By Bob McPhee
Looks can be deceiving and Maine wrestlers certainly learned how strong the level of competition is at the New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship.
That had been far away after nearly one-dozen Mainers had advanced to the Quarterfinals during the first evening of action. Despite having some self-imposed momentum, those same wrestlers received a dose of reality the next morning of the two-day event that was held at the Providence Career and Technical Academy, in Rhode Island. The competition at New England is extremely intense and mental mistakes have proven, costly. So, it's unwise to look ahead at the double-elimination tournament.
One of the few bright spots was Cody Hughes of Marshwood who lost a heart-breaking 2-1 triple-overtime match in the 160-pound final. Hughes, a three-time state champion, had placed third at 152 in the 2013 NE tournament.
The Hawk wrestler lost to Jon Viruet of Central in Western, Mass. The two competitors had ended regulation tied 1-1 and remained deadlocked, following two extra sessions. Viruet had scored the first-point (escape) of the match, so he was awarded choice. Viruet chose the defensive position, so Hughes needed to maintain control on the mat for the 30-second period. With four seconds left, Viret executed a standing escape to win it all.
Local wrestlers found the going extremely difficult on the big stage.
Jake Thornton (126) of Mountain Valley had lost his opening match, in the 32- person bracket and followed by losing to Tyler Everett of Massabesic. Jesse Hutchinson 160 of Dirigo had received a bye in to the round of 16 and lost to Richie Mills of New Hampshire. Hutchinson won a consolation match, before bowing out.
Stuart Buzzell 145 of Monmouth who had won two matches at NE, last year, fell shy in first round, as did Malik Geiger of Oxford Hills. The Viking standout had won the qualifier at 170. The state of Maine had automatically sent its state champions to NE, however, this year the Maine Principal Association held a qualifying tournament for all-classes. This was done in an effort to enhance the level of competitive Maine wrestlers who compete at NE. The qualifier is still a work in progress.
Wil Gunter of Mount Blue lost a close match to John Lachowic of Mass. Several Mainers was eliminated in consolation matches, Saturday morning. The strategy at NE doesn’t allow for feeling out an opponent- so the initial takedown is extremely important. A defensive style can be counter-productive because earning a lead allows utilizing leg rides to derail opponents.
Maine had four other medalists this year including Peter DelGallo of Gardiner, who had won a NE crown as a freshman, earned fifth place with a 1-0 decision against Brad Beaulieu of Marshwood, sixth place; Mike Curtis of Wells, third at 195 and Jackson Howarth of Marshwood, fifth at 152. Marshwood was the highest ranking Maine team.
