ANNOUONCEMENTS


Saturday, May 1, 1993

Hall of Fame Inductee: John Caramihalis - COACH

Considered the founding father of Maine Interscholastic Wrestling, John Caramihalis almost single-handedly brought wrestling to major sports status at Sanford High School and was a driving force in developing wrestling at the state level through recognition by State Principal’s Association. He initiated the Sanford tradition that has endured for over 20 years.

John Caramihalis was a member of the Springfield College squad under Doug Parker (1949-53) and was New England A.A.U. champion in 1952. That same year he completed in the National AAU championships at Cornell University.

Caramihalis came to Sanford in 1958 and immediately made his presence known in this "new" sport called wrestling. Early newspaper accounts place the first interscholastic dual meet in Maine at Sanford gymnasium between Portland and Sanford High Schools in February 1059. That year Sanford and Portland split dual meets on a home and home basis, while Sanford lost to the Perkins School for the Blind. Mainstays for the squad were the brother combination of Ron and Rick Sparkowich. In the first interscholastic tournament ever held in Maine, Sanford outlasted a tough Deering team 110-105, with Sanford crowing four individual champions. This was the first of six consecutive championships that Caramihalis won at Sanford, and this first of 11 consecutive titles for Sanford before Belfast would knock them out of the top spot in the 1969 Class A tournament.

In 1960 Sanford extended their wrestling schedule to Cooperstown, NY against Central High. It was the start of a two year dual competition. Portland also continued to wrestle the Redskins. An oddity occurred in the state meet that year as Sweeney and Bean, both of Sanford, ended the 121 pound finals in a 6-6 draw. With no clear means of breaking the deadlock, both wrestlers were declared the winner, the only time that such a tie has occurred in any tournament competition in Maine.

Wrestling in New England was really beginning to grow in 1961 and the Sanford schedule was also extended to include Winnacunnett High School of Rye, New Hampshire, as well old foe Perkins School in Boston. This was also the first year the Northern New England Tournament, the winners of which would be eligible for the New England meet. Sanford won that first Northern tourney by edging Braintree, Massachusetts 70-79. White (120) and Sparkowich (154) won gold medals.

Sanford continued to dominate in 1962 and 1963. The 1962 state tourney at Lisbon saw two classes crown champions, with four teams in class A and eight teams in class B. Sanford easily won A tourney that year and crowned six individual champs. The following year was an even bigger runaway in a four team and nine gold medal winners.

Caramihalis’ best team at Sanford was the last team he coached there. That squad led by the likes of Doug Libby, Keith Kalman, Reggie Monroe, Paul Scarponi, and Dave Woodsome, made a shambles of the state tournament and won the New England Tournament as well, the first of only two Maine teams to ever accomplish that feat. Monroe (112), Libby (127) and Kalman (165) won New England titles.

Caramihalis moved to Biddeford for the 1965 campaign. That particular state tournament saw the closest finish in any state meet up to that point. Caramihalis had his Tigers up as Sanford and Biddeford wrestlers met head to head in six of the 12 classes. Sanford prevailed, however and the upset should have been, never materialized. That 1965 season marked the zenith of Biddeford wrestling. After one more season at Biddeford, Caramihalis did graduate study at Duke University, during which time he coached the freshman team. Upon returning to Maine, he worked as a physical therapist in Sanford. He initiated varsity wrestling at Nasson College in Springvale and coached there for three seasons (1972-74). He was on the Maine and New England board of wrestling officials for many years and was the United States Wrestling Federation representative for Maine in the early 1970’s.

The impact that John Caramihalis has made on interscholastic wrestling in Maine is still being felt. Although no longer actively involved in the sport, he still follows intently the fortunes of the Sanford Redskins and can be seen at the state tournament, wherever it is held. Many of his early pupils are seen as coaches, officials, parents of wrestlers, and avid fans of the state.

Saturday, February 6, 1993

HIGH SCHOOL: STATE MEET 1993 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

WeightClsChampion2nd3rd4th
103ADoug Bruce
Noble (3:41)
Sear Bo
Sanford
Jarrod Fuller
Mt. Ararat (Forfeit)
Dan Wedgewood
Massabesic
BDusty Hackett
Mtn Valley (Fall)
Bruce Stuart
Fryeburg .
Nolan Griffin
Marshwood (T.F.)
Andy Maguire
Bucksport
CAdam Greenburg
Hyde 
Aaron Tardiff
Lisbon
Brad St. Laurent
Dirigo
Chris Sirois
Penobscot 
112AChris Zaharas
Bonny Eagle (15-4)
John Edmunds
Oxford Hills
Jason Trembley
Sanford (5-0)
Ryan Merrick
Noble
BKeith Parent
Marshwood (3-1)
Matt Beyea
Wells
Dan Levigne
Kennebunk (7-6)
Niland
Foxcroft 
CJoel Harvey
Penobscot 
Ben Gammell
Dirigo
Forrest Dumas
Limestone
Ken Colson
Calais
119ASan Bo
Sanford (5-3 OT)
Dave Richard
Westbrook
Louis Dubois
Noble (13-2)
Matt Wedgewood
BTom Bickford
Wells (15-9)
Cory Freeman
Mtn Valley
Travis Soule
Kennebunk (Fall)
Arbuckle
Bucksport
CBrian Evens
Limestone 
Gunnar Bradbury
Dirigo
Corey HarperPenobscot Mike Carpenter
Lisbon
125AMike Pocock
Portland (8-1)
Mike Brown
Bonny Eagle
Tad Barbour
Noble (14-2)
Dale Gagnon
Caribou
BEric Austin
Mtn Valley (5-1)
Hai Nguyen
Kennebunk
Jeremy Desjardins
Fort Kent (3-2)
Toby Mitchell
Camden
CKeith St. Laurent
Dirigo 
Greg Smart
Mattanawcook
Matthew Snyder
Hyde 
Darren Thibodeau
Penobscot 
130AKurt Fuller
Mt. Ararat (9-2)
James Hamilton
Massabesic
John Nicholas
Westbrook
Eli Small
Deering
BJeremy Reynolds
Gorham (1-0)
Brian Wagner
Belfast
Justin Hopkins
Camden (3-2)
Jason Brickett
Wells
CPaul Evens
Limestone 
Adam Tash
Penobscot 
Josh Ryder
Mattanawcook (?)
Jason Errington
Dirigo
135AAlex Boisvert
Noble (1:23)
Pete Boutilier
Massabesic
Chance Farwell
Bonny Eagle (5-2)
Justin Nile
Mt Blue
BBrian Harvey
Belfast (5-0)
Zack Donhauser
Marshwood
Harold Anderson
Medomak (5-3)
Jeff Leach
Fryeburg 
CJason Watrous
MCI 
Scott Tolman
Mattanawcook
Sean Kuietauskas
Lisbon 
Travis Dennis
Traip 
140AJason York
Bonny Eagle (2:35)
Sam Tran
Sanford
Clayton Moore
Morse (8-5)
Brett Merrick
Noble
BRandy Simmons
Med. Valley (8-1)
Matt Curtis
Belfast
Tom Mousol
Marshwood (2-0)
Brian Borkowski
Oak Hill
CJeff Graves
Traip 
Kaleb Worster
Mattanawcook
Nate Gaudin
Dirigo
Aaron Ames
Boothbay
145ABryan Brunk
Bonny Eagle (9-7)
Justin Gross
Westbrook
Chet Tracy
Oxford Hills (5-3)
Andy Faulkner
Sanford
BMatt Comeau
Marshwood (4-1)
Brandon Allen
Camden
Simon Frost
Lincoln Acad. (4-2)
Gary Borkowski
Oak Hill
CBrian Lufkin
Dirigo (?)
Matt Langley
Penobscot 
Chris Gamache
Lisbon 
Corey Davies
Boothbay
152ABill Brochu
Cony (7-0)
Roger Cain
Mt Blue
Tim Wade
Gardiner (4-2 OT)
Greg Hoover
Westbrook
BTravis Moore
Marshwood (14-7)
Neil Raymond
Bucksport
Luke Bryant
Mt. View
Brunner
Lincoln 
CAllen Crocker
Boothbay
T.J. Langerak
Penobscot 
Deryk Peters
Dirigo 
Dan Severance
Mattanawcook
160AJamie Stilphen
Portland (4:24)
Rob Tomlinson
Deering
Chris Cobbett
Oxford Hills (6-2)
Tim Dolan
Mt. Ararat
BTodd Donhauser
Marshwood (6-3)
Sirois
Fort Kent
Jamie Lewry
Gorham (11-5)
Chris Lizotte
Winslow
CChad Duprey
Traip 
Darren Heath
Boothbay
Ken Mitchell
Penobscot 
Bryan Heaberlin
Wiscasset
171AShawn Dexter
Oxford Hills (5:09)
Mike Hujsak
Bonny Eagle
Alan Quintal
Gardiner (4-2)
Jarad Craggy
Westbrook
BJason Emery
Belfast (5-4)
Joe Shackford
Fryeburg 
Corry Darveau
Bucksport (11-6)
John Short
Marshwood
CBen Aldrich
John Bapst
Sam Kaler
Boothbay
Lauren Wyman
Traip 
Wes Dube
Penobscot 
189AJason Mills
Cony (8-6 OT)
Jason Oliver
Bonny Eagle
Chris Curti
Gardiner (13-3)
Ross Sirois
Skowhegan
BEric Cote
Mtn Valley (9-5)
Danny Paige
Dexter
Paul Urquhart
Bucksport (7-1)
Ben Farrington
Gorham
CDanny Morton
Boothbay
Andy Boucher
Dirigo
Den Ward
John Bapst 
Chip Priest
Penobscot 
275ANeil Jacunski
Morse (9-7)
Alen Arsenault
Oxford Hills
Lucas Porter
Portland (3:55)
Doug Morgan
Gardiner
BJason Dolloff
Mtn Valley (3-1)
Ed Durham
Wells
John Caruso
Marshwood (7-1)
Jandreau
Fort Kent
CRutledge King
MCI (?)
Jay Kemke
Lisbon
Mike Cayer
Traip Acad. (?)
Aaron GilmanPenobscot 

Team Results
ClassABC
ChampionBonny EagleMarshwoodPenobscot 
2ndNobleMtn. ValleyDirigo