BY PAUL BETIT
Last Saturday was a busy day for the Marshwood High wrestling team.
While one squad went 5-0 to win the prestigious Bob Walker Duals at Kennebunk High, another squad competed in a wrestling tournament at Mount Anthony Union High in Bennington, Vt.
Nick Ricker of Marshwood Courtesy photo
Marshwood defeated Class C power Dirigo in the final of the Duals.
The Hawks defeated Dexter, Kennebunk, Wells and Mountain Valley, the defending Class B champion, on their way to the championship round.
“Tournaments like this, I think, make it interesting for us,” Marshwood Coach Matt Rix said.
Unlike most tournaments, where teams must enter one wrestler in each of the 14 weight classes, coaches can make changes in their lineups in a duals tournament.
“You’re able to move kids around and adjust to other team’s strengths or weaknesses,” Rix said.
“To get more of your kids into a meet, you can mix your squad up instead of entering just one individual in a weight class.”
Such events enable coaches to have wrestlers who usually are not in the starting lineup get some time on a wrestling mat in a meaningful match.
“Coming down toward the end of the season, those other guys in the room are important,” Rix said.
“Those are the guys you’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep giving them matches.”
Rix said he used as many as 20 wrestlers in the Bob Walker Duals.
“As the season starts dragging on, it’s the same old kids in the (wrestling) room,” Rix said. “That gets stale.”
SOME OF Maine’s top wrestlers will compete in the 31st annual Michael J. Baker memorial tournament this weekend in Essex Junction, Vt.
Teams from Deering, Massabesic, Marshwood, Mt. Ararat and Noble will make the trip to Vermont.
A year ago, Tyler Everett of Massabesic and Jared Jensen of Brunswick won individual championships in the tournament, which also includes teams from New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
Everett, who is competing in the 113-pound division this season, won at 106 pounds in last year’s tournament.
While one squad went 5-0 to win the prestigious Bob Walker Duals at Kennebunk High, another squad competed in a wrestling tournament at Mount Anthony Union High in Bennington, Vt.
Nick Ricker of Marshwood Courtesy photo
Marshwood defeated Class C power Dirigo in the final of the Duals.
The Hawks defeated Dexter, Kennebunk, Wells and Mountain Valley, the defending Class B champion, on their way to the championship round.
“Tournaments like this, I think, make it interesting for us,” Marshwood Coach Matt Rix said.
Unlike most tournaments, where teams must enter one wrestler in each of the 14 weight classes, coaches can make changes in their lineups in a duals tournament.
“You’re able to move kids around and adjust to other team’s strengths or weaknesses,” Rix said.
“To get more of your kids into a meet, you can mix your squad up instead of entering just one individual in a weight class.”
Such events enable coaches to have wrestlers who usually are not in the starting lineup get some time on a wrestling mat in a meaningful match.
“Coming down toward the end of the season, those other guys in the room are important,” Rix said.
“Those are the guys you’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep giving them matches.”
Rix said he used as many as 20 wrestlers in the Bob Walker Duals.
“As the season starts dragging on, it’s the same old kids in the (wrestling) room,” Rix said. “That gets stale.”
SOME OF Maine’s top wrestlers will compete in the 31st annual Michael J. Baker memorial tournament this weekend in Essex Junction, Vt.
Teams from Deering, Massabesic, Marshwood, Mt. Ararat and Noble will make the trip to Vermont.
A year ago, Tyler Everett of Massabesic and Jared Jensen of Brunswick won individual championships in the tournament, which also includes teams from New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
Everett, who is competing in the 113-pound division this season, won at 106 pounds in last year’s tournament.
Jensen, who is competing in the 152-pound division this season, won at 130 pounds last year.
Brunswick doesn’t have a wrestling team, so Jensen trains and competes with the team at Mt. Ararat in Topsham.
Two years ago, Massabesic topped a 28-team field at the event.
A SHOULDER INJURY has kept Jake Bagley, the two-time Class A state champion, out of the Noble lineup for the past two weeks.
Bagley sustained the injury while eking out a 6-5 victory against Ethan Gilman of Massabesic in the final of the 132-pound division during the Noble Invitational on Jan. 7.
“We have been trying to be careful with him,” Noble Coach Kip DeVoll said.
“He may wrestle this weekend. We’ll know more after practice on Wednesday night.”
This season, Bagley, a senior, is 18-0.
Brunswick doesn’t have a wrestling team, so Jensen trains and competes with the team at Mt. Ararat in Topsham.
Two years ago, Massabesic topped a 28-team field at the event.
A SHOULDER INJURY has kept Jake Bagley, the two-time Class A state champion, out of the Noble lineup for the past two weeks.
Bagley sustained the injury while eking out a 6-5 victory against Ethan Gilman of Massabesic in the final of the 132-pound division during the Noble Invitational on Jan. 7.
“We have been trying to be careful with him,” Noble Coach Kip DeVoll said.
“He may wrestle this weekend. We’ll know more after practice on Wednesday night.”
This season, Bagley, a senior, is 18-0.