PAUL BETIT
— By
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Krista Pearce has come so very close to a Class B individual state title the last two years, losing in the finals. Now, as a senior at Camden Hills, Pearce is ready to become the first girl to win a state individual wrestling championship.
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
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Krista Pearce is working to get back to a more offensive style for her senior year. While a skilled wrestler, Pearce is considered very strong as well.
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
ROCKPORT: Krista Pearce comes into her final high school wrestling season aware it is her last chance to make history.
A senior at Camden Hills Area High School, Pearce knows it is her last shot to become the first girl to win an individual state high school wrestling championship in Maine.
Pearce, who has always competed at 103 pounds, the lightest of high school wrestling's 14 weight classes, has come close twice before.
In 2005, Carlin Dubay of Caribou had to go into overtime to pull out a sudden-death win against Pearce in the championship final at the Class B state meet.
Last February, Dubay pinned Pearce in the final second of the second period to retain his state title.
Pearce is the only Maine girl to finish among the top four wrestlers in three consecutive high school state meets. If she advances this season to the final in the Class B meet, which will be held Feb. 16 at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, her old nemesis could be her opponent again.
''It would be awesome if I could wins states, but it would be great if I could beat him because he has been my only real big obstacle,'' Pearce said.
Dubay began the regular season, which opened on Saturday, by competing in the 112-pound weight class.
''He's at 106 now, but he'll be at 103 by the end of the season,'' Caribou Coach Todd Albert said.
To reach her goal of capturing a state title, Pearce intends to make some changes in her approach on the mat.
''Last year, I had more of a down year. I wasn't as competitive as I wanted to be,'' she said. ''This year, I'm planning on getting my shot back. When I was younger I used to have a killer shot. I want to get that back.''
While in the upright position, wrestlers go on the offensive by shooting at the legs of their opponents for a takedown.
''I could lift them right up on my shoulders and dump them down right on their backs for the takedown,'' Pearce said. ''I was really good at it, but then I kind of let it go and went to the defensive mode. I want to get that back.''
Levi Rollins, a former Camden Hills wrestler in his first season at coach of the Windjammers, also wants Pearce to change her approach.
''I'd like to see her become more offensive,'' he said. ''I think she will be do better than to wait for someone to shoot on her.''
While she has excellent technique as a wrestler, Rollins said Pearce wins a lot of her matches by outmuscling her opponents.
''She is actually pretty overpowering for a girl, especially at 103,'' he said. ''She's very strong for her size and weight. She can win a lot of matches because of her strength. It helps her out a lot.''
Pearce's final quest for a state wrestling crown comes two seasons after Deanna Rix of Marshwood came within a point of becoming the first girl to win an individual Maine high school wrestling title.
Shane Leadbetter of Sanford edged Rix, 2-1, in double overtime in the finals of the 130-pound division at the 2005 Class A state meet.
A fiery competitor, Rix trains at the United States Olympic Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., and competes for the New York Athletic Club. Currently, she is ranked eighth among U.S. women in the 63-kilogram (138.5-pound) division.
Pearce seems cut from the same competitive mold.
''I want to make sure I get myself all riled up before matches again,'' Pearce said. ''I'm going to do that this year because I want to win the states. It's what I've been working for my whole wrestling career.''
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com