By Adam Birt
As the wrestling season approaches its peak – Regionals and States – teams are getting their last regular looks at the competition, their last opportunities to hone their skills. Westbrook, Scarborough, Biddeford, Cheverus and Deering all collided at Deering High School in Portland on Saturday evening for a five-way showdown, a fine way to close out their respective schedules.
The Blazes went 3-1 on the day; co-head coach John Nicholas reports that his squad beat Deering 40-28, Scarborough 58-18 and Cheverus 60-6, while falling to Biddeford 51-27. 
“We finish the regular season with a record of 18-7,” Nicholas says. “That’s the most dual-meet wins in many years [for Westbrook]. We also placed top three in three tournaments this year, winning the Gardiner tournament.”
Nicholas highlighted his top performers, including Kyle Hanson, Brandon Lajoie, Brandon Conley and Chris Kennie, each of whom has amassed 25 or more wins in the past several weeks. Abraham Eaton, who hails from Gorham but wrestles with Westbrook because the Rams don’t field a team, has also won 25 or better.
Finally, senior Max Storm not only reached the 25-wins mark this season, he also surpassed the 100-wins mark for his career.
“The team has wrestled well all season,” says Nicholas, “and we’re going to work very hard this week to prepare for a big showing at Oxford Hills.” Regionals, the precursor to States, take place at Oxford Hills on Saturday, Feb. 7. States are scheduled for Feb. 14. “We’re going to need a total team effort to reach our goals, and this is the team that can do it.”