Black Raiders have strong day with just 6 wrestlers.
By Dave Dyer
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The Winslow wrestling team proved it is a team to watch at the Class B tournament with a strong showing at the Noble Invitational in North Berwick last month.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
• Cody Craig of Skowhegan won the 106-pound title at both the Noble Invitational and the Warrior Clash in Nokomis.
• Kaleb Brown of Skowhegan won the 145-pound title at the Noble Invitational, and the 152-pound championship at the Warrior Clash.
• Aaron Lint of Winslow pinned Pierce Knorr of Mt. Ararat for the 285-pound title at the Noble Invitational.
• Cooper Holland of Skowhegan pinned Taylor Alleano of Oxford Hills for the 113-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Peter Del Gallo of Gardiner beat Bradley Beaulieu of Marshwood 12-9 in two overtimes to win the 120-pound title at the Noble Invitational.
• Tyler Craig of Skowhegan pinned Hunter White of Dirigo for the 120-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Dylan Dahlberg of MCI beat Luke Bolster of Skowhegan 5-4 for the 126-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Julian Sirois of Skowhegan beat Zach Caron of Dexter 8-0 for the 132-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Stewart Buzzell of Monmouth Academy beat Kameron Doucette of Skowhegan 3-2 in overtime to win the 145-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Logan Stevens of Skowhegan beat Jesse Hutchinson of Dirigo 4-2 for the 160-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Mikal Federici of Skowhegan beat Rusty Wilson of Nokomis 16-4 for the 182-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Anthony Bernard of Mt. View won the 145-pound title at the Mid-Maine tournament.
• Job Mesaric of Mt. View pinned Julian Baldinelli for the 220-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
• Chris Cole pinned Hunter Glidden of Nokomis for the 285-pound title at the Warrior Clash.
Winslow finished 11th in a field of teams from both Class A and Class B schools. The Black Raiders finished with 83 points. Class A power Marshwood won the tournament.
Not a bad showing for Winslow, which brought just six wrestlers to the tournament.
“We had three kids earn medals, which was pretty good,” Winslow coach Terry Devereaux said. “That’s a pretty tough tournament.”
Two-time state champion Aaron Lint led the Black Raiders with a first-place finish. He beat Pierce Knorr of Mt. Ararat by pin in the 285-pound division. Lint, a senior, is 22-0 this season.
“He’s just a big, strong kid,” Devereaux said. “He’s only 5-7, but he’s a full 285 (pounds). I haven’t seen anybody yet who gets near his strength level. But he’s also pretty quick. He works pretty well on his speed. He’s very compact and almost impossible to take down.”
Nat Beckwith, a sophomore, finished second in the 220-pound division, losing to Corbyn Bruce of Foxcroft Academy in the championship finals.
“He’s very strong,” Devereaux said. “As well as he’s done, he’s still got a ways to go, so he has a pretty bright future.”
Dillon Pelletier rounded out the top-five finishers for Winslow, taking fifth place at 126 pounds by beating Luke Bolster of Skowhegan 3-2.
One of the more impressive showings by Winslow during the tournament came from a wrestler who didn’t place. Sophomore Luke Fredette, who missed all of last season due to a knee injury, won four matches by pin in the 138-pound division, helping the team’s overall score.
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Skowhegan finished second at the Noble Invitational and has shown consistently throughout the season it could challenge the Hawks for the Class A title. Marshwood finished with 224 points at the Noble tournament, while Skowhegan had 202.5.
The Indians followed that up by winning the Warrior Clash last weekend at Nokomis with a team score of 189 points.
Both Cody Craig (106 pounds) and Kaleb Brown (145, 152 pounds) won their weight class at the two tournaments. Logan Stevens (160 pounds) and Mikal Federici (182 pounds) won their weight classes at the Warrior Clash. Luke Bolster (126 pounds) finished second at both tournaments, while Kameron Doucette (145 pounds) finished second at Nokomis.
Nokomis finished fourth at the tournament with 78.5 points. Four Warrior wrestlers had second-place finishes: Jacob Richards (170 pounds), Rusty Wilson (182 pounds), Christopher Wilson (195 pounds) and Hunter Glidden (285 pounds).
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Mt. View hosted the Mid-Maine Wrestling Tournament on Dec. 28 and had a strong showing, finishing fifth. Anthony Bernard led the Mustangs, winning the 145-pounds division
Mt. View took advantage of hosting the Mid-Maine Wrestling tournament on Dec. 28. The Mustangs finished fifth overall, led by Anthony Bernard, who finished first in the 145-pound division.
“He’s been steadily improving over the course of the season,” Mt. View coach Hamilton Richards said. “With a little more work, he should prove a very significant contender in postseason tournaments. He’s an outstanding athlete.”
Job Mesaric placed second at 220 pounds, while James Blanchette placed third at 126 pounds. Jarryd Fonger (132 pounds) and Chris Cole (285 pounds) rounded out the squad with fourth-place finishes.
Mesaric and Cole each had terrific outings at the Warrior Clash last weekend, each winning titles in their respective weight classes. Mesaric beat Julian Baldinelli for the 220-pound title, while Cole beat Hunter Glidden of Nokomis at 285 pounds. Richards expects both wrestlers to be contenders at the state meet later this season.
What may be more impressive is the Mustangs are having success while filling just nine of 14 weight classes. Richards hopes to have that problem solved by the regional tournament.
“My goal is to fill two to three more weight classes and look to crest 100 tournament points by the time we hit the regional in February,” Richards said.
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The biggest tournament in the area Saturday will be in Skowhegan. The Indians will be the heavy favorite in the 19-team tournament. Other teams involved are Brewer, Cony, Cheverus, Deering, Ellsworth, Fryeburg, Gardiner, Hampden, Madison, Monmouth, MDI, Mt. View, Mt. Blue, Nokomis, Oak Hill, Oceanside, Westbrook and Winslow. The tournament begins at 9:30 a.m.
Dave Dyer — 621-5639ddyer@centralmaine.com