Lions assert dominance in home meet

Belfast goes 4-0 on the day against KVAC foes

By Staff |

Photo by: Ken Waltz

Belfast's John Capella, top, against Morse during a Jan. 24 high school wrestling meet, hosted by the Lions.

Lions I 

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Lions II 

BELFAST — The Belfast wrestling team hosted a relatively-quick, five-team meet on Saturday morning, Jan. 24 as the Lions welcomed Gardiner, Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield, Morse of Bath and Waldo County-neighbor Mount View of Thorndike to their home gymnasium.

As a team, the Lions dominated the competition and went 4-0 on the day as it bested the Tigers 66-18, upended the Huskies 77-6, defeated the Shipbuilders 48-36 and were victorious over the Mustangs 60-24.

The individual Belfast results, with Lion grapplers listed first, were:

106 pounds — Brendan Bruns won by forfeit over Gardiner and Mount View; pinned Zyanthony Moss, MCI; and pinned Jordan Douglas, Mor.

113 pounds — Austin Merando won by forfeit over Gardiner, MCI and Morse; and pinned Chris Barnard, MtV.

120 pounds — Chase Curry won by forfeit over Gardiner, Morse and Mount View; and pinned Chris Watrous, MCI.

126 pounds Tyler Stickney was pinned by Peter Delgallo, Gar; won by forfeit over MCI; and was pinned by Mick Swanson, Mor. Dakota Hustus was pinned by Jonathan Lawrence, MtV.

132 pounds — Dakota Coleman won by forfeit over Gardiner; was pinned by Dylan Dahlbergh, MCI; was pinned by Isaiah Cogswell, Mor; and was pinned by Jason Barnard, MtV.

138 pounds — Brandon Waterman won by forfeit over Gardiner, MCI, Morse and Mount View.

145 pounds — Jacob Racioppi won by forfeit over Gardiner and MCI; pinned Taylor Avery, Mor; and pinned Anthony Barnard, MtV.

152 pounds — David Warren won by forfeit over Gardiner, MCI and Mount View; and was pinned by Hunter Reed, Mor.

160 pounds — Jacob Waterman won by forfeit over Gardiner; pinned Hunter Sprague, MCI; was pinned by Raz Baltazar, Mor; and pinned Sierra Fonger, MtV.

170 pounds — Matthew Smith won by forfeit over Gardiner, Mount View and MCI; and was pinned by Chad Bonti, Mor.

182 pounds — Austin Sprague was pinned by Andrew Doody-Veilleux, Gar; won by forfeit over MCI; pinned Austin Talgo, Mor; and pinned Jack Axsom, MtV.

195 pounds — Caleb Hilt was pinned by Jacob Truman, Gar; won by forfeit over MCI and Morse; and pinned Toby Pontillo, MtV.

220 pounds — Travis Tran won by forfeit over Gardiner, MCI and Morse; and was pinned by Job Mesaric, MtV.

285 pounds — Jared Hansen won by forfeit over Gardiner and Morse; pinned Seth Wilcox, MCI; and was pinned by Chris Cole, MtV.

Mariners, Lions hit road to face Class A Indians, others in five-team meet

Belfast goes 2-2 on the day, Oceanside 1-3

By Staff | 

SKOWHEGAN — The Belfast and Oceanside wrestling teams were in action on Saturday, Jan. 17 as the squads hit the road for a five-team meet, along with Gardiner, Oxford Hills of South Paris and host Skowhegan.

The Lions went 2-2 on the day as they bested Gardiner 70-12 and upended Oceanside 65-18, but fell to Skowhegan 47-24 and to Oxford Hills 45-34.

The Mariners went 1-3 as they earned a 42-30 win over the Tigers, while falling not only to Belfast, but to Skowhegan 57-18 and to Oxford Hills 48-30.

Oceanside

The individual Oceanside results, with Mariner grapplers listed first, were:

120 pounds — Jayred Robishaw won by forfeit over Gardiner; and pinned Justin David, OxH, at 3:18.

126 pounds — Shannon Ripley won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oxford Hills.

138 pounds — Anthony Moore won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oxford Hills; lost to Brandon Waterman, Bel, 16-0; and lost to Luke Bolster, Skow, 9-1.

145 pounds — Alex Robbins was pinned by Chandler Wieczorek, Gar, at 1:20; was pinned by Julian Sirois, Skow, at 0:18; and was pinned by Jason Paradis, OxH, at 0:28.

152 pounds — Dallas Ball won by forfeit over Gardiner and Belfast; lost to Kameron Doucette, Skow, 22-6; and pinned Dawson Stevens, OxH, at 3:18.

160 pounds — Damien Benner won by forfeit over Gardiner, Belfast and Skowhegan; and was pinned by Jeff Merrill, OxH, at 3:18.

182 pounds — Alex McLaughlin was pinned by Andrew Doody-Veilleux, Gar, at 1:18; pinned Austin Sprague, Bel, at 4:07; won by forfeit over Skowhegan; and pinned Malik Geiger, OxH, at 4:25.

220 pounds — Alex Rackliffe won by forfeit over Gardiner; was pinned by Simon Lacasse, Bel, at 1:33; was pinned by Oakley Fortin, Skow, at 0:49; and was pinned by Jarrod Taylor, OxH, at 1:07.

285 pounds — Thomas Curtis won by forfeit over Gardiner; was pinned by Jared Hansen, Bel, at 0:46; pinned Caleb Vautier, Skow, at 6:49; and was pinned by Creighton Medeiros, OxH, at 3:18.

Belfast

The individual Belfast results, with Lion grapplers listed first, were:

106 pounds — Brendan Bruns beat Ian Land, Gar; won by forfeit over Oceanside; lost to Cody Craig, Skow; and pinned Stephen Dailey, OxH.

113 pounds — Austin Merando won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oceanside; lost to Samson Sirois, Skow; and won by forfeit over Oxford Hills.

120 pounds — Chase Curry won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oceanside; lost to Jon Bell, Skow; and beat Justin David, OxH.

126 pounds — Dakota Hustus won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oceanside; was pinned by Tyler Craig, Skow; and won by forfeit over Oxford Hills.

132 pounds — Dakota Coleman won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oceanside; was pinned by Cooper Holland, Skow; and was pinned by Dylan Cobbett, OxH.

138 pounds — Brandon Waterman won by forfeit over Gardiner; beat Anthony Moore, Ocean; lost to Luke Bolster, Skow; and won by forfeit over Oxford Hills.

145 pounds — Jacob Racioppi pinned Chandler Wieczorek, Gar; won by forfeit over Oceanside; was pinned by Julian Sirois, Skow; and lost to Dawson Stevens, OxH.

152 pounds — Jillian Young won by forfeit over Gardiner.

160 pounds — David Warren won by forfeit over Gardiner.

170 pounds — Matthew Smith won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oceanside; was pinned by Logan Stevens, Skow; and was pinned by Zachary Harris, OxH.

182 pounds — Austin Sprague was pinned by Andrew Doody-Veilleux, Gar; was pinned by Alex McLaughlin, Ocean; pinned Daniel Lawyerson, Skow; and was pinned by Malik Geiger, OxH.

195 pounds — Caleb Hilt was pinned by Jacob Truman, Gar; won by forfeit over Oceanside and Skowhegan; and was pinned by Tyler Wallace, OxH.

220 pounds — Simon Lacasse won by forfeit over Gardiner; pinned Alex Rackliffe, Ocean; pinned Oakley Fortin, Skow; and was pinned by Creighton Medeiros, OxH.

285 pounds — Jared Hansen won by forfeit over Gardiner and Oxford Hills; pinned Thomas Curtis, Ocean; and pinned Caleb Vautier, Skow.

Marshwood wrestlers pin down wins over Sanford, Biddeford

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — The Marshwood High School wrestling team does not believe in letdowns. Monday it turned belief into practice.


ZoomMike Whaley/foster’s daily Democrat Marshwood High School’s Jackson Howard (left) battles Sanford’s Jake Dexter at 152 pounds during Western Maine Class A wrestling action Monday in South Berwick, Maine.

By Mike Whaley

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — The Marshwood High School wrestling team does not believe in letdowns. Monday it turned belief into practice.

Coming off a huge win at the 20-team Michael J. Baker Wrestling Classic this past Friday and Saturday in Essex Junction, Vt. — which included Maine rivals Massabesic and Noble — the Hawks handled two Class A opponents in their final home meet of the regular season.

Marshwood, the defending Class A champion, pinned Biddeford, 57-19, and Sanford, 69-9. Biddeford beat Sanford, 42-36.

"We've beaten both these teams before, so we knew we had a pretty good shot," said Brett Gerry, who went 2-0 at 182 pounds and was one of the Hawks' two winners in Vermont, also at 182 (Cody Hughes was the other winner at 152). "We needed to not mess up. We had some tough matches. We basically had to do our job, don't screw up and give them any matches."

Multiple winners of contested matches for the Hawks included Gerry, Eric Glidden (120), Jackson Howarth (152), and Luke Howarth (170).

Marshwood jumped out quickly in both matches. They led the Tigers 57-3, before giving up the final 16 points. Against Sanford, the Hawks led 45-0 before the Spartans registered their first points, a pin at 195 pounds by Andrew Moriarty.

"We didn't wrestle well today," said Sanford coach Nate Smith. "We're young. I have four freshmen in the lineup, so hopefully they learn. It's not that we lost tough matches, we lost against (Biddeford) kids we can beat. We gave a better fight against Marshwood. Sometimes we wrestle at the level of our opponents, instead of wrestling tough against easier teams. We're wrestling kind of loose."
Marshwood had 10 pins against Sanford: Biruk Moore (113, 54 seconds), Glidden (120, 3:30), Owen Foye (126, 5:24), Killian Murphy (132, 1:00), Mason Lynch (138, 1:07), Nick Janes (145, 5:00), Hughes (160, 3:13), Luke Howarth (170, 1:47), Gerry (182, 4:31) and Eric Pratt (220, 2:42).
Jackson Howarth won at 152 over Jake Dexter, 6-0.

"We came out and did the same thing that we always do," Janes said. "We were really aggressive, and then when we get kids on their backs, we keep them there."

Sanford's other win came at 285 when Zach Courcy stopped Marshwood's Jeremy Perschy, 5-2.
Marshwood had six pins against Biddeford, coming from Elliot Allen (113, 3;12), Glidden, Tyler Davidson (126, 1:31), Sam Hebert (138, 3:36), Jackson Howarth (42 seconds) and Luke Howarth (1:25).
Gerry won a tight match over Biddeford's Derek Vermetti, 6-4. He needed a third-period takedown to pull out the win.

"It was close. He's a tough kid," Gerry added.

Marshwood bumped up a few kids and had some JVs wrestle well.

"I thought our guys wrestled well," Marshwood coach Matt Rix said. "Sanford was at that tournament. I think they looked a little tired. I was able to get some JVs in and rest up some kids who were banged from the weekend. They wrestled well. Our JV team took second place over at the Southern Maine Classic on Saturday."

Hughes, last year's outstanding wrestler at the Class A meet, is getting healthier, but is still wrestling with a mask to protect his mouth. He loosened some teeth in the preseason running into a wall.
Marshwood finishes up the regular season Saturday against the host Rams, Massabesic and Noble. On paper it looks like it could be a must-see meet coming one week before the regional meet set for Feb. 2 at Marshwood.

"I'm hearing they're sending their B teams," Rix said. "Those are league matches and they should come first."

Rix was also disappointed that Marshwood did not have scheduled dual meets on a Wednesday with either Noble or Massabesic.

"Those are the duals that we should be having," he said. "When you make a schedule, you say these are the matches that need to happen — just for spectator purposes. It's not doing the sport any good. (Massabesic or Noble) would be a great dual, win or lose."

Mariners, 'Stangs pin down wins against Witches, Broncos

Oceanside also bests Mount View in dual-match

By Staff Courier Publications

BREWER — The Oceanside and Mount View wrestling teams hit the mat running on Wednesday, Jan. 14 as the Mariners and Mustangs were part of a quad-meet, along with Hampden Academy and the host Brewer Witches.

There were many forfeits to go around for all squads, but in the end, the Mariners went 3-0 on the night and the Mustangs 2-1.

Oceanside earned a 42-18 win over the Witches, a 36-12 win over Hampden Academy and also bested Mount View 42-30.

Additionally, Mount View secured a 48-18 win over Brewer and a 48-12 win over Hampden Academy.

Oceanside

The individual Oceanside results, with Mariner grapplers listed first, were:

120 pounds — J. Robishaw won by forfeit over Mount View.

126 pounds — Shannon Ripley won by forfeit over Hampden Academy and Brewer.

138 pounds — Anthony Moore won by forfeit over Hampden Academy and Mount View; and was pinned by Michael Maybury, Bre.

145 pounds — Alex Robbins was pinned by Alexander Karris, HA; was pinned by Anthony Barnard, MtV, at 3:14; and won by forfeit over Brewer.

152 pounds — Dallas Ball pinned Kurt Speed, HA; and won by forfeit over Brewer and Mount View.

160 pounds — Damien Benner was pinned by Brendan Simon, HA; pinned Sierra Fonger, MtV, at 4:43; and won by forfeit over Brewer.

182 pounds — Alex McLaughlin won by forfeit over Hampden Academy and Brewer; and pinned Jack Axsom, MtV, at 1:25.

220 pounds — Alex Rackliffe won by forfeit over Hampden Academy, Mount View and Brewer.

285 pounds — Thomas Curtis won by forfeit over Hampden Academy, Brewer and Mount View.

Mount View

The individual Mount View results, with Mustang grapplers listed first, were:

113 pounds — Chris Barnard won by forfeit over Oceanside.

126 pounds — Jason Barnard won by forfeit over Brewer, Oceanside and Hampden Academy.

132 pounds — Jonathan Lawrence won by forfeit over Brewer, Oceanside and Hampden Academy.

145 pounds — Anthony Barnard won by forfeit over Brewer, pinned Alex Robbins, Ocean, at 3;14; and pinned Alexander Karris, HA.

160 pounds — Sierra Fonger won by forfeit over Brewer; was pinned by Damien Benner, Ocean, at 4:43; and was pinned by Brendan Simon, HA.

182 pounds — Jack Axsom won by forfeit over Brewer and Hampden Academy; and was pinned by Alex McLaughlin, Ocean, at 1:25.

195 pounds — Toby Pontillo won by forfeit over Brewer, Oceanside and Hampden Academy.

220 pounds — Job Mesaric won by forfeit over Brewer and Hampden Academy.

285 pounds — Christopher Cole won by forfeit over Brewer and Hampden Academy.

Lions pin down success, prevail over Black Raiders, Huskies

By Staff, Courier Publications

WINSLOW — The Belfast wrestling team hit the road for a tri-meet on Wednesday, Jan. 14, as the Lions squared off with Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield and the host Black Raiders of Winslow.

In the end, the Lions roared to a pair of wins as they bested the Black Raiders 63-15 and Huskies 70-12.

The individual Belfast results, with Lion grapplers listed first, were:

106 pounds — Brendan Bruns won by forfeit over Winslow; and pinned Zyanthony Moss, MCI.

113 pounds — Austin Merando beat Devon Vigue, Win; and won by forfeit over Maine Central Institute.

120 pounds — Chase Curry won by forfeit over Winslow; and beat Chris Watrous, MCI.

126 pounds — Dakota Hustus won by forfeit over Winslow and MCI.

132 pounds — Dakota Coleman won by forfeit over Winslow; and was pinned by Dylan Dahlberg, MCI.

138 pounds — Brandon Waterman pinned Anthony Park, Win; and won by forfeit over MCI.

145 pounds — Jacob Racioppi pinned Andrew Beckwith, Win; and won by forfeit over MCI.

160 pounds — Jesse Bishop won by forfeit over Winslow and MCI.

170 pounds — John Capella lost to Ryan Fredette, Win; and won by forfeit over MCI.

182 pounds — Austin Sprague won by forfeit over Winslow and MCI.

195 pounds — Caleb Hilt won by forfeit over Dylan Inman, Win; and won by forfeit over MCI.

220 pounds — Simon Lacasse was pinned by Nathaniel Beckwith, Win; and was pinned by Seth Wilcox, MCI.

285 pounds — Jared Hansen pinned Bryan Daviage, Win; and won by forfeit over MCI.

Huskies defeat Ohio Northern University and Calamut University

The Huskies defeat Ohio Northern University and Calamut University, both from Ohio to finish with a 2-2 record in the day! Pictured is USM captains Fagan, Frey and Deupree and would officially like to welcome Brandon Curtis and Lucas Dion to the USM wrestling family! Both transferre here and filled huge holes at 125 and 141! Curtis had an outstanding day finishing with a 3-1 record!

USM's Luth moves up to 165lbs and earns a fall against Ohio Northern University! USM holds a 27-0 lead over Ohio Northern University however dropped a close one to the Univ of Wisconsin-Plattville 24-21 and a convincing loss to #4 in the nation Wabash College 40-10.

Dirigo Wrestling VS Fryeburg

DIXFIELD-In wrestling, the out  come is often determined on match-ups because some teams are stronger than the opposition is in certain weight classes. So, it can extremely important where a teams strengths or weaknesses lie.

Dirigo has been quite successful through out the season with a group of underclassmen, however, it remains well aware that things can turn upside down in an instant.

The Cougars proved to have enough when it counted and passed the test in a series of Mid State League dual meets, that included a 42-33 win over  Fryeburg Academy at Defoe Gymnasium.

Dirigo also man handled Madison 72-12 and Wiscasset72-0.

''We don't match up well against Fryeburg,"Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said.

''We'd rather start at the lower weights because we are stronger, where as they have strength is in the upper weights.''

Cougar freshman Jon Wainwright stopped the bleeding with a big pin on Dylan Knapp, at 106-pounds. Wainwright jumped ahead 8-2, behind a couple pinning combinations. In the second period Wainwright took advantage of Knapp's inactivity and  exposed the Raider wrestlers back to the mat. He secured a reverse-half nelson for the stick.                                              

Dirigo had beat four of five teams en route to finishing second at the Kennebunk Duals, the previous weekend. They beat Wells, Kennebunk, Biddeford and Lisbon. In the championship meet, the Cougars were manhandled by three-time Class A state champion Marshwood.    

''We wrestled well at the Duals,'Gilbert said. ''We beat Wells rather handily, but then didn't start out looking very good against Kennebunk. Our team is young and they feed off each other. So, once a couple won back to back then things just started to snowball.''

After the Kennebunk meet, the coaching staff talked to the wrestlers. Evidently, the tongue-lashing hit home because the Cougars went out and dominated Biddeford.          

Dirigo wrestlers recorded five big pins against Wiscasset, beginning with Griffyn Smith (120), in the first period. In fact, each stick came in the first period, with tight waists.  Colin Woodhead (145) in 44 seconds; Spencer Vaughan, 1:07. Dalton Berry (182) and Lucas ''Bull'' MacDonald (195) in 23 and 25 seconds, respectively. The Cougars had their way with Madison, also. Vaughan and Berry each stuck opponents. Ethan Bryant of Dirigo was pinned at 160.

Dirigo is the defending Class C state champion and received an ''eye opener' from its main rival. Deter forfeited six weight classes (36 team points) against Kennebunk, but rallied back to beat the Rams. Dexter have nine wrestlers who could place at the state meet next month, in Fryeburg. Dirigo has 11 wrestlers who will each need to score. Freshmen freshman Chase Thebarge (103) and Wainwright.

Gus Brown (126). 2013 state finalists Tucker Bennett (132), Hunter White (138), Bryce Whittemore (152)  and Vaughan.

.White executed a pin against JD Martin of Lisbon. Martin had stuck the Cougar sophomore in the state finals. 

SoMaine at Madison Square Garden

Pictured is USM Senior Captain Sean Fagan, competing at Madison Square Garden in December! Fagan finished second at the Scott Viera Invitation hosted by Roger Williams University and nearly defeated NCAA All American David Welch in the Championship final, dropping an exciting 5-4 match. Fagan, a senior, has had such a remarkable and consistent career at USM, clinching many, many dual meets wins and has the abilities to advance to the NCAA National Tournament and become an NCAA All American! Onward and upward, Fagan is on his WAY!

Hawks find the 'mo' to battle past Noble

By Mike Whaley mwhaley@fosters.com

Click image to enlarge Whaley/Democrat photo Marshwood's Bradley Beaulieu, top, battles Noble's Austin Shorey at 120 pounds during Western Maine Class A dual meet action Wednesday in South Berwick.

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Marshwood High School wrestling coach Matt Rix thought he might experiment with the 120-pound division during Wednesday’s Class A dual meet with rival Noble. But when the meet was slated to start at 120, Rix thought better of that move.

Instead he went with tested Bradley Beaulieu against Noble’s Austin Shorey, the seventh time in two years the two sophomores had met. Beaulieu made it a perfect 7 for 7 with a 10-4 decision and the Hawks went on to stop the Knights, 37-21.

“Every time it’s a good match with him,” Beaulieu said. “This time I really went out there to score a lot more points. I went out and just dominated the match. I felt great.”

After Beaulieu’s win put the Hawks up, 3-0, Noble went up 12-6 thanks to Jonathan Grenier’s pin at 126, Jake Martel in a surprise win over Marshwood’s Killian Murphy at 132, 7-5, and Josh Grenier’s 11-8 win at 145.

Marshwood, however, reeled off wins in the next five matches to take a commanding 28-12 lead, with its three multiple returning state champs smack in the middle of that — Jackson Howarth, Cody Hughes and Brett Gerry. 

Click image to enlarge Whaley/Democrat photo Marshwood's Killian Murphy, top, tries to wrap up Noble's Jake Martel at 132 pounds during Western Maine Class A dual meet action Wednesday in South Berwick.

Noble kept some life with Zac Schluntz’s win by pin at 220 to close to 28-18, but at 285, Marshwood’s Zach Eastman wrestled up from 220 and surprised Noble’s promising freshman, Eric Pilcher, with a pin at 4:23 to sew up the win.

“He moves a little bit better on the mat,” said Rix of Eastman. “He’s been wrestling longer and has a little more experience. That’s kind of why we went with him.”

Marshwood’s other wins came at 138 (Eric Glidden, 14-11), 152 (Justin Stacy, 8-2), 160 (Howarth, 16-2 major decision), 170 (Austin Boyle, 8-2), 182 (Hughes, pin, 51 seconds), 195 (Gerry, pin, 3:40), and 106 (Kyle Glidden, 16-8).

Noble’s other win came at 113 from Hil Keisker, 10-6, over Matt Caverly.

The Beaulieu-Shorey match was tight until late in the second period when Beaulieu was able to widen a 4-3 lead to 8-3.

The two met in both the regional and state finals last winter with Beaulieu claiming both titles.

“I wanted to set the tone and get our guys going,” Beaulieu said about winning the first match of the night. “I think we came out a little flat in the beginning, but once we got the momentum we kept rolling on it. I think we wrestled great. It was important getting that win, especially where everybody thought it might be a close match. But opening it up, it built us up and said we can do this. We can put it to them. It was just a great performance by us.” 

Click image to enlarge Whaley/Democrat photo Noble's Otto Keisker, top, battles Marshwood's Justin Stacy at 152 pounds during Western Maine Class A dual meet action Wednesday in South Berwick.

Three matches that Noble coach Kip DeVoll felt his team could have won were 138, 152 and 285.

“We figured it would be a little bit closer,” DeVoll said. “We didn’t get it done. That’s the bottom line.”

The Stacy win over Noble’s Otto Keisker at 152 was one of those that DeVoll was leaning on.

“I don’t know if he wasn’t feeling well or what,” DeVoll said. “I think that’s where the tide turned right there. We expected our heavyweight to do a little better. Those things start adding up.”

The biggest win for the Knights probably came from Martel, who took an early 5-0 lead at 132 on Murphy and then held on.

“Once I got the lead, I kept the pace,” Martel said. “I tried to set the pace and kept the pace. I kept it up the whole match. I didn’t give him a chance to recover.”

Both teams are back in action this weekend. Noble hosts the Southern Maine Classic, which Marshwood will send some wrestlers to. The Hawks are also going to as tournament in Essex Junction, Vt. 

'Stangs host Windjammers, Vikings in mid-week tri-meet

Camden Hills' Taylor Crosby, left, and Mount View's Anthony Barnard face off at 145 pounds during a Jan. 7 high school wrestling meet in Thorndike.

THORNDIKE — Despite being supremely undermanned against the two opponents, the Mount View wrestling team performed well on Wednesday night, Jan. 7 in a home meet against defending state Class B champion Camden Hills and Class A Oxford Hills of South Paris.

The Windjammers earned a split as they bested Mount View 40-18 and fell to Oxford Hills 51-27. The Mustangs also lost to the Vikings 66-18.

The individual Camden Hills and Mount View results were:

113 pounds — Hilary Merrifield, CH, pinned Chris Barnard, MtV, at 2:25; and won by forfeit over Oxford Hills. Barnard won by forfeit over Oxford Hills.

126 pounds — Camden Hills lost by forfeit to Jason Barnard, MtV; and lost by forfeit to Oxford Hills. Barnard was pinned by Taylor Gudeahn-Alleano, OxH, at 2:33.

138 pounds — John Underhill, CH, won by forfeit over Mount View; and pinned Talon Mederios, OxH.

145 pounds — Taylor Crosby, CH, beat Anthony Barnard, MtV; and lost to Dawson Stevens, OxH. Barnard was pinned by Dawson Stevens, OxH, at 3:56.

152 pounds — Alex Vokey, CH, won by forfeit over Mount View; and beat Jason Paradis, OxH.

170 pounds — Eben Merrifield, CH, pinned Sierra Fonger, MtV, at 1:04; and was pinned by Zachary Harris, OxH. Fonger was pinned by Zachary Harris, OxH, at 0:19.

182 pounds — Wyatt Parra, CH, pinned Jack Axsom, MtV, at 1:49; and was pinned by Malik Geiger, OxH. Axsom was pinned by Logan Truman, OxH, at 1:22.

195 pounds — Camden Hills lost by forfeit to Toby Pontillo, MtV; and lost by forfeit to Oxford Hills. Pontillo was pinned by Tyler Wallace, OxH, at 0:32.

220 pounds — Camden Hills lost by forfeit to Job Mesaric, MtV. Bryan Clement, CH, pinned Jarrod Taylor, OxH. Mesaric pinned Jarrod Taylor, OxH, at 4:18.

285 pounds — Logan Mulliken, CH, won by forfeit over Mount View and Oxford Hills. Chris Cole won by forfeit over Oxford Hills.

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

Mount View's Job Mesaric, left, Jason Barnard, middle, and Anthony Barnard.(Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Taylor Crosby, left, and Oxford Hills' Dawson Stevens. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Alex Vokey. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Eben Merrifield, left, and Oxford Hills' Zachary Harris. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Dwight Collins, left, and Eli Miller. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Wyatt Parra, right, and Oxford Hills' Malik Geiger. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Bryan Clement, back, and Oxford Hills' Jarrod Taylor. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Mount View's Chris Barnard, left, against Oxford Hills. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Mount View athletic trainer Casey Holmes works on blood coming from the lip/mouth of Jason Barnard. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Mount View's Anthony Barnard. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Mount View's Job Mesaric, back, and Oxford Hills' Jarrod Taylor. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Taylor Crosby, left, and Mount View's Anthony Barnard. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Camden Hills' Hilary Merrifield, right, and Mount View's Chris Barnard. (Photo by: Ken Waltz)

Lions pick quad-meet clean with wins over three opponents

Belfast 3-0 in matches with Mount Ararat, Morse, Lincoln Academy

TOPSHAM — Participating in a quad-meet on Friday, Jan. 9, the Belfast wrestling team again brought a winning attitude to its matches against the host Mount Ararat Eagles, along with Morse of Bath and Lincoln Academy of Newcastle — and it showed.

BAHS finished 3-0 on the day as it beat the host Eagles 54-24, upended the Shipbuilders 48-30 and roared past Lincoln Academy 78-6.

The individual Belfast results, with Lion grapplers listed first, were:

106 pounds — Artem Richter won by forfeit over Mount Ararat; was pinned by Jordan Douglas, Mor; and pinned Travis Knof, LA.

113 pounds — Austin Merando pinned Sam Bernier, MtA; won by forfeit over Morse; and pinned Dylan Soohey, LA.

120 pounds — Chase Curry pinned Alexus Witherall, MtA; won by forfeit over Morse; and pinned Zachary Robbins, LA.

126 pounds — Tyler Stickney won by forfeit over Mount Ararat, Morse and Lincoln Academy.

132 pounds — Dakota Coleman lost to Colin Blake, MtA; was pinned by Isaiah Cogswell, Mor; and won by forfeit over Lincoln Academy.

138 pounds — Brandon Waterman pinned Justin Milne, MtA; pinned Mick Swanson, Mor; and beat James Benner, LA.

145 pounds — Jacob Racioppi beat Emory Hudson, MtA; pinned Nathaniel Rose, Mor; and pinned Edwin Bradbury, LA.

152 pounds — Giovani Golgano pinned Christian Chappetta, MtA; was pinned by Hunter Reed, Mor; and beat Keegan Dunican, LA.

160 pounds — David Warren was pinned by Adam Ewing, MtA. Matthew Smith won by forfeit over Morse and Lincoln Academy.

170 pounds — Matthew Smith was pinned by Robert Hetherman, MtA. Chase Hansen was pinned by Raz Baltazar, Mor; and won by forfeit over Lincoln Academy.

182 pounds — Austin Sprague pinned Jason Black, MtA; and won by forfeit over Morse and Lincoln Academy.

195 pounds — Brandon Butler was pinned by John Hetherman, MtA. Jared Vaughn was pinned by Austin Talgo, Mor; and pinned Trevor Jones, LA.

220 pounds — Jared Vaughn lost to Dylan Schenk, MtA.

285 pounds — Jared Hansen pinned Pierce Knorr, MtA; won by forfeit over Morse; and pinned Sam Bailey, LA.

Hawks find the 'mo' to battle past Noble

Noble's Otto Keisker, top, battles Marshwood's Justin Stacy at 152 pounds during Western Maine Class A dual meet action Wednesday in South Berwick, Maine. Mike Whaley/Foster's Daily Democrat By Mike Whaley Foster's Daily Democrat  
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — Marshwood High School wrestling coach Matt Rix thought he might experiment with the 120-pound division during Wednesday’s Class A dual meet with rival Noble. But when the meet was slated to start at 120, Rix thought better of that move.

• Instead he went with tested Bradley Beaulieu against Noble’s Austin Shorey, the seventh time in two years the two sophomores had met. Beaulieu made it a perfect 7 for 7 with a 10-4 decision and the Hawks went on to stop the Knights, 37-21.

  “Every time it’s a good match with him,” Beaulieu said. “This time I really went out there to score a lot more points. I went out and just dominated the match. I felt great.”

  After Beaulieu’s win put the Hawks up, 3-0, Noble went up 12-6 thanks to Jonathan Grenier’s pin at 126, Jake Martel in a surprise win over Marshwood’s Killian Murphy at 132, 7-5, and Josh Grenier’s 11-8 win at 145.

  Marshwood, however, reeled off wins in the next five matches to take a commanding 28-12 lead, with its three multiple returning state champs smack in the middle of that — Jackson Howarth, Cody Hughes and Brett Gerry.

  Noble kept some life with Zac Schluntz’s win by pin at 220 to close to 28-18, but at 285, Marshwood’s Zach Eastman wrestled up from 220 and surprised Noble’s promising freshman, Eric Pilcher, with a pin at 4:23 to sew up the win.

  “He moves a little bit better on the mat,” said Rix of Eastman. “He’s been wrestling longer and has a little more experience. That’s kind of why we went with him.”

  Marshwood’s other wins came at 138 (Eric Glidden, 14-11), 152 (Justin Stacy, 8-2), 160 (Howarth, 16-2 major decision), 170 (Austin Boyle, 8-2), 182 (Hughes, pin, 51 seconds), 195 (Gerry, pin, 3:40), and 106 (Kyle Glidden, 16-8).

  Noble’s other win came at 113 from Hil Keisker, 10-6, over Matt Caverly.

  The Beaulieu-Shorey match was tight until late in the second period when Beaulieu was able to widen a 4-3 lead to 8-3.

  The two met in both the regional and state finals last winter with Beaulieu claiming both titles.

  “I wanted to set the tone and get our guys going,” Beaulieu said about winning the first match of the night. “I think we came out a little flat in the beginning, but once we got the momentum we kept rolling on it. I think we wrestled great. It was important getting that win, especially where everybody thought it might be a close match. But opening it up, it built us up and said we can do this. We can put it to them. It was just a great performance by us.”

  Three matches that Noble coach Kip DeVoll felt his team could have won were 138, 152 and 285.

  “We figured it would be a little bit closer,” DeVoll said. “We didn’t get it done. That’s the bottom line.”

  The Stacy win over Noble’s Otto Keisker at 152 was one of those that DeVoll was leaning on.

  “I don’t know if he wasn’t feeling well or what,” DeVoll said. “I think that’s where the tide turned right there. We expected our heavyweight to do a little better. Those things start adding up.”

  The biggest win for the Knights probably came from Martel, who took an early 5-0 lead at 132 on Murphy and then held on.

  “Once I got the lead, I kept the pace,” Martel said. “I tried to set the pace and kept the pace. I kept it up the whole match. I didn’t give him a chance to recover.”

  Both teams are back in action this weekend. Noble hosts the Southern Maine Classic, which Marshwood will send some wrestlers to. The Hawks are also going to as tournament in Essex Junction, Vt.

MDI Wrestlers pin hopes on wins

by Liz Graves

BAR HARBOR — The Mount Desert Island High School wrestling team won two of three contests in a home meet last Wednesday, defeating Bucksport and Mattanawcook Academy before falling to Ellsworth.

Against Mattanawcook, Abrahm Malloy and Marcus Parsons won by forfeit. Elijah Malloy won his match with a pin in the second period. Taner Bickford lost, but earned some points for a reversal. Silas VanDine and Jordan Hodgdon won by forfeit and Kristian Wehrfritz was defeated. The score was MDI 36 – Mattanawcook 12.

Big wins for MDI at small wrestling meet.

Against Bucksport, Abrahm Malloy pinned his opponent in the third period. Marcus Parsons won his match in the first 30 seconds despite one escape by his opponent. Elijah Malloy won his match. Wilder Young lost a very close match by decision, 13-8 points. VanDine lost by fall but earned points for a takedown. The final score was MDI 30 – Bucksport 27.

The Trojans fell to Ellsworth 41-29 at that meet, with Parsons the only winner of a match for the team in a technical fall against Will McDonough.

At Skowhegan Saturday, Elijah Malloy finished fourth in his weight class in the tournament-style meet, Coach Chip Dugans said. Young lost to a Skowhegan wrestler in the semifinals and fell in the consolation final. “It was the third period, he had had the kid on this back pretty much the whole time but got rolled at the last minute,” Dugans said.

“As the season winds towards an end, we start focusing on different things for each wrestler,” he said. “We have enough of a sample size to know what they’re doing and mistakes they’re making, so we tailor practices a little more to what will help them.”

The team has two more regular meets before the PVCs, including Jan. 17 in Ellsworth and Jan. 24 in Caribou.

Wildcats pin down three titles at Kennebunk Duals

Smith, Elsemore, Slusher claim respective weight classes

By Jay Pinsonnault
jpinsonnault@seacoastonline.com

The York High School wrestling team earned two wins at Saturday’s Kennebunk Duals, beating Portland (37-24) and Cheverus (41-28).

However, coach Wally Caldwell was more impressed with the three individuals who brought home titles.

Josh Smith (152 pounds), Connor Elsemore (170) and Mark Slusher (195) all defeated competitors that they lost to earlier in the season for the win.
Elsemore pinned Portland’s Greg Cassela in the first period of their match, Slusher beat Marshwood’s Tyler Fife, 7-3, and Smith pinned Marshwood’s Justin Stacey in the first round of their match.

“All three kids beat kids who they lost to earlier in the season, that’s a real confidence booster,” Caldwell said. “Its huge and it also justifies the stuff we do in practice and them having faith in themselves. They all worked hard to turn the corner and that’s what you want to be doing at this point of the season. If all three of those guys had lost, to the same in the kids they had lost to before, they’re saying ‘I am killing myself and I am not getting anything for it.’ Well, this way, they are killing themselves, but they are getting something for it.
“If those three had lost, it would’ve been an OK day from a team perspective,” Caldwell continued. “The fact that they won those matches, those are our marquee wrestlers right now and those are the ones who you need to win. Those are the guys we count on, those are the guys who set the tone in practice. Those are the ones who need to get the big W’s and they got them on Saturday. II thought it was a great day.”

The Wildcats were coming off a 36-30 win over Fryeburg last Wednesday in dual meet. The Wildcats had first period pin wins from Smith (5:20), Josh Mackamin (3:07), and Jon Mackamin (2:58). The other three wins were by forfeit.

York will host its third match of the season on Saturday with the inaugural Hammerhead Duals. Teams scheduled to complete include Wells, Massabesic, Dirigo, Monmouth, Oak Hill, Boothbay and Wiscasset.

“It’s always nice to have a home meet,” Caldwell said.

Knight moves: Noble pins undermanned Mustangs

By MIKE WHALEY mwhaley@fosters.com

Click image to enlarge Noble’s Joe Pilecki, top, tussles with Massabesic’s Leo Amabile at 106 pounds during Western Maine Class A wrestling action Wednesday in North Berwick. (Whaley/Democrat photo)

NORTH BERWICK, Maine — With rival Massabesic among the wrestling visitors to Noble High School on Wednesday, coach Kip DeVoll expected a little more energy out of his Knights.

He didn’t get it. But Noble, which starts nine freshmen and sophomores, still won the Western Maine Class A match over the undermanned Mustangs, 60-18, who forfeited five weight classes. The Knights also beat Deering, 75-6.

“I didn’t think we wrestled that well tonight,” DeVoll said. “We were sloppy. The intensity wasn’t there. You’d think they’d be fired up at home. We don’t get many home meets. … They still got it done, but it was a lot uglier than I would have liked.”

The forfeits may have played a role in taking some of the intensity out of a match that would have been much closer had the Mustangs been at full strength.

Noble’s contested wins came from John Grenier (pin, 132 pounds), Chris Ziadeh (OT pin, 160), Jamal Durrani (pin, 170), Hil Keisker (11-8 decision, 113), and Austin Shorey (pin, 120).

Otto Keisker lost a tight 5-2 decision to Massabesic’s Zac Richard, 5-2 — the rubber-match third meeting between the two this season. 

Click image to enlarge Whaley/Democrat photo Massabesic's Zac Richard, top, takes Noble's Otto Keisker to the mat at 152 pounds during Western Maine Class A wrestling action Wednesday in North Berwick.

Ziadeh and Durrani had to come from behind to win their matches.

Ziadeh trailed Massabesic’s Logan Martin into the second period before he was able to tie it at 3-3 after two. A scoreless third period left the match tied, forcing a one-minute overtime session. Ziadeh was able to get the pin 25 seconds in.

“I knew I could do it,” Ziadeh said. “I knew it was just a matter of time. I was very confident, though I was a little nervous when it went into overtime. But I knew I would come out on top.”

Durrani, wrestling for the first time under the lights, was down 2-0 after the first period, but was able to reverse his fortunes in the second to claim a pin at 3:06.

“The first period was just awful,” Durrani said. “Second period I knew I had to step it up. I knew I had to get a pin. The first period I came out slow and wasn’t attacking. I wasn’t pushing the pace. I was wrestling defensively. It wasn’t working, so I had to do something besides that. I didn’t want to lose.

Grenier’s pin came 29 seconds into his match with Clinton Phinney, while Shorey’s was at 1:39 over Ethan Huff. Hil Keisker won a wild back-and-forth tussle with Jeff Bryan, in which he led 6-2 after the first period and 9-4 early in the second. Bryan cut the lead to 9-8 in the third, before Keisker was able to hold him off for the win. 

Click image to enlarge Whaley/Democrat photo Noble's Chris Ziadeh, right, battles Massabesic's Logan Martin at 160 pounds during Western Maine Class A wrestling action Wednesday in North Berwick.

The Mustangs’ contested wins came at 152 with Richard, pins by Noah McGrath (170) and Mike Risti (220), and Leo Amabile’s entertaining 3-1 decision over Noble’s Joe Pilecki at 106.

“We were a little beat up,” said Massabesic coach Rick DeRosier. “But we had some good matches out there, some that could have gone either way. There were some that were really close. We always seem to battle each other. … We’re just trying to mend to get back to full strength.”

In its win over Deering, Noble had six forfeits, but also six wins by pin from Josh Grenier (138), Kasey Rogers (145), Ziadeh (160), Travis Pelletier (170), Durrani (182), and Robert Worell (195). Zac Schluntz won 12-10 at 220.

“We’re pretty happy with then right now,” DeVoll said. “We would have liked a little more oomph out of them.”

Noble wrestles at the Chelmsford, Mass., tournament this weekend, before next Wednesday’s big dual meet at defending Class A state champion Marshwood at 6:30 p.m.

“Hopefully, they will be in a little bit better mental state next Wednesday,” DeVoll added with a laugh. 

MV vs Dir Wrestling

By Bob McPhee

 RUMFORD-Prior to stepping on the mat, Ian Austin was well aware of what was at stake and the Mountain Valley wrestler went right after it, which proved to be doubly rewarding.

Austin earned his 100th career win and also clinched the meet by pinning Dalton Berry at 182-pounds as Mountain Valley rallied for a 36-31 win against Dirigo in an extremely intense Mid State League dual meet, last week at Puiia Gymnasium. The best was saved for last as the neighboring rivals put it all on the line.

It was the rubber meet between Mountain Valley and Dirigo who had split in two dual meets, last month. The Falcons won the initial meet at Fryeburg, however, the Cougars prevailed at Oak  Hill. In other action, both River Valley teams handled undermanned Monmouth Academy and Oak Hill.

''It definitely feels good,''Austin said, moments after sticking Berry with a head and arm, in the first period. ''It feels especially good to recognized with those other guys up on the wall.''

Austin joins 26 former and current Falcons who have won over 100 matches. That includes his father Eric who won a Class B state championship in 1993, finishing his career with a record of 123-18.

''I know my Dad is proud of me,''Austin said. ''I'm enjoying having a much better senior season, especially after being injured, last year.''  

         

The climatic match had been set, following Cougar sophomore Spencer Vaughn winning a 14-0 major decision (four-team points) against Mike Arsenault, for a 31-0 lead at 170.

The teams had tried juggling its respective lineups, in order to receive favorable outcomes. Every match was intense, with three still scoreless late in the second period.

Mountain Valley had taken a double-digit lead, following a trio of wins. Eddie DeRoche and Tucker Barnett was  scoreless, until DeRoche executed a standing escape in the second period. DeRoche used a power-half nelson to stick Barnett. The Cougar wrestler had decisioned Jacques 7-5, last month. At 138, both wrestlers moved down, but Dakota Jacques used a grapevine in pinning Colin Woodhead. Last month, Jacques had reached the century mark in wins, at the Atlantic Invitational. The return of Brandon Gill helped, as he utilized an initial burst, in an 8-2 decision against Hunter White.

"There were some key matches,''Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said, beginning with a pair of freshmen at 113 who remained scoreless after two periods. The Falcons Nate White executed a reversal and two near falls, in an 8-3 decision over Jon Wainwright. ''Eddies win was big, Dakota keeps getting better and we needed Brandon to hold on. The coin toss (regarding which wrestler stepped on mat, first) really helped us.''

In a technical match at 126, Griffyn Smith of Dirigo and Ethan Boucher each scrambled tightly contested match. Smith, a two-time Class C state champion, executed a near-fall in the third period and countered Boucher's (Class B state champion) attempt, for a 2-0 decision.