Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance

WINSLOW-It was evident to each individual their physical conditioning was lacking at Friendship Series wrestling at Winslow High School Tuesday night.

Mountain Valley teammates Aaron Arsenault, Ben Madigan, Chris Smith and Brendan Bradley came up short as did almost the entire Maine team. Nebraska won 17 of 18 matches.

"I never thought that I'd be so out of shape for wrestling," Smith said. "This was a great opportunity. I was trying to get inside against him, but my arm kept slipping off and I was getting mad."

Smith, a three-time Class B state champion, battled to a 1-1 tie and a 6-5 loss. The draw resulted after an overtime period. In his second match, Smith led 5-4, but Brandon Hadiburgh executed a double-leg takedown with 16 seconds left. Smith was countered, by a step over, while attempting a reversal.

Madigan led late in the second period, but Jared Meister scored eight of the final nine points, to win 12-6. The Falcon graduate was stuck in a spladle in a second match.

"You can't defense against that," Madigan said. "It was close entering the third period in my first match. I needed to catch my breath during the third period."

Smith and Madigan will attend Maine Maritime and UMaine, respectively, in the fall.

Brothers Shane and Sam Webber of Mount Blue had wrestled the previous night at Brewer. Shane, a two-time Class A state champion, lost 4-3 decision to Zach Small on a near fall and Sam was edged out 1-0 on an escape in the final minute. Brothers Chris and Jeremy Barkac of Dexter each won. Nebraska won 17 of 19 matches.

Mountain Valley two-time state champion David Smith, who wrestled with the Maine team in Nebraska last summer, had knee surgery and could not compete.

The Friendship Series, which is the longest running exchange of its type in the United States, was co-founded in 1984 by Wally LaFountain of Winslow.

"Hey, this is a lot of work," LaFountain said, who organized the Winslow site. "But, like we (all) know, it's a labor of love. I'm very pleased that the program is still going well after 21 years."

The Cornhuskers were the guests of Al Graceffa, owner of several Wendy franchises, last evening. Graceffa is a former Winslow wrestling coach and wrestling official. A White-water rafting trip on the Kennebec River is planned Wednesday.

Bradley escaped five times, but Tony Green had four takedowns in a 9-5 decision. The Falcon standout won a state championship in February.

"I wasn't expecting this him to be so tough," Bradley said. "We were both to sweaty to tie up and all he wanted to do was shoot on me."

Green of Kearney was enjoying his trip to the Pine Tree state, especially the ocean and woods. Interestingly, the flat Lander dislikes the Mosquitoes.

"I heard its your state bird," Green said, tongue in cheek.

Green, 215-pounds, wrestles approximately nine months a year, except during football season. The styles of wrestling between the states is different, to say the least.

"We're in better shape because we've been wrestling," Green said. "I think we use more technique, but from what I've seen, Maine wrestlers are more physical and come right at you."

Falcon Aaron Arsenault was over matched in a 6-1 loss to Austin Carmicheal.

"Tonight showed me I need to get back in the gym," Arsenault said. "I had burst of energy, but it didn't help me."

Kyle Bonin of Belfast won 9-2 and teammate Norman Gilmore lost 6-4 in OT.

Nebraska will wrestle again on Friday in conjunction with the Maine Games at the Portland Expo. The master of ceremonies is Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner.

"Mental preparation is a big key," Nebraska team leader Tom McCann said. "But, you need to be mentally and physically prepared for each match."

Since 1985, the two states have alternated hosting each other, with the visiting team typically wrestling at four different sites.

The Friendship Series has featured over 1200 matches with Mainers having competed against wrestlers from New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, South Dakota and Texas. The wrestling is fierce on the mats, however, given the great geographical and economic diversity of the two states, the Great Plains-Atlantic Ocean; this is truly a great cultural exchange. The various scenery and unique experiences continue to provide the participants with life-long memories. The main purpose is to initiate friendship and develop an understanding of a slightly different way of life. Lobster in Maine and Beef in Nebraska.