because of the number of the teams that participated. The kids all wrestled relaxed and 12 of 13 scored points. I think that says a lot about what we're capable of doing in future tournaments."

Mountain Valley has won the past two regionals and is also defending Mid-State League champions.

The lone seniors on the team are Craig Fergola (171-pounds) and Matt Thurston (215). Fergola placed fourth in the state meet last February.

A solid group of juniors, including Ian Venskus (103), Kirk Nelson (152), Jason McPherson (160) and Jason Provencher (189) have all been tested. Nelson and freshman Ben Madigan (130) have both been finalists in the last two tournaments.

The continued contributions of Travis Child (112), Matt Taylor, Mallory Thurston (140), Richard True (145) and Mike Hanson (275) will be equally important.

There are plenty of incentives on the way to succeeding in wrestling and setting individual goals is extremely important. Unfortunately, a dose of adversity is usually encountered during career, which needs to be addressed.

Tony Collins of Oak Hill and Kevin Armstrong of Dexter are each determined to advance back to the finals of their respective state meets. The tandem have different reasons to return, however, the potential ending would lead to championships.

Collins surprised many by advancing to the Class B finals last February; however, his bridesmaid finish has resulted in some unfinished business. Armstrong had won two Class C state titles, but emergency surgery the week of the state meet prevented him from defending the crown.

"My goal is to get back to the finals,"Collins said. "Last year, lost a decision to Jason Buotte of Mountain Valley and he was a very good wrestler. But, it also happened to be his 100th (areer) win."

The Raider standout is doing his best to remain focused and entered this season well prepared for the demands of competition. Collins is member of the Gamache Boxing Club and also endured a running program in order to be in top physical condition. Collins who competes at 135, currently has a 12-2 record. The lone losses were against 2001 state finalists Dan Stace (at 140) of Winslow and Joe Zak of Camden Hills. Zak has since bumped up in weight, but defending state champion Chris Remsen of Camden has returned at 135.

Oak Hill coach Rick Swett believes Collins has the physical and mental attributes to return to the state finals.

Collins utilizes an aggressive style, but he feels confident about his abilities. The situation changes instantly during a match, so it's imperative that wrestlers be able to make the proper adjustments.

"I'm ready for any thing,"Collins said. "I enjoy wrestling on my feet, but I'm also just as comfortable on the mat. "I'm just looking forward to the KVACs, regionals and states because those are the three major tournaments we compete in."

Armstrong, a two-time Class C state champion, had been practicing for the state meet, but there were tell tale signs that some thing was wrong. The pain in his armpit had become increasingly worse. Armstrong' season ended abruptly when an operation for strepct was necessary.

"During the season, the doctors had said to continue wrestle,"Armstrong said. "But, it got so bad that it was impossible to lift my left arm. It was tough having to sit out, but every thing is alright now and being able to compete in the state meet again is important."

Armstrong had a rather surprising introduction to the sport, when he attended a peewee session while in the third grade. He was unaware that any wrestling existed, out side of the WWF.

Armstrong is currently 20-0 at 145 this season and has over 100 wins in his career.

"The early success really helped,"Armstrong said. "I really think that winning states as a freshman put me on the right track. Also, the trip to Nebraska really made me aware of how many wrestling moves are available for me to learn and use."

Armstrong has already been offered a spot on the 2002 Friendship Series team that will tour the mid-western state in June. The future plans are to attend a technical college and become an electrician.

It's certainly been long over-due, but the wrestling community has a web site strictly dedicated to wrestling throughout the state. The Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance site provides easy access to information on individuals and teams.

John Cole maintains the site, which includes updated scores on meets and tournaments. There are also feature article on wrestlers, team schedules, upcoming announcements and history-related facts about the sports. The address is www.mawaonline.org.

Four Bucksport HS wrestlers poised to pin down 100th win

When it comes to wrestling, there isn’t much that hasn’t been done on an individual or team basis at Bucksport High School.

State, regional and conference championship banners adorn the walls, individual honors and statistics cram the team record books, and it’s a rare year indeed when the Golden Bucks aren’t considered title contenders.

The Bucks are again legitimate title contenders this year, but even if they don’t win a single piece of championship hardware, this season is guaranteed to be one of previously unrealized success.

Barring some drastic, unforeseen setbacks, four Bucksport wrestlers " Dave Maguire (130-pound class), Josh Pelletier (135), Kyle Perkins (112) and Adam Bourgon (140) " will reach or eclipse the coveted career 100-win mark for varsity match victories within the next week.

If that’s not enough to generate some excitement in this riverside mill town, Bucks fans will soon see another first… Twice.

On Wednesday, juniors Pelletier and Perkins are due to become the first non-senior wrestlers in Bucksport High history to reach the 100-win mark.

"It’s amazing. All of this is really a big thing for the program because you know it’s accomplishing everything it can or should be," said Joe Pelletier, now in his second season as the program’s head coach. "It’s great because my son Travis [Pelletier] and Josh and Adam and Kyle all started with me in third grade and everyone’s been kind of keeping an eye on this group for quite some time."

Travis Pelletier is 66-6 overall. Had it not been for a double ligament tear (meniscus and anterior cruciate) in his knee at the start of last season " an injury that required two surgeries " Travis would very probably be on pace to swell the membership in Bucksport’s century club to five this season and become the third junior to accomplish the feat.

As it is, space is already at a premium on the 100-win banner, which occupies a prominent place on the gymnasium wall. When Maguire reached the milestone last week, there was just enough space left for his name as the 10th wrestler to join the exclusive club "founded" by Cory Bennett and Shawn Gross in 1991.

"I think we’re just gonna put another one up," said Pelletier. "Dave will be the last name on this one."

It’s appropriate for Maguire to be the last name on the banner as his cousin Andy Maguire, who holds the school record for career wins with 123, accomplished the feat in 1995.

"I made it a goal right from my freshman year because of Andy," said Maguire, whose cousin started teaching him moves when he was 6. "It feels really good because my name will always be on the banner at the high school, about four names down from Andy’s."

Why the sudden space crunch for an accomplishment that’s historically been rarer than a 1,000-point scorer in basketball? Joe Pelletier has some theories.

"Matches keep getting tougher, but I think it’s having more meets and the fact they [wrestlers] start earlier [in life]," he said. "They’re much more accomplished when they get here, so you have freshmen doing well instead of having to learn the sport for a year."

Pelletier said both Pelletiers, Perkins and Bourgon were so talented as freshmen, they were able to come right in and displace solid upperclassmen who had already won conference and regional titles in their weight classes.

"It’s just a special group," he said. "They’re all close and they’re dedicated. They eat, sleep and breathe wrestling. They all love it."

Other keys include all having good hips, a key physical trait in this sport, and all have backup moves to rely on, although Perkins is so fast he simply relies on his speed to get out of tight spots.

Maguire says now that his No. 1 goal has been accomplished, it’s on to the next one.

"I’m trying to win all my meets this year," said Maguire, who’s 25-0 after having already beaten B.J. Hamm, the top seed in the state in the 135-pound class and one of the few Maine wrestlers to place in the New England championships last year.

The 10-6 decision was Maguire’s first-ever win over Hamm in several meetings. Maguire also became the first Bucks wrestler to win a title at the annual Wells (High School) Tournament since Bucksport became a regular participant six years ago.

Maguire has some extra motivation working for him this year after the crushing way his season ended last year. He was undefeated and the top seed in his weight class for the Class C state championship meet. He arrived at his weigh-in eight pounds overweight. After exercising nonstop in a desperate attempt to drop the weight, he was disqualified after coming up just a half-pound over the minimum weight requirement.

Goal No. 3 for Maguire is Andy’s career win record and four through six are conference, regional and state titles. Speaking of states, winning a team Class C state crown is goal 1A for Maguire and everyone else on the team.

"Much of this has to do with all the groundwork Mike [Carter] has laid down here," said Joe Pelletier, referring to the program’s founder and former coach. "He wasn’t satisfied with us just being good. He wanted to put us on the map."

They’re on the map all right, perhaps as the capital of Eastern Maine wrestling if the current level of success continues.

Andrew Neff’s High school report is published each Wednesday. He can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or aneff@bangordailynews.net.

"It’s just a special group. They’re all close and they’re dedicated. They eat, sleep and breathe wrestling. They all love it."

RUMFORD-Lisbon High School wrestling coach Mark Stevens hasn't been exactly sure how strong the team at this point of the season because it needed a major test. That competition transpired Wednesday night and the Greyhounds needed to go the distance.

Sophomore Derek Giusto recorded a major decision over Ryan Dayon at 125-pounds as Lisbon rallied past Mountain Valley 37-31 in Mid-State League action.

The meet between Lisbon and Mountain Valley generated a great deal of interest because the teams are co-favorites in the league meet later this month. Although the scores are important, the out come out in a tournament is different because of individual match-ups.

Lisbon (12-0), defending Class C state champions were pushed to the limit by undermanned Mountain Valley (). The Falcons, defending league champion, actually out scored the Greyhounds on the mat.

"That's al that we could do with three forfeits,"Falcon coach Gary Dolloff said."It was just a tremendous effort for the entire team. The kids fought until the very end of each match. That included from not being pinned or giving up a major decision."

Mountain Valey had taken a 29-27 lead, following wins by Ian Venskus and Travis Child at 103 and 119. Venskus wrestled aggressively and stuck Charlie Stambach in the second period. Child exected a late takedown to decision Ian Mckeen 7-5.

The lead proved to be short lived because Guisto proceeded to take control n the final contested match. The Hounds' sophomore shot in for the initial takedown and angled a near fall.

"Hopefully, this is a wake-up call for us,"Stevens said. "Any time you go against Mountain Valley, especially in Rumford, you can expect a battle. There were some good matches, beginning with the first one."

Nate Hix slid around for a reversal at the buzzer, to win a 10-8 decision over Ben Madigan. The match was closely fought and the Falcon freshman had a takedown, tying the score with 30 seconds left.

B.J. Hamm recorded a pin for Lisbon, but the Falcons won four-straight matches to take a 20-2 lead. Matt Taylor and Kirk Nelson each used head and arm moves to pin opponents at 145 and 152. Jason McPherson (160) won a 10-2 major decision against Rob Hespe. Craig Fergola (171) also toppled Ryan Willey 11-2.

"I believe we can get them in a tournament,"Dolloff said. "We'll have more weights filled and we may get to face them at the Kennebunk duals this Saturday."

The Greyhounds Joey Schreiber held off a determined Jason McPherson at 189. Teammate Adam Lord (twisted ankle) won 5-2 over Travis Dragoon at 215.

Dirigo (7-9-1) and rival Mountain Valley (5-1-1) battled to a 38-38 draw and it required a Madigan pin against Sonny McPherson at 130, to force the stalemate.

The Cougars had taken a double-digit lead, following pins by Jamie Bedard 140, Curtis Brann 152 and Nick Gurney 160. David Flagg had a technical fall 19-3 at 145.

The Falcons soared back with pins by Provencher, Venskus, Child and Dayon. Matt Thurston won a 6-5 decisin against Scott Skibitsky at 215. Mountain Valley had one-team point deducted for taunting.

Dirigo inserted a make shift line-up and were crushed 66-10 by Lisbon. The teams have squared off against each other several times this season. Cougar winners were Gurney and Keith Lewis (pin at 189).

Kennebunk High School will host the annual Kennebunk Duals tournament on Saturday with wrestling scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. This tournament will feature dual wrestling matches rather than individual style tournament structure.

Schools participating this year include, Wells, Fryeburg Academy, Lisbon, York, Biddeford, Westbrook, Mountain Valley and Kennebunk.

Finals are planned to start during the latter part of the afternoon. The Kennebunk High Athletic Boosters will provide a full breakfast as well as a full compliment of food throughout the day. Food will not be allowed in the gymnasium during the tournament.

Mt. Blue High School finished an impressive third in last weekend's Redskin Invitational Tournament held in Sanford. The Cougars finished with 168 points, just 6.5 points behind Concord (N.H.) High School's 174.5 points in the two-day tournament which started Friday night. Camden Hills Regional High School finished second in the 17-team field with 171 points.

Mt. Blue had three tournament champions. Scott Webber (112 pounds) scored three pins on the way to the finals, where he met Mike Ames of Belfast. Webber won the championship with a 9-4 decision. Ryan Hutchinson (140) reached the finals with a semifinal pin of Camden Hills'Joe Zak. Zak was a Class B state runner up last year.

Hutchinson ended his day with a 17-6 decision over Anthony Cincotta of Biddeford.

Matt Waite (215) spent less than a minute on the mat in his two preliminary bouts, winning by pins in 25 seconds and 33 seconds, respectively. His finals opponent was highly regarded James Warriner of Concord. Warriner placed fourth in last year's New England tournament.

Waite won a hard-fought 3-0 decision with a second-period escape followed by a takedown.

"It wasn't as close as the score indicated,"said Mt. Blue coach Nate Phillips. "Matt really dominated the match."

Joining the trio in the finals was Shane Webber (103)who lost to Westbrook's Nick Lavigne. Seth Webber(119) placed third while Damian Osgood (145) took fourth.

Rounding out the medalists for the Cougars were Matt Ryan (171), Shawn Spangler (189) and Brian Orr (275) who each finished in sixth place.

Two Monmouth Academy graduates are competing for college wrestling programs in Pennsylvania. Mark McDonald who was a two-time state champion for the Mustangs is wrestling in the 157-pound class at Gettysburg College. Former teammate, Jacob O'Donnell is competing at 149 pounds for Bucknell University which is located in Lewisburg.

McDonald and O'Donnell have picked one of the tougher states for wrestling. Typically, the NCAA Division I top 20 list is dotted with Pennsylvania colleges.

1. Noble
2. Camden Hills
3. Mount Blue
4. Westbrook
5. Lisbon
6. Marshwood
7. Mountain Valley
8. Belfast
9. Biddeford
10. Bonny Eagle

The out come was't decided until Matt Berry of Dexter jumped ahead early and eventually pinned Tony Smith in the final match at 135-pounds as the Tigers rallied back for a thrilling 44-36 win against Dirigo at Defoe Gym.

Class C Dirigo and Dexter each recorded wins of 59-24 and 50-24 against undermanned Oak Hill. However, the determination displayed by the Raiders wrestlers far out weighed the final tallies.

Dirigo (7-8) had taken a 36-30 when Dana McKeen stuck Greg Day in the second period at 125. Unfortunately, the momentum was short lived because the Tigers Eric Thompson showed Sonny McPherson the lights at 130.

"I really hated for it come down to the last match,"Dexter coach Dave Gudroe said. "There was a big question for us about who was stepping out on the mat because Matt Berry has had troubles at times this season. But, he was able to stem the tide against (Smith) trying to out muscle him. We've been having a hard time pinning opponents this season."

Dexter (12-0-1) had beaten Dirigo 59-18 last month and it looked like déjà vu again as the lead was 14-0 after three matches. The Tigers Vinny Greene dicisioned Jamie Bedard 6-1 at 140 and Kevin Armstrong (145) won an 18-0 technical fall over David Flagg.

Aaron Thomas stuck Curtis Brann, but Dirigo quickly roared back, with two pins. Nick Gurney executed a guillotine in 58 seconds and Derrick Gilbert used a half nelson at 171. Gilberts' win avenged a pin to Josh Bishop.

Gurney (23-2), Armstrong (19-0) and Thomas (19-0) are each defending state champions.

"We worked as a team today,"Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. "The lost to Dexter was a lot easier to take today, compared to 41-points. We had a few surprises, starting with Jamie Bedard being decisioned, after having been pinned last time. We looked good on our feet today (tied 7-7 on takedowns), but we also came up short in a couple."

Scott Skibitsky had used a pinning move to take a 5-0 lead and appeared to be in control. In the second period, Skibitsky dropped his hip and Mike Burton immediately recorded a pin.

"We came close today,"Gurney said. "It was a lot better showing, but there's still room for improvement before the tournaments."

Class B Oak Hill (3-9-1) actually beat Dexter 24-20 on the mat, but were snake bitten by five forfeits. Adaam Buckingham (12-1) and Tony Collins 11-2 each had two pins at 275 and 135. Buckingham used a head and arm on Mike Williams of Dirigo.

Against Dirigo, Ben Johnson (13) stuck McPherson and Schyler Gagnon cradled Jason Capponi at 189.

The Cougars countered with pins by Anthony Garcia 103, Eli Johnson 112 and McKeen. Teammate Bob Millett won a 15-0 tech fall against Haley Ryan at 119.

AUGUSTA "A voice from the past may have helped inspire Gardiner Area High School to win the rematch against arch-rival Cony High School on Saturday.

"My brother, Fran, took the team aside before the match and talked to them about how important winning this match is," said Gardiner coach Matt Hanley. Fran coached the program for 11 seasons until his retirement after the 2000 season.

Gardiner grapplers responded by winning eight of the 14 weight classes and took a 46-36 victory in the two teams' second meeting of the year. Cony had beaten the Tigers during the Cony dual meet tournament by a 42-30 score on Dec. 27.

Taj McKay (135), Brandon Sirois (140), and Craig Toulouse (189) each scored pins to lead the Tigers. McKay raised his season record to 17-1 with three victories on the day.

The recent return of Jay Folckemer has also bolstered the Tiger lineup. Folckemer opened the season by winning the Westlake tournament, but a series of events, including an injured shoulder, had kept him on the sideline for a month.

Folckemer's matchup with Cony's Matt Honas at 152 pounds was anticipated to be one of the key matches for both teams. Folckemer opened the scoring with a single-leg takedown early in the first period. Honas countered with a reversal, but Folckemer then scored 15 straight points on his way to a 17-2 technical fall.

"It's good to have Jay back. He adds a lot to this team," said Hanley, who saw his squad increase its season dual meet record to 4-11.

In other matches, Gardiner beat Morse 48-18 and fell to Lincoln Academy by a 42-30 score.

Cony split matches with Morse (winning 54-30) and Lincoln Academy (losing 52-26) to move to an 8-6-2 dual meet record.

Cony's Brad Waugh (140) ran his season record to 22-0 with three wins on Saturday. Waugh is a four-year starter for the Rams and won the Eastern Maine title last year. But this season has seen improvement in his performance.

"I would call it a higher level of confidence," said Rams assistant coach Shawn Totman. "Brad is wrestling with intensity, yet he seems more relaxed on the mat than last year."

The combination has served Waugh well as he has knocked off some of the top competitors in the state, while earning Westbrook and Tiger tournament titles.

"Things have really come together this year," said Waugh

ROCPORT - Wednesday night, the Windjammer Matmen traveled to Topsom to take on KVAC opponent Mt. Ararat. The final score of the dual meet was Camden Hills 56, Mt. Ararat 21. The match started at the 152-pound class.

Mt. Ararat fielded a full but young squad including only three seniors in their line up against Camden, and Camden secured 8 pins, one technical fall, and one win by decision against their young opponents.

Jake Rollins quickly put away his opponent with a pin in 27 seconds for the quickest pin of the evening followed by Kyle Sylvester and brother Levi Rollins with pins in just over a minute. Isaac Read pinned in 3:06, then Remsen followed suit at 1:06 and Joe Zak nearly broke a sweat with a 47-second pin.

Two matches included the middle-weights of Grady Peck at 145 and Nathaniel Boehmer at 152 were of particular interest.

Grady Peck (photo right), a first year wrestler as a senior, filled the varsity spot at 145 for this match and dominated his opponent with takedowns and near fall points earning him 17 points to score a technical fall with over a minute remaining in the third period. The 2 points that his opponent Mike Smith earned were by escapes when Peck intentionally let him up with the aim to take Smith down again and put him to his back which Peck did on three occasions.

Nathaniel Boehmer (top photo) and his opponent Matt Stevens were scoreless through the first two periods where neither wrestler scored a takedown in the first period, and Stevens was unable to escape or reverse Boehmer in the second. Boehmer started on bottom in the third where he reversed Stevens with a switch to score two points then did not allow Stevens to escape for the remainder of the match to win with a score of 2-0.

Sam Glover lost a close match that went the distance when he was unable to keep his opponent from reversing him and putting him to his back to lose a close one 9-6. Cal Pease at 171 secured a quick pin at 1:49, and Bryan Creamer (189) also pinned in less than a minute at 0:57.

Jake Rand was pinned at 275 by John Bursley (MtA) who competed in the state meet last year. Though Jake was not always in control of the match, there were opportunities that Rand could have capitalized on and it was a match he could have won before he worked his way to his back while trying to escape from a hold.

On moving Jake Rand from the 215-pound slot to 275 for the evening, John Kelly stated "to qualify for the regional meet, 51% of the person’s matches need to be in that weight class. By balancing the number of matches between the two classes carefully, even if it means moving him up against a potentially more difficult opponent at 275 when possible, we can put him in a position where he may have the option to qualify in one class or the other. With a close balance now, it will just take a few matches to tip the balance in his preferred direction late in the season."

Friday night and all day Saturday, Camden Hills competes in the Redskin Invitational Tournament in Sanford, Maine.

Individual Results Follow:

At 103, Jake Rollins (CH) his opponent at 0:27; at 112, Camden Hills forfeited to Matt Gilley MtA; and at 119, Kyle Sylvester (CH) pinned his opponent at 1:05.

At 125, Levi Rollins (CH) pinned Chris Linkovich (MtA) at 1:06; at 130, Isaac Read (CH) pinned Shane Smith (MtA) at 3:10; and at 135, Chris Remsen (CH) pinned Jeremy Jeneau (MtA) at 1:06.

At 140, Joe Zak (CH) pinned Ben Leaman (MtA) at 0:47; and at 145, Grady Peck (CH) won by technical fall 17-2 at 4:49 over Mike Smith; and at 152 Nathaniel Boehmer (CH) won a close 2-0 match over Matt Stevens (MtA).

At 160, Sam Glover (CH) lost by decision to Peter Gervis 6-9; at 171, Cal Pease (CH) pinned Patrick Raymond (MtA) at 1:49; and Bryan Creamer (CH) pinned Billy Donavan (MtA) at 0:57.

Camden Hills forfeited the 215-pound class to Spencer Connors (MtA); and at 275, Jake Rand (CH) was pinned by John Bursley (MtA at 3:24).

Leadership doesn’t simply materialize overnight. Some high school teams never discover the elusive quality.

The Mount Blue High School wrestling team is fortunate to have a trio of competitors " Scott Webber at 112 pounds, Damian Osgood at 145 and Matt Waite at 215 " who have the experience and skills necessary to set a tone for the team. The Cougars are in the middle of a campaign with state championship promise.

Mount Blue won back-to-back Class A crowns in 1983-84 with Ralph McArthur and Carl Cullenburg leading the way, but those were the most recent banner years for the Cougars.

The high expectations are realistic. Mount Blue came within nine points of dethroning Noble in the state meet last February.

"There’s always pressure," Osgood said. "Most of it comes from within, because we know what needs to be done. We have to stay focused on things, because we’re in this for the long haul."

Mt. Blue won last year’s KVAC championship and cruised to an easy win in the Eastern regionals.

"Things can change weekly," Waite said. "We knew coming into this season that we’d have to work hard, because if we just took it easy, then we would get lazy. Last year, I think that we peaked too early and by the time of the state meet, we weren’t wrestling at our best."

"We’re not making the same mistake this season," added Webber. "Last year, we concentrated on the earlier tournaments and we were riding high, but by the state meet we were going down the other side. It’s important for the team to do well in every tournament, but the major goal is to win the state meet."

Webber and Waite are two-time defending state champions. Both are unbeaten this year, and each earned his 100th career win in a quadrangular meet at home last month.

Webber advanced to the state finals as a freshman. A solid sophomore season followed, and Webber credits his continued success to his participation in the Friendship series. Webber compiled a 5-0 record on a tour of Nebraska in June 2000.

"I beat two state champs out there," Webber said. "That was a real confidence booster for me, and it was fun. Wrestling is big out there, like football is here, and they practice it all year long."

Waite wrestled for the Cougars as a freshman but transferred to Dirigo and won a Class C state title there. He transferred back to SAD 9, won another state title as a junior, and was captain of the football team last fall.

Both wrestlers hope to equal the three state titles won by former Cougar star Domingo Cumpian and surpass current coach Nate Phillips, who won twice.

Osgood still has something to prove after coming up short in the 125-pound finals against two-time state champion Pat Howard of Marshwood. A jump up in weight is usually a cause for concern, but Osgood is confident his credentials will be an advantage. Osgood won the World Power Lifting championships (teenage division) in Reno, Nev., bench-pressing 308 pounds and dead lifting more than 400. "The jump (four classes) hasn’t been difficult," Osgood said. "I’ve adjusted well. There are two things that have made a difference. I can overpower opponents, plus I’m able to use my speed."

Not to mention his ability to lead.

Erskine Academy's Chris Fraser won his first tournament championship at the Penobscot Valley Christmas event held in Howland last week. The sophomore won the 119-pound weight class by beating Woodland High School's Billy Romanelli, 12-2.

Teammate Mike Hicks (215 pounds) also reached the finals, but lost a 4-0 decision to Old Town High School's Jake Ela. Shawn Studholm (152) placed third and Andrew Grenier (160) took fourth for the Erskine Eagles. Nokomis Regional High School's Pat Morse (130) placed second and Maine Central Institute's Joey Bell (130) took fourth at the tournament.

The Noble Invitational was a showcase event for one of the top Class A programs in the state. The Noble High School Knights sent nine athletes to the finals on the way to winning their own tournament. Noble scored 238 points followed by Marshwood's 169.5. Mt. Mansfield, Vt. and Spaulding, N.H. rounded out the top four spots in the 15-team field. Three local wrestlers reached the finals, but each fell to an out of state opponent.

Gardiner Area High School's Taj McKay (135) pinned his first two opponents to advance to the finals. McKay dropped a 7-4 decision to Spaulding's Scott Couture to finish the day.

Winslow High School's Dan Stace (140) reached the finals from the No. 3 seed position with a first-round pin and a 12-10 semifinal decision over Biddeford High School's Anthony Cincotta. In the finals, Stace got caught early with a head and arm throw and was pinned in the first period by Sam Boniey of Mt. Mansfield.

Brandon Hamilton (152) entered the day looking to defend the Noble Invitational championship he won last year. The Skowhegan Area High School junior reached the finals by pinning three straight opponents. In the finals, Hamilton was decisioned 5-3 by Mt. Mansfield's Jonathon Brown.

Winslow was the top local finisher as a team in the tournament. The Winslow Black Raiders finished in sixth place with 100 points. Chris Desrosiers (215) took home a bronze medal while Justin Nesbitt (112) and Andy Young (171) placed fourth.

Skowhegan's Dylan Wentworth (112) and Brooks Thompson (119) and Gardiner's Liam Kozma (130) each placed third.

In the finals of the Bonny Eagle Tournament, Monmouth Academy's Aaron Kaluzynski avenged a loss suffered earlier in the season to Westbrook's Nick Lavigne. The two had met in the finals of the Gardiner Tiger tournament with Lavigne winning by pin. This time the gold medal went to Kaluzynski as he pinned Lavigne late in the third period while leading by four points.

Monmouth's Nate Butler (215) also reached the finals, finishing in second place. Teammates Ryan Audet (130) and Jake Tisdale (160) placed third.

Maine Central Institute's Josh Lasselle is back in action after spending most of the season on the sidelines. Lasselle received a concussion playing football and has just recently been cleared for competition. Lasselle is currently 4-1 and, according to coach Lance Richmond, is still working towards peak form. Last year Josh finished third at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference tournament and fourth in Eastern Maine.

His brother, Jake, is currently leading the MCI Huskies with a 7-1 record.

Cony High School hosted its first tournament in many years over the Christmas break and teams competed in a dual meet format. Biddeford won the team title with a finals victory over Dirigo High School. Cony finished fourth behind Lincoln Academy.

In the semifinal match between Cony and Dirigo, the match ended in a tie score. The team that advanced to the finals was decided by a set order of criteria defined in the rule book. Dirigo won the right to advance based on the sixth criteria, most back points earned by the team.

The Winslow wrestling team gave coach Al Surette an early Christmas present on Dec. 22. The Winslow Black Raiders beat traditional powerhouse Camden Hills 42-30 and tied Mt. Blue 36-36.

1. Noble
2. Westbrook
3. Camden Hills
4. Marshwood
5. Lisbon
6. Mount Blue
7. Biddeford
8. Bonny Eagle
9. Mountain Valley
10. Belfast

WELLS - On Saturday afternoon the Wells High School parking lot was swathed in school-bus yellow as wrestling teams from all over the state (and one from New Hampshire) arrived for the 17th annual Atlantic Invitational. And after hours of grappling and sweating in Ronco Gymnasium, the day ended with a Warrior raising his arms in victory.

Senior Adam Chase won the tournament's final championship, the 275-pound weight class, pinning Tom Mango of York in three minutes 21 seconds.

"Having Adam win at the end, that was a pretty nice topping," Wells coach Mark Lewia said.

Chase had finished second at the tournament for the last two years. This time, he wasn't going to be denied.

"It feels good to finally win this thing," Chase said. "I wouldn't take any less."

He started the day with a dominating performance against Carl Littrell of Wiscasset, winning by fall in just 25 seconds.

"I had never wrestled him before. I didn't know what to expect so I just went out and wrestled aggressively," the Wells senior said.

His second match was against Stan Piper from Belfast, someone who is "tough to pin," according to Chase. The Warrior managed to do it in 4:16 to advance to the final.

Chase had pinned Mango earlier in the year at a dual meet, but he was not overconfident. Mango's ability was evident from the start as he took the first two points on a take down midway through the first period. Chase was able to score two on a reversal 30 seconds later to even the score. He started quickly in the second period, escaping for one after 17 seconds and then emphatically taking Mango down.

"I took him down, broke him down on his stomach, worked to one side, then the other, and threw a half-nelson in, he was open for it, and I rolled him onto his back," Chase explained.

The victory completed a string of three pins and gave Chase the hometown title he craved. It also boosted his season record to 13-0.

Chase received the Sean Sheehy award for the Outstanding Wells Wrestler at the tournament. Sheehy was a Wells wrestler and graduate who died on March 30, 1999. His son Shane presented the award to Chase, who was emotional when discussing the honor.

"It means a lot to me. Sean was a great guy and he meant a lot to this program. To be presented with something with his name on it even is just outstanding to me, it feels great," he said.

"He was quite an athlete and friend," Lewia said of Sheehy. "He was a true Warrior. He always came back and tried to help us out as much he could. He felt he got a lot out of the program and he wanted to give that back to the other kids, wanted them to know what wrestling is all about, what you can get out of it. He was an exceptional person."

Wells' Dylan Grethe took third place in the 130 class. Grethe, the third seed, was upset in the first round by sixth seeded Ben Madigan of Mountain Valley. Madigan ended up finishing second in the class.

"I was really out of energy and he took it to me because of that. After that I had to get the right things to eat, drink more water get my energy back and then I started wrestling hard," Grethe said, "but I figure I went out there a little too cocky."

Grethe was able to rebound and won his remaining three matches, the last in the consolation final against second seed Nate Hix of Lisbon in an exciting 10-9 decision. Grethe used three takedowns in the first period and outstanding work on his feet to claim the victory.

"I was seeded third and I got third, so I guess I'm content with what I have, but I'd like to do better in the future," he said.

Sophomore Pat Casten was the third Wells wrestler to finish in the top four. Casten took fourth place in the 215 class. He was 10-2 going into the tournament and seeded third in the class, but was overlooked by many of his opponents because he is just a sophomore. Devin Potvin of Belfast fell into that trap.

"He came out with this look like, 'I'm going to beat you,'" Casten said.

Casten used that look as motivation and went on to both bloody and beat Potvin, 15-6. Casten was pinned by Adam Lord of Lisbon in his next match as he "ran out of gas." For the next match, Casten "came out there so angry I had a feeling whatever I would do would work." He was right, defeating Scott Skibitsky of Dirigo by fall at 1:29. Casten had to settle for fourth however, losing to Matt Thurston of Mountain Valley in the consolation final.

The other local school at the Atlantic was Kennebunk. A few Rams moved up a weight class and didn't fare too well, and others were sick. But there was one Ram who did perform exceptionally well, 160-pound sophomore Ben Kinerson.

"Right now we're going through some tough times as a team, but the one constant is Ben and his performance week in and week out," Kennebunk coach Aaron Germana said.

Kinerson finished second at 160, losing to Buck Brown of Fryeburg in the finals, 11-7.

Kinerson, seeded second, reached the finals by pinning his first opponent in 1:29. He then earned a technical fall, 16-0, against third-seed Sam Glover from Camden Hills.

"I've been very impressed with how Ben is really wrestling intelligently, not just going out there and throwing muscle moves or throwing the move that's the fad," Germana said, "he's fun to watch."

Camden Hills finished first with 147 points for their second straight Atlantic title. Lisbon earned second place with 142 points followed by Mountain Valley with 97 and Belfast with 91.5. Wells finished ninth of fourteen teams and Kennebunk twelfth.

Noble Invitational

Both the Biddeford and Sanford wrestling teams traveled to North Berwick on Saturday for the highly competitive Noble Invitational. The Tigers had a strong showing as they finished fifth.

"As a team we wrestled really well, we were missing some starters and to come in fifth out of those 19 teams is nice," Biddeford coach Bob Gaudette said. "That's one of the toughest competitions around."

Jim Gaudette was the only Tiger to reach the final round as he took second place in the 112-pound class. Sanford's Nick Legere was the only Redskin to reach that round, finishing second at 160. The Redskins were ninth overall.

Biddeford's Jim Smith finished third at 152. His only loss was to the tournament's champion. Nate Vasill of Biddeford was third at 103 and Sanford's Chad Edwards was third at 171. The Tigers' Luke Yoho, only a sophomore, was impressive in finishing fourth at 189. And Anthony Cincotta also finished fourth in his 140-pound class.

Noble proved to be greedy hosts as the Knights walked away with the tournament's team championship, finishing 68.5 points ahead of second-place Marshwood.

The Massabesic wrestling team was in fourth place going into Saturday's final round in Standish, but with only two wrestlers in the finals, the Mustangs fell behind Dexter and wound up fifth.

Senior captain Tom Metz was one of those Mustangs in the finals, and he captured the 135 title with a pin, one of only four pins in the final round. Metz had two pins and a technical fall on the day.

"You can't ask for much better than that," Massabesic coach Bob Eon said. "Tom looked really, really good."

Matt Lude, another senior captain for the Mustangs, also claimed a tournament crown as he finished first in the heavyweight division. Massabesic's third captain, Ken Belanger, took third at 119. Freshman Cory Gallant was third at 103 and sophomore Garron Courtway third at 171. Junior Brian Pond was fourth at 130 and sophomore Keri Chevalier was fourth at 125.

"Keri has come a long way," Eon praised.

Powerhouse Westbrook won the tournament, finishing 14 points ahead of host Bonny Eagle.

FRYEBURG-It was a major under taking to make because there was a lot on the line, however, when Buck Brown walked off the wrestling mat at the state meet two seasons ago the long-term decision made was cut and dried. The Fryeburg Academy student-athlete dedicated his efforts to being the best and the commitment proved that goals are attainable.

Brown achieved the long-awaited success by winning a two-point decision against Josiah Glover of Camden Hills in the 160-pound finals last February at the Class B state championships. The 3000 spectators assembled at the Augusta Civic Center floor were in for a treat, but for the Raider standout knew entering the match it was personal. That's exactly how he had envisioned it.

"My opponents that I've faced keep me focused,"Brown said. "I learn things about myself every time I step on the mat (regarding) how I approach each wrestler. (In turn) it brings out the best in me."

That philosophy didn't materialize over night because a bitter loss had had been weighing on Brown' mind. He had just fell short in a hard-fought decision against Glover in the 152-pound championship finals at the 2000 state meet. Although the loss was hard to swallow, Brown realized the slate wouldn't be wiped clean until that one set back was avenged.

"Buck made a decision that day,"Fryeburg coach and father Jeff Brown said. "He had gone toe-to-toe with Josiah and didn't get the job done. So, we studied film of Glover wrestling and learned his tendencies on the mat. That aspect, wrestling on the mat hadn't been Buck' strong point. I think that was the difference."

The individual match-ups in wrestling are extremely because competitors routinely look at potential opponents. This is a common practice because previous results against opponents can influence potential pairings. It wouldn't have been questioned if Buck had bumped up another weight division, mentally he had a battle plan. Buck would eventually finish his junior campaign with a 34-1 record, the lone blemish was a loss during the regular season to Glover.

"I had wrestled against Glover a lot,"Buck said. "I knew what he liked to use for moves on the mat, so I just made sure to counter him. This season, my goal is to go unbeaten."

That was severely challenged during the recent McDonnalds tournament because Buck faced adversity with a stomach illness. The finals against Ben Kinerson of Kennebunk certainly lived up to expectations and it wasn't decided until the final buzzer. Kinerson shot in for an attempted takedown, but Buck held on to an ankle to win a 7-6 decision.

The sport of wrestling is full of tradition and family involvement has been one of the key components. This hasn't escaped the Brown's because Jeff won a state wrestling title at 185 for Fryeburg two decades ago. The balance that exists between coach and a concerned parent can usually end up on a collision course.

"I'd like to think so,"Jeff Brown said. "We try to leave things at the gym, but that doesn't always happen. The topic of wrestling carry's over to our home life, especially when friends come over."

"It's hardest at home,"Buck said. "We get into conflicts and issues do come up. They all work out for the best."

It's said that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and the second-generation wrestler is certainly prepared to take the next step. The unique hand-eye coordination, which the younger Brown displays on the mat, has been being nurtured for a few years.

Jeff Brown is a skilled carpenter and Buck has been crafting his own skills since he was 10 years old. The National Honor Society student is fully aware that these academic skills could be utilized in college, however, Buck has already made plans to enroll in a boat-building school in Kennebunk next fall.

FARMINGTON - There are usually several subplots in a wrestling meet that generate interest.

And two particular subplots surfaced when Scott Webber and Matt Waite each reached a milestone as the Mt. Blue High School seniors recorded their 100th career wins Saturday.

The Cougars flexed their muscles and registered a trifecta with convincing wins against Cony 57-19 and Mount Ararat 59-24 in Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference action. The Cougars, who recorded over two dozen pins during the day, also beat Brewer 66-12.

Mt. Ararat (6-4) rallied back and received a pin by Matt Stephens (152-pounds) to rally past Cony (6-4-1) 41-39. The Eagles trailed by four points entering the final match due to a new ruling that started all meets at 160.

Mt. Blue (8-1) began with force and utilized its aggressive style to jump ahead of Cony 30-6. The stage was quickly set for Scott Webber (112) who stuck Eric Leinonen in (flash move) in 36 seconds. Webber raised his record to 15-0 with 15 pins.

"It really hadn’t hit me that I’d just won my 100th," Webber said. "It’s a great accomplishment, but I actually didn’t know until coach (Nate) Phillips dragged me to the scorer’s table. Every time I’m on the mat I just try to do my best."

The Cougars received several quick pins, including Shane Webber (40 and 25 seconds at 103), Seth Webber nine seconds at 119, Ryan Hutchinson seven seconds at 135. Shawn Spangler had three pins in the first period at 189 and Damian Osgood had two pins at 145.

Waite needed to win all three matches and hit the century milestone by pinning Spencer Connors of Mt. Ararat in 13 seconds at 215. Waite (15-0, 14 pins) was on the mat for a total of 59 seconds for three pins.

"I was looking forward to winning my 100th," Waite said. "I’m not worried about my conditioning because of the fast pins. I work hard in the wrestling room, plus I also work out at home. I just am anxious for the team to come together for the rest of the season."

In an interesting rubber match, Brad Waugh of Cony won a 9-1 major decision over Hutchinson. The Ram wrestler gained the momentum after executing a double-leg takedown with five seconds left in the first period. The tandem had split in two previous matches.

Cony (6-4-2) took a 39-29 lead over the Eagles, following Waugh pinning Ben Leeman. Mt. Ararat received a forfeit at 145 and Stephens stuck Matt Hanas late in the third period.

"(Stephens) kept at it," Mt. Ararat coach Eric Jenkins said. "It was a close meet and a key match for us was (Connors) winning his first match this year at 215. We’ve got a lot of freshmen and sophomores, but we’re coming long. Mt. Blue is a good team and (over powered) us."

The Eagles’ Pete Gervias came frombehind to win a 7-3 decision over Stenn Fellman of Mt. Blue. John Bursley remains unbeaten at 275.

Brewer (2-4) earned a reprise after taking a 12-0 lead against Mt. Blue. Ryan Hahl stuck Fellman at 160. The Witches’ Jeff Madden wrapped up Matt Ryan in the first period at 171. Brewer lost to Cony, 45-30.

"I looked up to see we were ahead by 12 on Mt. Blue and wanted to take a picture," Brewer coach Perry Boudreau said. "We’re not funded by our school, so it takes a lot of fund-raising to keep things going. It was nice to start with 160 and 171 because that’s our strength. We’ve got some good kids on this team, but a few open slots hurt us."

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Exciting matchups at Noble tournament

By TERRY DEVEREAUX, Correspondent

Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Wednesday, December 26, 2001

The Christmas break is a busy time for wrestlers as they travel to tournaments across the state. It's a long drive to Berwick, but being at the Noble Invitational on Saturday could make the trip worthwhile. The event will be held at the new Noble High School, which is a state-of-the-art facility. The biggest complaint about the tournament in the past was the length of the day, since the old Noble gym could only accommodate two mats. It wasn't uncommon to be just boarding the bus at 10 p.m. The new Noble gym has enough room to get the event done at a more normal time. Skowhegan Area High School, Winslow High School and Gardiner Area High School will join a field of 15 teams. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Squads from Vermont and New Hampshire are included in what is likely the toughest tournament in the state. Noble is expected to contend for the team title along with Marshwood High School and Biddeford High School. Sanford High School and Oxford Hills High School will also bring in some strong individuals. Sanford features state champ Nick Legere and Oxford Hills has state champ Seth McAllister. Morse's two-time state champ, Ben Goulette, has been sidelined lately with an injury and it is uncertain whether or not he will compete in the event. Spectators may be treated to a rematch of two of Maine's top talents in the 171-pound class. At the recent McDonald's tournament, Noble's James Cotten and Deering's Jon Kane met in the finals. Both were New England place-winners last season. Cotton will be looking to avenge a solid defeat by Kane. Brandon Hamilton will attempt to defend the Noble Invitational title he won last year. Skowhegan sports teams get a lot of mileage out of the junior. Hamilton was one of the Pine Tree Conference's leading tacklers in football from the safety position and also is a catcher on the baseball team in the spring. According to coach Kurt Wentworth, Hamilton is one of the major reasons for the Indians' dual-meet record this season. The defending state champ has spent a lot of time helping with the middle school program. The efforts have paid off as the team is off to a 9-2 start with the youngsters on the team playing a key role. Cony High School will host a dual-meet tournament on Thursday in the Cony gymnasium. The format will be team versus team, much like a basketball tournament. Biddeford and Dirigo are two of the top teams visiting Augusta. The Atlantic Invitational showcases some of the top Class B talent in the state. Belfast Area High School, Mountain Valley High School, and Camden Hills High School are expected to vie for the championship at Wells High School on Saturday. Class C Wiscasset High School also is in the field. Monmouth Academy will travel to Buxton for the Bonny Eagle High School tournament on the same day. This season, wrestlers have even more incentive to watch what they eat over the holidays. In the past, wrestlers had up to 30 minutes to make weight once the designated weigh-in period begins. Changes to the rules make it a one-shot deal to make the weight. If the athlete is even 1/8-pound over on the first try, he either wrestles up a weight class or doesn't compete for the day. The intent of the rule is to prevent excessive weight loss, but it is unclear whether it will have the desired effect. Teams can still arrive early and check weight before the weigh-in period begins. It would seem that athletes would try to lose even more weight than before to ensure that they wouldn't be overweight.