Cyril Miller a standout on, off the mat

The Medomak Valley senior sets school win and pin records.

By Steve Craig scraig@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

This season has been a progression of positive steps for Medomak Valley senior Cyril Miller.

WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

Cyril Miller, Medomak Valley senior:After setting the school pin record the previous week, Miller set the school win record with his 119th victory last Monday. Wrestling at 170 and 182 pounds, Miller is 31-4 with 20 pins this season, bringing his career totals to 121 wins and 70 pins.

HONORABLE MENTION

Brett Gerry, Marshwood junior: Dropped down to 170 pounds for the first time this season and scored decision wins against quality opponents Robie Martin of Bonny Eagle and Joe Grenier of Noble on Saturday.

Zac Richard, Massabesic junior:Picked up his 100th career victory last Monday when he pinned Patrick Saunders of Kennebunk in a dual meet at 170 pounds.

Tyler Everett, Massabesic senior:Recently passed 150 career wins, and went 4-0 on the week at 138 pounds with two pins and two forfeits.

AREA TOP FIVE

1. Marshwood

2. Massabesic

3. Noble

4. Camden Hills

5. Mt. Ararat

There’s a good chance more are coming.

In mid-December Miller scored his 100th career win. Two weeks ago he notched his 67th pin to break Stephen Genthner’s school record. Last Monday, on the day he was awarded his 100-win plaque, he broke Genthner’s school record of 118 wins.

Miller has 121 wins with 70 pins.

“All in all it’s been a great year,” Miller said. “In the past there have been times when I went on the mat not feeling well, or just not that prepared, and that’s really only happened to me once all year. Really I’ve been on top of my game at every meet.”

Miller has wrestled mostly at 170 pounds this season after placing third in Class B at 182 as a junior (and third at 170 as a sophomore). This season he is 31-4 with 20 pins. Three losses have come to top Class A opponents. He dropped a Class B match for the first time this year Saturday against Jacob Truman of Gardiner.

“They had (wrestled) an exhibition a few weeks earlier and Cyril handled Truman pretty easily. This time he just got caught, Truman pinned him in the first minute, Cyril came off the mat, shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Well, just more motivation for (the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference meet),’ ” Medomak Coach Billy Bramhall said.

Cyril (pronounced Sigh-rul) Miller knows self-motivation.

A top student and three-sport athlete, Miller recently had an interview with a representative of Princeton, having applied as a potential neuroscience major.

“All the Ivy League schools, for nearly anybody, it’s a crapshoot to get in. The interview I had was one they have with every student who has applied but yes, I’m looking at top-tier schools,” Miller said.

He’s also applied to Harvard, Rochester Institute of Technology, Boston College, Colby and Bowdoin.

“It’s been a long road through high school but it’s nice to get a little bit of payoff,” Miller said.

He feels he’s also better prepared to earn his first state title.

As a junior an illness in midseason left him “with almost a smoker’s cough,” that limited his training. Then a neck injury early in his first match at the state meet limited his effectiveness.

“It really impacted how I wrestled that day,” Miller said.

This year he’ll compete at 170 pounds. He pointed to Ian Austin of Mountain Valley and William Macfawn of Fryeburg Academy as two of his toughest obstacles.

“He should be able to take it at Class B,” Bramhall said. “He’s very technical. He’ll slow a match down and use that to his advantage. He doesn’t win by huge point spreads. He either pins them or wins a close match.”

MILLER'S SCHOOL RECORDS may not last long. Sophomore Riley McCollett, competing at 138 and 145 this year, recently notched his 50th career win. Miller ended his sophomore year at 50 wins. 

MASSABESIC HAS four 100-win wrestlers on its roster and soon should have two 150-win wrestlers. Tyler Everett recently passed 150 and Coach Rick DeRosier said he anticipates senior Trevor Burns will get his 150th this weekend at a meet in Concord, N.H. Juniors Zac Richard and Mike Risti reached 100 this season. 

ON ITS WAY HOME from Wednesday’s dual meet at Portland, the Marshwood High team intended to stop at Maine Medical Center to check in on fifth-grader Sean Moriarty. Sean has cystic fibrosis and was scheduled to undergo a procedure to clear his lungs of some of the mucous created by the respiratory illness. This past weekend Moriarty wrestled in the Matty Rix Memorial youth tournament in South Berwick.

Sean Moriarty’s father, Mark, is a former Marshwood assistant and current youth coach. His late grandfather, Ed Moriarty, started the Marshwood wrestling team around 1976.

“The boys asked if we could bring the Hawk mascot costume to visit him after the meet,” said Marshwood Coach Matt Rix. “They know him. We try to get (the high school) kids in the room during the youth practices once a week.” 

SATURDAY IS the final day of the regular season for Classes A and B. The regionals are Feb. 8. Class C wrestlers go directly to the state meet and can have matches through Feb. 8. The regionals are at Sanford (Western A), Mt. Ararat (Eastern A), Winslow (Western B), and Belfast (Eastern B).

The state championships are Feb. 15 at Noble (A), Morse (B) and Mountain Valley (C). Maine’s first New England qualifying tournament, open to the top four in each class, will be Feb. 20 at Nokomis High in Newport. 

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or at:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig