Del Gallo takes second at high school wrestling nationals

Gardiner junior falls in overtime in championship match

BY MATT DIFILIPPO STAFF WRITER [861-9243]

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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.

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.

Peter Del Gallo

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.

“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.”

On his match with Turner, Del Gallo said, “I could have wrestled better.”

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.

“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.”

Pine Tree Wrestling League: Medomak Middle School captures first league mat crown

Oceanside second — four points behind champion Riverhawks

By Ken Waltz for Village Soup

Courtesy of: Meredith BennerThe 2015 Pine Tree Wrestling League champions from Medomak Middle School in Waldoboro.

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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.

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.

Additional photos and information from the meet will appear later with this story.

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.

Many Midcoast athletes also performed well at Saturday's meet to finish among the top few competitors.

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).

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).

Other area mat athletes who also finished among the top four were:

Medomak – Marshall Sawyer (3rd at 75).

Troy Howard – Wyatt Staples (3rd at 81), Isaac Ham (3rd at 99) and Shane Rumney (4th at 195).

Mount View – Zach Ward (3rd at 93) and Nathaniel Fuller (4th at 170).

Oceanside – Lucien Marriner (3rd at 145) and Carter Fogarty (4th at 75).

Camden-Rockport – Ian Henderson (4th at 99).

HAL – Drew Kelly (4th at 111).

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.

The individual results for Midcoast wrestlers in the championship finals were:

81 pounds — Victor Verrill, Dir, beat Eric Andrews, HAL, 9-5.

93 pounds — Duncan Widdecombe, Med, pinned Noah Dumas, Con, at 1:08.

99 pounds — Alex Fogarty, Ocean, beat. Anthony Mazza Jr., MountVal, 10-4.

105 pounds — Bennett Penney, Ocean, won by technical fall over Jaden David, OxH, 17-2.

111 pounds — Patrick Curtis, TH, won by injury default over Mark Ward, MtView.

117 pounds — Ben Ripley, Ocean, pinned Noah Lang, HAL, at 0:26.

137 pounds — David Wilson, Nok, beat Eli Miller, Med, 6-5.

155 pounds — Luke Wardwell, Buck, pinned Korbin Daniels, Med, at 0:54.

195 pounds — Jared Smith, Han, pinned Erik Benner, Med, at 0:24.

240 pounds — Avery Bradeen, Dir, beat Anthony Sanborn, TH, 9-5.

The individual results for Midcoast wrestlers in the consolation finals were:

75 pounds — Marshall Sawyer (Medomak) def. Carter Fogarty (Oceanside) Maj Dec. 12-1.

81 pounds — Wyatt Staples, TH, beat Deegan Tidwell, Matt, 9-2.

93 pounds — Zach Ward, MtView, pinned Cody Holman, MtA, at 2:35.

99 pounds — Isaac Ham, TH, beat Ian Henderson, CR, 5-4.

111 pounds — Josh Thibodeau, MountVal, pinned Drew Kelly, HAL, at 0:17.

145 pounds — Lucien Marriner, Ocean, maj dec Kyle Kenney, MountVal, 10-2.

170 pounds — Alex Demers, Win, pinned Nathaniel Fuller, MtView, at 1:21.

195 pounds — Hunter Gleason, MtB, pinned Shane Rumney, TH, at 0:44.

SJHS wrestlers place at tourney, defeat Massabesic, Scarborough

By John Cochin

Sanford News Sports Editor

Sanford Junior High School wrestler Zach O'Dell picked up a total of five victories in recent meets with Kennebunk, Massabesic and Scarborough.

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.

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.

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.

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). 

SANFORD 10, SCARBOROUGH 2

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.

SANFORD 10, MASSABESIC 8

The SJHS wrestlers defeated Massabesic High School’s wrestlers, 10-8, on March 10.

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.

UFC; Boetsch hopes to right ship against Henderson at UFC Fight Night 68

By Staff

NEW ORLEANS, LA. — Lincolnville native Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch will step back into the octagon in the coming months.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bader headlined UFC Fight Night 47 in Bangor, where he beat Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision after five rounds.

Courier Publications' sports staff can be reached by email at sports@villagesoup.com or by phone at 594-4401.

Pinning down success: Troy Howard tops strong regional field

Photo by: Ken Waltz

Pine Tree Wrestling League

Medomak, Oceanside, CRMS, HAL, Mount View compete; 11 champs, 42 state-bound

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.

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.

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.

Host Oceanside of Thomaston/Rockland placed third at 142.

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.

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).

Ultimately, Oceanside crowned five champs, Troy Howard three, Medomak two and HAL one.

The area added a bundle of other grapplers who placed second, third and fourth. In all, 42 Midcoast athletes qualifed for the state meet.

Additional information, video and a link to more photos from the regional meet will appear later with this story.

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.

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.

The Midcoast state qualifiers from each area school were:

Camden-Rockport — Ian Henderson (3rd at 99), Seth Sweet (4th at 123) and Brady Hedstrom (4th at 145).

HAL — Eric Andrews (1st at 81 pounds), Noah Lang (2nd at 117), Dawson Allen (3rd at 93) and Drew Kelly (3rd at 111).

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).

Mount View — Noah McClendon (2nd at 87), Zach Ward (2nd at 93), Jasmine Barnard (4th at 130) and Nathaniel Fuller (3rd at 170).

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).

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).

The individual results from the championship finals included:

75 pounds — Jackson Sutherland, Matt, pinned Marshall Sawyer, Med, at 3:25.

81 pounds — Eric Andrews, HAL, beat Wyatt Staples, TH, 7-2.

87 pounds — Landon St. Peter, Ells, pinned Noah McClendon, MtV, at 4:03.

93 pounds — Duncan Widdecombe, Med, won by technical fall over Zach Ward, MtV, 16-1.

99 pounds — Alex Fogarty, Ocean, pinned Isaac Ham, TH, at 2:32.

105 pounds — Bennett Penney, Ocean, pinned Shane Cookson, Med, at 1:25.

111 pounds — Patrick Curtis, TH, pinned Mark Ward, MtV, at 1:13.

117 pounds — Ben Ripley, Ocean, pinned Noah Lang, HAL, at 2:58.

123 pounds — Mike Yates, Ocean, beat Xavier Hamilton, Buck, 6-4.

130 pounds — Asa Hayes, TH, pinned Andrew Gauthier, Ham, at 0:52.

137 pounds — Eli Miller, Med, won by major decision over Reed Kiah, Han, 14-5.

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.

155 pounds — Luke Wardwell, Buck, pinned Korbin Daniels, Med, at 1:02.

170 pounds — Alex Demers, Win, pinned Amos Hinkley, Med, at 2:52.

195 pounds — Jared Smith, Han, pinned Erik Benner, Med, at 1:02.

240 pounds — Anthony Sanborn, TH, pinned David Gross, Buck, at 2:36.

The individual results from the consolation finals were:

75 pounds — Carter Fogarty, Ocean, pinned Sam Schmitt, Win, at 0:39.

81 pounds — Riley Micklich, Ocean, pinned Deegan Tidwell, Matt, at 2:18.

87 pounds — Jonah Lovejoy, TH, pinned Abby Hanscom, Buck, at 3:13.

93 pounds — Dawson Allen, HAL, pinned Timmy Smith, TH, at 4:02.

99 pounds — Ian Henderson, CR, pinned Taylah Reed, Med, at 4:02.

105 pounds — Travis Mushero, Matt, pinned Cyrus Resh, TH, at 2:07.

111 pounds — Drew Kelly, HAL, won by major decision over Will Perry, Med, 10-0.

117 pounds — Jack Hansen, TH, pinned Anthony Proulx, Win, at 0:38.

123 pounds — Nick Larrabee, Matt, won by major decision over Seth Sweet, CR, 9-0.

130 pounds — Ricky Perkins, Buck, pinned Jasmine Barnard, MtV, at 1:29.

137 pounds — Cam Fredette, Win, pinned Oliver Spainhour, Buck, at 2:02.

145 pounds — Tanner Veilleux, TH, pinned Brady Hedstrom, CR, at 1:05.

155 pounds — Donny Resh, TH, pinned Nick Pelkey, Matt, at 2:18.

170 pounds — Nathaniel Fuller, MtV, pinned Hayden Brewer, TH, at 1:08.

195 pounds — Shane Rumney, TH, pinned Noah Scanlon, Buck, at 0:37.

240 pounds — Ashton Daniels, Med, pinned Dakota Page, Matt, at 1:45.

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.

PTWL MS Regional

By Bob McPhee

AUGUSTA-There's some quality, however, the depth of a team can never be under estimated and Mountain Valley Middle School certainly needed it scoring 160 points to repeat as the Pine Tree Wrestling League West regional champions by out pointing Mount Ararat (151) last Saturday at Puiia Gymnasium. 

The Hawks were led by individual champions Anthony Mazza, Jr. (99-pounds) and Josh Thibodeau at 111. The Hawks had taken a commanding lead after winning six semi-final matches.

Dirigo (seventh, 88 points) might have lacked the depth, however, three wrestlers earned crowns. Victor Verrill (81), Nolan Degroot (155) and Avery Bradeen at 240. Mount Ararat had three champions Caden Kowalsky (87), Jett Gould 123 and Colby Gardner at 145, also.

The top four individuals in each weigh class have qualified to compete in the league championships, this Saturday. Mountain Valley is the defending champ, having scored 135.50 points in 2014; the Hawks who led wire to wire won their first PTWL crown since 2010. Cony (94) came on strong for third to edge out Oxford Hills 86. 

''I've said it before that in order to win a tournament like this a team needs consolation wins,”MV coach Anthony Mazza has previously said, who placed nine wrestlers in the top four of each weight class. 

Mazza Jr. breezed in the finals match with a 10-0 major decision against Austin Merrill of Skowhegan. Mazza, sixth grade, proved to be dominate and pinned Blaise Tripp, Gardiner, 4:04, in finals. Thibodeau, who had rejoined the team this season and has been extremely successful, won over Ben Laurence of Mt Ararat.

The Cougar trio of champs equaled each other. Verrill didn't waste mat time and stuck Calvin Peck of Nokomis in 30 seconds. Bradeen, who had set a school record with 24 pins last year, stuck Wyatt Charest of Cony, 30 seconds. Degroot recorded a 10-0 major decision against Nic Mills, Cony.

The Hawks had finalists Max Merrill (75), Evrit Roy (93), Dylan Desroches (123) and Darin Buono (170).

87 Denzel Gurney pinned Mason Savary, Bath, to place third, at 87. The Hawks had fourths by Grant Carrier and Kyle Kenney at 81 and 145, respectively.

Cougar Cameron Kidder placed third at 195. 

Nokomis was third (143.5), followed by Cony 113, Oxford Hills and Mount Blue. The East regional was won by Troy Howard (207), Medomak (188) and Oceanside with 142.

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Telegram's wrestling All-State team

The best in Maine this season.

Cody Craig, Skowhegan, sophomore, 106: One of seven repeat All-Telegram picks, Craig rolled to a second straight Class A and New England Qualifier titles in a 52-2 season. For the second straight year, he was unbeaten until New Englands.

Jeremy Sendrowski, Scarborough, freshman, 113: The Class A champ and all-state runner-up went 38-7 and gets the slight nod over Skowhegan’s Samson Sirois. The two split a pair of close decisions with Sirois winning in the all-state final.

Austin Shorey, Noble, junior, 120: Shorey, named outstanding wrestler at the Spartan Invitational, won the Class A and all-state titles. His 54-5 record included a 3-2 mark at New Englands, where he beat the top seeds from Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Bradley Beaulieu, Marshwood, sophomore, 126: Beaulieu went all the way to the New England final before suffering only loss in a 51-1 season that included the Class A and all-state title. Beaulieu is 103-12 in his career.

Peyton Cole, Ellsworth, freshman, 132: The Class B champ was the all-state runner-up (injury default) and went 38-7 overall including a win at New Englands.

Zeko Caudill, Cony, senior, 138: Caudill went 39-0 en route to the Class A and all-state titles, including two wins against Class C champ Zachary Caron of Dexter. He did not compete at the New England Championship.

Dagan Berenyi, Ellsworth, junior, 145: The Class B champ repeated as an all-state champion despite breaking his tibia with a minute remaining in the final against Class A champ Zak Richard of Massabesic. He finished the year 30-2.

Dominick Day, Biddeford, senior, 152: A repeat All-Telegram choice, Day won his second Class A crown and was unbeaten before being upset in the all-state final. He finished 41-3 after going 4-2 at New England, ending with a 146-18 career mark.

Jackson Howarth, Marshwood, senior, 160: A four-time Class A champ and repeat All-Telegram choice, Howarth was unbeaten in Maine and placed fifth at New Englands. He was 46-2 overall and 196-10 in his career.

Cody Hughes, Marshwood, senior, 170: A four-time Class A champ and three-time All-Telegram choice, Hughes was 52-1 this season, placing third at New Englands and establishing a Maine record with 212 career wins. He will wrestle at Virginia Tech.

Brett Gerry, Marshwood, senior, 182: Gerry won his third Class A title and earned his third All-Telegram selection by going 45-3 overall to improve to 179-24 in his career.

Trevor Henschel, Fryeburg, senior, 195: The Class B runner-up came back to win the all-state tourney, pinning Class B champ Kalo Littlejohn in the final. Henschel finished the year 50-6 with a 2-2 record at New Englands.

Michael Curtis, Wells, senior, 220: Curtis won the Class B and all-state titles, and placed third at New England, losing to the eventual champ, to finish 47-1. The three-time Class B champ set a school record with 180 career wins.

Jakob Nichols, Nokomis, senior, 285: Nichols won the Class A and Noble Invitational championships in a 46-0 season. He did not attend the New England qualifier.

Coach of the Year

J.F. Burns, Ellsworth: Guided Ellsworth to its first regional title and then had five individual champions at the Class B championship as the Eagles won their first state title in 33 years.

– Steve Craig

Maine high school wrestling shifts to two classes; co-op teams possible

Low participation in Class C leads to the change, which also shifts the class of some teams.

BY STEVE CRAIG STAFF WRITER

scraig@pressherald.com | @SteveCCraig | 207-791-6413

After the 2013 season the Maine Principals’ Association scrapped regional tournaments for Class C wrestlers.

Now the whole class will be eliminated and wrestling will consist of Class A and Class B. Class A will be schools with 575 or more students.

“The intent is that we’ll have more schools with full teams,” said Gerry Durgin, the MPA’s representative on the Wrestling Committee. “Then when we get to the regional tournaments, we’ll be able to fill all of the brackets.”

The move to two classes has been much discussed over several years. It was recommended by the MPA Wrestling Committee last November. If there was any doubt, seeing only two of the 14 weight classes with full eight-man brackets at the Class C state tournament helped convince the classification committee and interscholastic management committee to be in full agreement.

The proposal must be ratified during the annual Interscholastic Business Meeting on April 30 in Rockland.

Over the past four years Brian Salsbury has developed one of the top teams in Class C at Dexter High, which was the runner-up to Dirigo this season.

“I agree that the competition in Class C isn’t strong enough,” Salsbury said. “To drive two hours for a dual meet to get in six matches if you’re lucky is a waste of our resources. But there needs to be a plan moving forward. Short-term it might make it a little worse. Teams with four, five, six kids won’t be able to compete and might fold.”

Durgin and Marshwood Athletic Director Rich Buzzell, a member of the wrestling committee, believe a key Classification Committee proposal could actually increase the number of teams – or at least create more competitive teams.

The Classification Committee has proposed all sports be allowed to field cooperative teams consisting of athletes from two or more schools. Currently wrestling and other sports with individual titles are designated cooperative individual sports. A team can support an affiliated athlete from a different school with training and competition opportunities but the “individual” still represents his or her home school.

Durgin said the impetus for changing the cooperative team rules came from the wrestling committee.

“There are schools out there with the equipment but not enough kids to have a team,” Buzzell said. “I’ll bet there will be smaller Class C schools getting together to form a cooperative team.”

Buzzell added, “I don’t think we’ll lose programs. I think there will be a greater possibility to gain programs.”

Since being sanctioned as a sport in 1959, wrestling has been separated into one, two and three classes.

After a short-lived three-class experiment in 1968 and 1969, wrestling reverted to two classes, switched to one class from 1973-79, then back to two through 1989. Since then separate individual and team champions have been decided in three classes.

In addition to Class C programs moving up to compete with solid established programs like defending Class B champ Ellsworth and Mountain Valley, several strong Class B teams will now be in Class A under the proposed realignment.

York and Gardiner will move into the new Class A South. Camden Hills, which has won 10 Class B titles since 2001, and Morse will be in Class A North.

York Coach Bryan Thompson agrees with the proposal. In an email he wrote, “Overall, it’s good for the sport in Maine, given the number of teams without complete lineups or low numbers, particularly in Class B and C.”

Thompson noted his team already wrestles many of Class A’s best in dual meets and tournaments so the move is “not that big a transition for us. It does put us at a distinct disadvantage in terms of being able to win a regional or state championship.”

Thompson added that the ability to “co-op” with other towns is a “big step.”

Noble Coach Kip DeVoll, who just finished serving as the coaches’ liaison to the wrestling committee, said the move to two classes is long overdue.

“I’ve been advocating to go to one or two classes for a long time,” DeVoll said. “It’s just been watered down so much for so long and then you go to a state tournament and it’s not even a full bracket. I think it’s going to help the sport.”

UMaineOrono NCWA Wrestling Team Nationals results

National Champion SAMANTHA FRANK with PIN in the second

River Robertson 5th All American

Jacob Powers 4th All American

Outstanding finish for our second year program and our first year women's team

Liberty Wins 2015 NCWA National Championships

ALLEN, Texas – The day belonged to the U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School, which highlighted the finals of the NCWA Championships with three individual champions. Liberty and the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School contributed to the patriotic theme on Saturday’s leaderboard with a pair of champions apiece.

But the tournament still belonged to Liberty, which sat atop the standings throughout the three-day event and closed with its first NCWA title in four years of membership. The Flames had already advanced five to the finals on Friday, then saw Ryan Diehl win the 141-pound title over Navy Prep’s Adam Connell, 11-1, and Joshua Llopez take the 174 title.

Liberty ran away from the field with 194 points, well ahead of Middle Tennessee’s 127.5 and Rochester’s 120.5 points in its first NCWA competition. Central Florida was a quiet fourth with 93 points.

Diehl was voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. The sophomore who won the 133 class last year and is rumored to be heading to Maryland next season is the first wrestler in the NCWA’s 18-year history to win the MOW twice.

The Flames already had a boost on the field by carrying 24 team points into the tournament under the NCWA’s combined championship scoring system. Runner-up finishes by Tim Nordan (125), Evan Canady (235) and Joshua Pelletier (285) pushed Liberty past the field while Ike Podell (fifth at 141), new three-time All-American KeyShaun Ward (fourth at 184) and new two-time All-American Matthew Reynolds (eighth at 197) added icing to the point total.

The Flames lost top-seed Chase Boontjer to injury in the 165 class but the senior still earned a third All-American finish. Peter Tatanish, a returning All-American in the 149 class, also had to retire but medical default.

Isaac Jimenez began Air Force Prep’s banner day with the 125 title, taking a 7-4 decision over Liberty’s Tim Nordan to lead off the finals. Alex Mossing followed soon after with a feature-match win in the 157 final over Navy Prep’s Hunter Sutton, 3-2. Anthony McLaughlin gave the Falcons their first trio of champions in a single tournament with a 13-8 decision over Wesley Schultz of Rochester in the 184 final.

The first five weight classes all had an academy prep wrestler involved in the matchup, but with mixed results. After Jimenez’s win, Air Force Prep’s John Twomey lost the 133 final to Davenport’s Zach Yates. Connell then lost to Diehl at 141. So it was a sigh of relief for Navy Prep when Nicholas Gil won the 149 title bout over Middle Tennessee’s Jacob Freeman that temporarily put the Midshipmen back among the top five teams.

Navy Prep had nine qualifiers to nationals, and seven of them wrestled in Saturday’s placing finals. Daniel Hawkins won the second of Navy Prep’s titles with a 20-second pin of Stefan Hass of James Madison in the 184 final. It was the quickest pin in a final in NCWA history. Navy Prep finished sixth overall with 72.5 points, and would have placed as high as third if not for losing 39 team points on uniform violations. Josh Bailey contributed to the total placing behind Hawkins at 197 in seventh, and Cody Lambert was eighth at 133.

Air Force Prep had eight qualifiers with four in the finals rounds and claimed the three national champions. Mossing’s win over Sutton in the 157 final ended the academy prep string and sent Air Force Prep into the top 10 to stay. It would finish eighth overall with 67.5 points, but also lost two-dozen team points on uniform violations.

Stuart Maddox became a three-time All-American, bouncing back from a loss in last year’s 235 final to claim the title with a second chance. Maddox beat Liberty’s Canady in the final, 5-3.

Washington State won the Division II title with 66.5 points. Brett Johnson, a returning All-American at 165, added another top finish with third place there this season. And Dave Stratton added a fifth-place finish at heavyweight. The Cougars had a host of points come from consolation matches as well.

The Cougars are arguably the west’s top team, but it would be Montana Western contesting that point. UMW scored its first NCWA champion in only the second year of the program as Ruger Piva won the 165 bracket, beating Johnson in the semifinals earlier in the day. Montana Western also had Jonathan Wiley place third at 184. UMW was only seven points behind WSU and was theDivision II runner-up.

Glenn Geurink gave Davenport its first NCWA champion also as the heavyweight champion. Geurink edged Pelletier 3-2 in the final. Helped by Yates’ title win at 133, Davenport placed 13th in Division I with 49.5 points in its first NCWA season.

The Coach of the Year Award went to Marion Military’s head coaching pair of Jim Hazewinkel and Dave Hazewinkel, who quietly snuck the Tigers into fifth place despite only two All-Americans. MMI qualified 11 wrestlers, and their combined runs through the consolation brackets boosted the points earned by returning All-American DeAndre Beck (eighth place at 141) and Michael Whalen (fourth at 165).

It was a rough tournament overall, as five of the finals matches, or roughly 11 percent of the round, was forfeited due to medical defaults.

NCWA FINAL STANDINGS AND RESULTS

Here are the results from Saturday’s finals matches:

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Most Outstanding Wrestler – Ryan Diehl, Liberty, 141 lbs. (Diehl also won in 2014; he is the first two-time MOW in NCWA history)

Coach of the Year –Jim Hazewinkel and Dave Hazewinkel, Marion Military

125 lbs.
Championship – Isaac Jimenez, U.S. Air Force Prep, def. Tim Nordan, Liberty, 7-4
3rd place – Scotty Stossel, Penn State, def. Michael Dauterive, Texas-Arlington, 8-2
5th place – Timothy Sakow, Central Florida, def. Alvaro Gallego, Arizona, by fall 6:22
7th place – Shane Shaffner, Middle Tennessee, def. Brett Himes, Penn State-DuBois, 15-3

133 lbs.
Championship – Zach Yates, Davenport, def. John Twomey, U.S. Air Force, by fall 2:05
3rd place – Zach Vatalare, Michigan, def. Eric Feuerbacher, Middle Tennessee, 3-1
5th place – Jacob Wasserman, Florida, def. Austin Vajen, Central Florida, 9-2
7th place – Carson Henry, Rochester, def. Cody Lambert, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, 5-2

141 lbs.
Championship – Ryan Diehl, Liberty, def. Adam Connell, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, 11-1
3rd place – Alexis Martinez, Glendale CC, def. Zane Corey, Grand Valley State, 7-0
5th place – Ike Podell, Liberty, def. Carlos Garcia, Middle Tennessee, 12-2
7th place – Casey Glassgow, Wayne State, def. DeAndre Beck, Marion Military, medical forfeit

149 lbs.
Championship – Nicholas Gil, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, def. Jacob Freeman, Middle Tennessee, 11-6
3rd place – Trevor Scott, Rochester, def. Nick Cegelski, USC, 15-10
5th place – Raul Moraga, Arizona, def. Trace Thome, Florida, default
7th place – Joe Staley, James Madison, def. John Chillem, Rowan, 8-2

157 lbs.
Championship – Alex Mossing, U.S. Air Force Academy Prep, def. Hunter Sutton, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, 3-2
3rd place – Trey Gregory, James Madison, def. Dillon Harris, South Puget Sound CC, 6-4
5th place – Christian Grillo, Central Florida, def. Bailey Bischer, Grand Valley State, 1-0
7th place – Ty Haines, Penn State-DuBois, def. Thomas Miller, Rochester, 11-1

165 lbs.
Championship – Ruger Piva, Montana Western, def. Clay Kocsis, Penn State-Mont Alto, 4-3
3rd place – Brett Johnson, Washington State, def. Michael Whalen, Marion Military, 12-2
5th place – Frankie McKeown, Alabama, def. Chase Boontjer, Liberty, medical forfeit
7th place – Connor Hanson, Rochester, def. Brandon Rochester, South Puget Sound CC, 8-4

174 lbs.
Championship – Josh Llopez, Liberty, def. Phil Marra, Penn State-New Kensington, 8-2
3rd place – Caynan Klessig, Wisconsin, def. Jacob Powers, Maine, 9-5
5th place – Cory Berry, Rochester, def. Derek Wojcik, Mercer, medical forfeit
7th place – Tyler Thomas, Saginaw Valley State, def. Joe Roehl, Mott CC, medical forfeit

184 lbs.
Championship – Anthony McLaughlin, U.S. Air Force Prep, def. Wesley Schultz, Rochester, 13-8
3rd place – Jonathan Wiley, Montana Western, def. KeyShaun Ward, Liberty, 5-3
5th place – River Roberston, Maine, def. Logan Shirey, Penn State-DuBois, medical forfeit
7th place – Jonathan Roberts, Middle Tennessee, def. Dennis Lumadue, Penn State-DuBois, by fall 1:40

197 lbs.
Championship – Daniel Hawkins, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, by fall 0:20
3rd place – Wayne Sanders, Saginaw Valley State, def. Jake Ferris, Central Washington, 4-3
5th place – Vincent Jiovenetta, Central Florida, def. Alec Shunnarah, Auburn, 4-2
7th place – Josh Bailey, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, def. Matt Reynolds, Liberty, 12-8

235 lbs.
Championship – Stuart Maddox, North Florida, def. Evan Canady, Liberty, 5-3
3rd place – Tyrell Walker, Central Florida, def. Noah Huxley, Florida Gulf Coast, 11-4
5th place – Thomas Ott, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, def. Zack McCarley, Central Washington, 3-2 TB-5
7th place – Michael Dyer, Rochester, def. Stevan Webb, Connecticut, by fall 1:40

285 lbs.
Championship – Glenn Geurink, Davenport, def. Josh Pelletier, Liberty, 3-2
3rd place – Theo Agbi, Amherst, def. Ian Jones, Apprentice, 6-4 TB-2
5th place – Dave Stratton, Washington State, def. Luis Pinto, Rochester, by fall 2:43
7th place – Rickey Carter, Florida A&M, def. Rashied Rayford, Middle Tennessee, 4-2

MEN’S DIVISION I STANDINGS
1. Liberty 194.0
2. Middle Tennessee 127.5
3. Rochester College (Minn.) 120.5
4. Central Florida 93.0
5. Marion Military 74.0
6. U.S. Naval Academy Prep 72.5
7. Apprentice 70.0
8. U.S. Air Force Academy Prep 67.5
9. Grand Valley State 66.0
10. Wayne State College (Neb.) 48.0
11t. Penn State-DuBois 47.0
11t. North Florida 47.0
13. Davenport (Mich.) 43.5
14. Florida Gulf Coast 38.5
15. Penn State-Mont Alto 37.0
16. Mercer 28.0
17. Penn State-New Kensington 27.0
18. Alfred State 24.5
19. Md.-Baltimore County 16.0
20t. MIT 15.0
20t. South Florida 15.0
22. RPI 13.0
23. Mott CC (Mich.) 12.5
24. West Chester 8.0
25t. East Tennessee State 3.0
25t. Penn State-Greater Allegheny 3.0
27. New Hampshire 2.5
28. Georgia Southern (-5.5)

DIVISION II
1. Washington State 66.5
2. Montana Western 59.5
3. Florida 58.5
4. Maine 49.5
5. South Puget Sound CC (Wash.) 48.0
6. Texas-Arlington 47.0
7. Glendale CC (Ariz.) 37.0
8. Arizona 36.5
9t. Central Washington 35.0
9t. Penn State 35.0
9t. Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) 35.0
12. Toledo 33.5
13. North Texas 28.5
14. Connecticut 27.5
15. James Madison 26.0
16. Dixie State (Utah) 25.0
17. Michigan 22.5
18t. Akron 21.0
18t. Rowan 21.0
20. Temple 19.5
21. Auburn 19.0
22t. Amherst 17.5
22t. USC 17.5
22t. Wisconsin 16.5
25. Florida A&M 16.5
26. Texas State 15.5
27. Henry Ford CC (Mich.) 14.5
28. Alabama 14.0
29t. Georgia 13.5
29t. UCLA 13.5
30. Texas 13.0
31. Memphis 12.5
32. Texas A&M 12.0
33t. Colorado State 11.0
33t. Fresno State 11.0
36. BYU 10.5
37. Tennessee 9.5
38. East Carolina 9.0
39t. Ohio State 8.0
39t. SUNY-Cortland 8.0
41t. Bowling Green 7.5
41t. Colorado 7.5
41t. Northern Kentucky 7.5
44. Kennesaw State 4.0
45t. Minn.-Duluth 3.0
45t. Northeastern 3.0
45t. VMI 3.0
48t. Lafayette 2.0
48t. UC-Merced 2.0
50. Idaho 1.5
51. Concordia-Ann Arbor (Mich.) 0.5
52t. Albany 0
52t. Northwest Missouri State 0
52t. Rutgers 0
52t. William and Mary 0
56. Montclair State (N.J.) (-1.5)
57. Massachusetts (-4.5)
NCWWA STANDINGS AND RESULTS

INDIVIDUAL FINALS RESULTS (top three are All-American)

Most Outstanding Wrestler – Samantha Frank, Maine, 105 lbs.
Coach of the Year – Josh White, Southwestern Oregon CC

105 lbs.
Championship – Samantha Frank, Maine, def. Mikayla Pica, Southwestern Oregon CC, by fall 3:50
3rd place – Lisa Anderson, Ottawa, def. Melissa Ortiz, Southwestern Oregon CC, by fall 1:13
5th place – Rose Heurtelou, Springfield Tech, def. Amber Radcliff, Florida Gulf Coast, by fall 6:35

112 lbs.
(round robin format)
Champion – Yolanda Lawes, Southwestern Oregon CC (4-0)
Runner-up – Alison Johnson, Southwestern Oregon CC (2-2)
3rd place – Tabitha Sparks, Ottawa (2-2)

119 lbs.
Championship – Franchesca Ybarra, Southwestern Oregon CC, def. Cindy Calixto, Springfield Tech, 2-0
3rd place – Brandi Elizalde, Southwestern Oregon CC, def. Tracy Smith, Springfield Tech, 8-2

130 lbs.
Championship – Sadie Bailey, Southwestern Oregon CC, def. Avery Souders, North Texas, 17-6
3rd place – Sara Andersen, Massachusetts, def. Amanda Nelson, Springfield Tech, by fall 1:17

139 lbs.
Championship – Gloria Maldonado, Springfield Tech, def. Addie Lanning, Ottawa, 8-6
3rd place – Talisha Dozier, Southwestern Oregon CC, def. Anna Ernst, Springfield Tech, by fall 1:46

148 lbs.
(round robin format)
Champion – Amber Quintana, Southwestern Oregon CC (3-0)
Runner-up: Darla Allen, Ottawa (2-1)
3rd place – Cassie Corey, Massachusetts (1-2)

159 lbs.
Championship – Janelle Fuamatu, Southwestern Oregon CC, def. Milagros Garcia, Southwestern Oregon CC, by fall 4:07
3rd place – Samantha Edwinson, Ottawa, def. Grace Chambers, Ottawa, by fall 0:25

176 lbs.
(round-robin format)
Champion – Destane Garrick, Springfield Tech (4-0)
Runner-up – Aysha Schwinden, Southwestern Oregon CC (3-1)
3rd-place – Nicole Newton, Ottawa (2-2)

209 lbs.
Championship – Brandy Lowe, Ottawa, def. Amber Tahir, Ottawa, by fall 2:50
No 3rd place
WOMEN’S STANDINGS
1. Southwestern Oregon CC 128.0
2. Ottawa (Kan.) 98.0
3. Springfield (Mass.) Tech 64.5
4. Massachusetts 26.5
5. Maine 21.5
6. North Texas 16.0
7. Middle Tennessee 6.0
8. Texas 5.0
9. Central Washington 4.5
10. Texas A&M 2.5
11. MIT 2.0
12t. Florida Gulf Coast 0.0
12t. Texas State 0.0
12t. Texas-Arlington 0.0
12t. UC-Merced 0.0

Del Gallo headed to D-III wrestling nationals

The Gardiner native is just the sixth USM wrestler to reach the NCAA tournament

BY RANDY WHITEHOUSE STAFF WRITER

rwhitehouse@centralmaine.com | @RAWmaterial33 | 207-621-5638

Daniel Del Gallo describes himself as being “happy, not satisfied” to be competing in the NCAA Division III national championship tournament this weekend.

Del Gallo, a Gardiner native, is one of two University of Southern Maine wrestlers who advanced to the national tournament, which starts Friday in Hershey, Pa. Senior Jonathan Deupree is making his second consecutive appearance at nationals.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES

Daniel Del Gallo has enjoyed a standout season for the University of Southern Maine wrestling team. Del Gallo, of Gardiner, qualified for the Division III championships in Hershey, Pa. this week. He will compete in the 149-pound division.Contributed photo

“I want to do more and perform better at a higher level,” said Del Gallo, a sophomore who wrestles in the 149-pound weight class. “I was happy with my performance at regionals, especially leading up to the final. Everything worked out good.”

Del Gallo and Deupree punched their tickets to Pennsylvania with outstanding performances at the Northeast Regional championships two weekends ago in Bristol, RI. Del Gallo was the runner-up in his weight class. Seeded fourth, he upset top seed Joey Gaccione of Johnson & Wales with a pin at 4:36 of their semifinal. He nearly pulled off another upset in the championship match, taking second-seeded Eamonn Gaffney of Ithaca College to overtime before falling, 5-3.

It took some time for the three-time Class B state champion to adjust to college-style wrestling, yet he still posted an impressive 21-8 record as a freshman. Even after a disappointing ending last season, he never doubted he could become a champion again at the college level.

“At the end of last year, I didn’t place at regionals. That kind of lit the fire. I knew at the beginning of this year if I put the work in, I was going to make it to nationals,” he said. “It feels good to have all of the hard work pay off.”

It helped that Del Gallo could turn to Deupree for guidance and inspiration, and offered plenty of inspiration in return.

“We just feed off of each other,” Deupree said. “When I’m feeling down and tired, Dan brings me up.”

Deupree, a two-time regional champion at 184 pounds, is just the third USM wrestler to return to the NCAA tournament. Last year at nationals, he won his first match by forfeit, then lost the next two and was eliminated.

This year, he heads into the tournament with a 25-3 record and seeded second.

Deupree said mentally preparing for the tournament should be easier the second time around and is confident head coach Joe Pistone will have him and Del Gallo physically and mentally ready.

“The coaches design the practices leading up to nationals to keep our lungs open and stay loose and have us peak right at the tournament. It allows our bodies and minds to get ready for the tournament,” said Deupree, an Ozona, Fla. native.

Del Gallo is the seventh Husky ever to reach nationals. He is 36-3 and unseeded in the tournament, where he will take on No. 2 seed Derek Arnold of Ursinus College, the East region champion.

While he isn’t familiar with Arnold or most of the rest of his weight class, Del Gallo is confident heading into nationals, and thinks the coaches and Deupree will have him ready. “The entire year, we’ve been talking about going to nationals, so I have a feeling of what to expect,” he said.

So what does he expect?

“I’m expecting to win,’ he said. “I know I can wrestle at that level, and even if I don’t win I know I’m going to be an All-American (top eight finisher).”

Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638

USM wrestling is on a roll

The Huskies have two wrestlers competing in the NCAA Division III championships

BY MIKE LOWE STAFF WRITER

mlowe@pressherald.com | @MikeLowePPH | 207-791-6422

The University of Southern Maine’s wrestling program enjoyed its greatest success this winter, setting a record for most dual-meet wins (16) and sending two wrestlers to the upcoming NCAA Division III championships.

Huskies Coach Joe Pistone said the seeds of that success were planted a long time ago.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES

Jonathan Deupree

Joe Pistone

Daniel Del Gallo

“A lot of it was our preparation in the summer, with lifting and running and wrestling,” said Pistone, who’s been head of the program since 2003. “We had some pretty strong goals and objectives at the end of last season that carried over.”

He noted the Huskies also had a strong recruiting class that brought talent and attitude to the program.

“Every objective we made, short-term and long-term, was met,” said Pistone. “It’s a very exciting time for the USM Huskies.”

Senior Jonathan Deupree of Ozona, Florida, and sophomore Daniel Del Gallo of Gardiner can make it even more exciting. The two will compete in the NCAA championships Friday and Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Deupree defended his Division III Northeast Regional title at 184 pounds earlier this month, and Del Gallo finished second at 149 pounds.

Two other USM wrestlers received all-Northeast Region honors after finishing in the top five in the regional meet.

“It was a lot of hard work,” said Pistone.

Deupree is an interesting story. He is 26 and came to USM after wandering through colleges, jobs and training to be a mixed martial arts fighter. He grew up in Florida and attended the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky – an NAIA school that offered him a wrestling scholarship. He left after a year, attended a couple of community colleges and, he said “kept moving around.”

“I wasn’t focused, I didn’t have any direction in life,” he said. “Then I moved to Maine and I met the coaches here. They kind of gave me direction, which is what I needed. Wrestling has helped me finish school and achieve the things I always wanted to do.”

Deupree met USM assistant coach Mike Morin at a gym and the two got to talking. That led to him enrolling at the school. He’ll graduate in May with a degree in business administration.

Pistone said having Deupree on the team has been invaluable – and not just because he is a great wrestler.

Deupree, who is going to the NCAAs for the second straight year, is ranked second in the 182-pound weight class, according to d3wrestle.com.

“Jon has seen the world,” said Pistone. “He’s a role model to our kids, he really is. He can talk to them about life choices and decisions. He tells them that everything they do in their life now matters. It matters in five days, it matters in five years.

“He brings that perspective to academics and athletics. He has that mind frame. There are not many kids who can have that day in, day out influence.”

Deupree, who went 13-3 in dual meets and 6-0 in tournaments this year, said his three years at USM have been incredibly special.

“I can see the growth in this team,” he said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the coaching staff. They’re putting a lot more time in teaching basic technique, and because of that, the wrestling has gotten better.”

He’s looking forward to his second venture to the nationals and hopes to do better. “I want to win,” he said. “I want to win every time I step on the mat.”

Del Gallo (24-1 in dual meets, 8-1 in tournaments) is making his first trip to the nationals. Pistone is not surprised.

“After Daniel committed to USM, he came to our summer camp,” said Pistone. “This was between his senior year in high school and freshman year here. We had a bunch of NCAA champions and All-Americans conducting the camp. And he asked us, ‘What can I do to become an NCAA champion like them?’ ”

He got his instructions and obviously paid attention. Last season’s loss in the regionals – “the first time he had ever lost in a tournament,” said Pistone – fueled his success this year.

Carl Luth, a sophomore from Milford, Connecticut, finished fifth at 157 pounds in the regionals, and Sean Fagan, a senior from Arlington, Massachusetts, was fifth at 197 pounds. “To be recognized in the top six is a huge accomplishment,” said Pistone, who sees great things ahead for his program.

“We’ve got some wonderful young men in the program who go above and beyond in representing the state and the university.”