By Dave Barber, BDN Staff
Now he’s also a national champion.
Hughes recently won the sophomore 152-pound weight class title at the 24th annual National High School Coaches Association wrestling championships held at Virginia Beach, Va.
Hughes won all five of his matches in the double-elimination event, including dramatic victories in both the semifinals and finals.
In the semifinals Hughes pinned Colton Diblasi of Missouri 45 seconds into overtime, then he edged Zach Carlson of Minnesota 3-2 in the championship match.
This marks the second straight year Hughes has earned All-American honors, which go to the top eight finishers in each weight class at the NHSCA meet. He placed fourth in the 2012 freshman 138-pound division.
Hughes, who helped Marshwood win its second straight Class A state team title this winter, was one of two Maine wrestlers to earn NHSCA All-American status this year. Peter DelGallo of Gardiner, also a high school state champion this winter, won five of his seven matches to finish fourth in the freshman 106-pound division at the nationals.
DelGallo won his first three matches before a 5-1 loss to Jose Tapia of New Mexico sent him into the consolation bracket. DelGallo then won two more matches before being edged by West Virginia’s Joey Prata 7-6 in the third-place match.
Hughes and DelGallo were two of 16 Maine high school wrestlers who participated at the nationals.
Other Mainers who won matches included 132-pound sophomore Brooks Law, a two-time Class C state champion from Foxcroft Academy who won two of his four bouts, and Gardiner 138-pound senior Dan DelGallo — the older brother of Peter — who also finished 2-2 at the nationals.
Maine wrestlers winning one match in Virginia Beach included 2012 NHSCA All-Americans Brent Waterman of Belfast and Michael Curtis of Wells. Waterman, a three-time Maine individual state champion who was injured just before this year’s state meet, suffered a 2-1 overtime loss in his first match, then defeated his next opponent before a subsequent loss ended his run in the senior 138-pound division.
Wells finished 1-2 in the sophomore 160-pound division.
Also finishing 1-2 were Brewer’s Victor Irwin in the senior 220-pound class, Tyler Everett of Massabesic of Waterboro in the junior 126-pound class, and Zac Richard of Massabesic in the sophomore 132-pound division.