tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59733924565949611252023-11-16T07:43:06.101-05:00Maine Amateur Wrestling AllianceDedicated to the development and advancement of all forms of amateur wrestling, recognition, preservation of past and present achievements, and is dedicated to attaining recognition and fostering support from all sectors of Maine's wrestling community for the advancement of amateur wrestling in our stateMAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comBlogger547125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-40833798743576211072021-07-01T21:40:00.000-04:002021-07-01T21:40:58.251-04:00 Faulkner, Jensen earn spots in MAWA Hall of Fame<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">The Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance will induct two new members into its Hall of Fame this summer as former Sanford head coach Dick Faulkner and former wrestling standout and current Mt. Ararat/Brunswick coach Erick Jensen both got the nod.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">The two newest members of the MAWA Hall of Fame will be honored at the upcoming Rumble at The Ballpark wrestling tournament in Old Orchard Beach on July 17. They will also be invited to the 2022 Hall of Fame dinner.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Faulkner put together a stellar coaching career at Sanford where he went 134-25-1 in eight years.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">The legendary coach was the mentor to 40 state placewinners, 29 state finalists, 13 state champions and also led Sanford to team championships in 1979, 1980, 1991 and 1992.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">In 1979, Faulkner led Sanford to a team state title with two individual state champions and five runners up as all seven wrestlers he brought to the state meet made the finals.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Jensen was a two-time state champion in Wisconsin Class A at 145 pounds in 1983 and 1984. He was also a USA Wrestling High School All-American in 1984 and a four-year captain of his high school team.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">He would be recruited by Iowa State and Michigan State University before picking the Spartans and competing for four years at Michigan State.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Jensen was a four-year letter recipient at MSU and the team captain in his final two years.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">After coaching two years of high school wrestling in Wisconsin, he would join legendary coach Al Kirk at Deering High School before taking over as head coach at Mt. Ararat.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Since 1999, Jensen has produced 19 individual state champions, one three-time champion and a pair of two-time champions. He has won over 350 dual meets and led Mt. Ararat/Brunswick to the Class A team championship in 2019.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">Jensen was instrumental in bringing Brunswick wrestlers into the program and was one of the founders of the Eagles Wrestling Club and youth wrestling program.</span></p>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-30015342722731663782020-07-08T16:50:00.003-04:002020-07-08T16:50:54.070-04:00MAWA announces 2019-2020 award winners<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">
The Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance has selected its 2019-2020 season award winners and would like to congratulate all of the recipients.</div>
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The John Caramilhalis High School Wrestler of the Year has been awarded to Oxford Hills' JJ Worster, who had an incredible senior year. He won the Class A state championship and would go on to make a run all the way to the New England finals at 220 pounds where he dropped a tough 3-2 decision.</div>
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The James Aguiar College Wrestler of the Year is former Marshwood standout Cody Hughes. The Virginia Tech senior qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships, which were unfortunately wiped out due to COVID-19.</div>
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The Gary Kent Academic Scholarship has been awarded to Mountain Valley's Evrit Roy. The senior wrapped up his high school career with a second-place finish at Class B states. He will be attending the University of Southern Maine where he plans to wrestle for coach Mike Morin's squad.</div>
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The MAWA Coach of the Year award is going to Noble's Kevin Gray. The Knights' coach led his squad to its first state championship since 2011. Noble also rolled to the first-ever Class A duals state title.</div>
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The MAWA Person of the Year award is going to someone who has been capturing all the action for years — photographer Jason Gendron. While he is located in southern Maine, he travels all over the state and even to New Englands and national tournaments to get photos of Maine's wrestlers.</div>
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Gendron has also donated some of his proceeds to such causes as the "Win for Spencer and Pin a Cure" fundraiser that raises money to cure Sanfilippo, which is a rare disease that a former Wells wrestler's son is battling.</div>
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<strong>Hall of Fame ceremony canceled</strong></div>
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony has been canceled. There will be no Hall of Fame nominees announced this year.</div>
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The MAWA will hold its next Hall of Fame ceremony in August of 2021. Look for more details on the MAWA website and Facebook page.</div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-41901689733035700872020-02-07T17:43:00.001-05:002020-02-07T17:43:23.999-05:00Mountain Valley’s Roy looking to honor a fallen friend with gold<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLeN07Mymo4yzaX68QTSAlr-57EocU1L4L_9lOxcvXHdWqtlBUjcKLj2nlZIscvNhw7Ev-lc5huwVbHInZwNZCQfzJP7fMKBuZHu0oTESiTM0P7Fgnv-Os7F5OyW6YnFzQ2LE_bPBNkI/s1600/Evrit+Roy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLeN07Mymo4yzaX68QTSAlr-57EocU1L4L_9lOxcvXHdWqtlBUjcKLj2nlZIscvNhw7Ev-lc5huwVbHInZwNZCQfzJP7fMKBuZHu0oTESiTM0P7Fgnv-Os7F5OyW6YnFzQ2LE_bPBNkI/s320/Evrit+Roy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo Credit: Jason Gendron Photography</i></div>
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By PAT McDONALD</div>
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Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Board Member</div>
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RUMFORD — Every high school wrestler wants to win a state championship and extra motivation isn’t really needed.</div>
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For Mountain Valley senior Evrit Roy, the drive to get to the top of the podium has always been there — but this year, he isn’t looking to win gold for himself.</div>
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He is wrestling for a fallen friend.</div>
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Roy, a four-year standout for the Falcons, lost a friend and teammate, Jasper Turner, in October when Jasper died from a seizure.</div>
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“It just means more. I want to win for him, not me … I’m wrestling for him,” Roy said.</div>
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Anyone who has seen Mountain Valley at a tournament, has probably noticed when a Falcon wrestler is on the podium, they bring Jasper with them.</div>
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“He was actually suppose to wrestle 152 this year … you will see us carrying around this (singlet) that says Jasper 152 on it to all the meets,” said Roy, who noted the Falcons came together to honor their teammate. “It definitely brought the team closer.”</div>
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The loss of Jasper and also photographer Greg Viger, who passed away last year, has made Roy want a championship even more.</div>
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“It’s just more motivation. I’ve definitely been wrestling better this year because I’ve had more motivation. You remember last year, I lost an older friend, Greg Viger, and this year I’ve lost one of my friends,” he said. </div>
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<b>Putting in the work</b></div>
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Roy heads into the Class B South Regional Tournament this week looking to start a run to the state gold.</div>
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One reason he believes he has a chance to make that dream a reality is because he put in the work in the offseason.</div>
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“I’ve been wrestling well this year. I definitely did a lot of offseason work to be better this year,” said Roy, who is planning on heading to the University of Southern Maine to wrestle for coach Mike Morin next year.</div>
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Part of the work was on the mat, but he also spent time in the weight room.</div>
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“(I did a lot) of wrestling and weight lifting. I went down to Virginia and wrestled, and went to USM this summer, went up to Farmington for a camp — just a bunch of summer wrestling,” he said.</div>
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The hard work has paid off so far this year as Roy has been racking up wins, including capturing the championship at the rugged Spartan Invitational in Sanford earlier this year.</div>
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Winning a tournament like the Spartan could bode well for Roy as he heads into the postseason.</div>
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<b>Friendly competition</b></div>
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Roy isn’t the only Falcon who will make noise this postseason as junior Anthony Mazza is also expected to compete for a title.</div>
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Both Roy and Mazza finished second at Class B states last year — and they will look to accomplish their goal of winning gold together.</div>
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According to Roy, the two have used a friendly rivalry to improve on the mat.</div>
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“We’ve been practice partners since my sixth grade year, his fifth grade year. We’re always just pushing each other,” Roy said. “We get on each other’s nerves because we want to be better than the other at every meet. It’s like a little competition between us.”</div>
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Roy got the upper hand at the Spartan, while Mazza won the competition a week later.</div>
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“I got Outstanding Wrestler at Spartan, and then he comes back and gets Outstanding Wrestler at Skowhegan,” Roy said with a laugh.</div>
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Only time will tell if that friendly rivalry turns into gold for both Mountain Valley standouts.</div>
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<i>Pat McDonald is the former Sports Editor at the Journal Tribune in Biddeford and a current member of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Board of Directors.</i></div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-58537181412270784622019-06-18T11:51:00.002-04:002019-07-08T09:44:36.997-04:00Our 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees and Award Winners<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2019 Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Saturday, August 17th, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hyde School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> 616 High St. Bath, Maine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Schedule:
</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">3:00 PM: Doors Open<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 3:00PM-3:45PM: Light
Refreshments and Social Time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> 3:45 PM: Presentations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">2019 Hall of
Fame Inductees<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Rick Derosier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Mike Morin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Pat Howard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Luis Ayala<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinguished
Service Award<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">John Cole<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Coach of the
Year </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Scott Lewia, Wells High School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">College Wrestler
of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Peter Del Gallo, University of Southern Maine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">John
Caramilhalis High School Wrestler of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Zack Elowitch, Portland High School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Person of
the Year<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Shawn St. Cyr<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Gary Kent
Academic Scholarship<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">To Be Announced</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tickets: $15.00 per person, must be
pre-purchased by August 10</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 7.0pt; line-height: 115%;">th </span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">using
the ticket <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/16v77myqEVpO-VTfvlmMaAXa0XBiVgDi9/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">registration form </a></span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-8398628370329118102019-02-05T19:44:00.000-05:002019-02-05T20:03:46.077-05:00Former Little Lynx making noise at the varsity level<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdK1YvOyfd6UXQlI1p8kNxupJ96V_jSxZFfbJ7ndA8IZ8LiUbIfEUi1pZktwMKod6FODVfstd15krwM4J_UgZBTkRrL3PnIVTP0UZWg3oA8LRkYhG5j4-CcnlBnIQ8IPw_SXs5myRyVg/s1600/Jackson+Sutherland1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdK1YvOyfd6UXQlI1p8kNxupJ96V_jSxZFfbJ7ndA8IZ8LiUbIfEUi1pZktwMKod6FODVfstd15krwM4J_UgZBTkRrL3PnIVTP0UZWg3oA8LRkYhG5j4-CcnlBnIQ8IPw_SXs5myRyVg/s400/Jackson+Sutherland1.jpg" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";"> Jackson Sutherland</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">(Photo by Jason Gendron<b>)</b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Underclassmen leading the way for Mattanawcook Academy</span></b></h3>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">By Pat McDonald</span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Whenever
you see a successful high school wrestling team, you will almost
assuredly see a strong youth program working as a feeder system down
below.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">The
Mattanawcook Academy program is starting to reap the benefits of a
strong youth program as members of the Little Lynx Wrestling Club are
making noise on the varsity level this season.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"When
I first started seven years ago, it was like bare bones, nothing ...
the Little Lynx had just started then and I knew patience was going to
pay off and it really has," said Mattanawcook head coach Matt Lindsay.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay,
a former four-time state champ from Penobscot Valley, knows how
important it is for the community to be invested in the program —
especially when you're coaching at a school that graduates under 100
students each year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"You
can see a community that kind of grew with the program to the point now
where we've got tons of fans that follow us. We've got parents who
don't even have kids wrestling that are at almost every match. The
support that's coming through is fantastic," said Lindsay.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Leading
the charge this season for the Lynx is an impressive freshman class,
including Jackson Sutherland, Alex Munson, Deegan Tidswell, Brody Smith
and Pacey Clark.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"It's a complete game changer," said Lindsay of the MA freshman class.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay
was quick to praise Little Lynx coach and new MA assistant Josh
Sutherland for getting the freshmen prepared for the varsity level.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"Josh
did a phenomenal job bringing them up through, taking them out of
state, giving them the tough competition. We can come to tournaments
like Skowhegan and they're used to that atmosphere, they understand how
it goes and the pressure doesn't really bother them," Lindsay said.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay believes this young group can make some noise in the postseason — starting with 113-pounder Jackson Sutherland.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"He's
very dominant. He controls his (opponents) and he's just a student of
wrestling," said Lindsay of the freshman standout. "He studies it. He
follows it. He's into it. To have a kid like that on your team, the
other kids feed off of it … Jackson's the real deal."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">The
younger Sutherland, who enters the postseason as the favorite to win
the 113-pound Class B state championship, has his sights set on
competing with the best wrestlers in New England and the entire country.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"Place
at New Englands … and win states and All-States," said Sutherland of
his goals. "That would be really big for the school. Another goal of
mine would definitely be to place at freshman nationals."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Sutherland,
who is an honorable mention in the state's top 10 pound-for-pound
rankings, has enjoyed the move from middle school to high school
wrestling.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"I like it. You can be a lot rougher with the kids and the refs are a little more lenient," said Sutherland.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Munson
will be another Lynx freshman to look out for in the postseason, but
unlike Sutherland at 113, he is facing mostly upperclassmen at 195
pounds.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"He's
wrestled these kids that are older. He's wrestled kids that are
stronger, so he understands and he's used to it. You've got a freshman
at 195 pounds going against seniors who are basically men and it's just
another day on the job for him. He goes out there, gives them what he's
got and at the end of the day he does really well," said Lindsay of
Munson.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">It's
not just the freshman who are leading the way for MA as sophomore
Travis Mushero, Jr. is also a wrestler on the rise in Class B.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvH_jFa-2jY10gO57alL-k1Aou1VXYjzB2BcDFKPFVGYXlHF0zuw9bkDCriAg9ZehihVnm0lNdC3wyWTlThATInUvA75u2KetP2FoTDoGkCV5rLjF6HEMi6Z5pnaSpKx5j2tbSu2wRcc/s1600/Travis+Mushero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvH_jFa-2jY10gO57alL-k1Aou1VXYjzB2BcDFKPFVGYXlHF0zuw9bkDCriAg9ZehihVnm0lNdC3wyWTlThATInUvA75u2KetP2FoTDoGkCV5rLjF6HEMi6Z5pnaSpKx5j2tbSu2wRcc/s320/Travis+Mushero.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Travis Mushero, Jr.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">(Photo by Jason Gendron<b>)</b></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">The 132-pounder has some lofty goals for his sophomore campaign.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"My
goal is to place at states this year because last year I broke my elbow
(at states) … (I also want to) make it to New Englands," said Mushero.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Mushero is happy the Lynx have been getting tough competition this year — including a trip to the Skowhegan Invitational.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"It's
really big. It's exciting. It's the first year we've ever come to (the
Skowhegan) tournament. This is really big for us because it's one of the
biggest tournaments we've ever been to," said Mushero.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay agreed with his sophomore standout.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"It's
key. Without the tougher schedule, we would just stay stagnant and
wrestle the same guys over and over. You don't get better by doing that.
You've got to seek the good competition, go to them to elevate your
level," Lindsay said.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay believes his squad will make some noise at the Class B state tournament.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"Given
the numbers we have this year and the quality, I think our best showing
will be at states because we've got our highest level wrestlers who
will place high. We just don't have the numbers at the regional
tournament to pull that off, but you get us in the state meet and I
think that's where we'll really be able to step up our game and show
what level we're able to achieve," Lindsay said. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">Lindsay is confident that the Lynx could make some history in the next couple seasons.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: medium; font: 14.0px "times";">"Over
the next few years, absolutely, the goal with the freshman we have, (is
to win a state team title.) We've got eight graders, seventh graders
coming in. I don't think it's out of reach. We've got some things we've
got to accomplish between now and then, but it's 100 percent doable,”
said Lindsay.</span></div>
<div>
— Pat McDonald is the Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune in Biddeford as well as the Biddeford/Saco/OOB Courier, Kennebunk Post, Scarborough Leader and South Portland Sentry weekly papers. Pat is also a member of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Board of Directors.</div>
</div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-6974504740896024102018-06-12T21:53:00.001-04:002018-07-16T14:30:14.965-04:00Our 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees and Award Winners<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>2018 Hall of Fame Inductees</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Terry Devereaux</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Chris Smith</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Carlin Dubay</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Dave Giroux</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Coach of the Year</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Matt Rix</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>James Aguiar College Wrestler of the Year</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Peter Del Gallo</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>John Caramilhalis High School Wrestler of the Year</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Samuel Anderson</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>People of the Year</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jordan Fogg, Dan Considine, Kristie Miner, Aaron Hoshide<br />
<br />
<u><b>Gary Kent Academic Scholarship</b></u><br />
Jakob Peavey</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For more information regarding the ceremony and how to register see the "ticket information and registration form" located under "forms" on the left hand column of the website.</div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-52322935239504189212018-02-21T13:35:00.000-05:002018-02-21T17:22:54.841-05:00Class "A" State Recap<h2 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Looking back at an incredible day at Memorial Gym</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73yD2mwjaju96VmDT6YEx822HTTeqYEYdBdrKyLYOnvbDCCflVu_HKi99jYT6fRw42iN3MxncC4Xsffz1TklsnN2Q_wXtqvhQ7IVYdk6t7l1nmOaCsZ3XntKiNjaGLcWZMdVG1KMszq4/s1600/Liam+Coomey+for+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73yD2mwjaju96VmDT6YEx822HTTeqYEYdBdrKyLYOnvbDCCflVu_HKi99jYT6fRw42iN3MxncC4Xsffz1TklsnN2Q_wXtqvhQ7IVYdk6t7l1nmOaCsZ3XntKiNjaGLcWZMdVG1KMszq4/s320/Liam+Coomey+for+web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">(Photo Credit: Jason Gendron)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">By Pat
McDonald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sanford’s
historic Memorial Gym held the Maine Class A Wrestling Championships last
weekend and fans were treated to everything from overtime matches to upsets to
a couple first-period pins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
Marshwood Hawks won their sixth team title in the last seven seasons as they
placed all seven of their wrestlers — including a pair of champions in Liam Coomey
and David Spinney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I had a
chance to talk with 13 of the 14 state champs and the winning coach on Saturday
evening. Here is a complete recap of the finals with their reactions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Skowhegan
freshman Jake Craig opened the state finals with an impressive 22-7 technical
fall win over Bonny Eagle freshman Colby Frost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It feels
amazing. I’ve been working my whole life for this because I’ve been wrestling
since kindergarten,” said Craig, who kept the 106-pound title in his family
after his brother Cody won four straight from 2014 to 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Craig had
an early lead but would be put to his back by Frost and had to fight off what
would have been a shocking pin. The Skowhegan freshman regained control after
Frost’s flurry and ended the bout early.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Very wild match.
So far this season I have never been in a messy match like that,” Craig said.
“I went to my back, he went to his back — it was a back-and-forth match but I
knew I could pull through if I just stayed focused. I never thought I was going
to lose, I just thought, ‘hey, I’m going to go for that win and I’m not going
to stop.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
freshman is hoping his state championship will inspire younger wrestlers to
work hard and go for their dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’d see
these big kids when I was in fourth or fifth grade wrestling and I wanted to be
like that kid who just won (states). So it feels great to be the person that
just won that state title because I used to look up to them, and now I know
little kids will look up to me now because I did that,” said Craig.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The 113-pound
championship match saw Cony’s Noah Dumas take on Kennebunk’s Alden Shields —
and it was a rematch of a regular-season match which Dumas won 10-3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Shields
learned from that match at the Noble Invite and turned the tables on Dumas with
a 3-2 win to grab his first state crown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I just
knew I had to wrestle smart and aggressive because watching his earlier matches
he was always the one who was being the most aggressive,” said Shields.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The new
113-pound champ will now look to make a return trip to Providence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’d like
to place at New Englands,” said Shields, who made a trip to Providence as a
freshman but failed to qualify last season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">There would
also be a first-time champ at 120 pounds as Noble freshman Josh Cote picked up
a 7-2 victory over Nokomis’ Josh Brown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It feels
amazing ... it really does. There’s not really other words (to describe it),”
said Cote moments after stepping off the podium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
freshman was happy that his hard work — both in the Noble wrestling room and in
the offseason — finally paid off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I knew
that if I really worked hard for it — I know this is going to sound like a
major cliché, but if you put your mind to it you can get anything. You can get
anything if you work hard enough for it,” Cote said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Probably
the biggest surprise in the finals came at 126 pounds where Marshwood’s Liam
Coomey put on an offensive clinic in a 15-10 win over Noble’s Sam Martel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Just a week
before, Martel had put Coomey to his back for the fall at regionals but when it
mattered most the Marshwood wrestler stepped up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’m better
on my feet than he his, but he’s definitely better on the mat. He has an easier
time holding me down than I do him — and as you saw in the third period, he can
score from on top,” said Coomey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
Marshwood junior was happy to win an individual title and a team championship
in the same night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
awesome. I’ve been working hard for three years under coach (Matt) Rix,” said
Coomey. “We don’t have a large (team) so it’s a really close-knit group. I’m a
captain of the team this year, so it’s really nice to lead it instead of being
second fiddle to (four-time champ) Brad (Beaulieu) and all those guys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Skowhegan’s
Samson Sirois joined a couple exclusive clubs when he picked up a 5-0 win over
Mt. Ararat’s Ben Laurence in the 132-pound final. The win gave Sirois his
second gold medal and his 200th career victory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I’m happy
I got another state title and my 200th win. The 200th win was one of my biggest
goals — it was in my mind since day one of practice this year,” said Sirois.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The senior
has one major goal left on his plate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I want to
place top three (at New Englands),” Sirois said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The team
champion Hawks would get their second champ at 138 pounds when David Spinney
won a 4-3 decision over Bonny Eagle’s Caleb Frost in an ultimate rideout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Spinney
admitted that the Hawks clinching the team title before any of their individual
title bouts helped him, Coomey and Dylan Strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Once we
sealed the deal, that took a lot of pressure off of Liam Coomey, me and Dylan
because just that relief of stress let us go out and do whatever we want — and
just wrestle,” said Spinney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The winning
point in the rideout came from a stalling call on Frost, who was warned earlier
in the match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I really
worked on being aggressive this week in practice and it showed as I was pushing
the pace a little bit more,” said Spinney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Hawks’
latest team title came as a bit of a surprise as rival Noble dominated the
regional tournament and Marshwood brought only seven kids into states.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“The fact
that we were down to seven kids, we were talking about it this week in practice
just giving it everything we had and regardless of the outcome just have fun,
wrestle your best and we came through today,” Spinney said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Camden
Hills would get an individual champion at 145 pounds as junior Noah Lang scored
an 11-2 major decision over Noble’s Jon Grenier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s just
crazy ... it’s a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders,” said Lang, who lost
to Beaulieu in last year’s final. “I feel like I’ve trained my whole wrestling
career just to see if I can get a state title in high school. I’ve wrestled for
13 years, I’ve wrestled during the summer and it’s just finally paying off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The
152-pound title match would see a wrestler grab his second straight state crown
as Nokomis junior Quinton Richards went back-to-back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Richards
would take down Portland’s Zack Elowitch by a 9-3 score in the finals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I just had
to go in there smart thinking ‘what is he going to do to counter it?’ With that
match, usually I’m an aggressive wrestler, but Zack’s a kid where if you hit
something wrong, he’s going to stick you,” said Richards who has a ton of
respect for Elowitch. “So I was trying to make no mistakes and go off what he
was kind of wrestling. It’s not really my (style) but I’m still kind of good at
it, so I went with it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The junior
is happy he has someone like Elowitch in his weight class at states and
All-States as he prepares for the New England Championships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s a big
thing because if you don’t (have that competition) then you go down to New
Englands thinking, ‘oh, I’m a great wrestler,’ and then you get stuck in some
stupid move and then you’re like, ‘oh, I’m actually not that great because my
competition isn’t that good,’” said Richards, who went 2-2 last year in
Providence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oxford
Hills’ Dawson Stevens was able to capture his first state championship on
Saturday with a 5-3 win over Nokomis’ David Wilson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It’s a
great moment for any wrestler, but winning his championship inside Memorial Gym
made it even more special for Stevens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s a lot
... a lot of hard work that I put in — blood, sweat and tears,” said Stevens.
“This gym is actually kind of cool to wrestle in because it’s where my dad
(Oxford Hills coach Tony Stevens) won his second state title his senior year,
and it’s where I got my first (title) now. There’s a lot of memories in this
gym and I’m glad I could win my state title here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another
wrestler who was thrilled to win a title inside Memorial was Sanford senior Sam
Anderson, who got to win his second straight title inside his home gym.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“If you
were to write a fairy tale book, it would be the happy ending. It would be the
ending that I wanted it to be — everything that I could have dreamed of,” said
Anderson, who took down Marshwood’s Strong by an 11-5 score in the 170-pound
final.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Oxford
Hills would get its second champion at 182 pounds when Zuka Mabior earned a
hard-fought 9-3 decision over Morse’s Sam Strozier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“I mean I
started wrestling in sixth grade in Florida and every time I used to go into
that wrestling room it was just names on top of names (of state champions),”
said Mabior on his motivation for winning a state title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The new
182-pound champ went into the state meet looking to finally put it all
together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“Today, I
was pretty nervous because I had a little bit of consistency issues this year,
just showing up and getting beat by kids that I had no business getting beat
by,” said Mabior. “My coach told me to take it one match at a time, two minutes
at a time, two minutes at a time, two minutes at a time — every match is your final match.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Cony junior
Nic Mills would grab his second state title with a 7-1 win over Oxford Hills’
Jeffrey Worster in the 195-pound championship match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Despite
being a defending champ, Mills entered the state tournament a little nervous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It was a
little nerve-wracking coming in ... I knew there were two really tough kids,
one from the South and one from the North,” said Mills. “So it was a little
nerve-wracking but now that I’ve got two state championships under my belt, it
makes me feel pretty good and makes me feel confident for the rest of this
season.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you
added up the amount of time the final two matches lasted, it wouldn’t even be a
full period of wrestling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Nokomis’
James Boyd started the fireworks with a 30-second pin of Sanford’s Nick Works
in the 220-pound bout to claim his first title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
amazing ... it’s everything I’ve worked all season for. It just kind of puts a
nice ribbon on my season,” said Boyd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The final match
of the night would only last 49 seconds as Erskine’s Jake Peavey pinned
Cheverus’ Zeb Leavitt to win the 285-pound title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When all
was said and done, the Marshwood Hawks would be the ones celebrating with that
team trophy — and legendary coach Matt Rix was thrilled for his squad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It means a
lot. I mean with the size of the team — we had nine (healthy) kids in our room
— and these guys did it, man,” said Rix, who had a feeling his team might
surprise some people. “Coming in this morning in the locker room they had some
music going, there was nobody hanging their head or dreading wrestling today
... I just had a really good feeling about today.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It’s the
10th team title for the Hall of Fame coach, but this one is pretty special.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">“It’s
pretty good man, it’s pretty good ... this is a sweet one,” said Rix, who is in
his 34th season with the Hawks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">— Pat
McDonald is the Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune in Biddeford. He can be
reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-70074312976206540342018-01-21T10:41:00.002-05:002018-01-21T10:41:45.228-05:00‘Unfinished business’<h3>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sendrowski
looking to get back on top of podium</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">By Pat
McDonald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The dream
of every high school wrestler is to win a state championship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Scarborough’s
Jeremy Sendrowski was able to accomplish that goal in his first year of varsity
wrestling. The past two state tournaments have ended with Sendrowski on the
podium, but with a bronze and silver medal around his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">With just
over a month to go in his high school wrestling career, the Scarborough
standout is looking to finish where he started — on top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“As a
senior, I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder. I have some unfinished
business from the last two years,” said Sendrowski.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While the
last two seasons haven’t ended the way he would have liked, Sendrowski had two
of the state’s best standing in his way with Gardiner’s Peter Del Gallo handing
him a loss in the semifinals as a sophomore and Noble’s Austin Shorey beating
him in the 145-pound finals last year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“I mean
facing Del Gallo and Shorey, I could have dodged them if I wanted to, but I
wanted to really make myself better,” said Sendrowski. “Facing the tougher kids
really makes you better, losing you know you never lose, you only win or you
learn. Whenever I lose a match, I just learn from it. I have some bad matches
sometimes, but you know there’s a lot of things that I work on, my coaches are
always there for me and I always have to improve on stuff after every match.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Scarborough
coach Deron Sharp believes Sendrowski’s willingness to work hard and his drive
to improve every time he steps on the mat has helped make him the wrestler he
is today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“We have a
constant theme of always getting better. I think that’s the mentality that he’s
embraced and that’s one of the reasons why he’s been able to be so successful,”
said Sharp. “Wins are great, losses are upsetting but when we get to the
practice room the next day, it’s ‘what do I need to work on? What’s my goal for
today?’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sharp, who
is in his third season with the Red Storm, is happy to have Sendrowski on his
team as he tries to build up the Scarborough program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“He’s a
role model in the room,” said Sharp. “He’s a wrestler that since I’ve gotten
here, everyone has been able to look up to him and say, ‘this is what I should
be doing, this is what I shouldn’t be doing,’ and things like his work ethic
and attitude are addicting. He’s quite the leader, and that’s why he’s a team
captain and that’s why he’s doing well.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There’s no
doubt that part of Sendrowski’s drive to be a great wrestler comes from
spending his early years in Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Watching
as a kid, the atmosphere in Pennsylvania is just insane. I remember one of the
meets at Nazareth, Jordan Oliver was still on Easton and they turn off all the
lights, the smoke machine would come out, all the Nazareth wrestlers would walk
around, it was just insane,” said Sendrowski, who moved to Maine in the fifth
grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sendrowski,
whose older brother (Aaron Chamberlain) won over 100 matches at powerhouse
Northampton, had the chance to wrestle with some of the best wrestlers
Pennsylvania has to offer while he was growing up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Our
practice room was two full mats, it was like a college room,” said Sendrowski,
who stays in touch with some PA wrestlers. “Definitely seeing all my friends
back in Pennsylvania, over the last two years I think six of them have
committed to Ivy League schools, kids I used to hang out with. Sammy Sasso, we
used to be really good friends and hung out all the time, we still keep in
touch. Seeing all their success is wonderful.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The senior
has tried to bring some of that PA style to the mats in Maine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“People
have their own types of style, but obviously I grew up on that stuff with leg
riding, wrestling on top,” said Sendrowski.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sendrowski
has also thought about what kind of wrestler he would be if he had stayed in
the Keystone State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“I always
think about how good I could have been if I stayed down there. That’s always in
the back of my mind, but then again it was my choice to move up here, and it
was my choice of how hard I wanted to work,” Sendrowski said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The former
state champion believes he could have been more dedicated over the past few
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Looking
back on it now, I definitely could have worked harder,” Sendrowski said. “I
kind of regret some of that stuff but (my) advice to other kids is it’s going
to suck during practice, I know it sucks, I hate going to practice, but embrace
the grind. Every second is going to pay off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The senior
is happy to give advice to younger wrestlers and is enjoying his role as a
leader for the Red Storm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“We’re
definitely a growing program, but we’re getting a lot better. Being a leader,
you know I like it, kids kind of look up to me,” Sendrowski said. “I really push
the kids in the room sometimes. I’m not that vocal, but when I’m working with
the kids I make sure I’m pushing them as hard I can — make sure they get
better. Being a leader is just nice because everybody looks up to you and you
get to show them your style of wrestling and you get to give them tips.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One tip he
would give any Maine wrestler is to get out of state and find tough camps to go
to and better competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Definitely
outside of the state experience is the best experience you can have,” said
Sendrowski, who has attended the grueling camp held by former Minnesota coach J
Robinson at Edinboro University in PA. “I mean J-Rob, it wasn’t fun, but I
would definitely recommend it to any wrestler. It made me 100 times better.
Mentally, I’m not the best, but J-Rob definitely helped it. If you’re not too
confident about yourself, I mean just go to camps, get out of state — a couple
wins out of state can boost your confidence a ton.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sendrowski
is certainly looking to close out his high school career with a second gold,
but he also has his sights set on the college mats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“I’m pretty
much committed to (the University of Southern Maine),” said Sendrowski, who has
built a close bond with USM coach Mike Morin. “I’ve been with their coaches
since I moved up here and going to Bulgaria with them really helps. They are a
bunch of great guys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The senior
has been impressed with the type of wrestlers Morin has filled the USM room
with — which includes a lot of the wrestlers Sendrowski faced during his high school
career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“The room
is insane, I mean you have Del Gallo, Shorey ... they used to beat on me all
the time so they’re only going to make me better. That team is just going to be
a great environment for me and I think all the Maine kids going there will be
great,” said Sendrowski.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">— Pat
McDonald is the Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune in Biddeford. He can be
reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com</span><span style="font-family: Times-Roman, serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-43088758630147612552018-01-07T21:29:00.001-05:002018-01-07T21:29:54.635-05:00'I want to be the next one'<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; padding: 0px;">
Nokomis junior Quinton Richards keeps adding to his impressive wrestling resume</div>
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By Pat McDonald</div>
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Nokomis junior Quinton Richards cruised to the 152-pound championship at the annual Atlantic Invitational back in late December. While that statement will probably not surprise anyone in the Maine wrestling community, the standout's "celebration" after one of his wins during the title run was certainly not commonplace.</div>
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After he got his hand raised following a victory, Richards didn't celebrate or show any kind of emotion. The first thing he did was go up to his opponent and give him advice on a way to avoid a move that Richards had just used to beat him. While that might not be a common response after picking up a win, Richards had a simple explanation for it.</div>
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"If you're wrestling better kids, you're going to become better <span style="color: #232323;">—</span> iron sharpens iron, steel sharpens steel," Richards said. "You always want to get better so if I get my competition better, it's going to push me to get better."</div>
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Richards is on a constant quest to become a better wrestler, which might scare some wrestlers around Maine since he already has a state championship on his resume.</div>
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"You have to keep the pace up, keep going with it … you've got to have the good workout partners and all that," said Richards on his mindset entering his junior campaign.</div>
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"You've just got to be an all-around better athlete than what you were before, show an improvement because you don't want (people) to be like 'oh, you topped out your sophomore year.' You've got to get better and better and better."</div>
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One thing Richards has done to make sure he continues to evolve and improve as a wrestler is hit the road to find tougher competition during the offseason.</div>
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"I usually put a lot of work in during the summer, going out of state," said Richards, who has traveled to Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia for tournaments. </div>
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"It's a whole different ballgame because those kids have been training since kindergarten … they are on top of it and you can't make any of those little mistakes like hesitation, you've got to keep going forward and keep moving. When you take a loss, you can't dwell over it."</div>
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Richards has won tournament titles at Wells, Noble and at his home tourney so far this season, but the junior has his sights set on some much bigger prizes.</div>
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"I want to win (regionals), states … I just want to take it a tournament at a time. I want to get New Englands, that's a big thing, but I'm going to say I'll settle for third or fourth (at New Englands)," said Richard, who admitted that he didn't handle his first trip to Providence very well. </div>
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"Last year I got too hot-headed. I think I went 2-2, but I kind of put too much pressure on myself to take first and then I didn't."</div>
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Richards is looking to continue to build up his high school resume <span style="color: #232323;">—</span> and put his name in the conversation with some of the best wrestlers to ever hit the mat in Maine.</div>
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"I want to be the next one," said Richards. "Everyone talks about them, so I want to be put up on that pedestal with those guys. Cody Hughes, Brett Gerry, Brad (Beaulieu), Cody (Craig), they are all great wrestlers, and I want to make sure everyone knows that I'm up at that level."</div>
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<span style="color: #232323;">— Pat McDonald is the Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune in Biddeford. He can be reached at </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.blogger.com/null&source=gmail&ust=1515464483783000&usg=AFQjCNEXzz34Y8ymRN5PMktxsMhbh2b54w" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2838f5;">pmcdonald@journaltribune.<wbr></wbr>com</span></a><span style="color: #232323;">.</span></div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-63809796313561275462018-01-02T20:54:00.002-05:002018-01-02T21:19:56.052-05:00Skowhegan Standouts Hoping to Finish High School Careers on Top<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>By Pat McDonald</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The Skowhegan wrestling program has been one of the best in the state over the past few seasons. Former four-time state champion Cody Craig was a driving force behind the Indians’ recent mat dominance, but current seniors Samson Sirois and Ricky Oberg have also been key to Skowhegan’s success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Sirois is back for another year on the mat after capturing a state title last year, and the standout has his sights set on a bigger prize in 2018. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“I want to get top three at New Englands, that’s my big goal,” Sirois said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Oberg came up just short of a state title last year and is looking to close his career on top. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“My real goal is to just come through win states ... go through and win all the other tournaments like I did last year,” said Oberg, who finished second to Marshwood’s Matt Thompson in 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Both Oberg and Sirois believe their time working with Craig has helped them become better wrestlers and two of the top grapplers in the state. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“My freshman and sophomore year I worked with him a lot because I was near his weight ... him and I were practice partners and he killed me — and showed me stuff,” Sirois said of Craig.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“I think it really helped me almost every practice because I just got one-on-one time with him, he just beat the crap out of me and I just started to learn from it,” Oberg added. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">Oberg got to spend some time with Craig this past summer before the former Skowhegan star took off for the Hill School in Pennsylvania.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“I got some one-on-one time with Cody Craig before he left, and Noah Dumas from Cony, and Cody’s younger brother (freshman Jake Craig) so that really helped me a lot,” said Oberg of his off-season workouts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Oberg believes the younger Craig could pick up where his brother left off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“I think he could win states. I don’t know from the South who’s going to challenge him,” Oberg said of Jake Craig.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">The Skowhegan standouts also give a ton of credit to head coach Brooks Thompson for their success on the mat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“It’s been really good. He pushes us really hard. He has a motto ‘if you’re going to be here in practice, you might as well do it,’"</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 18px;"> said Oberg, who believes the program has reached a new level in recent seasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times; font-size: 18px;"> “It’s definitely stepped up. Before we never won a state title, never really got close ... and then we (won) it a few years ago and we have been a force ever since.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Another wrestler who has helped the Indians get to this point has been Messalonskee standout Austin Pelletier, who practices with Skowhegan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“That was definitely huge,” said Oberg of Pelletier’s contributions in the room. </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 18px;">“He came in the year we won states, and he’s just been one of the kids in the room that helps lead practice and he’s one of the kids that people look up to.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Both Oberg and Sirois are hoping to make some more memories on the mat before their time at Skowhegan comes to an end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“Hopefully a state title. Hopefully my third regional title ... you know, some good stuff — possibly New Englands,” said Oberg, who might look to compete with the University of Maine’s club team next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">For Sirois, this year will be the last time he competes in a “serious” way on the mat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">“I might go to practice here and there to help out. I will still compete in open divisions with my brother because he will drag me out there, but I won’t do anything serious,” said Sirois on the possibility of competing at the next level.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">With time winding down on his competitive wrestling career, Sirois has some big-time goals he is trying to chase down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“Two hundred wins, 100 pins and a crack at New Englands — that’s what I want,” said Sirois, who already had a state title, two second-place finishes and a fourth-place medal from New Englands on his resume.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">After seeing Cody Craig and former Marshwood standout Brad Beaulieu win New England titles last March, Sirois is even more confident that he can bring home a gold medal from Providence in a couple months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">“I know I can win it. I just need to be on my A game,” said Sirois.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 18px;">— Pat McDonald is the Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune in Biddeford. He can be reached at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="color: #2a00f6;">pmcdonald@journaltribune.com</span></a>.</span></div>
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Pictured: Ricky Oberg (Photo Credit Jason Gendron)</div>
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Pictured: Samson Sirois (Photo Credit Jason Gendron)</div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-33631640432790180802017-08-19T08:55:00.000-04:002017-07-18T11:28:15.665-04:002017 MAWA Hall Of Fame Inductees and Award Winners<h2>
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2017 Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance<br />Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony<br />Saturday, August 19th, 2017<br />Hyde School<br />616 High St.<br />Bath, Maine</h4>
<span style="font-size: small;">Schedule:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">4:00 PM Doors Open</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">4:30 PM – 5:00 PM Social Time</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">5:00 PM – 5:45 PM Dinner</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">5:45 PM Presentations</span><br />
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<i><u>2017 Hall of Fame Inductees</u></i><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Deanna Rix Betterman</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Roy Treadwell</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Matt Lindsay</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Joe Pistone</span><br />
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<i><u>Lifetime Achievement Award</u></i><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Dennis Bishop</span><br />
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<u><i>Recognition of Sanford High School</i></u><br />
<u><i>1964 and 1967 New England Championship Teams</i></u><br />
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<u><i>Coach of the Year</i></u><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Erick Jensen</span><br />
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<u><i>James Aguiar College Wrestler of the Year</i></u><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Daniel Del Gallo</span><br />
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<u><i>John Caramilhalis High School Wrestler of the Year</i></u><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Brad Beaulieu</span><br />
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<u><i>People of the Year</i></u><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Richard and Cindy Johnson</span><br />
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<i><u>Gary Kent Academic Scholarship</u></i><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Bryce Whittemore</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Tickets: $25.00 per person, must be pre-purchased by August 12th using the ticket registration form located under "forms" on left side of the website</span></div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-67319470827802718222017-02-14T05:37:00.000-05:002017-03-26T05:41:53.181-04:00Senior Dan Del Gallo caps outstanding career by winning first wrestling national championship in USM history<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">POSTED MARCH 14, 2017
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Senior Dan Del Gallo capped a historic weekend and an outstanding career as a member of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' wrestling team by ascending to the pinnacle of his sport winning the national title at 149-pounds at the 2017 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships hosted this weekend at the La Crosse Center by the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Making his third consecutive appearance at the NCAA National Championship, Del Gallo achieved a number of milestones during his historic run to a national title. He established a new all-time win record for USM wrestling, earned the third All-American honor in program history and became the University of Southern Maine's first wrestling national champion. With his national championship secure, Del Gallo now joins track and field athletes Jamie Ruginski (Buxton, Maine) and Peyton Dostie (Standish, Maine) as the Huskies' only three individual sport national champions in USM history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It hasn't really sunk in yet, completely," said Del Gallo in an <a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/13/usms-del-gallo-reaches-two-goals-with-title/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" title="Link to Portland Press Herald story on Wrestler Dan Del Gallo's national championship">interview</a> with staff writer Drew Bonifant and the Portland Press Herald. "It's been an awesome journey. Not even just these past four years, but ever since I can remember."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A double major in <a href="https://usm.maine.edu/phi" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">philosophy</a> and <a href="https://usm.maine.edu/criminology-economics-sociology" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">sociology</a>, Del Gallo is a two-time (2015, 2016) NCAA Elite 90 award winner. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Del Gallo, a Gardiner, Maine native, entered the 2017 National Championship tournament seeded fourth in the 149-pound weight class, and claimed dominant victories in his first two matches of the tournament. With his first win, a 13-1 major decision over Concordia-Moorhead's Ty Johnson, Del Gallo celebrated the 134th victory of his career, making him the Huskies' all-time wins leader, surpassing the previous record of 133 held by current USM head coach Mike Morin, a former Husky All-American (2009, 2010) at 165 pounds. Del Gallo then vaulted himself in the championship semifinals while assuring himself All-American status for the first time in his career with a win by fall over Wesleyan's Carter Armendarez in 4:54.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the championship semifinals, Del Gallo faced off against top-seed and two-time defending national champion Kenny Martin of Wartburg College with a spot for the championship bout on the line. Wrestling a smart match, Del Gallo came away with a hard-won 7-5 decision and a chance for a national title. In the championship match, Del Gallo took on Aaron Engle of Cornell College. After a scoreless first period, Del Gallo record a single-point in the second period with an escape, before going ahead of Engle 3-0 in the third with a takedown. Engle earned a single point with an escape in the period, before Del Gallo defended his way to a 4-1 win with riding time for the title.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Del Gallo finishes the 2017 National Championship with a 4-0 record, and completes his outstanding four-year career with the Huskies with a remarkable record of 137-19. Del Gallo completed his senior season with a near-perfect record of 45-1.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It's pretty amazing when you lay your goals out and accomplish them," added Del Gallo in the Press Herald interview. "It was amazing to win there, but then after, running off the stage and into the back room, it just kind of hits you. It's just a real sense of relief and happiness, knowing that I accomplished my goal."</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">USM Athletic Media Relations contributed to this story.</span></em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Photo courtesy of Geoff Riccio.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To read coverage from the Portland Press Herald, <a href="http://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/13/usms-del-gallo-reaches-two-goals-with-title/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link to Portland Press Herald story on Wrestler Dan Del Gallo's national championship">click here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To read coverage from the Bangor Daily News, <a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2017/03/11/sports/husson-senior-guard-named-mens-ecac-player-of-the-year/?ref=mostReadBoxSports" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link to Bangor Daily News story on Wrestler Dan Del Gallo's national championship">click here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To see coverage from WCSH 6 TV, <a href="http://www.wcsh6.com/sports/usm-senior-wins-schools-first-ever-national-wrestling-championship/421794641" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #00539b; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Link to WCSH 6 story on Wrestler Dan Del Gallo's national championship">click here</a>. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-24448307521130563942016-08-22T05:59:00.000-04:002017-03-26T11:49:39.079-04:00Wrestling Hall of Fame inducts Josh Pelletier<br />
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Ernie Clark, BDN Staff • August 22, 2016</div>
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CHARLESTON – Josh Pelletier wasn’t born when both his father and uncle starred on the wrestling mat.</div>
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But individual success stories in the physically demanding endeavor rooted in a shared passion for the sport have landed all three in the same place — the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.</div>
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Josh Pelletier, now 28, was inducted during ceremonies at the Hyde School in Bath last Saturday night, joining his father Maynard (inducted in 2013) and uncle Romey (2000).</div>
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The younger Pelletier’s induction may have been the unlikeliest of the trio, only because injuries nearly prevented him from realizing his premier collegiate accomplishment in the sport, competing for an individual national championship as well as being part of a title-winning team at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.</div>
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Maynard Pelletier was a high school state champion from Fort Kent who in 1984 became the first University of Maine wrestler to qualify for the NCAA championships. Romey Pelletier was an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team.</div>
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Josh Pelletier was one of the most successful wrestlers in Maine high school history, capturing three individual state championships while a student at Foxcroft Academy and winning the New England 275-pound title as a senior in 2006.</div>
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Pelletier earned a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship to attend Liberty University, where he battled back from a knee injury suffered during his sophomore year to work his way into the Flames’ wrestling lineup full time in 2010. He compiled a 15-8 record and placed second in the NCAA Division I East Regional, one win short of the nationals.</div>
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He returned to the regional qualifying meet seeded first in his weight class in 2011 but hurt his knee while warming up for his first match, beginning an injury-filled three years that also saw him leave school short of graduation.</div>
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As he continued to recover from knee and back injuries, Pelletier inched his way back into the sport as an assistant coach at Foxcroft Academy during the 2012-13 season, helping coach Luis Ayala’s Ponies win a third straight Class C state championship.</div>
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A year later, he was helping coach the University of Maine club wrestling team, which concluded its season at the 2014 National Collegiate Wrestling Association championships at Allen, Texas.</div>
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While there he reconnected with Julian Castro, his former coach at Liberty, which had dropped NCAA Division I wrestling and joined the NCWA in 2012 to comply with Title IX standards.</div>
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That meeting eventually led to Pelletier returning to Liberty in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as well as for one last chance to wrestle collegiately.</div>
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It was a stunningly successful comeback for Pelletier after more than three years off the mat — he went 33-6 and advanced to the NCWA heavyweight championship match.</div>
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He also helped Liberty win the 2015 NCWA team championship.</div>
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“As far as coming back and being an All-American and wrestling on the national stage and as a team winning the national championship, I don’t think there will be a memory like that,” said Pelletier recently.</div>
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“I’ll never forget that I was able to come back and stand on the podium at a national event.”</div>
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And while Act 2 of his wrestling career landed Pelletier in national-level competition, fond recollections similarly abound from Act 1 — when he compiled a 110-11 career mark at Foxcroft and earned considerable individual acclaim while also helping the Ponies win Class C state team championships in 2004 and 2005.</div>
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“The first part of my career with high school and the first part of college are obviously some of the best memories I’ll ever have, especially just being around my friends and coaches,” he said. “There’s just nothing like the friendships you make in the locker room with those guys you go through all those practices with every day.”</div>
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Pelletier now lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida, and continues to remain involved with the sport as head wrestling coach at Ludus Martial Arts.</div>
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He provides training and instruction and wrestling to approximately 30 professional and amateur mixed martial arts fighters who train at that gym.</div>
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“Honestly, I get by far the most joy from coaching and seeing someone who tells me they want to win, whether it’s a wrestling state championship or an MMA fight, and we develop a plan and I see them reach their goal,” Pelletier said. “When I see them work their butts off and follow through, I don’t think there’s any feeling like it.</div>
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“For me it’s way better to see the fruits of that labor and the next generation being able to benefit from what I’ve learned in the past.”</div>
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Editor’s note: Maynard Pelletier is a graduate of Fort Kent High School, where he won the 167-pound state championship as a senior in 1979.</div>
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He went on to the University of Maine, where in 1984 he became the school’s first wrestler to qualify for the national championships.</div>
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More recently, Pelletier served on the wrestling coaching staff at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft from 2001-08, where he helped coach his sons, Josh and Caleb.</div>
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During that time the Ponies compiled a 157-16 record with back-to-back Class C state championships in 2004 and 2005 along with five Eastern Maine titles and five Penobscot Valley Conference crowns.</div>
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Pelletier also was instrumental in the development of the Foxcroft Olympic Wrestling Camp held each summer at the school each summer.</div>
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Romey Pelletier, also a graduate of Fort Kent High School, wrestled at the University of Maine at Presque Isle before enlisting in the U.S. Army after his graduation in 1977. He went on to become became assistant wrestling coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1978, a position he held through 1984.</div>
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Pelletier also continued to wrestle, winning the bronze medal in the 1982 Concord International tourney, the gold medal in the 1982 World Military tournament, and was the Canadian champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1982.</div>
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In 1983, Romey Pelletier was the national Greco open runnerup, and in 1984 he won a gold medal in Greco style at the Interservice Championships and placed first in his weight class at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was a team alternate for the 1984 Olympic Games.</div>
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</section>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-66865243366605208362016-06-22T08:55:00.000-04:002016-06-22T08:57:59.285-04:002016 MAWA Hall Of Fame Inductees and Award Winners<h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2016 Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance</span></div>
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Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony</div>
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Saturday, August 13th, 2016</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hyde School</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">616 High St.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bath, Maine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 4:00 PM - Doors Open</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM Social Time</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM Dinner</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 5:45 PM - Presentations</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2016 Inductees</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wes Leighton</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Josh Pelletier</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Allen Stein</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Coaches of the Year</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tenney Noyes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brooks Thompson</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">College Wrestler of the Year</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Daniel DelGallo</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">High School Wrestler of the Year</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Peter DelGallo</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Person of the Year</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Alan Kinerson</span></div>
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Tickets: $25.00 per person, must be pre-purchased by August 6th using the ticket registration form.<br />
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Link: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwVlYOk30vjMMnVha2RvdVlIdjA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">2016 Ceremony Information and Registration Form</a>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-82863373383972766242016-04-01T06:36:00.004-04:002016-04-01T06:38:42.795-04:00Former Maine wrestling star back on the mat with an eye on the Olympics<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Now a mother of two, Deanna (Rix) Betterman, who made headlines a decade ago by thumping the boys, sets her sights on a berth on the U.S. team.</span><header style="float: left; margin-bottom: 20px;">
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<img alt="Former Marshwood High School wrestler Deanna Betterman, who's 28 now, married and the mother of two in Colorado Springs, Colo., will compete in trials this month for a spot on the U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team. The Summer Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro." src="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/827967_935823-03_29_16-oly-betterm.jpg" height="134" scale="0" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 645px;" width="200" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Former Marshwood High School wrestler Deanna Betterman, who's 28 now, married and the mother of two in Colorado Springs, Colo., will compete in trials this month for a spot on the U.S. Olympic women's wrestling team. The Summer Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro. <span class="credit" style="font-style: italic;">Christian Murdock/The Gazette/Special to the Press Herald</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One more chance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s all Deanna Betterman wants. For 10 years she’s chased a spot on the U.S. Olympic women’s wrestling team. Now 28 and a mother of two, she knows time may be running out.</span></div>
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So she’s focusing everything she has on the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials, which will be held April 9-10 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Betterman, the daughter of Marshwood High wrestling coach Matt Rix, is looking to make the same headlines she generated in 2005 when she nearly won a high school state championship at Marshwood competing against boys.</div>
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She’s going to have to be at her best at the trials because her weight class – 53 kilograms (117 pounds) – is loaded with talent. Only the winner gets the Olympic berth.</div>
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“This is a big deal for me,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “I’ve worked a long time for this.”</div>
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<a href="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/827967_935823-betterman-family.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Deanna Betterman of Colorado Springs, Colo., tries to strike a balance between her athletic pursuits and her family, above: her husband, Joe Betterman, their 3-year-old son, Mason, left, and their daughter, Madison, who is 18 months old." class="wp-image-827971" src="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/827967_935823-betterman-family-244x300.jpg" height="331" scale="0" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="269" /></a><br />
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Deanna Betterman of Colorado Springs, Colo., tries to strike a balance between her athletic pursuits and her family, above: her husband, Joe Betterman, their 3-year-old son, Mason, left, and their daughter, Madison, who is 18 months old.<em>Courtesy Betterman family</em></div>
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Four years ago, Betterman’s Olympic dreams ended when <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #0c8191;" target="_blank">she discovered she was pregnant</a> a couple of months before the Olympic trials. She and her husband, Joe Betterman – a former Team USA Greco-Roman wrestler who had to retire from competition after having surgery to repair bulging discs – have two children, a 3-year-old son, Mason, and a daughter, Madison, 18 months.</div>
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Being a mother has not dampened her desire to compete in the Olympics. If anything, it has fueled the dream.</div>
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“It keeps me motivated,” she said. “If I’m having a hard day, I think of my kids and they get me through a tough practice. I’m wrestling for them, too.”</div>
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It’s not unusual for mothers to compete in the Olympics. Twenty-one members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing were mothers. At the London Olympics in 2012, there were 12. Among them: soccer player Christie Rampone, volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings, basketball player Candace Parker, swimmer Dara Torres and marathoner Kara Goucher.</div>
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But it can be a difficult balance, obviously, especially now as Betterman tries to cut down her weight after wrestling at 59 kilograms (about 130 pounds) in the past.</div>
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“I come home and I’m tired,” she said. “And I have to have energy to play with the kids, or make dinner. In some ways it’s hard.</div>
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“But at the same time, it works out great that I get to pursue my dream while I have my family.”</div>
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<strong>SUCCESSES AND HARDSHIPS</strong></div>
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Over the years she has seen many wrestlers her age leave the sport to marry and start families. Even now, many of the younger wrestlers ask her how she does it.</div>
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Terry Steiner, the U.S. women’s head coach, said being a mother seems to have made a difference in Betterman’s life.</div>
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“There’s a lot of power in that,” he said. “She’s juggling some things, which isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes, when it’s the only thing we do, it can be detrimental to us. She’s married and has two young children who need her attention. When she comes into the wrestling room or to work out or to lift weights or to run, it’s probably the most relaxing time of the day for her. It’s time for her to spend time on herself.</div>
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“And she seems to be just enjoying it more. I know she’s very easy to be around now.”</div>
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Betterman and her husband are willing to make the schedule work. “I got lucky with Joe, he’s such a great guy,” Betterman said. “He’s taken on a lot, has picked up a lot of what I usually do with the kids.”</div>
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She misses her children at times, of course. “And I feel guilty sometimes, I feel selfish when I drop them off at day care for me to go train for four hours a day,” she said. “That’s when it’s hard for me sometimes. But other than that, we balance it out in the end.”</div>
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Deanna Rix, wrestling for Marshwood High in January 2005, takes on Noble’s Heath Devoll in the 130-pound class. She won the match.<em> Press Herald file photo/John Patriquin</em></div>
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Betterman was always driven to succeed, especially after a high school career that grabbed national headlines. She won 100 career matches at Marshwood, all against boys, and came within four seconds of a state championship as a senior, losing 2-1 in double overtime on an escape point. But she struggled when she left home for Northern Michigan University and to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. She was on her own for the first time and had trouble adjusting. She stopped wrestling altogether for a while.</div>
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When she returned, she regained the edge that put her on track to make the Olympics. Twice she finished fifth in the world championships for the U.S., in 2008 and 2009. Even then, her life was jolted when her younger brother Matty died of a prescription drug overdose in 2009.</div>
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Steiner said everything that has happened to Betterman has brought her to this point in her life.</div>
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“She’s really just grown up a lot,” he said. “When she first got on the scene, she was still finding herself and she went through some rough times all the way around. She’s come through. She really is an enjoyable person. I think she has good balance in her life now and that’s what it comes down to right now.”</div>
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<strong>INTERRUPTIONS, THEN BACK ON MAT</strong></div>
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Betterman knows she was probably at her prime leading into the London Olympics in 2012, when her first pregnancy occurred. She took a year off after Mason was born, wrestled for a year, then became pregnant with Madison and took more time off.</div>
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<a href="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/827967_935823-03_29_16-oly-bette2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Competing at a lower weight class in the past year, Deanna Betterman, top, wrestles Haley Augello in a practice this week at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Christian Murdock/The Gazette/Special to the Press Herald" class="wp-image-827970 size-full" src="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/827967_935823-03_29_16-oly-bette2.jpg" height="102" scale="0" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="200" /></a><br />
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Competing at a lower weight class in the past year, Deanna Betterman, top, wrestles Haley Augello in a practice this week at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.<br />
<em>Christian Murdock/The Gazette/Special to the Press Herald</em></div>
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She returned to the mat about a year ago, although competing at a much lower weight class. “My body got a lot smaller after I had my kids,” she said. “And I do eat a little healthier now. It was a little bit of a lifestyle change.”</div>
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But dropping three weight classes is not an easy thing to do. In addition to having to shed about 18 pounds, she’s now competing against wrestlers who are more agile and quicker.</div>
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“At 130 pounds, I thought she could control the pace and speed of the match,” said Matt Rix, her dad. “At 116, things got a lot quicker. I saw her in April (in her first match at that weight class) and I was concerned. She had a tough tournament.</div>
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“Then I saw her in November and it was like night and day. Her timing was back and she looked like her old self again.”</div>
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Her results this year – including a third-place finish in an international field and fourth at the U.S. Open – have been encouraging. But the 53-kilogram class may be the deepest in terms of talent and experience. It includes the top three U.S. wrestlers at 53 kilograms, as well as the top three at 55 kilograms, who are dropping down a weight class because 55 kilograms isn’t an Olympic weight.</div>
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The biggest threats may be Whitney Conder (No. 1 at 53 kilograms and a bridesmaid at Betterman’s wedding) and Helen Maroulis (No. 1 at 55 kilograms).</div>
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“Her defense has to be spot on, she has to be able to shut people down with good defensive tactics and score counter-offensively,” Steiner said of Betterman. “She’s very tough when she stays in her position.”</div>
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Always known as a defensive wrestler who capitalized on her opponent’s mistakes, Betterman had to learn how to counter lighter, quicker opponents. “At first I tried to wrestle their game, rather than mine,” she said. “The fourth tournament in, I felt I was more used to the weight class. … I have to stick to my style and do what I do – wait for them to make mistakes and counter that, tie them up, slow them down and make them wrestle my style.”</div>
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<strong>‘FOLLOWING IN MY DAD’S FOOTSTEPS’</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/935823-03_29_16-oly-bette3.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Deanna Betterman, top, practices takedowns with Haley Augello during practice Tuesday at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. The Gazette/Christian Murdock/Special to the Press Herald" class="size-medium wp-image-827984" src="http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/935823-03_29_16-oly-bette3-294x300.jpg" height="200" scale="0" style="border: none; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="196" /></a><br />
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Deanna Betterman, top, practices takedowns with Haley Augello during practice Tuesday at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. <em>The Gazette/Christian Murdock/Special to the Press Herald</em></div>
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A spot on the team this year, she said, “would mean the world to me. This has been my whole life since I was 4 years old. I’ve spent the last 10 years training at this level.”</div>
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And she’s trying to pass her knowledge along. She and her husband coach at the James Irwin charter school in Colorado Springs in the spring, and they run the Betterman Elite Wrestling Club. Most of their students are boys, but she said they have some girls involved as well.</div>
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“I’m following in my dad’s footsteps,” she said. “I’ll always be involved in wrestling.”</div>
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Whether than means competing past this year or not she isn’t sure. “I was planning on this being the last one,” she said. “But things are going good, my life’s in order. I might go one more quad. I’m not sure yet.”</div>
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Whatever Betterman decides, Steiner said, she’s already made her mark on her sport.</div>
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“We all know what Deanna Betterman is,” he said. “She’s a great competitor and has been a great part of women’s wrestling for a long time. That’s never going to go away. She’s got a great legacy.”</div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-10643565614818329072016-03-21T07:37:00.003-04:002016-03-21T07:43:15.931-04:002016 Hall of Fame Induction<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saturday 13nd August Hyde School Bath, ME beginning at 4pm</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paid in full tickets required</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Send check for <b><span style="color: blue;">$25 </span></b>payable <span style="line-height: normal;"> to <span style="color: blue;"><b>MAWA</b></span> using the following address</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> John Nicholas, MAWA President</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 2 Pot of Gold</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Windham Maine 04062</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Due date: 6th August 2016</b></span></div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-10358285031960966142015-08-16T09:23:00.000-04:002015-08-16T09:23:31.614-04:00Dr. James D. Aguiar <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.6000003814697px;"><b>December 10, 1946 - August 13, 2015 Campton, New Hampshire | Age 68</b></span></span></div>
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Dr. James D. Aguiar, beloved husband, father, grandpa, and friend, died at home on August 13. Despite a cancer diagnosis in 2013, Jim continued to pursue his passions: music, coaching, travel, and politics.</div>
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Jim was born in Biddeford, Maine, on December 10, 1946 to Daniel J. Aguiar, Sr., a machinist, and Jennie (Sparkowich) Aguiar. As a 1965 graduate of Biddeford High School, Jim was a two-time state wrestling champion at 165 pounds and the school's first all-state football player.</div>
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Jim attended Boston University on a football scholarship and helped start a wrestling program. He also frequented the coffeehouses of the folk music scene, playing gigs on his prized Gibson guitar. In December 1968, he married his college sweetheart Martha Back. After earning his BS in 1969, he pursued a Master's degree at the University of Oregon while coaching football.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.6000003814697px;">In 1974, Jim was hired as an assistant professor of health education, assistant football coach, and head wrestling coach at Plymouth State. Jim was a demanding and creative teacher and respected coach whose wrestling squads tallied over one hundred dual meet victories during his tenure. In 1981, Jim stepped in as head football coach, setting a positive tone for a struggling team while posting a winning season.</span><span style="font-size: 15.6000003814697px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15.6000003814697px;">Jim earned his doctorate in education from Boston University in 1986. He went on to teach and coach wrestling at Moorhead State University (MN). In 1988, he moved to Ithaca College (NY), where he spent the remainder of his career teaching health education and supervising student teachers.</span></div>
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After returning to New Hampshire, Jim became active in local Democratic politics. In 2005, he won the first of five elections to serve in the State House of Representatives. He was particularly proud of helping to pass the Marriage Equality Law and introducing local elementary students to government.</div>
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Jim also returned to Plymouth State as an assistant wrestling coach, focusing especially on recruitment and alumni relations. Recently, he was inducted into the Maine Wrestling Hall of Fame, the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame, and won the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award. In honor of his longstanding contributions, Plymouth State established the annual Jim Aguiar Wrestling Tournament.</div>
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Jim had many passions. Together with Martha, he explored all seven continents and fifty states. He played guitar at open mic nights and farmers' markets, and sang at his daughters' weddings and for his grandchildren. He loved his boats–sailing Cayuga Lake, puttering around Squam, kayaking southern swamps, and venturing out solo on Lake Champlain.</div>
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But on any given day, you'd find Jim in overalls at his house overlooking the Pemi, attending to one household project or another, forever fixing, adapting, and problem solving.</div>
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Along with his wife, he is survived by daughters Gretchen and son-in-law Jeff Allred, and Jessica and son-in-law Shane Mack; his brother Daniel; his beloved nieces; and his cousins. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and sister Janice Mazur. He will be deeply missed by his grandchildren Seamus (Moose), Hattie, Henry (Hank), Hazel, and Bee.</div>
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Jim also leaves behind a wide circle of treasured friends. He never forgot a birthday and always made a call to those in need. During his long illness, countless friends stepped in and help sustain the Aguiar family with calls, visits, rides, meals, and love. Thanks to Pemi Baker Hospice, Jim was able to be at home in his final days, cherishing visits with loved ones. The messages of tribute to Jim's lasting influences on people's lives truly warmed his heart.</div>
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A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 22 at 10 a.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to: The Aguiar Family Award, c/o Treasurer, Biddeford High School, 20 Maplewood Avenue Biddeford, ME 04005. Or, Friends of Plymouth Wrestling c/o Coach Ryan Schieding, Plymouth State University P.E. Center, Plymouth NH, 03264.</div>
MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-21123654952064166522015-08-05T22:41:00.000-04:002015-08-05T22:41:16.123-04:00Winslow coaching icon Harold ‘Tank’ Violette dies<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee, who died Tuesday, led Black Raiders to 3 state titles<br />BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK STAFF WRITER</span><div class="kicker" style="clear: both;">
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When he was head football coach at Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Pete Cooper knew his team would always have its hands full when it played Harold “Tank” Violette’s Winslow squad.</div>
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“He was a tough guy to coach against,” Cooper said of Violette. “His teams were always well-prepared.”</div>
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<img alt="Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee Harold “Tank” Violette receives a hug from his granddaughter, Allison Hegarty, during the Maine Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on May 22, 2011, at the Augusta Civic Center. Violette died Tuesday" scale="0" src="http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/416716_673583-tank.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 6px; max-width: none; width: 225px;" /></div>
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Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee Harold “Tank” Violette receives a hug from his granddaughter, Allison Hegarty, during the Maine Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on May 22, 2011, at the Augusta Civic Center. Violette died Tuesday <span class="credit" style="font-style: italic;">Portland Press Herald photo by Tim Greenway</span></div>
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<img alt="Harold “Tank” Violette greets well-wishers during the Maine Sports Hall of Fame banquet in 2011. Violette, one of three Winslow football coaches since 1958, died Tuesday." scale="0" src="http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/416716_673583-Tank3.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 6px; max-width: none; width: 225px;" /></div>
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Harold “Tank” Violette greets well-wishers during the Maine Sports Hall of Fame banquet in 2011. Violette, one of three Winslow football coaches since 1958, died Tuesday. <span class="credit" style="font-style: italic;">Staff file photo by Andy Molloy</span></div>
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<img alt="Harold “Tank” Violette stands on Poulin Memorial Field before he was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. A University of Maine of graduate, Violette was one of just three Winslow football coaches since 1958. Violette died Tuesday." scale="0" src="http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/416716_673583-Tank2.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 6px; max-width: none; width: 225px;" /></div>
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Harold “Tank” Violette stands on Poulin Memorial Field before he was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. A University of Maine of graduate, Violette was one of just three Winslow football coaches since 1958. Violette died Tuesday.<span class="credit" style="font-style: italic;">Staff file photo by David Leaming</span></div>
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Violette, a former Winslow High School hockey and football coach as well as the school’s athletic director, died Tuesday. He was 77.</div>
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“Coach Violette, he was my mentor,” said Wes Littlefield, who played football at Winslow for Violette and is now an assistant football coach at the school. “He was a father figure to not only myself, but to anyone who played for him.”</div>
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Jim Poulin began his football coaching career as an assistant coach on Violette’s staff in 1974. Poulin said with the death of Violette, the Winslow community has lost an icon.</div>
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“He was special, and that’s an understatement,” Poulin said. “I never would have coached football if it wasn’t for him.”</div>
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Violette coached the Black Raiders football team from 1969 to 1984, winning 113 games and state championships in 1973, 1976 and 1982.</div>
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He was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2003, Violette was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame.</div>
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Violette grew up in Waterville before attending the University of Maine, where he played football and graduated in 1960.</div>
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Littlefield remembered Violette as an intense coach who stressed teamwork.</div>
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“He instilled playing for community pride and playing together as a team,” said Littlefield, also a former Messalonskee head coach.</div>
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“What you got from Harold was the real deal. You didn’t get any smokescreens,” added Wally LaFountain, who preceded Violette as head football coach at Winslow. “He coached that way, and he was that way in life.”</div>
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Violette was one of just three head football coaches at Winslow since 1958 — LaFountain and current coach Mike Siviski are the others. In the early 1960s, Violette served as an assistant coach under LaFountain before moving on to become head coach at Belfast Area High School. Violette won state titles in 1967 and ’68 at Belfast before returning to Winslow as head coach when LaFountain stepped down prior to the 1969 season.</div>
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“He was a motivator,” LaFountain said. “He asked a lot of his kids, and he got a lot out of them.”</div>
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Violette’s eye for detail was a key to the Black Raiders’ success, said Poulin, who retired from coaching in 2013.</div>
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“He was a student of the game, from the beginning of his career right to the end,” Poulin said. “Everything was just so precise. We’d run the same drill, over and over, until the kids knew it exactly. I think it helped make me a better teacher, not just a coach, all the repetition.”</div>
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LaFountain remembered Violette as a man who could coach anything. When Winslow needed a wrestling coach, Violette stepped in and took over the program for a year, despite no background in the sport. Violette went on to become a wrestling official.</div>
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“It was completely foreign to him, but not only did he do well, he got into collegiate meets,” LaFountain said.</div>
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In the 1970s, Violette helped start Winslow’s ice hockey program. He then coached the Black Raiders to six state titles. David Chayer, who graduated from Winslow High in 1990, played hockey for Violette.</div>
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“The leadership skills I learned from him as a teenager have served me well as an adult,” said Chayer, who works as the vice president of end user services at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation.</div>
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As intense as Violette was during a practice or game, he was quiet away from the field or rink.</div>
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“He was kind of a gentle giant. Off the field, he was soft-spoken,” Cooper said.</div>
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Cooper recalled a brief conversation he had with Violette on the field prior to a Winslow-Lawrence football game.</div>
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“He said, ‘Cooper, I’ll be your best friend before the game and after the game, but during the game I want to kick your (butt),'” Cooper said.</div>
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Cooper said Violette’s gentle side came out in 2012, when Cooper’s wife Lois, died.</div>
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“When my wife died, who showed up at my house the next day? Harold and his wife, Harriet,” Cooper said.</div>
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Littlefield also remembered a fun-loving side of his coach. During preseason football practices, Violette would ask a group of younger players which of them was going to run to the soda machine and get him a Diet Pepsi. The players would look at each other for a moment, then sprint toward the machine, forgetting that none of them had any money.</div>
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“They never realized he was standing there, with a dollar in his hand, waiting for somebody to take it,” Littlefield said.</div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-4809610783958735072015-04-28T05:29:00.001-04:002015-04-28T05:32:59.889-04:00Univ. of Southern Maine Wrestling Coaching transition<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear USM Wrestling friends, fans and alumni, </span></div>
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I wanted to let you know that this past season was my final season as the Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Southern Maine. I will finish my University of Maine system contract thru July and my last day officially will be July 24, after the USM Wrestling Camp.</div>
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II am heading South and am trading in Pine Trees for Palm Trees and taking over for Pat Milkovich, a former 4x AA, 2x nat'l champ from Michigan State as the new Head Wrestling Coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, an NCAA Division I University with an NCWA Wrestling program. There are strong aspirations per the FGCU booster club President of adding another varsity men's sport within 5-10 years and was hired due to our success and my body of work at the University of Southern Maine.</div>
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I was offered this position 2+ weeks ago and after a bunch of negotiations, hours upon hours of soul searching, and logistics personally and professionally, I accepted last Sunday. After 20 years as a competitor and a Head Wrestling Coach in New England (MA, RI and ME), it's time for a new chapter in my life.</div>
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The USM Wrestling program is in an ideal and strong place as the current USM Wrestling coaching staff will include Mike Morin , Julio Santiago, Mike Frey, Sean Fagan and Jonathan Deupree . Their respective and official titles (Head Coach, Head Assistant, Assistant, etc) will be officialy announced in coming days. The USM schedule is all set for next year, we have outstanding wrestlers returning, great kids coming in, a new and improved wrestling room and coaches who are familiar with the USM Wrestling philosophy and way.</div>
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I hope I served the Maine Wrestling community well after all of these years and most importantly, served and made my former and current USM Student athletes proud of their Wrestling program and experiences at USM.</div>
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Lastly, I sincerely hope the Maine Wrestling community and my former and current student athletes had pride in what USM Wrestling accomplished on a local, regional and national level as I have been extremely proud to represent Maine wrestling as a whole; this experience has been the best years of my life.</div>
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Thank you for your continuous support of me and the University of Southern Maine Wrestling program during my tenure, 2003-15'.</div>
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Coach Pistone</div>
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<b>HISTORY OF USM WRESTLING</b></div>
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University of Southern Maine Wrestling 1997-Present</div>
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August 1996: Ted Reese founded the University of Southern Maine Men's Wrestling Program; starts out as a club sport at USM</div>
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March, 1997: USM Wrestling officially becomes an NCAA Division III sanctioned sport and a varsity sport at USM</div>
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February, 1999: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships for the first time with MAWA HOF member Adam Farrington advancing to the NCAA National Championships at 174lbs</div>
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February, 2001: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships, crowning its first NCAA New England Champion and MOW, Adam Farrington at 174</div>
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April, 2002 USM Captain Tim Morris captures the University Greco Roman National Championship title; finishes as a National Runner up in Freestyle 2 days later in Las Vegas, Nevada.</div>
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June, 2003: USM's Ted Reese resigns as the Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Southern Maine. </div>
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July, 2003: Joe Pistone takes over as the University of Southern Maine Head Wrestling Coach. </div>
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July 2003: Longtime USM Assistant Wrestling Coach, Bryan Brunk accepts the Head Wrestling Coach position at Messiah College (PA).</div>
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March, 2005: SUNY Oneonta State University alumni, Julio Santiago, is named USM's Head Assistant Wrestling Coach.</div>
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February, 2006: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships in Iowa, crowning its 2nd NCAA New England Champion, Stephen Valastro at 133lbs</div>
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February, 2008: USM hosts the NCAA New England Wrestling Championships, the 2nd time in history an NCAA National Championship Qualifier is hosted in Maine.</div>
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February, 2008: Former USM Head Coach Ted Reese and former Head Assistant Coach, Bryan Brunk (current Messiah College Head Wrestling Coach) are inducted to the NCAA Division III New England Wrestling Hall of Fame before the Championship finals at USM</div>
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March, 2008: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships, crowning its 3rd NCAA New England Champion, Mike Morin at 165lbs; Morin wins an overtime match in a best-of-three match against Springfield College in the final match of the NCAA New England Tournament at home!</div>
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July, 2009 Former USM Assistant Coach, Jason York, becomes the Head Wrestling Coach at Bridgewater State University (MA)</div>
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August 2009 Former USM Assistant Coach Mike Brown wins the WEC World Featherweight title, defeating Urijah Faber by unanimous decision</div>
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March 2009: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships in Iowa, crowning its 4th NCAA New England Champion, Mike Morin at 165lbs</div>
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March, 2009: USM's NCAA All New England Wrestlers Doug Christensen and Mike Morin earn NCAA Scholar First team All America honors</div>
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March, 2009: Mike Morin becomes USM's first NCAA Wrestling All American, finishing 4th at the NCAA National Tournament; this is the first time a Maine collegiate wrestler earns NCAA All America honors.</div>
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October, 2009: Mike Morin becomes the #1 ranked Wrestler in the Nation at 165lbs</div>
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December, 2009: USM earns an invite to the prestigious 'Desert Duals' and competes at the Flamingo Ballroom and Casino in Las Vegas, NV; USM knocks off #20 in NCAA DII Grand Canyon University</div>
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February, 2010: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships in Iowa, crowning its 5th NCAA New England Champion, Mike Morin at 165lbs</div>
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May, 2010: USM Head Coach, Coach Pistone is voted in as the NCAA New England Wrestling Association Vice President</div>
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March, 2010 USM's 3x NCAA All New England Wrestlers Doug Christensen and Mike Morin earn NCAA Scholar First team All America honors</div>
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March, 2010: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships, crowning its 6th NCAA New England Champion, Matt Ulrich at 141lbs</div>
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March, 2010: USM advances to the NCAA Final Four in Matt Ulrich at 141. Ulrich defeats 2x NCAA finalist, 3x NCAA All American Jafari Vanier from Augsburg (MN) to become USM's second NCAA All American finishing 6th at the NCAA National Wresting Championships</div>
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March, 2010: Mike Morin becomes USM's third NCAA Wrestling All American, finishing 5th at the NCAA NationalWrestling Championships.</div>
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April, 2010: Mike Morin earns NCAA Division III Pilgrim League Wrestler of the Year</div>
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March, 2010: USM Head Assistant Coach, Julio Santiago earns NCAA New England Division III Assistant WrestlingCoach of the Year. A week later he is within the top 4 nominated for NCAA National Asst. Coach of the Year</div>
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December, 2011: USM competes at the Gulf Coast Dual Meet Championships, finishing with a 3-1 record defeating Buena Vista University (Iowa) Central University (Iowa) and Concordia University (Wisconsin)</div>
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February, 2011: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships, crowning its 7th NCAA New England Champion, Billy Cole at 133lbs</div>
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March, 2011: USM's Billy Cole becomes a 2x NCAA Division III First Team Scholar All American</div>
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February, 2011-12: The USM Wrestling team sets a new school record for dual meet wins with 15</div>
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March, 2012: USM's Cinjin Goewey becomes an NCAA Division III First Team Scholar All American</div>
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March, 2012: USM's Billy Cole becomes a 2x NCAA Division III First Team Scholar All American</div>
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May, 2012: USM's Head Wrestling Coach, Coach Pistone, is named the President of the NCAA New England Wrestling Association.</div>
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March, 2012: USM's Rick Chipman becomes an NCAA Division III First Team Scholar All American, the oldest in the history of NCAA Wrestling, ALL DIVISIONS!</div>
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August, 2012-13: National powerhouse New York teams Ithaca College, Oneonta State University, Oswego State University and SUNY Cortland join the New England Conference, making it an 18 team NCAA Northeast Regional. Top (3) in each weight class earn NCAA bids</div>
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September, 2013: Longtime USM Head Assistant Wrestling Coach, Julio Santiago steps down; former 2x NCAA All American is elevated to USM Head Assistant Wrestling Coach.</div>
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February, 2013; USM Captains Sean Fagan and Jon Deupree become the first ever NCAA Division III Northeast Region Place finishers; Fagan becomes an NCAA National Championship’s Alternate</div>
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February, 2014 USM wins its first team tournament title, capturing the North Atlantic Wrestling Championships</div>
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January, 2014: USM's Rick Chipman makes the back page in the worlds most circulated newspaper, the Wall Street Journal; <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579417181893723584" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">CLICK HERE see the online article </a></div>
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February, 2014: USM makes the NCAA National Wrestling Championships, crowning its first NCAA Division III Regional Champion, Jon Deupree; Deupree earns the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award of the NCAA Regional Championships pinning his NCAA All American foe in the final.</div>
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February 2014: USM Freshman, Carl “CJ” Luth earns NCAA Scholar All America honors</div>
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February, 2014: USM Freshman Daniel Del Gallo earns NCAA Scholar All America honors; records a perfect 4.0 both Fall and Spring semesters at USM</div>
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July, 2014: NCAA National Championships Qualifier/NCAA Region Champion Jon Deupree becomes a member of NCAA Division III/United States All Star Team and travels/competes in France, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, finishing with a 5-1 record! </div>
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August, 2014: USM Wrestling program founder and USM’s first Head Wrestling Coach, Ted Reese, earns the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Maine Amateur Wrestling Association</div>
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October, 2014: Former USM Team Captain and 2012 NCAA Scholar All American Rick Chipman earns USM’s Highest Academic/Athletic honor, the “William B. Wise Award”, for the 4th consecutive year. No other USM HuskyWrestler has achieved this honor.</div>
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November, 2014: Coach Pistone earns his 100th career collegiate coaching victory, defeating Norwich University 23-18 in Worcester, MA.</div>
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December, 2014: USM competes in the prestigious,”Grapple at the Garden” at Madison Square Garden, the WORLD’S most famous arena. The University of Southern Maine defeats Muhlenburg University.</div>
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January, 2015: USM competes in the nationally recognized Wabash College duals competing against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (WI), Mt. St. Joseph College (OH), Wabash College (IN) and Ohio Northern University (OH). USM finishes with a 2-2 record.</div>
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February, 2015: USM defeats SUNY Oneonta State and Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and earns the best dual meet record in the history of the USM men's Wrestling program.</div>
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March, 2015: Jonahan Deupree earns his second NCAA Regional Championship at 184lbs to advance to the NCAA National Championships for the 2nd consecutive year. Deupree enters the tournament as the #2 seed, the highest seeded USM Wrestler ever in the NCAA Tourney.</div>
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March, 2015: Daniel Del Gallo, the #4 seed at 149lbs, upsets JWU and North Carolina State University transfer and returning NCAA NQ to earn a spot in the NCAA Regional Championship finals. Del Gallo advances to his first NCAA National Championships.</div>
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March, 2015: Sean Fagan and CJ Luth earn NCAA All-Region honors with a 5th place finish at 197lbs and 157lbs. This is Fagan's second NCAA All- Region honor.</div>
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March, 2015: Daniel Del Gallo and CJ Luth earn 1st Team NCAA Scholar All America honors. They are now 2x NCAA Scholar All Americans.</div>
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March, 2015: Daniel Del Gallo earns the NCAA Elite 89 Academic Award, the highest Academic Award given by the NCAA in the Nation. </div>
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April, 2015: Longtime USM Head Wrestling Coach, Joe Pistone, steps down after 12+ seasons at USM; becomes the Head Wrestling Coach at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Florida.</div>
</span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-29897701463742267272015-04-01T10:22:00.000-04:002015-04-01T10:23:03.566-04:00Plymouth State Coach to receive prestigious award in Maine<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Kent Cherrington, SID <a href="mailto:kcherrington@plymouth.edu">kcherrington@plymouth.edu</a></span></div>
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For Immediate Release</div>
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PSU Coach to receive prestigious awards in Maine, Aguiar recognized for a lifetime of dedication to sport</div>
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PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University coach will be honored in the state of Maine for lifetime achievements, dedication and commitment to wrestling.</div>
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Jim Aguiar has been chosen to receive the 2015 Maine Amateur Wrestling Association (MAWA) Lifetime Achievement Award. A native of Biddeford, Maine and a longtime supporter of the MAWA, Aguiar was Plymouth State’s head wrestling coach from 1974-85 and a Panther assistant the past dozen years. He will be honored prior to the MAWA Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on August 27, 2015, at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine.</div>
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In his 12th year as assistant coach Jim Aguiar is a familiar figure to Panther fans. Originally from Biddeford Maine, Jim was a two-time State Wrestling Champion and an All-State Football player. He attended Boston University on a football scholarship and was active in the group of student re-establishing wrestling as a varsity program at BU.</div>
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Coach Aguiar came to PSU as the defensive coordinator of the football program and served as the head wrestling coach from 1974 to 1985. Jim served one season as the head football coach in 1980 posting the first winning season in years. He resigned coaching football to focus upon his graduate studies.</div>
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In wrestling Jim coached many All New England Wrestlers and the first NCAA All American Wrestler at Plymouth State. He still holds the record for most career dual meet victories (over 100 wins). After completing his doctorate in education at Boston University he left the Plymouth area to accept a position at Moorhead State University (MN) where he also was the head wrestling coach. He coached at MSU for two years turning around the Division II program that had fallen on hard times. In 1988 Dr. Aguiar accepted a position at Ithaca College (NY) where he focused on teaching. After retiring from teaching at IC in 2003 he returned to NH and quickly became reconnected with the Wrestling Panthers. </div>
</span> MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-81240444315772816932015-03-30T08:03:00.000-04:002015-03-30T08:03:48.975-04:00Del Gallo takes second at high school wrestling nationals<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Gardiner junior falls in overtime in championship match</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BY MATT DIFILIPPO STAFF WRITER [</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">861-9243]</span></div>
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<a href="mailto:mdifilippo@centralmaine.com">mdifilippo@centralmaine.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gardiner Area High School junior Peter Del Gallo finished as the runner-up in the 120-pound junior division at the NHSCA High School National Wrestling Championships, held this weekend at Virginia Beach, Va.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/380502_del_gallo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.centralmaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/380502_del_gallo.jpg" width="130" /></a>Del Gallo was the No. 2 seed, and lost on Sunday to top-ranked Devan Turner of California, 6-4 in overtime. According to calgrappler.com, a website for California high school wrestling, Turner has already verbally committed to wrestle at Division I Drexel University in the fall of 2016.</div>
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Peter Del Gallo</div>
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Over the weekend, Del Gallo won five straight matches, beating wrestlers from South Carolina, Missouri, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Georgia. The bracket on the NHSCA site has Del Gallo defeating Codi Russell of Georgia, 3-2, in the semifinals, but Del Gallo said he actually won by pin.</div>
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“I pinned him with a cradle,” Del Gallo said. “I was winning 9-2 in the third period, so I pretty much dominated the whole match.”</div>
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On his match with Turner, Del Gallo said, “I could have wrestled better.”</div>
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This was Del Gallo’s third straight year competing at nationals. As a freshman, he placed fourth at 106. Last spring, he was second at 113.</div>
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“It’s definitely an accomplishment,” Del Gallo said of finishing second this year. “It’s not what I wanted, but it turns out how it does.”</div>
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MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-23536277948084735802015-03-28T08:06:00.000-04:002015-03-30T08:08:56.342-04:00Pine Tree Wrestling League: Medomak Middle School captures first league mat crown<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Oceanside second — four points behind champion Riverhawks</b></span></div>
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By Ken Waltz for Village Soup</div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/B7/1357657/t600-attachment-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/B7/1357657/t600-attachment-3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Courtesy of: Meredith BennerThe 2015 Pine Tree Wrestling League champions from Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro.</div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/B7/1357658/t600-attachment-4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="200" src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/B7/1357658/t300-attachment-4.jpg" width="149" /></a>AUGUSTA — One week after finishing a close second to Troy Howard Middle School of Belfast in the Pine Tree Wrestling League Eastern Regional meet, Medomak Middle School shook off the sting of its first loss of an impressive 2015 season, picked itself up off the mat, dusted itself off and proceeded to prove which team was best when it mattered most as the Riverhawks pinned down the overall league title a mere seven days later.</div>
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The Riverhawks of Waldoboro won the PTWL crown for the first time in the school's history on Saturday, March 28 at Cony High School. MMS beat 22 other scoring teams to capture the crown.</div>
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Medomak finished with 102 points and Oceanside of Thomaston/Rockland hot on its neighbors' heels with 98, good for second. Mountain Valley of Rumford placed third at 86.</div>
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"Very proud of all the wrestlers," said veteran MMS coach Eric Hunt. "Great team effort today. Being able to get a win from every one of my wrestlers clearly shows it takes a whole team to win a championship. Couldn't be prouder."</div>
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The Riverhawks won all their regular-season dual-meets, then finished second to THMS in the regional meet before bouncing back a week later to nail down the overall league championship.</div>
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Young mat student-athletes from Medomak, Troy Howard, Oceanside, Mount View of Thorndike, Camden-Rockport and Hope-Appleton-Lincolnville qualified to participate in Saturday's league finale.</div>
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Additional photos and information from the meet will appear later with this story.</div>
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Other Midcoast teams, including Troy Howard, HAL and CRMS, have won league wrestling crowns in the past. Now MMS joins that group with a league team title under its belt.</div>
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Many Midcoast athletes also performed well at Saturday's meet to finish among the top few competitors.</div>
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In fact, five brought home individual league titles, including Medomak's Duncan Widdecombe (93 pounds); Oceanside's Alex Fogarty (99), Bennett Penney (105) and Ben Ripley (117); and Troy Howard's Patrick Curtis (111).</div>
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Finishing as runners-up were HAL's Eric Andrews (81) and Noah Lang (117); Medomak's Eli Miller (137), Korbin Daniels (155) and Eric Benner (195); Troy Howard's Anthony Sanborn (240); and Mount View's Mark Ward (111).</div>
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Other area mat athletes who also finished among the top four were:</div>
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Medomak – Marshall Sawyer (3rd at 75).</div>
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Troy Howard – Wyatt Staples (3rd at 81), Isaac Ham (3rd at 99) and Shane Rumney (4th at 195).</div>
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Mount View – Zach Ward (3rd at 93) and Nathaniel Fuller (4th at 170).</div>
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Oceanside – Lucien Marriner (3rd at 145) and Carter Fogarty (4th at 75).</div>
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Camden-Rockport – Ian Henderson (4th at 99).</div>
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HAL – Drew Kelly (4th at 111).</div>
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The overall team scores were: Medomak 102, Oceanside 98, Mountain Valley 86, Troy Howard 80.5, Cony 75.5, Nokomis of Newport 66.5, Mount Ararat of Topsham 65, Bucksport 59, Oxford Hills of South Paris 57, Dirigo of Dixfield 56, HAL 47, Mount View 41, Mattanawcook of Lincoln 36.5, Hancock 36, Bath 32, Skowheagan 32, Mount Blue of Farmington 28, Sugg 25, Winslow 20, Ellsworth 11, Madison 9.5, CRMS 9 and Hampden 2.5.</div>
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The individual results for Midcoast wrestlers in the championship finals were:</div>
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81 pounds — Victor Verrill, Dir, beat Eric Andrews, HAL, 9-5.</div>
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93 pounds — Duncan Widdecombe, Med, pinned Noah Dumas, Con, at 1:08.</div>
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99 pounds — Alex Fogarty, Ocean, beat. Anthony Mazza Jr., MountVal, 10-4.</div>
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105 pounds — Bennett Penney, Ocean, won by technical fall over Jaden David, OxH, 17-2.</div>
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111 pounds — Patrick Curtis, TH, won by injury default over Mark Ward, MtView.</div>
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117 pounds — Ben Ripley, Ocean, pinned Noah Lang, HAL, at 0:26.</div>
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137 pounds — David Wilson, Nok, beat Eli Miller, Med, 6-5.</div>
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155 pounds — Luke Wardwell, Buck, pinned Korbin Daniels, Med, at 0:54.</div>
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195 pounds — Jared Smith, Han, pinned Erik Benner, Med, at 0:24.</div>
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240 pounds — Avery Bradeen, Dir, beat Anthony Sanborn, TH, 9-5.</div>
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The individual results for Midcoast wrestlers in the consolation finals were:</div>
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75 pounds — Marshall Sawyer (Medomak) def. Carter Fogarty (Oceanside) Maj Dec. 12-1.</div>
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81 pounds — Wyatt Staples, TH, beat Deegan Tidwell, Matt, 9-2.</div>
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93 pounds — Zach Ward, MtView, pinned Cody Holman, MtA, at 2:35.</div>
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99 pounds — Isaac Ham, TH, beat Ian Henderson, CR, 5-4.</div>
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111 pounds — Josh Thibodeau, MountVal, pinned Drew Kelly, HAL, at 0:17.</div>
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145 pounds — Lucien Marriner, Ocean, maj dec Kyle Kenney, MountVal, 10-2.</div>
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170 pounds — Alex Demers, Win, pinned Nathaniel Fuller, MtView, at 1:21.</div>
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195 pounds — Hunter Gleason, MtB, pinned Shane Rumney, TH, at 0:44.</div>
</span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-33348558804759355102015-03-25T08:17:00.000-04:002015-03-30T08:17:26.542-04:00SJHS wrestlers place at tourney, defeat Massabesic, Scarborough<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.fosters.com/storyimage/FD/20150326/GJSPORTS03/150329625/AR/0/AR-150329625.jpg&MaxW=650" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://www.fosters.com/storyimage/FD/20150326/GJSPORTS03/150329625/AR/0/AR-150329625.jpg&MaxW=650" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By John Cochin</span></div>
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Sanford News Sports Editor</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanford Junior High School wrestler Zach O'Dell picked up a total of five victories in recent meets with Kennebunk, Massabesic and Scarborough.</span></div>
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SANFORD — Sanford Junior High School Coach Mike Kane took ten of his wrestlers to the March 14 tournament at Massabesic Middle School and placed seven in the top four.</div>
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Kane said he was amazed by the performance of his injury-decimated squad. “Because of injuries and illness, we were only able to bring 10 wrestlers to the tourney, but we were able to place seven of them in the top four of their weight brackets. That was unbelievable,” he said.</div>
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Isaac Plante and Reece LaChance each placed first in their respective weight brackets, and James Meggison placed second. Finishing fourth in their weight brackets were Zach O’Dell, Jon Anderson, Dustin Walsh-Malloy and Alysha Simpson. The tournament was also part of the Maine Girl’s Wrestling Championships, and Simpson was able to finish in fourth place among all the wresters in her bracket. In an earlier win over Kennebunk, Sanford’s Adam Genereux won one match by a 3-0 decision and the other by a 1:39 pin. LaChance also won two matches, pinning one opponent in 1:52 and posting a 10-0 win over his second opponent.</div>
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Winning a match by a fall were Plante, who needed only 0:21 to pin his opponent, and Jon Anderson, who recorded a 1:17 pin. Also pinning their opponent were Meggison, who recorded a time of 1:44, and O’Dell, who pinned his opponent in 2:36. Taking decisions against Kennebunnk opponents were Ethan Matt (4-1), Anthony Plateroti (7-0), Ethan Fortier (7-3) and Brandon Shaw (6-4). </div>
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SANFORD 10, SCARBOROUGH 2</div>
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In a 10-2 win over Scarborough on March 12, Kane’s team got two wins apiece from Plateroti, O’Dell and LaChance. Adding one win each were Plante, Meggison, Simpson, Walsh-Malloy and Ethan Trumble. Plateroti picked up one victory with a 15-0 technical fall, and the other by pinning his opponent in 0:30. O’Dell’s first win was by an 18-0 technical fall, and the other was via a pin in 1:52. In his first match, LaChance won by a 16-1 technical fall and followed with a 16-3 decision. Meggison came away with a pin in 0:23, and Plante took an 11-5 decision over his Scarborough opponent. Walsh-Malloy closed out with an 8-4 decision, and Trumble pinned his opponent in 1:53. Simpson defeated her Scarborough opponent by an 11-6 score.</div>
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SANFORD 10, MASSABESIC 8</div>
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The SJHS wrestlers defeated Massabesic High School’s wrestlers, 10-8, on March 10.</div>
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Getting two wins apiece for Sanford were O’Dell, Shaw and Plante. Adding one victory each were Joe Anderson, Trumble, Plateroti, Meggison and LaChance. O’Dell defeated his first opponent by a 7-2 decision and followed with a 6-2 decision in his second match. Shaw opened with a pin in his first match, recording a time of 2:59. In his second match, he came away with an 8-0 decision. Plante pinned his first opponent in 2:32 and recorded a 2:44 pin in his second victory. Anderson’s victory came via a 7-0 decision, and Trumble came away with a 7-5 decision. Plateroti’s Massabesic victory was by a 9-1 score, and Meggison recorded a 0:34 pin in his victory. LaChance closed out the meet with a 7-0 win over his Mustang opponent.</div>
</span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-36622009744139843362015-03-25T08:10:00.000-04:002015-03-30T08:11:01.060-04:00UFC; Boetsch hopes to right ship against Henderson at UFC Fight Night 68<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Staff</span></div>
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NEW ORLEANS, LA. — Lincolnville native Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch will step back into the octagon in the coming months.</div>
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Boetsch, who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) middleweight division, is scheduled to be on the card for UFC Fight Night 68 on Saturday, June 6 against Dan “Hendo” Henderson, who is 30-13 through 43 fights.</div>
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The 33-year-old Boetsch is ranked 13th in the middleweight division and is 18-8 through 26 fights, including a 2-2 record in his last four fights. He stands six feet and weights 185 pounds.</div>
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The 1999 Camden-Rockport High School graduate was submitted in the second round by Thales Leites at UFC 183 Jan. 31 in Las Vegas, Nev. Prior to that, Boetsch won by second-round TKO against Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 47 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.</div>
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The 44-year-old Henderson, who stands at 5-feet-11-inches and weighs 185 pounds, has lost five of his last six fights and is unranked in the middleweight division.</div>
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UFC Fight Night 68 will be at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La. and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. The main event of the night will be Daniel Cormier against Ryan “Darth” Bader (20-4) in a high-ranking light heavyweight bout.</div>
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Cormier (15-1), ranked third in the light heavyweight division, is coming off a five-round loss via decision to champion Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 182 Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, NV, while Bader is ranked fifth and has won his last four fights.</div>
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Bader headlined UFC Fight Night 47 in Bangor, where he beat Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision after five rounds.</div>
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Courier Publications' sports staff can be reached by email at sports@villagesoup.com or by phone at 594-4401.</div>
</span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973392456594961125.post-56292737706669834342015-03-23T09:05:00.007-04:002015-03-24T20:17:29.920-04:00Pinning down success: Troy Howard tops strong regional field<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
Photo by: Ken Waltz</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pine Tree Wrestling League</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Medomak, Oceanside, CRMS, HAL, Mount View compete; 11 champs, 42 state-bound</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353618/t600-IMG_4486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353618/t600-IMG_4486.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>ROCKLAND — The Midcoast has long been a hotbed for top-notch mat athletes and that was demonstrated again on Saturday, March 21 at Oceanside East High School as area teams and individuals dominated the competition during the Pine Tree Wrestling League Eastern Regional meet.</div>
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When the dust settled on a long, competitive day of middle school wrestling, Troy Howard of Belfast sat atop the mountain as the champion. Historically, the Lions are perennial regional and state championship contenders.</div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353619/t600-IMG_4031.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353619/t300-IMG_4031.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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Troy Howard rallied late to outdistance Medomak of Waldoboro, which finished second at 188.5. The Riverhawks had finished the regular dual-meet season 22-0, including edging the Lions.</div>
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Host Oceanside of Thomaston/Rockland placed third at 142.</div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353620/t600-IMG_4275.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353620/t200-IMG_4275.jpg" height="197" width="200" /></a>The team scores were: Troy Howard 207.5, Medomak 188.5, Oceanside 142, Bucksport 115, Mattanawcook of Lincoln 85.5, Mount View of Thorndike 77.5, Hope-Appleton-Lincolnville 71, Winslow 62, Hancock 41.5, Camden-Rockport 36, Hampden 22, Ellsworth 21, Erskine of South China 7 and Messalonskee of Oakland 3.</div>
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Individually, the Midcoast crowned 11 champions, including Oceanside's Alex Fogarty (99 pounds), Bennett Penney (105), Ben Ripley (117), Mike Yates (123) and Lucien Marriner (145); Troy Howard's Patrick Curtis (111), Asa Hayes (130) and Anthony Sanborn (240); HAL's Eric Andrews (81 pounds); and Medomak's Duncan Widdecombe (93) and Eli Miller (137).</div>
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Ultimately, Oceanside crowned five champs, Troy Howard three, Medomak two and HAL one.</div>
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The area added a bundle of other grapplers who placed second, third and fourth. In all, 42 Midcoast athletes qualifed for the state meet.</div>
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Additional information, video and a link to more photos from the regional meet will appear later with this story.</div>
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<a href="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353621/t600-IMG_4147.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://waldo.villagesoup.com/media/Common/20/A7/1353621/t200-IMG_4147.jpg" /></a>The top four in each weight division move on from the regional to the league championship meet on Saturday, March 28 at Cony High School in Augusta.</div>
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When all was said and done from Saturday's meet, Troy Howard qualified 13 young mat athletes to the state meet, Medomak 11, Oceanside seven, HAL and Mount View four and CRMS three.</div>
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The Midcoast state qualifiers from each area school were:</div>
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Camden-Rockport — Ian Henderson (3rd at 99), Seth Sweet (4th at 123) and Brady Hedstrom (4th at 145).</div>
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HAL — Eric Andrews (1st at 81 pounds), Noah Lang (2nd at 117), Dawson Allen (3rd at 93) and Drew Kelly (3rd at 111).</div>
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Medomak — Duncan Widdecombe (1st at 93), Eli Miller (1st at 137), Marshall Sawyer (2nd at 75), Shane Cookson (2nd at 105), Dylan O'Reilly (2nd at 145), Korbin Daniels (2nd at 155), Amos Hinkley (2nd at 170), Erik Benner (2nd at 195), Taylah Reed (4th at 99), Will Perry (4th at 111) and Ashton Daniels (3rd at 240).</div>
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Mount View — Noah McClendon (2nd at 87), Zach Ward (2nd at 93), Jasmine Barnard (4th at 130) and Nathaniel Fuller (3rd at 170).</div>
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Oceanside — Alex Fogarty (1st at 99), Bennett Penney (1st at 105), Ben Ripley (1st at 117), Mike Yates (1st at 123), Lucien Marriner (1st at 145), Carter Fogarty (3rd at 75) and Riley Micklich (3rd at 81).</div>
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Troy Howard — Patrick Curtis (1st at 111), Asa Hayes (1st at 130), Anthony Sanborn (1st at 240), Wyatt Staples (2nd at 81), Isaac Ham (2nd at 99), Jonah Lovejoy (3rd at 87), Timmy Smith (4th at 93), Cyrus Resh (4th at 105), Jack Hansen (3rd at 117), Tanner Veilleux (3rd at 145), Donny Resh (3rd at 155), Hayden Brewer (4th at 170) and Shane Rumney (3rd at 195).</div>
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The individual results from the championship finals included:</div>
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75 pounds — Jackson Sutherland, Matt, pinned Marshall Sawyer, Med, at 3:25.</div>
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81 pounds — Eric Andrews, HAL, beat Wyatt Staples, TH, 7-2.</div>
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87 pounds — Landon St. Peter, Ells, pinned Noah McClendon, MtV, at 4:03.</div>
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93 pounds — Duncan Widdecombe, Med, won by technical fall over Zach Ward, MtV, 16-1.</div>
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99 pounds — Alex Fogarty, Ocean, pinned Isaac Ham, TH, at 2:32.</div>
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105 pounds — Bennett Penney, Ocean, pinned Shane Cookson, Med, at 1:25.</div>
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111 pounds — Patrick Curtis, TH, pinned Mark Ward, MtV, at 1:13.</div>
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117 pounds — Ben Ripley, Ocean, pinned Noah Lang, HAL, at 2:58.</div>
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123 pounds — Mike Yates, Ocean, beat Xavier Hamilton, Buck, 6-4.</div>
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130 pounds — Asa Hayes, TH, pinned Andrew Gauthier, Ham, at 0:52.</div>
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137 pounds — Eli Miller, Med, won by major decision over Reed Kiah, Han, 14-5.</div>
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145 pounds — Lucien Marriner, Ocean, pinned Dylan O'Reilly, Med, at 6:30 in three overtimes. This was, perhaps, the most exciting match of the day.</div>
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155 pounds — Luke Wardwell, Buck, pinned Korbin Daniels, Med, at 1:02.</div>
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170 pounds — Alex Demers, Win, pinned Amos Hinkley, Med, at 2:52.</div>
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195 pounds — Jared Smith, Han, pinned Erik Benner, Med, at 1:02.</div>
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240 pounds — Anthony Sanborn, TH, pinned David Gross, Buck, at 2:36.</div>
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The individual results from the consolation finals were:</div>
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75 pounds — Carter Fogarty, Ocean, pinned Sam Schmitt, Win, at 0:39.</div>
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81 pounds — Riley Micklich, Ocean, pinned Deegan Tidwell, Matt, at 2:18.</div>
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87 pounds — Jonah Lovejoy, TH, pinned Abby Hanscom, Buck, at 3:13.</div>
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93 pounds — Dawson Allen, HAL, pinned Timmy Smith, TH, at 4:02.</div>
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99 pounds — Ian Henderson, CR, pinned Taylah Reed, Med, at 4:02.</div>
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105 pounds — Travis Mushero, Matt, pinned Cyrus Resh, TH, at 2:07.</div>
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111 pounds — Drew Kelly, HAL, won by major decision over Will Perry, Med, 10-0.</div>
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117 pounds — Jack Hansen, TH, pinned Anthony Proulx, Win, at 0:38.</div>
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123 pounds — Nick Larrabee, Matt, won by major decision over Seth Sweet, CR, 9-0.</div>
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130 pounds — Ricky Perkins, Buck, pinned Jasmine Barnard, MtV, at 1:29.</div>
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137 pounds — Cam Fredette, Win, pinned Oliver Spainhour, Buck, at 2:02.</div>
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145 pounds — Tanner Veilleux, TH, pinned Brady Hedstrom, CR, at 1:05.</div>
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155 pounds — Donny Resh, TH, pinned Nick Pelkey, Matt, at 2:18.</div>
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170 pounds — Nathaniel Fuller, MtV, pinned Hayden Brewer, TH, at 1:08.</div>
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195 pounds — Shane Rumney, TH, pinned Noah Scanlon, Buck, at 0:37.</div>
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240 pounds — Ashton Daniels, Med, pinned Dakota Page, Matt, at 1:45.</div>
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For local wrestlers, Oceanside's Brennan Harris is an alternate to the states at 170 and Camden-Rockport's William Jurek (81) and Joah Thompson (87) alternates in their weight divisions.</div>
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</span>MAWAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10590237249258796829noreply@blogger.com