Gardiner wrestler caps return from elbow injury with championship.
BY STEVE CRAIG PORTLAND PRESS HERALD
FRYEBURG — Gardiner junior Peter DelGallo won his third straight state championship, winning at 126 pounds Saturday at the class B state wrestling meet, and was named the meet’s outstanding wrestler. DelGallo is unbeaten in his career in Maine and won the New England title at 106 pounds as a freshman. DelGallo’s season was in doubt due to a left elbow injury prior to the season.
DelGallo said he was originally told he would need surgery, but it was later determined it was better to let the injury heal on its own. He returned to the mat in mid-January.
DelGallo figures to have his first significant challenges of the season at next Saturday’s New England Qualifier.
“I’m not at my peak yet but with another week before (the New England Qualifier) I’ll be back and conditioned great and ready to be in the zone and keep it going,” DelGallo said.
Freshmen also stood out as Devin Vigue (113) and Ryan Fredette (170), both of Winslow, and Ellsworth’s Peyton Cole (132) won state titles.
Elsewhere, in class C, Calvin Thompson of Monmouth pinned Jon Wainwright at 4:38 to win the 113-pound title. Madison’s Matt Brown won the class C heavyweight title, pinning Vincent Tzeo of Washington at 2:48. Dirigo easily won the class C state title, scoring 211.5 points. Dexter was second with 155 while Buckfield was third with 72.
Monmouth finished sixth with 53 points while Madison followed with 46.
In class B, Vigue took advantage of a wide-open 113-pound bracket after favorite Caleb Austin of Mountain Valley failed to make weight at last week’s Western regional, and beat Zac Annis of Camden Hills 8-3 in the final.
Ellsworth rolled up 147.5 points to beat Camden Hills (105) and Foxcroft Academy (96.5) for the class B state title. The Eagles asserted their superiority with five straight final wins in the 132- 160-pound weight classes.
Dagan Berenyi, a junior, won at 145 pounds. Berenyi was the 2014 class B state champ at 132 pounds as a sophomore.
“We all knew it was about when we peak, being at 100 percent when it mattered, and that’s what we did here today,” Berenyi said.
Just before Berenyi won his title, senior Jack Weeks — the sixth seed — edged Western Maine champ Dakota Jacques of Mountain Valley 4-3 to win at 138 pounds. Weeks was unable to wrestle last season due to mononucleosis.
Two seasons ago, when the state meet was last held at Fryeburg, both Berenyi and Weeks lost in their respective final.
“It was right there on that same mat,” Berenyi said. “Now two years later it’s him winning and then me winning.”
Four other wrestlers repeated as champions.
Wells senior Michael Curtis won the 220-pound title after winning at 170 and 195 the previous two seasons. Curtis pinned all three of his opponents including Nathaniel Beckwith of Winslow in the final in 1:02.
Curtis has not lost since finishing third at last year’s New England Championship.
He said he’s looking forward to next Saturday when he and the other top four finishers from class B will take on the top-four from class A and class C at the New England Qualifier in Sanford.
The top three in each weight class at that meet will advance to the New England Championship.
“My goal is to win (the New England title). That’s probably everyone’s goal and there are definitely some good kids there. At the qualifier I still have a lot of people I have to get by like (Massabesic’s) Mike Risti,” Curtis said.
Repeating in the same weight class were Danny Buteau of Oak Hill (106) and Ethan Boucher of Mountain Valley (120).
Cole started Ellsworth’s streak of five straight finals wins when he pinned Steven Thompson of Medomak Valley in 2:17 to remain undefeated at 132 pounds.
Also claiming titles for Ellsworth were Conor Petros (152) and Trent Goodman (160).
Three-time defending champion Camden Hills had one champion, Kalo Littlejohn at 195 pounds.
Littlejohn’s win combined with Jared Gilbert defeat of Foxcroft’s Michael Pendriss in the 220-pound consolation final pushed Camden Hills into second place.