ANNOUONCEMENTS


Sunday, July 11, 1999

Hall of Fame Inductee: Gary Kent - COACH

Gary Kent has been without a doubt one of the most innovative coaches in Maine and New England wrestling circles. His career has spanned more than two decades and includes participation as a wrestler and official. The Auburn native attended Ithaca (NY) College where he first learned wrestling fundamentals, and later at the University of Maine at Orono. It was while at Maine that Kent became an intramural participant in the program headed up by Frank Spizuoco and Ian MacKinnon.


After graduating form Orono, Kent took over the reigns of the fledging mat program at Lisbon High School, and within three years had taken the Grayhounds to the state class B championship. That 1963 state title has been the only state wrestling championship at Lisbon. A three-year coaching stint at North Reading (MASS) high school was followed by one year at Rumford and two years at Sanford. His first year at Sanford saw the Redskins win a head to head confrontation with Keith Lancaster’s Skowhegan entry for the state crown.

In the fall of 1969 the new Massabesic High School opened their doors at Waterboro. The students were former Sanford enrollees and it seemed only natural that wrestling be included in the varsity sports program. Not one to pass up a challenge, Kent went to Massabesic as varsity football and wrestling coach. Opting for class A status immediately Massabesic wrestled a full schedule against top teams like Sanford, Runford, and Traip. Although they finished in last place in the state A tournament, it was apparent to everyone there the Mustangs were for real and a contender for the future.

During the next two seasons, giant strides were made as Massabesic finished sixth in the 1971 tournament and second the following year. That 1972 squad ran away with the Southern Regional with six champions, and lost the state title to Rumford by only three points. Representing Massabesic in the championship circle were Don Moreau (105) and Dan Ouellette (155), the first two Mustang state champs. The following year was also a Rumford-Massabesic finish, but this time more than 60 points separated the two teams. Harold Tuttle (132) was one of the few non-Rumford winners that day. A week later Earl Boyes (185) was to win the first of his three New England titles with a variation of the freestyle salto which would become his trademark. There lay the essence of the Kent genius. His ability to adapt various techniques from the international styles so scholastic wrestling. Later that spring, Kent took a group of wrestlers to New England AAU freestyle and Greco-Roman championships. To no one’s surprise several medals were won and with the new found expertise, Kent returned to indoctrinate the State of Maine. Freestyle champions at Lowell were Boyes (192), and brothers Phil (154) and Fred (UNL) Smith, both of Kennebunk, Greco champs were Boyse again (192), Sandy Rollins (178) and Art Tuttle (106) all of Massabesic. 

Kent’s trip to the National AAU Junior Olympic Tournament in St Cloud, Minnesota, was not without its fruits of victory. Boyes became the first Maine wrestler to win a national title by taking the Greco championship at 192, while Tuttle and Frank Gagnon both finished sixth. Boyes also participated at the Junior World Championships in Alabama that summer.

Working closely with the National AAU office in Indianapolis, Kent was able to gain one of the eight national sites for the visiting Soviet National Junior team. That meet between the Soviet all-stars and the Maine freestyle champions marked the arrival of international wrestling in the state. And Gary Kent was the moving force. The meet became a state-wide media event. Pre-meet festivities, the actual meet, and the post-meet gathering became frontpage news. The Gannet papers were foremost in the list of sponsors. The Soviets crushed the Maine stars, but it really didn’t matter, because wrestling in Maine had come of age. And Gary Kent had seen his dream come true.

Two seasons at Hyde School followed, and the freestyle seasons saw national teams from Poland and Austria wrestle at various sites in the state. Again Kent provided much of the impetus to the programs and most of the actual coaching of the teams. The 1975 Junior Olympic champs were the first Maine wrestlers to travel to Europe to compete in a series of duals in Austria and Switzerland.

After a two-year hiatus from education, Kent returned to coaching in 1978 and initiated a wrestling program at MCI. Primarily concerned with the post-graduate program, Kent took three wrestlers to the New England Prep Championships and came back with three titlists: Don Fryson (105), two-time State and New England interscholastic champ Bob Eon (145), and former New England champ Evans Brantley (UNL). Eon also won the National Prep Championship at Lehigh that season. The next season Kent returened to Hyde to again head the wrestling program.

Saturday, February 13, 1999

HIGH SCHOOL: STATE MEET 1999 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

WeightClsChampion2nd3rd4th
103ATravis Marquis
Gardiner (19-4)
Scott Webber
Mt Blue
Bruce Le
Sanford (3:35)
Kent Eliassen
Morse
BB.J. Hamm
Lisbon (1:57)
Mike Dawson
Mtn Valley
Brian Carl
York (23-4)
Joe Zak
Camden-Rockport
CJosh Carrier
Penobscot (9-5)
Jason Gray
Wiscasset
Davey Heintz
Dirigo (4:52)
Chris German
Traip 
112ADusty Marsh
Bonny Eagle (13-7)
Corey Brown
Mt. Ararat
Walter Burney
Westbrook (8-0)
Jacob Tabor
Noble
BPat Howard
Marshwood (10-2)
Nick Morse
Belfast
Travis Hardison
Ellsworth (8-1)
Brandon Learnard
Camden
CVinnie Greene
Dexter (1:08)
Erik Poulin
Penobscot
Cory McDonald
Mattanawcook (4:30)
Kristen Jewett
Wiscasset
119ACarl Swihart
Mt Blue (5:20)
Demitrio Aspiras
Windham
Jeremy Mahns
Cony (3-1)
Brian Eastman
Sanford
BTim Letourneau
Winslow (8-6)
Daryl Buttrick
Marshwood
Davis Deschaine
Fort Kent (17-6)
Jason Buotte
Mtn Valley
CMark MacDonald
Monmouth (2:42)
Matt Hanscom
Dexter
Paul Rines
Wiscasset 
Percy Butler
Dirigo
125ABrandon Bushaw
Westbrook (1:37)
Matt Dupuis
Noble
Jake Cotnoir
Gardiner (2:04)
Jon Bellino
Bonny Eagle
BJeff Prevost
Mtn Valley (12-4)
John Hespe
Lisbon
Josh Fogg
Winslow (2:11)
Brian Sutherland
Medomak 
CKevin Armstrong
Dexter (2:42)
Derek Shorey
Foxcroft
Zach Hanmer
Dirigo 
Henery Wooley
John Bapst
130AMilton Fogg
Noble (1:44)
Dan Stellar
Bonny Eagle
Alan Bolster
Skowhegan (3-1)
Dominic Cofone
Westbrook
BJake Desmarais
Marshwood (3:36)
Nathan Smith
Wells
Chris Lockman
Greely (20-14)
Sam Overlock
Winslow
CAdam Gudroe
Dexter (1:00)
Brad Thurlow
Penobscot 
Jacob O'Donnell
Monmouth 
Matt Wentworth
Foxcroft 
135AElijah McKay
Gardiner (1:34)
Matt Allen
Skowhegan
Chris LeClair
Massabesic (16-6)
Randy Payeur
Sanford
BCraig Gould
Marshwood (7-4)
Brendan Dagan
Fryeburg 
? Cross
Belfast (0:42)
Matt Gilbert
Winslow
CJarod Tash
Mattanawcook (5-1)
Sam McCabe
Monmouth
Nick Gurney
Dirigo 
Travis Thompson
Dexter
140AJack Ftizgerald
Noble (13-2)
Paul Laird
Oxford Hills
Aaron Chapman
Bonny Eagle (2:28)
Shawn Manfredo
Morse
BIvy LaBrie
Kennebunk (Forf.)
Louis Baker
York
Justin Wheeler
Marshwood (2:06)
Ray Moody
Medomak 
CT.J. James
Wiscasset (3:18)
Aaron Thomas
Dexter
James Ward
Foxcroft 
Kevin Higgins
John Bapst
145AMike Ollinger
Bonny Eagle (9-1)
Ryan MacDougall
Noble
Alex Marshall
Morse (4-1)
Seneca Wilson
Massabesic
BSeth Leighton
Camden(10-2)
Nick Jackson
Belfast
Justin Carrier
Winslow (13-1)
Greg Skafides
Marshwood
CGarrett Smith
Foxcroft (23-7)
Shawn Burton
Traip 
Ben Ferrell
Monmouth 
Phil Mosley
Dexter
152ACurt Brunner
Noble (0:43)
Jamie Harrison
Windham
Steve Thyng
Massabesic (10-7)
Kelly Brassbridge
Skowhegan
BLucas McKittrick
Camden(7-1)
Sal Mazza
Mtn Valley
John Poller
Belfast (4:48)
Jamie Dolben
Marshwood
CJoey Turner
Dexter (7-3)
Derek Turnbull
Dirigo
Adam Caldwell
Traip 
Jason Capitman
Hyde 
160AOwen Brochu
Massabesic (4-0)
Dave Marshall
Morse
Kurt Smith
Deering (3-2)
Jake Spencer
Noble
BDustin Buttrick
Marshwood (22-8)
Nick Nassar
Winslow
Josiah Glover
Camden(11-6)
Roger Soulliere
Kennebunk
CAdam Paige
Dexter (1:59)
Jake Kennedy
Foxcroft 
Chris Embry
Traip 
Jon McNutt
Boothbay
171AKen Hall
Massabesic (3:25)
Liam McCormick
Noble
Chris Brassbridge
Skowhegan (3-0)
Ben Hubert
Gardiner
BTom Whelan
Marshwood (5:22)
Sean Terry
Wells
Nate Gray
Kennebunk (1-0)
Vinnie Tofani
Camden
CDanny Waite
Dirigo (3:54)
Lucas Talbot
Foxcroft 
Justin Cardelli
Dexter 
Charlie Fyler
Monmouth
189ATag McCormick
Noble (10-4)
Luke Brochu
Massabesic
Rob Payeur
Sanford (3-0)
Tom Bennett
Morse
BTim Boetsch
Camden(9-4)
Jesse Peterson
Mtn Valley
Jon Foley
Kennebunk (7-2)
Phil Cyrus
Winslow
CJon Wilbur
Dexter (10-2)
Jeff Steinke
Foxcroft 
Greg Savage
Penobscot 
Nate Picard
John Bapst
215AMike Lapham
Oxford Hills (1:59)
Chris Oddo
Cony
Tom Perreault
Noble (8-1)
Russell Wilson
Portland
BScott Holton
Marshwood (9-6)
Dan Marriner
Belfast
Thomas Hardy
Camden(3:48)
Cody Jourdet
Medomak 
CTom Robinson
Dirigo
Josh Talbot
Foxcroft 
Cooper Page
Dexter
Nate Butler
Monmouth
275AAdam Hill
Sanford (2:370
Jake Hanoian
Cony
Matt Grass
Presque Isle (4-1)
Mike Hayes
Morse
BE.J. Pendelton
Camden(4:51)
Todd Drinkwater
Belfast
T.W. Campbell
Lisbon (3-0)
Steve Holbrook
Mtn Valley
CRobert Smith
Penobscot 
Jason Ercoli
Monmouth
Nate Swett
John Bapst
Ethan Height
Dexter
Kristen Jewett (Wiscasset) becomes 1st female to place at States!



Final Team Scores
A @ Noble HS
B @ Mountain Valley HS
C @ Mattanawcook Academy
Noble170.5Marshwood188.5Dexter222.0
Masssabesic99.0Camden-Rockport146.0Foxcroft Academy127.0
Bonny Eagle85.0Belfast105.5Dirigo126.5
Gardiner82.0Winslow100.0Monmouth Academy101.0
Sanford75.0Mountain Valley99.5Penobscot Valley91.5
Morse62.0Kennebunk54.0Wiscasset81.0
Skowhegan51.0Lisbon50.0Traip Academy50.0
Mt Blue45.5Wells34.0John Bapst49.0
Cony45.0York31.5Mattanawcook Acad.34.0
Westbrook45.0Medomak Valley23.0Hyde13.0



Outstanding Wrestler
ABC
Carl Swihart (Mt Blue)Tim Letourneau (Winslow)T.J. James (Wiscasset)