The Bonny Eagle wrestler is returning after his father’s death.
From staff reports
Bonny Eagle senior Isaiah Reynolds did not win the 285-pound division at Saturday’s Western Class A wrestling regional championship.
His third-place finish was, however, both a personal victory and a statement that the defending state champion is still a force.
Reynolds competed in just one dual meet this season. Initially he struggled to cut weight after starring as a two-way lineman for the state champion Bonny Eagle football team.
On Jan. 11, his father Peter Reynolds and Peter’s girlfriend Cherrie De Melle were killed in a car crash when the van driven by Isaiah’s brother Zachary Reynolds, 17, crossed the centerline and crashed into a pickup truck on a slush-covered road in Hollis. Zachary Reynolds sustained a broken leg and a concussion.
Isaiah Reynolds, who was not in the vehicle, said he was ready to forget about wrestling but Bonny Eagle’s coaching staff said they could help him cut the 30 pounds he needed to shed.
In his first match Saturday, Reynolds was pinned by Deering’s Michael Darling.
Reynolds responded with three dominant pins of his own, in 28, 21 and 30 seconds, respectively. Now he wants a shot at regional champ Jed Scott of Sanford.
“I think everyone is just intimidated by Scott because he’s big,” Reynolds said.
A YEAR AGO, Bonny Eagle senior Robert Martin lost a hotly contested match to Marshwood’s Cody Hughes in the regional final at 152 pounds.
Saturday he met a different Marshwood wrestler, Justin Stacy, in the 170-pound final and held on for a 3-2 win.
“It felt way better than last year, that’s for sure,” Martin said.
SANFORD SENIOR captain Andrew Moriarty’s pin of Tanner Andrews of Massabesic in the 220-pound final earned Moriarty both his first regional title and his 100th career win.
“I was rewarded. I feel like that, yes,” Moriarty said. “You put in the work and it kicks in eventually.”
ALSO WINNING his 100th match on Saturday was Marshwood senior Darren Lapointe, in the semifinal of the 106-pound division. According to Athletic Director Rich Buzzell, Lapointe recently became the first Marshwood student to be accepted to Harvard.