Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance

RUMFORD-The Mountain Valley Middle School wrestling team have been on a mission throughout the season and its overwhelming performance last Saturday before a packed crowd at Puiia Gym proved to be the defining moment.

The Hawks sealed the deal early en route to winning their second-straight Pine Tree League state championship by scoring 194 points, led by individual champions Aaron Arsenault (135-pounds), Chris Brennick (147) Josh Hanson (165) and David Smith (240).

Camden-Rockport finished a distant second with 105 ½ points, anchored by its lone champion Randy Lemar. H.A.L. was third with 103, followed by Mount Blue 87 ½, Troy Howard 83 and Bucksport 79.

Western Mountain (Dirigo-Peru) finished seventh with 72 points behind a trio of champions Michael Jonaitis (99), Jon Smith (129) and Devin Brann (141).

Mountain Valley scored 118 points by winning nine matches in the semi-finals. Its 157 points were approximately 83 ahead of H.A.L. The Hawks won five matches by three points or less, including three in double overtime.

"It was quite a round,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "The kids have worked hard for this. But, today's performances proved how important (physical) conditioning is and it's like that in high school."

The PTWL is comprised of junior high student-athletes from Oxford Hills to Ellsworth and has operated annually in the last four decades. The huge following is a twist of the popularity that exists toward the sport throughout the state.

Arsenault (18-0) won his second-straight crown by using a double-under hook to pin Harry Pearson of Camden-Rockport in 33 seconds. The Hawk wrestler recorded three sticks during the day, including :43 and 1:11, respectively.

"My strategy against him was to set him up,"Arsenault said. "I knew (Pearson) was good on his feet, so I didn't want to muscle him."

Brennick recorded a takedown :14 seconds in to OT for a 7-5 decision over Josh Mace of Troy. In the extra session, Mace had a head and arm and appeared headed for a takedown. But, Brennick alertly elevated his hips and slid behind for the win.

The Hawks also received late heroics from Hanson and Smith. Hanson sunk in a deep half nelson for a three-point near fall in a 6-3 win over Walter Harding of Mount View. The two had each beaten the other once during the season. Smith executed a single-leg takedown with 29 seconds left in the match, in a 3-2 decision against Justin Bowen of Ellsworth.

Western Mountain had a strong showing in the finals. Jonaitis recorded a reversal with 30 seconds left in a 4-2 decision over Josh Sullivan of Augusta. Brann also executed a reversal with 25 seconds en route to a 6-2 win against Adam Tweedie of Bucksport. Smith used a half nelson to stick Ryan Hayes of Warsaw (Belfast).

"Those kids wrestled awesome,"Western Mountain coach Dennis Hanson said. "I think nerves hurt our kids early because this is quite an atmosphere. I lose five kids, but I believe they'll be able to help the high school team."

Mountain Valley had experienced a blow early as four wrestlers lost in the finals. Derek Sicotte was shutout by Tyler Clark of Snugg at 81. Jacob Berry (HAL) won a major decision over Ernie Matthews at 87. Chris Cayer (105) lost 6-1 to Tony Gilmore of Troy.

The Bradley brother Zach (993) and Brendon (210) of Mountain Valley both came up short in the finals. Joe McGowan (HAL) beat Zach 3-1 and Chad Cottrel of Bucksport pinned Brendon.

Other winners included Murphy McGowan (75) of H.A.L., Cody Lasselle 117 of Warsaw, Keith Sleeper 123 of Gardiner, Chris Nighingale 155 of Mount Blue and Barrett Hopkins 180 of Winslow. Josh Rosenburg of Telstar was third at 180.

Sometimes all it takes is a loss to a rival to provide the catalyst for a state title run. Such was the case of Winslow High School wrestler Dan Stace this winter.

After suffering a surprising defeat to Camden Hills High School's Joe Zak in the the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships, Stace responded by pinning his way through the Class B regional and state tournaments in the 140-pound weight class.

"I thought I would walk over him, but he pinned me with a half nelson," Stace recalled about his loss to Zak in the semifinals of the KVAC meet. "After that match I was totally focused on beating Zak."

Fittingly, Stace's final opponent in both the regional and state tournaments was none other than Zak, a three-time state runner-up himself. He pinned Zak at 3 minutes, 38 seconds with a near-side cradle (holding the Camden Hills wrestler's knees to his head while putting his opponent on his back).

His three straight pins in the state meet earned him the outstanding wrestling award for Class B.

The Winslow High School senior's stellar final season has also earned him the Morning Sentinel Wrestler of the Year award. Also considered for the award were Mt. Blue High School's Scott Webber and Matt Waite, who both went undefeated this season, along with Skowhegan Area High School's Brandon Hamilton.

Stace, a three-time Eastern Maine champ who finished second in the state his sophomore and junior years before finally winning the title, ends his career at Winslow with 141 victories. The total puts him on top of the all-time win list for Winslow wrestlers, according to coach Al Surette.

Surette said that Stace, a powerful athlete who always kept himself in top shape, improved his wrestling technique this year. In the past, the Winslow coach said Stace would rely on out-muscling his opponents. This season, more than ever, he exploited his opponents' weaknesses before delivering the victory.

"Dan has worked extremely hard to achieve what he has," said Surette.

Stace holds Surette in high regard as well.

"He has been my coach ever since I was in seventh grade, and taught me to never give up," Stace said. "I also know that he will always be there to talk to when I have a problem."

Next year, Stace hopes to attend the University of Southern Maine andcontinue wrestling under coach Ted Reese.

The last wrestling event of Stace's year will be the High School Nationals in Ohio next month. Stace hopes that Surette will be able to make the trip with him.

Said Stace: "I want Al to be in my corner one last time."

"Aaron's parents wanted to wait to tell him about the fire, so he could stay focused on the tournament," recalled Monmouth coach Charles Fyler.

The dramatic loss in the Class C finals ended Kaluzynski's hope of earning a second state title, but it couldn't overshadow a superlative year which saw the Monmouth wrestler set school records for both pins and wins in a season.

His performance this winter earns Kaluzynski the Kennebec Journal Wrestler of the Year award. Also considered for the award were Liam Kozma of Gardiner Area High School and Erskine Academy's Chris Fraser.

Kaluzynski, one of the state's top lightweight wrestlers, finished the season with a 31-4 record while recording 21 pins. He split matches during the year with Class A state champion Nick Lavine of Westbrook. Kaluzynski pinned Lavine in the finals of the Bonny Eagle tournament to earn the gold medal. He also won the conference and Western Maine tournaments.

The state final match against Barcak was a nail-biter from start to finish. Barcak, a transfer from Pennsylvania, scored first with a takedown. The two would end regulation time in a 5-5 tie. In overtime, Barcak scored with another takedown to win the title. Barcak would go on to finish sixth at the New England tournament.

Kaluzynski has been at 103 pounds since he began his high school career. Tall for his weight class, he has used leverage to become a dominant force on the mat. He won the state C championship as a freshman and finished third as a sophomore. His career record stands at 76-12.

Kaluzynski was introduced to the wrestling in eighth grade when Fyler put on a clinic during physical education class.

"Aaron sets his goals high and does what it takes to reach that level," said Fyler about his star lightweight.

Kaluzynski has his sights set on returning to the top of the medal platform for his senior season and knows what he needs to do.

Said the Kennebec Journal Wrestler of the Year: "I definitely need to work on my takedowns."

First Team

103	Chris Barkac	Freshman	Dexter
112	Scott Webber	Senior	Camden Hills
119	Lew Emery	Senior	Westbrook
125	Levi Rollins	Junior	Camden Hills
130	Pat Howard	Senior	Marshwood
135	Chris Remsen	Sophomore	Camden Hills
140	Dan Stace	Senior	Winslow
145	Ben Goulette	Senior	Morse
152	Brandon Hamilton	Junior	Skowhegan
160	Buck Brown	Senior	Fryeburg
171	Jon Kane	Senior	Deering
189	Cody Lightfoot	Senior	Marshwood
215	Matt Waite	Senior	Mt Blue
275	Adam Chase	Senior	Wells

Second Team

103	Nick Levigne	Sophomore	Westbrook
112	Troy Clark	Sophomore	Lisbon
119	Shoa Clarke	Senior	Portland
125	Will Vice	Senior	Lisbon
130	Ben Madigan	Freshman	My Valley
135	Tom Metz	Senior	Massabesic
140	Vinny Greene	Senior	Dexter
145	Dustin Armstrong	Senior	Belfast
152	Nick Ouimet	Junior	Belfast
160	Ben Kinerson	Sophomore	Kennebunk
171	James Cotten	Senior	Noble
189	Joey Schreiber	Junior	Lisbon
215	Chris Tracy	Junior	Westbrook
275	Matt Lude	Senior	Massabesic

Most Outstanding Wrestler

Scott Webber, Mount Blue

Coach of Year

Kip Devoll, Noble

Honorable Mention

103	Jake Rollins, Camden Hills;
112	Kyle Hale, Noble and Kyle Sylvester, Camden Hills;
119	Derek Guisto, Lisbon and Adam Hale, Noble;
125	Ben Davis, Bonny Eagle;
130	Brian Blackler, Medomak Valley;
135	B.J. Hamm, Lisbon and Edgar Wallace, Wells;
140	Ben Conte, Marshwood;
145	Kevin Armstrong, Dexter;
152	Aaron Thomas, Dexter, Decota Cotten, Noble and Kirk Nelson, Mountain Valley;
160	Nick Gurney, Dirigo;
171	Eric Wagner, Belfast and Craig Fergola, Mountain Valley;
189	Mike Spofford, Westbrook;
215	Sean Bradbum, York and Adam Lord, Lisbon;
275	John Bursley, Mount Ararat

FARMINGTON-This was a banner season in terms of quality senior wrestlers, however, Scott Webber of Mount Blue High School clearly has demonstrated some unique skills throughout his career. The three-time Class A state champion earned the total respect of his peers and is truly deserving of the 2002 Sun Journal Wrestler of the Year.

Webber established himself as a fierce competitor on the mat and refused to be intimidated by any opponent. This mode of consistency had opened some eyes as he won throughout his freshman season at 103. The Cougar standout won the regional crown by executing a five-point move in the final 10 seconds to beat former Gardiner wrestler Travis Marquis. Unfortunately, Webber lost to his Tiger nemesis a week later in the state finals.

"Scott was born with something that other people have to work endlessly to achieve,"Mount Blue coach Nate Phillips said. "I recently saw a video of him wrestling as a sixth grader and he naturally understood concepts then that takes others years to comprehend."

Ironically, Webber had a reversal of fortune the following season. Webber lost in the regional finals to Kent Eliasson of Morse, however, he won the state crown the following week. The results of that one match ignited a spark deep inside Webber that no opposition could under mine the past three years. The set back was the last against a Maine wrestler. He compiled a 122-4 career record in Maine.

The Cougar was 35-0 this season and wasn't taken down this year.

There's always an incentive to improve one's performances because wrestling produces constant new challenges. Webber received a grand opportunity. Webber credited his mat skills on the knowledge he received as a member of the 2000 Maine-Nebraska Friendship Series team. Webber passed with flying colors by winning all five matches during a tour through the Cornhusker state.

"Scott did grow as a wrestler,"Phillips said. "He became more confident in his takedowns especially from sophomore to junior year. The focus and confidence were big keys to his success...he was prepared mentally for every match. We talked often about how the only way he could be beaten was if he got 'caught' so it was very important that he was ready at all times."

Webber plans to attend school in Calais to get a degree in Welding and Metal works. This is also the third-straight year that Webber has earned S-J first team honors. The sport of wrestling often is considered a family activity and the Webber' are no exception. The Cougar line-up featured Scott, the eldest brother, who was sandwiched between Shane and Seth at 103 and 119, respectively. The Webber siblings each won individual regional championships as Mount Blue won its second-straight Eastern crown. Shane, a freshman, placed third in the state and Seth, a sophomore, was fourth.

Webber joins former Mount Blue wrestler Domingo Cumpian as the only true three-time state champions in school history. Teammate Matt Waite also won three state championships, including the latter two for Mount Blue. The initial one was won as a Dirigo Cougar in 2000.

Waite repeated on the first team and was extremely dominate throughout the season at 215. He was 35-0, 31 pins and was only scored against by four opponents. Waite also proved himself at the New England championships. He actually won a quarterfinal match, but he was unable to continue. The Cougar standout received some aggressive blows to his temple and following the match, the eye became oblong and started hemorrhaging.

"Matt was always in control,"Phillips said. "There wasn't a second that I saw him being controlled in a match this year, against anybody."

Waite plans on attending the University of Southern Maine and wrestling for coach Ted Reese. Ben Goulette (28-0 at 145) of Morse, also a repeat first-team selection, will also wrestle at USM.

Still, Webber, Goulette and Waite are part of history because five wrestlers won their third state championships. The others include Pat Howard (34-2 at 130) of Marshwood, Kevin Armstrong of Dexter and B.J. Hamm (38-1 at 135) of Lisbon.

The state also had several individuals who repeated as state champions. They included seniors Buck Brown (34-0 at 160) of Fryeburg; William Vice (125) of Lisbon and Aaron Thomas (152) of Dexter. Juniors were Levi Rollins (34-1 at 125) of Camden Hills; Brandon Hamilton (30-1 at 152) of Skowhegan and Joe Schreiber (36-3 at 189) of Lisbon. Chris Remsen (28-0) of Camden Hills is a sophomore.

Howard and freshman Chris Barkac (103) of Dexter each finished sixth in New England. Remsen and Jon Kane (36-0 at 171) of Deering each placed fifth in N.E.

Kip Devoll earned Coach-of-the-Year honors, after struggling through adversity in guiding Noble to its fourth-straight Class A state championship. The Knights were plagued by injuries and impetigo that prevented the team from being at full strength until February. Noble pulled together and advanced six wrestlers to the state finals. It was the first time a team won a Class A state crown, without an individual champion, since Rumford in 1972. John Kelly of Camden Hills and Neil Wood of Belfast also deserve recognition. Kelly, who retired, anchored the Windjammers to their third-straight Class B state championship and Wood' Lions were five points behind the Jammers.

All-State Team

103	Nick Lavigne	Sophmore	Westbrook
Lavigne went 30-1 to clain his first state crown. He won six of the seven tournaments that he entered this season. In his first two varsity seasons, Lavigne has won a total of 57 matches. "He's lightening quick and very athletic," said Coach Dennis Walch. "He's just a good athlete and flat-out just doesn't give up."
112	Scott Webber	Senior	Mt Blue
Webber went 35-0 to claim this third consecutive Class A state championship. He compiled a career record of 124 wins and four losses. "Scott is a confident wrestler," said Mt Blue Coach Nate Phillips. "He's extremely quick and really good on his feet. In competation, he pretty much dominated every match."
119	Lew Emery	Senior	Westbrook
Emery went 33-0 to capture his first state championship. He pinned 16 of his opponents and won his weight class in all seven tournamants he entered. Emery had a career record of 107 wins and 19 losses. "He's just and extremely hard worker," said Westbrook Coach Dennis Walch. "He does extra workouts at a health club every morning before school. He's always in excellant condition." Emery has accepted an appointment to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis.
125	Levi Rollins	Junior	Camden Hills
Rollins went 34-1 to capature his second consecutive Class B championship. He chared the team lead with 22 pins. "He made a big jump from 103 to 125 and showed he could still be successful," said Camden Hills Coach John Kelly. "He's not as strong as a lot of his opponets, but he has good technique and a lot of tenacity."
130	Pat Howard	Senior	Marshwood
Howard went 34-2, defeating all of his state opponents, to capture his third state title. He had a team-high 17 pins. During his four-year varisty career, he complied a 154-15 record. "He's a little work-horse," said Marshwood Coach Matt Rix. "He was small enough to wrestle at 125 so he wrestled up. Pat wrestled for the team this year and not himself." Howard plans to attend Norwich University.
135	Chris Remsen	Sophmore	Camden Hills
Remsen, who missed the first weeks of the season because of injury, went 28-0 to capture his second state championship. He shared the team lead with 22 pins. "Pound for pound, he's very strong for his weight class," said Camden Coach John Kelly. "He has very good technique. When he strikes, he usually scores. He gives it 110 percent."
140	Vinny Greene	Senior	Dexter
Greene went 36-3 to capture his second Class C title. In the state final, he defeated Adam Bourgoin, a Bucksport wrestler who had already beaten him twice this season. He finished his career with a record of 118 wins and 14 losses. "He does what he has to do to win." said Dexter Coach Dave Gudrow. "In the state final, he had to be agressive to win, and that is what he did." Greene plans to enlist in the US Marine Corp.
145	Ben Goulette	Senior	Morse
Goulette went 28-0, pinning 21 of his opponents, to win his third consecutive state championship. He was not taken down all season and gave up only 11 points via reversals or escapes. "He gets the job done," saif Morese Coach Shawn Guest. "An hour before he's scheduled to wrestle, he's getting himself mentally prepared. When that whistle blows, nobody can shoot on him because he's ready to wrestle." Goulette intends to wrestle at University of Southern Maine.
152	Brandon Hamilton	Junior	Skowhegan
After moving up three weight classes, Hamilton went 30-1 to capture his second consecutive state championship. Unbeaten against in state competation, Hamilton had 14 pins. "He's a real cautious wrestler," said Skowhegan Coach Kurt Wentworth. "He doesn't take a lot of chances. He likes to run the score up. But if the team needs a pin, he works extra hard to get it."
160	Buck Brown	Senior	Fryeburg
Brown went 34-0 to clain his second consecutive Class B state title at 160 pounds. During his four year career, who had a losing record as a freshman, had 118 wins and 32 losses. "Buck's a really hard worker," said Fryeburg Academy Coach Jeff Brown, his father. "He's a real natural athlete and he's had to work real hard to improve. But he's realy discplined, and he likes the competation. He's always willing to learn, to try new holds." Next year, Brown will attend Landing School, a boat-building school in Kennebunkport.
171	Jon Kane	Senior	Deering
Kane went 36-0 with a team-high 21 pins to capture his first state championship. He won five tournaments. "His technical skill is outstanding and his body control is excellant," said Deering Coach AL Kirk. "His ability to analyze his opponent and take advantage of his weakness is amazing." Kane has recieved appointments to the US Military at West Point and to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis.
189	Cody Lighfoot	Senior	Marshwood
Defeating all of his in-state opponents, Lightfoot went 32-2 to claim his first state crown. "Cody's strength is definalely on his feet," said Marshwood Coach Matt RIx. "He has the ability to take oppoents down." Lightfoot plans to attend Norwich University.
215	Matt Waitet	Senior	Mt Blue
Waite went 35-0 with 31 pins to capture his second consecutive Class A state title. Two years ago, while at Dirigo, he won a Class C title. "He works real hard and that's what has taken Matt so far," said My Blue Coach Nate Phillips. "People look at him, and they see a big, tough guy. But I think he's even tougher mentally."
275	Adam Chase	Senior	Wells
A four year varisty vetran, Chase went 30-1 to capture his Class B title. "During the last couple of years, he'sreally improved said Wells Coach Mark Lewia. "He really gained a lot of confidance this season. Going to wreslting camp and the hard work he put in gave him that confidance."

All-State Honorable Mention

103	Jake Rollins	Sophmore	Camden Hills
125	Ben Davis	Senior	Bonny Eagle
135	B.J. Hamm	Senior	Lisbon
140	Dustin Armstrong	Senior	Belfast
140	Dan Stace	Senior	Winslow
152	Nick Ouimet	Senior	Belfast
152	Decota Cotton	Sophmore	Noble
160	Nick Gurney	Senior	Dirigo
160	Ben Kennerson	Sophmore	Kennebunk
160	Nick Legere	Senior	Sanford
171	Josh Bishop	Junior	Dexter
171	James Cotton	Senior	Noble
189	Joey Screiber	Junior	Lisbon
189	Mike Cicero	Senior	York

Coach of the Year

Mark Stevens	Lisbon
Only his fifth year as high school wrestling coach, Stevens has made his mark. Last nonth the Grayhounds captured their second consecutive Class C championship. And four individual champs and a runner-up are back. Stevens said the key has been solod work ethic and discipline. "When you have kids who commit to wreslting 12 months out of the year, it rubs off on the rest of the team," he said. In 1982, as a 125-pounder wrestling for the Grayhounds, Stevens won a Class A championship. Then, while at Loring Air Force Base in Aroostook County, he wrestled for three years. After a hiatus, he returned as a coach, resurrecting the program at Sugg Middle School in Lisbon Falls. When the high school job opened five years ago, he jumped at it. "It's like riding a bike," said Stevens. "Once you've wrestled, it never leaves you."

A year ago, after finishing sixth in the New England high school wrestling championships, Deering´s Jon Kane asked his coach what he could do to become a better wrestler. "He said ´sixth in the New Englands is not good enough," recalled Deering coach Al Kirk. " ´I want to win it. What do I have to do?´ "

Kirk gave Kane a list of things he could do to improve.

"I told him he had to start lifting weights, wrestle in the off-season, go to camp in the summer and continue to run cross country," said Kirk.

"He did everything he was told to do and he came within two points of being in the championship finals."

Kane didn´t win a New England championship. But he did become one of the most dominating wrestlers in Maine, compiling 36 wins to capture the Class A state championship at 171 pounds.

His outstanding record also earned Kane the Maine Sunday Telegram´s most valuable wrestler award. Along with the MVP winners in other high school varsity sports, Kane will be honored at a June banquet.

Kane finished fifth in his weight class at the New Englands this year. But he was not disappointed.

"I try to set my goals and find out what I have to do to get there," he said. "I try to do everything in my power to get where I want to be. It doesn´t always work out. But at least I know I´ve done everything I could have. That´s also a rewarding feeling."

Apparently, Kane uses the same approach in everything he does.

Two years ago, when he started looking at colleges, he became interested in the military academies.

"I found out everything I needed to do to get a chance to go to one of the military academies," said Kane, "and I tried to do them."

In addition to throwing himself into wrestling, Kane undertook a more rigorous academic program.

Kane, 19, also got more involved in the community, both in and outside the school. This year, he was elected student body president, served as a math tutor and made announcements over the school´s public address system. He also worked as a volunteer at the Friendship House, a drug addition recovery program.

As a result, Kane received appointments to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.

Next month, when he travels to compete in the U.S. Senior High School wrestling tournament in Newark, Del., Kane plans to visit both academies.

"Then, I´ll decide which one I will go to," he said.

BRISTOL, R.I. - Elite wrestlers from six states converged on the Roger Williams University campus to compete in the 2002 New England High School Wrestling Championships on Friday and Saturday. Twenty-two athletes in each of the 14 weight classes competed for all-New England honors in the two-day tournament.

Expectations were high for the Maine contingent entering the event. Nine Maine wrestlers finished in the top six places last season and four returned this year. One was Mount Blue High School's three-time state champion Matt Waite (215), who finished in fifth place last season.

On Friday night, Waite's first bout looked more like a heavyweight prize fight than a wrestling match. Waite's opponent from Massachusetts landed a hard crossface from the top position, which drew an unnecessary roughness call from the mat official. The shot led to a timeout by Waite to attend to a resulting eye injury. Later in the match, another punch went ignored by the official. Waite won the match by a 10-5 decision, but had to withdraw from the tournament as a result of the eye injury.

The Friday night sessions proved to be disastrous for most of the Maine wrestlers. Only two athletes advanced to Saturday's championship semifinals. Deering's Jon Kane lost to Connecticut's top-seeded Brett Schoinick by a 12-8 score in the 171-pound semifinal. Maine's other semifinalist Chris Barkac (103) of Dexter High School dropped a 7-5 decision to Vermont's Chris Pruden. By the end of Saturday morning's first consolation round, only four Maine competitors were still in position to earn a medal.

One of Maine's top hopes to reach the finals was Morse High School's Ben Goulette (145). Goulette earned all-New England honors in both his sophomore and junior years. Goulette won his opening match by a 6-3 score against New Hampshire's Joe Boucher but lost his quarterfinal match against Connecticut's Greg Dussol by a 7-5 score and dropped into the consolation bracket. On Saturday morning, Goulette was eliminated from the tournament with a 5-2 loss to Massachusetts' Bill Murray. Dussol and Murray would go on to finish third and fourth respectively.

Tough losses were experienced by a number of Maine wrestlers. Skowhegan High School's Brandon Hamilton (152) won his opening match against Vincent Chiorgno of Vermont by a 3-0 score. Hamilton lost a hard-fought 2-1 match against eventual tournament champ Phil Moricone of New Hampshire in the quarterfinals. Hamilton beat Osvaldo Morales of Massachusetts 3-2 in his first consolation-round match on Saturday morning. Hamilton's hopes of earning a medal were ended by a 10-5 overtime loss against Dennis Stone of Connecticut.

Mt. Blue's Scott Webber (112) shared a fate similar to Hamilton. Webber opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over Cole Henault of Rhode Island, but lost 4-3 in the quarterfinals against Massachusetts' Dan Villanova. He then won his first consolation match 12-4 against Jon Blackham of Massachusetts, but was eliminated from the tournament by Robert LaBrake of Vermont.

Deering's Kane would finish the tournament in fifth place along with Camden Hills' Chris Remsen (135). Dexter's Burcak finished in sixth place. Marshwood High School's Pat Howard (130) earned all-New England honors for the second time with a sixth-place finish.

Vermont's Mt. Anthony Union ran away with the team title. Maine's top team was Camden Hills in 41st place. Dexter and Marshwood finished in a tie for 42nd place.

The competition at the next level is always an adventure and the Maine wrestlers encountered a humbling experience at the 38th annual New England championships.

The highest finishing Mainers were by Chris Remsen of Camden Hills (135-pounds) and Jon Kane (171) of Deering who each placed fifth in their respective divisions.

The two-day event at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island featured wrestlers from each of the six region states. The Pine Tree state had 42 individuals, including 40 who each won state championships in Classes A, B and C last month.

The only other medallists were sixth places by Pat Howard of Marshwood and Chris Barkac of Dexter, at 103 and 130, respectively.

The Maine wrestlers had an extra week to prepare for the New England tournament, however, it's hard maintaining focus with a three-week layoff between competitions. Still, Maine wrestlers represented themselves well with several close matches.

"The Maine kids did well,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "There were a lot of returning place winners in the tournament and if the Maine kids lost early, it dropped them into the consolation round. Even so, there were several close matches that were decided by one or two points. Those could have gone either way."

Kane, who had placed sixth in the 2001 tournament, had advanced to the semi-finals this year. The Ram wrestler lost for the first time this season 12-8 to Brett Schionick of Connecticut. Kane refused to let up and advanced back through the consolation bracket.

The only other Mainer to reach the semi-finals was Barkac. The Class C state champion lost a tough 7-5 decision to Chris Pruden of St. Anthony's, Vermont. Barkac, a freshman had opened some eyes earlier by beating the top seeds from Massachusetts and Connecticut. Barkac who had been sidelined with a knee injury throughout January, is scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn ACL.

St. Anthony's won the team title easily, but another highlight was Mark Smith (130) of Timberlane, NH winning his fourth New England crown.

Remsen, a two-time state champion, was on a mission this season because he failed to place last year. Howard had placed fifth in 2001. Troy Clark of Lisbon and Scott Webber of Mount Blue each won multiple matches at 112. Adam Lord (215) of Lisbon lost a heartbreaker 7-5, following a reversal at the buzzer.

Matt Waite of Mount Blue won a quarterfinal match, but it proved costly. The Cougar standout received some aggressive blows to his temple, however, he shook them off and won the match. Immediately following the match, the eye became oblong and started hemorrhaging Waite was transported to a Providence hospital and a cat scan reveled a concussion.

"Fortunately, Matt was treated and released,"Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. "(Maine) went down there with high expectations. We had several (multiple) state champions and there were plenty of good matches. It's just that the styles of wrestling is a lot different out-of-state and a lot of things are allowed to go on during a match that our kids aren't accustomed to (encountering) during matches."

BRISTOL, R.I. - Jon Kane of Deering High finished fifth Saturday in the 171-pound weight class at the New England championships at Roger Williams College.

Kane advanced to the semifinals before losing 12-8 to Brett Schionick of Daniel Hand High in Madison, Conn. Kane went to the consolation bracket before finishing fifth.

Maine`s only other wrestler to reach the semifinals was Chris Barkac of Dexter at 103 pounds. Barkac knocked off the top seeds from Massachusetts and Connecticut before falling 7-5 to Chris Pruden of St. Anthony`s High in Vermont. Burcak finished sixth.

Ben Goulette of Morse lost 7-5 to Greg Dussol, a Connecticut wrestler, in the quarterfinals at 145. Goulette then lost in the consolation round.

"If you`re looking for an easy match down here, forget it," said Morse Coach Shawn Guest.

Also, Matt Waite of Mt. Blue (215) reached the quarterfinals, then withdrew with an eye injury; Pat Howard of Marshwood (130) was sixth for the second straight year; and Chris Remsen of Camden Hills (135) was fifth.

Most of Maine´s top high school wrestlers and track athletes will spend part of their weekend in regional meets.

Tonight the New England boys´ and girls´ indoor track and field championships will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.

Tonight and Saturday, the New England wrestling meet will be at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.

Maine wrestling will be represented by the Class A, B and C state champions in each weight class, or an alternate if a champion decides not to compete. The state wrestling meets were Feb. 8-9 at Bangor.

The five other New England states selected their representatives at qualifying meets or single-class state championship meets. All of those competitions were last weekend.

"Winning from Maine is very difficult because we´re put in such a bind," said Westbrook Coach Dennis Walch, who has Nick Lavigne at 103 pounds and Lew Emery at 119.

"You can stay in physical condition, but it´s hard to keep a competitive edge for three weeks (since the state meet)."

Maine has four wrestlers who finished among the top six in their weight classes at last season´s meet at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H.

This year, Class A champions Ben Goulette of Morse at 145, Jon Kane of Deering at 171 and Matt Waite of Mt. Blue at 215 will bring unbeaten records into the competition.

A year ago, B.J. Hamm of Lisbon, a two-time Class C state champion who moved up to 135 this season, finished fourth at 125 pounds.

"Ben Goulette is the kid who probably has the best shot," said Walch. "He wrestled at that level last year, and he beat the No. 1 kid from Massachusetts on the first day.

"On the second day he ran into some bad luck, but he´s experienced."

A year ago Kane had to wrestle in a prelim to get into the tournament. Then he went 4-2 in the competition while tying for second for most pins in the meet with three.

"He is a 10-times-better wrestler than he was a year ago," said Walch. "He´s difficult to beat."

At the New England track meet, Maine´s best bets include the girls´ 3,200-meter relay teams from Deering, Waterville and Greely, and Louise Duffus, a shot putter from Gray-New Gloucester who is near 40 feet.

Maine may send six competitors in each event. The Class A and B champ in each event and the four next-best athletes in each event at the state meets are eligible.

The wrestlers from Maine have the experience and hopefully that will be an advantage while trying to reach the next level at the 38th annual New England championships at Roger Williams College in Middletown, Rhode Island March 1st and 2nd. This will be the fourth year that Maine, following a 21-year hiatus, has sent individuals to the competition against wrestlers from the five other states.

The state champions from Classes A, B and C automatically qualified for the two-day event. The wrestlers will compete in pigtail (non-team scoring) matches, in order to advance in to the 22-man (scoring) championship bracket. The top six wrestlers from the 14 weight divisions will earn medals.

There are approximately 14 Maine wrestlers who are returning, or have previously competed in the New England's. The most represented team is Lisbon with six, followed by Dexter (five), Camden Hills (four) and Marshwood (three). The numbers can be deceiving because the quality of individuals, usually are upstaged a quantity of wrestlers.

"The novelty has worn off for a lot of Maine teams,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. "Experience is definitely an advantage. Also, Maine wrestlers had (extra week) to heal wounds after a grueling season, while other states have been competing in their state meets."

They include four who each placed in the tournament last March, including Pat Howard (fifth) of Marshwood; Ben Goulette (sixth) of Morse and Jon Kane (sixth) of Deering. Howard (32-1 at 130), Goulette (27-0 at 145) and Kane (36-0 at 171) each received number one seeds at a Maine meeting two weeks ago.

Incredibility, B.J. Hamm of Lisbon who placed fourth in N.E. in 2001, fell victim to the criteria and is seeded third at 135. Hamm (38-1), a three-time state champion, lost a 3-2 decision to two-time state champion Chris Remsen of Camden Hills. Remsen is the top seed, followed by Tom Metz (29-1) of Massabesic.

"The challenge has been issued for B,J, Hamm,"Stevens said. "It's up to him to prove himself again. As a team, we want to represent Maine well. We have six kids and if we score the most points then we have our goals. We also expect that every match will be the toughest match of the year."

Mount Blue appears solid with three-time state champions Scott Webber (112) and Matt Waite (215). The Cougar seniors are both 35-0. Waite realizes he simply can't rest on his laurels, so he traveled to the University of Southern Maine and worked out with former Westbrook and Springfield College wrestler Ben McCrillis.

The major concern is that Maine wrestlers will lose their edges, following the three-weeks between competitions. The individual's have been able to physically workout, however, the ability to maintain a strong mental focus will be equally important.

"Three weeks is a long time,"Westbrook coach Dennis Walch said. "I don't believe the Maine wrestlers will all be in competitive shape. There's a big difference between practing and competing in an actual match."

The New Englands feature intense competitors and each match is contested until the final buzzer. It's common to find first-time entrants to become intimidated by the supreme atmosphere. A proper balance needs to be found and nothing can be taken for granted.

Several younger wrestlers who need to be on guard include Jake Rollins (103) and Kyle Sylvester (112) of Camden Hills; Troy Clark (112) and Derek Guisto (119) of Lisbon and Mountain Valley freshman Ben Madigan (130).

On the other end of the spectrum are several veterans who each have an opportunity to reverse past shortcomings. Dexter senior Kevin Armstrong (145) returns for a third time. Two-time state champions experienced the aggressiveness and power inhibited by the opposition. A positive strategy needs to be utilized by Will Vice (125) of Lisbon; Levi Rollins (125) of Camden Hills; Aaron Thomas (152) of Dexter; Brandon Hamilton (152) of Skowhegan; Nick Gurney (160) of Dirigo and Joey Schreiber (189) of Lisbon. Dan Stace (140) of Winslow and Matt Lude (275) of Massabesic each were finalists in their respective state meets last year.

There could be surprises from Chris Barack (103) of Dexter; Ben Kinerson (160) of Kennebunk; Cody Lightfoot (189) of Marshwood and Westbrook teammates Nick Levigne (30-1 at 103) and Lew Emery (33-0 at 119).

NASHUA - Plymouth Regional High School wrestler Brian Francis wasn’t ashamed to be crying after his match at the Meet of Champions on Saturday.

Francis was just one of several local grapplers that earned a trip to the New England Regional Tournament by placing in the top three at Nashua High School, and just one of three that won the title in his weight class.

Every winner had a different way to celebrate their victory. Francis chose to walk over to the practice mat, sat down with his head between his knees, and reflected upon what had just happened while shedding tears of joy.

"You think about this moment all year long," said Francis, who will be one of New Hampshire’s representatives in the 160-pound weight class. "I thought about all the blood and sweat I’ve put in the past four years and I didn’t want to lose it."

Francis won a 10-4 decision over Chuck Connolly to earn his first trip to the New Englands.

Another wrestler at the tournament who is familiar with the New Englands, and has had his sites set on the meet since the beginning of the season, was Spaulding’s Zach Thone. He won his second straight state title in the 112-pound weight class by pinning Mapolo Buessing of Concord just nine seconds into the second period. Thone started the period from the bottom position, but quickly got up to his feet and tossed Buessing down for the pin.

"It was a lateral drop, over-under hook. When I stood up I had it and I went for it," Thone said. "I think he was going for the same thing, but he didn’t step in enough."

It was the fourth time Thone beat Buessing this year, but only the first time he pinned him, which he attributes to the psychological part of the sport. "I think he knew he couldn’t beat me," Thone said. "It’s kind of a mental game."

Joining Zach for his first trip to the New England’s will be big brother Tod, who surprised the field to take second in the 130-pound weight class. The reason Tod Thone’s second-place finish was such a shock was because he beat previously undefeated Vinny Lauria of Nashua 6-5 in the semifinals. Last week Tod Thone lost to Lauria 12-5 at the Class L meet, but used a similar strategy to beat him this time. It all happened with a quick move called a "Peterson" early in the first period that earned Tod Thone five points, after that he just hung on for the win.

Last week he tried the same move, but couldn’t get around Lauria’s defenses.

"This week I caught him on his back," Tod Thone said. "I was determined, I knew I could hit the move."

In the finals he faced Matt Hicks of Salem, who he just barely lost to for the second week in a row. Last week, at the Class L meet, Hicks beat Tod Thone in double overtime.

On Saturday he managed to hold on to beat him again, 3-2, despite a valiant effort by Tod Thone over the last minute of the match.

"I was trying to get a single. A high cross to a single," Tod Thone said. "I’d get in, but he’s got good defense."

Making the accomplishment even more unbelievable is the fact that Tod Thone is still recovering from a car accident he was in this summer during which he suffered a sever concussion, broke his jaw and had to have 30 stitches put in his head. He still suffers from post secondary concussion syndrome, which caused him to miss part of the regular season.

"I came here and proved a point," Tod Thone said.

Another Bobcat, Mike Blair, was also victorious at the 215-pound weight class and will be making the trip down to Roger Williams College in Bristol, Rhode Island, on Saturday.

He did so by putting on a technical clinic against Exeter’s John Kazantzidis, whom he beat 16-1.

Other locals placing in the top three and heading to the New Englands are: Jon Gaffney from St. Thomas Aquinas, who took second in the 152-pound weight class, and Justin Wear on Winnacunnet, who finished third in the 189-pound weight class.

In team scoring, Timberlane took first with 179 points. In second place was Salem with 136.5, third went to Plymouth with 101, fourth was Concord with 77 and rounding out the top five was Pinkerton Academy with 73. Spaulding led all other local schools at No. 7 with 53 points. Winnisquam was 13th with 28 points, Exeter tied for 17th with 20 points, St. Thomas was 20th with 19 points and Winnacunnet was right behind at No. 21 with 14 points. Franklin competed, but didn’t score.

Springfield Mass - Feb. 17, 2002 - Springfield College won its fifth New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) title in six years as senior tri-captains Calvin Johnson (Providence, R.I.), Marcelle Roberson (Dover, Del.), Keith Poloskey (Middle Island, N.Y.) and junior Bill Ivatts (Foxboro, Mass.) all advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship.

Springfield, ranked No. 6 in the latest Brute/adidas National Division III poll, scored 136.5 points to outdistance second-place Johnson & Wales (116.5 points) and third-place WPI (93 points). The Pride also won titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Johnson was named the outstanding wrestler of the meet. Ranked second nationally and first in New England in the 125-pound weight class, he won his third NECCWA title and improved to 39-2 on the season. Johnson also won the 1999 and 2000 championships.

Roberson the No. 5 ranked heavyweight nationally and first in New England, won his second NECCWA championship, also winning the 2000 title. He has totaled a 31-2 record this season.

Poloskey, ranked No. 5 nationally and first in New England in the 141-pound division, improved to 35-1 this season. He also was the 2000 NECCWA champion.

Ivatts, the top-ranked 149-pound wrestler in New England, earned his first NECCWA title after finishing second a year ago. He owns a 37-6 record this year.

The top wrestler in each weight class, along with two other wild card selections, qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2 at King (Pa.) College.

Complete Bracket Results

Championship Final Results

125 - Calvin Johnson (Springfield) maj. Kevin Vees (Johnson & Wales), 11-1

133 - Deshawn Fentress (WPI) pin. Jaren Raymond (Plymouth State), 6:24

141 - Keith Poloskey (Springfield) dec. Mark Foresi (Trinity), 6-5

149 - William Ivatts (Springfield) maj. Matt Ferrisi (Wesleyan), 11-1

157 - Rich Moskowitz (Plymouth State) dec. Joe Moskowitz (WPI), 7-4

165 - James Gilbert (Johnson & Wales) dec. Brendan Harris (Coast Guard), 8-6

174 - Tim Ruberg (Johnson & Wales) dec. Joe Fitzsimmons (Roger Williams), 6-5

184 - Dave Capone (WPI) dec. Mike Doros (Trinity), 3-1 (OT)

197 - Craig Buckley (Bridgewater State) dec. Justin Deveau (Rhode Island College), 6-5

285 - Marcelle Roberson (Springfield) dec. Greg Walker (MIT), 10-3

Team Championship Results
1. Springfield	136.5
2. Johnson & Wales	116.5
3. WPI	93
4. Plymouth State	66.5
5. Trinity	66
6. Roger Williams	65.5
7. Coast Guard	64
8. Wesleyan	61
9. Norwich	44.5
10. Bridgewater State	41.5
11. MIT	32
12. Rhode Island College	29.5
13. Williams	27
14. Southern Maine	25
15. Western New England	13.5

NECCWA All-Conference Team (Top-6 in each weight class are All-NECCWA)

125
1st - Calvin Johnson (Springfield) * 2nd - Kevin Vees (Johnson & Wales) 3rd - Anthony Paoletta (WPI) 4th - Jon Egan (Roger Williams) 5th - Tim Bernadt (Coast Guard) 6th - Nate Buffington (Plymouth State)
133
1st - Deshawn Fentress (WPI) * 2nd - Jared Raymond (Plymouth State) 3rd - Michael Riley (RIC) 4th - Rocco Brancati (Springfield) 5th - Michael Lambert (MIT) 6th - Matt Cino (Trinity)
141
1st - Keith Poloskey (Springfield) * 2nd - Mike Foresi (Trinity) * 3rd - Gabe Fiero-Fine (Wesleyan) 4th - Bryan Radik (Coast Guard) 5th - James Festa (Johnson & Wales) 6th - Dan Jacobs (Williams)
149
1st - Bill Ivatts (Springfield) * 2nd - Matt Ferrisi (Wesleyan) 3rd - C.J. Ewer (Southern Maine) 4th - John Orlosky (Johnson & Wales) 5th - Dan Whelan (Norwich) 6th - Adam Weafer (Bridgewater State)
157
1st - Rich Moskowitz (Plymouth State) * 2nd - Joe Moskowitz (WPI) 3rd - Steve Nutting (Coast Guard) 4th - Tim O'Donnell (Springfield) 5th - David Bucco (Trinity) 6th - Adam Jonas (Wesleyan)
165
1st - James Gilbert (Johnson & Wales) * 2nd - Brendan Harris (Coast Guard) 3rd - Dan Moskowitz (Plymouth State) 4th - Wesley Connell (Trinity) 5th - Robbie Roose (Wesleyan) 6th - Andy Cook (Bridgewater State)
174
1st - Tim Ruberg (Johnson & Wales) * 2nd - Joe Fitzsimmons (Roger Williams) 3rd - Mike McWilliams (Springfield) 4th - Brian Bartlett (Bridgewater State) 5th - Chris Newton (WPI) 6th - Josh Jenson (Norwich)
184
1st - Dave Capone (WPI) * 2nd - Mike Doros (Trinity) 3rd - Jeff Bernard (Roger Williams) 4th - Silver Oghayore (Norwich) 5th - Kayode Mason (WNEC) 6th - Tom Medonis (Springfield)
197
1st - Craig Buckley (Bridgewater State) * 2nd - Justin Deveau (Rhode Island College) 3rd - Brian Bagdon (Roger Williams) 4th - Ryan Lenhardt (Johnson & Wales) 5th - Sean Ryburn (Norwich) 6th - Scott Fay (Springfield)
285
1st - Marcelle Roberson (Springfield) * 2nd - Greg Walker (MIT) * 3rd - Jim Bob Stanley (Johnson & Wales) 4th - Gavin Garcia (Coast Guard) 5th - Justin Sullivan (Williams) 6th - Frank Bertino (Wesleyan)

* Qualified for NCAA Divsion III Championship

Most Outstanding Wrestler - Calvin Johnson (Springfield)
Rookie Wrestler of the Year - Tim Ruberg (Johnson & Wales)
Coach of the Year - Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales)
Rookie Coach of the Year - Mike Kenney (Bridgewater State)
Man of the Year - Lee Pinney, Somers H.S.
Most Falls, Least Time - Jared Raymond, Plymouth State (3, 3:37)
Quickest Fall - James Gilbert (Johnson & Wales) :22 seconds
Highest Team Grade Point Average - Trinity, 3.15
Team Sportsmanship Award - Roger Williams

Wild Card Selections: Greg Walker, MIT (285), Mark Foresi, Trinity (141)

Ellsworth High School coach Ron Zellers is happy with the progress his team is making toward becoming a recognized power in Class B. The Eagles finished the recent season with a ninth place finish in the state tournament. It was the first time Ellsworth has cracked the top ten at the state level in Zellers' three-year tenure as head coach.

Ellsworth will lose just one senior from its lineup. Jim Strout, who placed third in the state at 145 pounds, will graduate this spring, but state finalists Brian Cobb (152) and Matt Burns (125) will be back to lead a young Eagle squad. "We have a very hardworking team, and we will only get better as we get older" said Zellers. Most of the Eagle's starting team were freshmen and sophomores this season.

Zellers is a relatively new face to the Maine wrestling scene. He grew up in the wrestling-rich Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania where he competed on a state AA championship team at Northern Lehigh High School. He graduated from Pennsylvania's Widener University where he was a four-year letterman and team captain.

Prior to moving to Maine, Zellers coached at Allentown (PA) Central Catholic for five years. Zellers is currently in his third year teaching Alternative Ed at Hermon HS and lives in Bangor.

Implementation of a K-12 program is critical to the Eagles long-term success, according to Zellers. To this end, elementary and middle school programs, as well as summer wrestling, are all in place. Eagle wrestlers travel to summer camp at Lock Haven and Zellers brings in old contacts from the Lehigh Valley area to help with clinics at Ellsworth.

Chris Bragga, Ben Duhmne, and former Eagle standout, Jeff Desmond, comprise the rest of the Ellsworth coaching staff.

BANGOR - Veteran Camden Hills wrestling coach John Kelly had a vision that his final Windjammer team would win its third straight state Class B championship by one-half point.

Kelly's grapplers helped make his prophecy a reality, but the coach's sweet going away present was not exactly what he expected.

The Feb. 8-9 state meet at Bangor Auditorium was as tight, exciting and down-to-the-wire as Kelly predicted, but the Windjammers winning margin was six points more than the coach expected.

Nonetheless, the relatively young Windjammers helped Kelly end his 15-year tenure on top.

Kelly said he would have been happy to win by one-half point after winning several state meets by large margins and losing a few other state finals by slim margins.

During Kelly's tenure, of the five times his team's finished as state runners-up, three were by a total of 6.5 points.

Ironically, those 6.5 points was the margin of victory for the Windjammers in this year's state final.

The state title was the perfect way to end the in-state meet coaching career of Kelly, who will step down following the season. Kelly won his seventh state crown. It was the second time he has led the Windjammers to three straight titles during his tenure.

Camden Hills also won state crowns in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Windjammers were runners-up in 1987, 1988, 1996, 1997 and 1999.

Camden Hills' Jake Rollins (103 pounds), Kyle Sylvester (112), Levi Rollins (125) and Chris Remsen (135) brought home individual state championships. The Rollins wrestlers are brothers, making it the first time two local siblings have won state wrestling crowns in the same year. Levi Rollins and Remsen also won state crowns last season.

Camden Hills' Joe Zak (140) and Sam Glover (160) secured state runner-up positions. Also placing among the top four were Camden Hills' Bryan Creamer (3rd at 189), Nathaniel Boehmer (4th at 152) and Isaac Read (4th at 130).

Camden Hills' Justin Bodamer (119), Jake Rand (215) and Cal Pease (171) also participated.

Sibling act

The Rollins brothers had won Atlantic Invitational, Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, Eastern Class B and state Class B titles together this season.

For Greg Rollins, having two sons achieve high school's top state wrestling honor gave him a wonderful feeling. "This is pretty awesome," he said. "I don't have words for it. I am just real proud of them both. They have worked real hard. It is an awesome day."

A state champion was not decided until late in the championship finals matches. Runner-up Belfast held a 30-28 lead over Camden Hills after the quarterfinal round, but entered the finals trailing the Windjammers by 1.5 points (136.5 to 135).

Perhaps the pivotal point in the meet came in the 112-pound final, when Sylvester beat Belfast's Mike Ames, the defending state champ in the class. Sylvester had never beaten Ames, including losing to him six or seven times this season, but rose to the occasion to win 7-2 when it mattered most.

Kelly said that, if one can point to one moment in a two-day state meet that changed the final outcome, it was the Sylvester-Ames match. The Windjammers won by 6.5 points and that one match was an eight-point swing for both the Windjammers and Lions.

"It is good feeling to go out on top," said coach Kelly, adding this year's state title is one of the "sweetest because most of the kids were unheralded. They just rose to the top. They peaked at the right time."

Camden Hills student Jonie Disher sang the National Anthem before the championship finals of Saturday's meet.

New England bound

State champs in each weight division in each class qualified for the New England High School Wrestling Championships March 1-2 at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. The Rollins brothers, Sylvester and Remsen will participate, with coach Kelly leading them for the final time.

The state team scores were: Camden Hills 157.5, Belfast 151, Mountain Valley 95.5, Winslow 89, Wells 85, Fryeburg Academy 64.5, York 58, Medomak Valley of Waldoboro 53, Ellsworth 46, Lincoln Academy of Newcastle 27, Caribou 23, Old Town 23, Erskine Academy of South China 18, Oak Hill of Wales 17, Lake Region 8 and Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield 3.

Coach Kelly said when his team graduated four seniors - including top state competitors Ewan Hardy, Josiah Glover, Ian Slaymaker and Arthur Smith - and had several other grapplers - most notably Brandon Learnard (injury), Jake Sawyer and Jason Yates - not compete this season for a variety of reasons, an untested group of younger wrestlers had to elevate their performances. They did that in fine fashion.

Kelly, who has led the Windjammers to first or second in the state 12 of his 15 years, compared this year's "Cinderella" season to his 1990 squad that also won the state crown.

Kelly said he has done a lot of reflecting on his coaching career in recent weeks. "This is definitely one of the more rewarding teams I have had. We haven't had the talent that we have had in the past, but they have worked so darn hard and progressed so far that they put themselves in the position to win the states."

The individual Windjammer state results were:

103 pounds - J. Rollins (33-3, 17 pins) received a first-round bye; won by major decision over Kyle Bonin, Bel, 11-0; and beat Ian Venskus, MtV, 17-4 in the championship finals. "This has been my goal all season," Rollins said. "It was a fun season. To work so hard and then actually have it pay off for you feels so good. I tried my hardest and it all worked out. It is a great feeling to win. I was so relieved."

112 pounds - Sylvester (29-9, 17 pins) pinned Steve Grethe, Wells, at 2:24; beat Travis Child, MtV, 8-6; and beat Ames, Bel, 7-2 in the championship finals. "Beating Mike Ames is a big thing for me," Sylvester said. "I was thinking I had to stave him off and get my points. When I realized I won it was probably the happiest I have ever been. It is probably one of the biggest things that has happened in my life."

At one point after the match, Sylvester's emotions took over. "I just got real dazed,"he said. "Everything started to blur together. It feels better than I ever thought it would feel."

Coach Kelly said Sylvester had an incredible match. "He stuck to our game plan. It is nice to see him win. Kyle really stepped it up for us."

119 pounds - Bodamer (11-13, 4 pins) was pinned by David Gregory LA; won by major decision over David Cavanaugh, MCI, 16-7; and was pinned by Norman Gilmore, Bel.

125 pounds - L. Rollins (34-1, 22 pins) pinned Chris Keller, LA, at 0:32; pinned Todd Baker, OT, at 3:27; and pinned Matt Burns, Ells, at 2:53 of the championship finals. Rollins said winning this year's state title feels better than last season simply because his younger brother, Jake, also won. Rollins said he was happy to win, but was more excited the young Windjammers squad was able to earn coach Kelly a final state crown.

130 pounds - Read (22-15, 10 pins) pinned Kyle Clark, York, at 2:44; lost to Ben Madigan, MtV, 11-9 in overtime; beat Matt Marquis, OT; and was pinned by Dylan Grethe, Wells, at 4:07 of the consolation finals.

135 pounds - Remsen (28-0, 22 pins) pinned Jason Alley, LA, at 0:42; pinned Chris Smith, MtV, at 0:24; and won by injury default over Edgar Wallace, Wells, in the championship finals. Remsen battled back from a serious knee injury (a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament) early in the season to capture his second straight state crown. Only a sophomore, Remsen has a goal of being a four-time state titlist during high school.

"Just to have it over is like having a 300-pound weight lifted off my shoulders," Remsen said of winning the state title. "When I hurt my knee I didn't know if I was going to be coming back. When I did come back I was out of shape ... I'm just so glad my knee held up."

Remsen got hurt the night before the team's first meet, a trip to New Jersey in December. He missed a month of the season. The hard-working Remsen could not use his legs, however, he maintained top condition in other ways during his layoff. "I would say I trained just as hard if not harder than if I was wrestling," he said.

140 pounds - Zak (24-9, 20 pins) pinned Roman Gosselin, EA, at 1:01; pinned Derek Prock, Med, at 5:52; and was pinned by Dan Stace, Win, at 3:36 of the championship finals. Zak also finished second at the states his previous two seasons.

152 pounds - Boehmer (22-14, 13 pins) lost by major decision to Shawn Studholme, EA, 13-2; beat Chris Ryall, FA, 8-6 in overtime; beat Adam Desrosiers, Win; and lost by major decision to Kirk Nelson, MtV, 13-0 in the consolation finals.

160 pounds - Glover (23-11, 14 pins) pinned Andrew Grenier, EA, at 1:34; pinned Jason McPherson, MtV, at 2:52; and lost to Buck Brown, FA, 12-0 in the championship finals.

171 pounds - Pease (30-9, 22 pins) lost by technical fall to Kyle Sullivan, York, 16-1; beat Brandon Simmons, LA, 6-1; and lost by major decision to Andy Davis, FA.

189 pounds - Creamer (33-6, 19 pins) pinned Ethan Voight, LA, at 3:06; lost to Richard Chute, FA, 4-3; pinned Matt Rines, Carib; and beat Ray Gilmore, Bel, 7-1 in the consolation finals.

215 pounds - Rand (16-14, 6 pins) was pinned by Derrick Baker, LA, at 1:16; pinned Bobby Martin, Carib; and was pinned by Chris Desrosiers, Win.

At the far end of the Bangor Auditorium - the end where the elephants are brought in when the circus is in town — Teddy Heroux is much like he has been for the last 38 years of his life. He is surrounded by young men wearing Belfast Area High School warm-ups who are hanging on his every word.

The difference is that this year at the Class B state wrestling championships, Heroux, for the first time in all those years, is just another observer.

Heroux gave up the reins of the Belfast wrestling team to his son-in-law Neal Wood at the beginning of the season. Heroux’s retirement came after 37 years, 449 wins, 114 losses, two ties, six state championships, 11 Eastern Maine championship, 11 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships and 47 individual state champions.

But that doesn’t mean Heroux is not coaching. From his chair, watching one of the six matches going on at the same time, he is quietly giving a Belfast wrestler advice.

"OK. Now bring your arm under," he said, while sweeping his right arm low to the floor from right to left.

His advice is more for himself than the wrestler. The wrestler can’t hear him as Heroux doesn’t believe in shouting during a match.

"I never cared for coaches jumping up and screaming and hollering. I figure I do my coaching during the week. In the exercise room. Kids out on the mat can figure out their mistakes. They have enough to concentrate on without thinking of me on the sidelines," Heroux said.

Even as Heroux talks a coach no more than 10 feet away is screaming advice to a wrestler. Heroux laughs and starts to say something when someone walks by.

"Hey, Heroux. You’re not doing your job," the man jokes.

Heroux has a job at this state championship. He is wearing an orange sticker on his shirt that reads "Official." Heroux is in charge of keeping that end of the auditorium clear of spectators. And through a combination of well-wishers and the distraction of on-going matches, he is doing a poor job of it.

But no one seems to mind. Every few minutes someone goes by who has something to say. Everybody knows Teddy Heroux.

Heroux didn’t really get started in wrestling until he was in college. He played football at Belfast and was a two-time All-State running back. Wrestling was introduced as an intramural sport at the school during his senior year in 1961. His football coach, Frank Glazier, sent film of his running back to schools and the University of North Dakota offered a scholarship. That’s when he became involved in wrestling.

"My roommates were wrestlers and I just kinda fell into it with them. They took the mattresses off the beds and put them on the floor and taught me moves," Heroux said.

He returned to Belfast from college to teach and coach. He and his wife Carolyn have been married almost 40 years.

"She’s my warden. She’s kept me pretty straight," the 59-year-old Heroux confided.

They have two daughters, Kim and Kristin, and five grandchildren. One a smiling, rough-and- tumble 10-year-old peewee wrestler named Kote who Heroux jokes with about spending so much money on him.

Kote is Neal and Kim Wood’s son. Heroux said that when he decided to retire, he did so quietly, hoping for a smooth transition for his son-in-law.

"Neal has been wrestling since he was in the seventh grade and he’s been actually helping me coach for 15 years. It was a good time to turn it over to him," Heroux said.

As the day goes on and the team scores become closer and closer, more and more Belfast wrestlers surround Heroux. He has the points in his head. He doesn’t need a pencil and paper to figure the score. He tells what is needed. And he continues to coach without realizing it. A hand sweep here. A quiet word there to a wrestler on the mat.

"I’m just sitting here relaxing," he says, that ever smile on his face.

It is suggested that what is relaxing to him may be something else to others.

"I guess I’m kinda fidgety a little bit. I can’t help it. I’ve always been that way," Heroux said.

Mt Valley's Ben Madigan

It takes a strong commitment in order to achieve success in wrestling because the skills can't be developed over night. Ben Madigan has utilized the time productively to improve the competitive fires and the techniques were quite evident in winning a Class B state championship last Saturday.

The Mountain Valley High School freshman certainly opened some eyes on the dusty floor at thee Bangor Auditorium. In the four decades of the sport in our state, only a select few individual's have been able to win a crown in their initial year of eligibility.

"It's the best feeling in the world,"Madigan said. The Falcon wrestler was still savoring the accomplishment near the mat.

Madigan (29-9) had to battle for the converted crown, especially against Brian Blackler of Medomak Valley in the 130-pound final. Blackler had tied the score 8-8 and then allowed Madigan an escape. The strategy backfired because the Falcon wrestler successfully countered several shoots over the final 29 seconds to win a 9-8 decision.

Madigan had gained a dose of momentum in the semi-finals by winning an 11-9 over time decision. The physical conditioning helped allow Madigan to remain strong in the latter stages of the matches.

"I do a lot of training even after practice,"Madigan said. "There's a lot of running, especially ramps. Also, I practice my takedowns over and over."

The high school has a long incline that is utilized before and after each practice. The team strongly believes that "ramps builds champs."

Madigan was inn the third grade, when older brother John, introduced to the sport. The younger sibling was immediately drawn to the hand-to-hand combat and competitiveness of the wrestlers. Madigan' drew the attention of competitors after winning the Atlantic and advancing to the finals at the Redskin tournament last month.

"Ben is a very determined young man,"Falcon coach Gary Dolloff said. "He sets his mind to some things and goes after it. Plus, he listens to what's being said in practices and uses the moves in matches. He stays on an even kneel and doesn't let thing's bother him."

Although it's a long way away, Madigan could potentially become the first wrestler from the greater Rumford area to win four individual titles. The lofty feat was nearly accomplished by former Falcon wrestler Dusty Hackett who won three championships. As a sophomore, Hackett lost an 8-7 decision in the finals.

The only four-time state champions from Maine are Mike Caramihalis of Sanford, Matt Lindsay of Penobscot Valley and Tim Boetsch of Camden-Rockport. Chris Remsen, who wrestles at Camden Hills, has won state crowns as a freshman and sophomore.

Lisbon

The feeling of winning a state championship is always a great accomplishment, however, earning the hardware a second time is truly a rewarding achievement. That's exactly how Lisbon coach Mark Stevens felt after the team won its second-straight Class C state championship.

Lisbon had fought through some adversities, but had stayed focused toward its goals throughout the regular season. The state meet provided a perfect setting for the team to deliver a statement.

The second time is even sweeter,"Stevens said. "Please don't get me wrong, but after winning a championship, there are people who say it was a fluke. Hopefully, this title will show others that we're indeed a good team."

Lisbon had a lead over Dexter, however, both teams were well represented in the finals. A turning point materialized early when Greyhound sophomore Troy Clark (112) won a 9-7 decision against Eric Thompson at 112. The eight-point swing was a boost and Lisbon won by 33 ½ points.

The Greyhounds recorded pins in their remaining five matches, including B.J. Hamm (135) who won his third crown. William Vice (125) and Joey Schreiber (189) each repeated. Derek Guisto (119) and Adam Lord (215) also won.

"It was a total team contribution,"Stevens said. "We had points scored by 12 wrestlers and a third place by Jamie Englebert (275) was a real inspiration to the team. Jamie (broken leg) had been limited to live wrestling for under two hours in practice and no running."

The theme of the state meets had a familiar out come in all three classes. Noble won its fourth-straight Class A title and didn't have a single champion. The last time it had been done was by Rumford in 1972. In Class B, Camden Hills rallied to win its third straight for retiring coach John Kelly.

Lew Emery

Lew Emery III (33-0) of Westbrook decisioned Shoa Clarke of Portland 6-4 to win the Class A crown at 119. In 1977, Lew Emery II lost in the 145 final to Pat Mcleoad of Portland.

Deering's Jon Kane

A dominating season was turned in by Jon Kane of Deering who finally achieved a goal of winning a Class A state championship. Ironically, Kane and older cousin Jesse Peterson both experienced similar careers that ran nearly parallel to each.

Peterson of Mountain Valley, the 2000 Sun-Journal wrestler, had initially encouraged Kane to try the sport. The tandem were state finalists as juniors at 171 and the thrill of having come so close obviously opened a Pandora's box.

Each proved to be untouchable as seniors and compiled unbeaten records. Peterson had over 100 career wins, including a Class B state crown at 189. Kane reached 100 career wins by decisioning James Cotten of Noble 9-0 in the state finals.

The Ram wrestler (36-0, 21 pins) only allowed one takedown against him this season. He was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the McDonalds Invitational, Essex Classic and the state meet.

"I think it's pretty cool about what Jesse and I did in our careers,"Kane said. "We were both second as juniors and then won states as seniors. I've accomplished one goal and now I'm preparing for my second goal."

Kane received an additional surprise in the mailbox at home last Saturday. A letter informed him that he had been accepted in to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Nick Ouimet of Belfast, a 2002 Class B state champion, has also been accepted to West Point.

Kane will compete in the New England championships March 1st and 2nd at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island. Kane was a replacement and placed sixth in N.E. last year. The U.S. Nationals for senior finalists in state meets will also be held this spring.

New Englands

The state champions in Classes A, B and C have automatically qualified to participate in the New England championships. A meeting was scheduled at Morse H.S. last night to seed the 42 individuals.

The state returned to the tournament in 1999, following a 21-year hiatus. The competition is extremely intense because wrestlers from each of the six N.E. states are represented.

A trio of Maine wrestlers who placed last year will be in the tournament. They include B.J. Hamm of Lisbon (fourth), Pat Howard of Marshwood (fifth), Ben Goulette of Morse (sixth) and Kane.

Daric Buttrick of Marshwood was a finalist in '99. The last N.E. champions from Maine were in '78 by Bob Elwell (155) of Morse and Tim Gotto (185) of Rumford.

BANGOR - There were more than 43,000 hits on the Maine Principals' Association web site on Thursday when all but the Class A basketball Heal Point Standings were finalized but plenty of fans traveled to the Bangor Auditorium Saturday to get their wrestling fix.

There were more than 50 teams in the two-day event and hundreds of wrestlers in all three classes, competing on six mats for most of the meet. When the finals rolled around at about 5 p.m., it became a three-ring circus and the Class A, B and C champions were determined side by side. Before it was over, all the medal-winners were introduced, champions first, and they climbed the wooden medal stands to stand for the longest time, being recognized by fans in both balconies of the big auditorium.

Team titles went to Noble, Camden Hills and Lisbon and there were outstanding wrestler awards for Deering's Jon Kane, Winslow's Dan Stace and Josh Bishop of Dexter.

It was a scene the late John Caramihalis Sr. would have loved. When he got the sport rolling in Maine he may never have envisioned such a spectacle as this or the one last year when the Augusta Civic Center held the state meet with eight mats on the floor.

Caramihalis died in 1991 after decades of coaching and promoting the sport he loved. His son (John Jr.) and nephews had earned plenty of accolades on the mats, but this year things went deeper when one of his grandsons, Massabesic High's Tom Metz, completed a 29-1 season to win the Class A state championship at 135 pounds.

Metz, who began wrestling in the third grade, said it was a great way to end his career and he did it in a way that would please any grandfather - he pinned all three of his opponents.

In the first round he nailed Cony's Brian Lovejoy in 23 seconds. He also got a first-period pin against Deering's Zack Braasch. In the finals he met up with Travis Bentley, one of six Noble wrestlers in the finals.

After one period he led 7-2. Uncle John could be heard yelling things like, "Watch your balance," from high above the mats and then Metz moved ahead 9-4 and 14-5 before pinning Bentley with just three seconds to spare.

Shapleigh's Metz celebrated with coaches Bob Eon and Mike Allen, a pair of multi-event champions themselves, and then got a big bear hug from heavyweight Matt Lude who later grabbed a state championship of his own with a third straight pin.

"I owe it all to my coaches," Metz said. "Coach Eon, Coach Allen, he beats up on me at practice, Coach Costello last year, everybody really helped. It was something I had been working for since last year ended. My uncle worked with me a lot when I was younger and he really helped a lot this year with the mental part of it."

With a gold medal in hand Metz still had a little work to do fixing up his winner's wall chart with a little Whiteout. The chart had mistakenly indicated he was from Marshwood instead of Massabesic. Metz is very proud of where he comes from and wanted to make sure that chart was accurate.

Lude and Metz kept Eon smiling all day and while the athletes praised their coaches (current and former) for all their help, Eon said the gold medals were a testament to all the hard work this duo has put in. Now they are qualified to compete in the upcoming New England Championships scheduled March 1 and 2 in Bristol, R.I.

Metz said he'll go as long as it doesn't interfere with one of his other passions, playing the guitar in his school's jazz band.

Thanks to having two individual champions, Massabesic placed eighth overall with 53 points. Noble (130.5 points) won top honors for the fourth straight year, getting this title wrapped up before the consolation finals even began. It's a good thing, because all six of the Knights in the final round wound up second.

In the team standings, Biddeford placed fifth, followed by Bonny Eagle and 125-pound champion Ben Davis and seventh-place Kennebunk. Sanford placed 10th with 45 points.

Kennebunk coach Aaron Germana was pleased with his team's 55-point effort in its first year back at the Class A level. Sophomore Ben Kinerson and fellow finalist Anthony Racaniello led the charge. Kinerson won the 160-pound title by beating Sanford's Nick Legere for the second straight week. Legere, a senior, had landed his spot in the finals by holding off Oxford Hills' Ryan Bryce in a 20-13 match, the 100th win of his career.

"We did a lot better than anybody expected," said Racaniello who was eventually pinned by three-time state champ Ben Goulette of Morse. "I know I put everything I could into it."

Racaniello had one of the better efforts of the day to get into the finals as he rallied to upset Marshwood's top-rated Colby Lamson, 11-9.

"That really came from inside," Coach Germana said after the dramatic comeback. "He's a senior and he really stepped it up."

Mike Dumas placed third for Kennebunk at 130 pounds, pinning Sanford's Brian Bourque in 3:38. Bourque had a tough day, losing earlier to Gardiner's Liam Kozma because Kozma was unable to continue in their bout after Bourque was called for unnecessary roughness. Kozma was entered in the finals but did not compete there either after suffering a slight concussion and getting stitches inside his mouth. Pat Howard won the title by forfeit, joining teammates Ben Conte (140) and Cody Lightfoot (189) as champions.

Biddeford had some fun with the number five. Not only did the Tigers take fifth, but they had five wrestlers giving coach Bob Gaudette plenty of ups and downs. The Tigers went 5-0 with wins on Friday night. All five lost in the first round Saturday and then all five bounced back with consolation wins.

Juniors Jim Gaudette, Anthony Cincotta and Jimmy Smith earned third-place medals. Tiger sophomores Nate Vassill and Jon Cochrane placed fourth.

"Our goal was to be in the top five, but after that second round the kids were sulking a little bit," Coach Gaudette said. "The hopes for the individual titles were gone, but they all managed to pull it together and come back and wrestle."

The younger Gaudette pinned Sanford's Peter Wentworth for third, Cincotta edged Cony's Brad Waugh and Smith had to rally in the last second to beat Deering's Mitch Punsky. Sanford's 171-pound Chad Edwards also earned a third with a dominating 15-0 win over Brewer's Jeff Maddin.

Class B results

The Western Maine Class B champions from Wells wound up sixth in the team standings, scoring 85 points, but trailing Camden Hills, Belfast, Mountain Valley and Winslow. Camden had four individual champs.

Wells heavyweight Adam Chase was second to nobody. He won the 275-pound championship in a fitting way to wrap up a long season and a long day.

"I'm pretty happy," Chase said after pinning Caribou's Jon Judkins in 4:18. It was his third win of the state meet. "This was my one goal. Earlier in the year I had a tough loss to John Bursley (second in Class A) but I came back from that. I won the conference meet and was the outstanding wrestler, won the regional and then I had this last meet left. This was very good because last year I was fourth." He is one who is definitely ready to see what he can do in the New Englands before concentrating on a football career at Maine Maritime Academy.

The Warriors had another finalist in 135-pound Edgar Wallace; he pinned his way into the championship round but withdrew in the middle of his bout against Camden's Chris Remsen because of a chest injury.

The Warriors had two third-place medalists. Dylan Grethe was third at 130 pounds and Pat Casten was the consolation champion at 215. Gale Pauly grabbed fourth at 145 pounds.

Wells coach Mark Lewia said his team did better overall than last year with the same number of qualifiers and said the hard-working team had plenty of reasons to celebrate after a fine season.

BANGOR - Twenty-one years after becoming the wrestling coach at Noble High School in South Berwick, Kip Devoll has officially turned the Knights’ program into a dynasty.

The Knights won their fourth straight Class A state championship Saturday despite not having a single wrestler win an individual state championship.

"We had six guys advance to the final and none of them won and I don’t think anyone’s won this without having anyone win a title since Rumford in 1973," said Devoll. "I’ll tell you, I’ll sure be reminding future teams about this because it just shows what you can do with a strong effort up and down the lineup."

Noble also had two wrestlers in the consolation finals. Both of them won those matches.

"This is probably the toughest of the four championships we’ve won," Devoll said. "And I thought last year’s would be the toughest with all the people we graduated the previous year."

Noble scored 130.5 points to outdistance runnerup Westbrook. Eastern Maine champ Mt. Blue of Farmington was third with 90 points. The highest finish by another Eastern Maine team was turned in by Gardiner, which finished 12th with 34 points.

Eastern Maine individual standouts included Skowhegan’s Brandon Hamilton, who electrified the 2,500 fans at the Bangor Auditorium by winning a 6-4 overtime decision over Noble’s Decota Cotten in the 152-pound weight class.

Other Eastern Maine titlists were Mt. Blue’s Scott Webber in 112 and Matt Waite in 215.

Notable area wrestlers advancing to the consolation finals were Mt. Blue’s Shane Webber, who finished third in 103 with a consolation pin, and Seth Webber, who lost an 11-2 decision to Noble’s Adam Hale in 119; Brewer’s Jeff Madden, who lost to Sanford’s Chad Edwards on a 15-0 technical fall in 171; and Cony of Augusta’s Brad Waugh, who lost an 8-6 decision to Biddeford’s Anthony Cincotta in 140.

"We had a guy finish third last year, so we’re making some progress," said Madden, who moved to Brewer from North Carolina last summer. "The competition is pretty good here. We just need to get some more people on the team to fill some holes in the lineup."

Monmouth Academy's Aaron Kaluzynski came as close as possible to winning his second state title on Saturday when he went into overtime against Dexter's Chris Barkac in the 103-pound Class C finals. Unfortunately for Kaluzynski, the match at the Bangor Auditorium ended in defeat as Barkac took him directly to his back for the pin.

The loss was a tough one to take for the Mustang junior, who also celebrated his 17th birthday the same day. The news got worse when Kaluzynski learned his family's house had burned to the ground the night before.

"Kaluzynski's parents wanted to wait until after he had finished wrestling to tell him," said Monmouth coach Charlie Fyler. "They wanted to make sure he was focused on competing."

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire.

The Monmouth community came quickly to assist the Kaluzynski family with food and clothing donations as well as a bottle drive to raise money. While the house was insured, there is still a need for immediate assistance. Anyone wishing to make a contribution can send a check, made payable, to: Aaron Kaluzynski, c/o Charles Fyler, 547 Ridge Rd, Monmouth, ME 04259.

Michaud

The biggest applause given by spectators, coaches and athletes didn't go to any of the state champions on Saturday. That honor was reserved for Stephen Michaud, Medomak Valley High School's injured wrestler.

Michaud suffered fractured vertebrae in the neck during a match in December and has been in a Bangor hospital since. Recovery has been slow, but promising. Michaud was brought to the Bangor Auditorium by his family for part of the semifinal round. At the conclusion of the round, Morse High School coach Shawn Guest made an introduction of Michaud to the crowd. The reaction was a standing ovation from more than 3,000 people.

Dan Stace

Winslow High School's Dan Stace won his first state title in style. The senior pinned his way through the field to gain the gold medal in the 140-pound class. Stace earned the Class B most outstanding wrestler award for his performance. The award is voted on by coaches and officials.

The wrestling season isn't over yet. On March 1-2 the New England championships will be held at Roger William's college in Bristol, R.I.

All state champions in Class A, B, and C are eligible to compete in a 24-man field in each weight class. Mt. Blue High School's Matt Waite finished fifth at 189 pounds last year, and has his eyes set on gaining the finals in the 215-pound class this season.

Winslow High School used outstanding team depth to finish in fourth place in the Class B meet. While Stace was the Black Raiders'lone finalist, four of his teammates wrestled back through the consolation rounds to earn medals. Justin Nesbitt (112) and Ken Roy (160) placed third while Peter Lee (119) and Chris Desrosiers (215) took fourth.

Class A competition

The Class A competition was dominated by athletes from the southern part of the state. The East region contributed only seven out of a possible 28 finalists. Of that number, four won state titles.

Morse's Ben Goulette (145) and Mt. Blue's Scott Webber (112) captured their third consecutive Class A championships. Mt. Blue's Waite won his second Class A crown after winning a Class C title as a sophomore at Dirigo High School. Skowhegan Area High School junior Brandon Hamilton (152) won his second straight championship.

Wrestling seems to bring out the best in brothers.

This weekend, most of the top teams at the Maine high school wrestling championships in Bangor have sets of brothers in their lineups.

"It makes it more competitive," said Noble Coach Kip DeVoll. "Brothers really push each other."

DeVoll should know. He will depend on two sets of siblings to keep the Knights in contention for a fourth consecutive Class A title.

For the first time, the Class A, B and C championship wrestling meets all will be held at the Bangor Auditorium. The quarterfinals start at 5 p.m. today. The semifinals in both the consolation and championship brackets start at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Noble´s brother-brother combinations are James Cotten in the 171-pound division and Decata Cotten at 152, and Kyle Hale at 112 and Adam Hale at 119.

Like the other wrestlers at the state meet, the Cottens and the Hales qualified by finishing among the top four wrestlers in their respective weight class in one of last Saturday´s six regional meets.

"They carry a lot of weight for the team, and we´re expecting them to perform for us," said DeVoll. "This is something they will appreciate, especially when they get older, that they were able to be on a team at a state meet with their brother."

Mt. Blue, which should be right in the thick of the race for the Class A crown, features brothers Shane Webber at 103, Scott Webber at 112 and Seth Webber at 119. Last weekend, each won a regional title.

Westbrook and Marshwood, two other teams expected to contend at the Class A meet, also have brothers in the lineup. For Westbrook, it´s Lew Emery at 119 and Brent Emery at 130, and Jeremy Spofford at 145 and Mike Spofford at 189. Marshwood features twins Ben Conte at 140 and Noah Conte at 160.

Coaches say sibling rivalry is not necessarily a bad thing to have on a wrestling team.

"Usually, it´s not really a big rivalry," said Camden Hills Coach John Kelly. "The brothers are usually in different weight classes. But when one does well, the other one strives to keep pace."

When brothers are close to the same weight, the competition between them can get heated.

"We´ve had to pull the Hales apart in practice sometimes," said DeVoll, laughing. "It was a little too physical."

The Emerys often go against each other in practice.

"Brent and Lew are workout partners," said Westbrook Coach Dennis Walch. "They´re very competitive and they work each other hard."

Kelly has firsthand knowledge of that phenomenon.

"Back when I wrestled, one of my brothers was 11 months younger than me," he said, "and we were on the same team. We really pushed each other."

This weekend, Kelly will look toward the Rollins brothers, Jake and Levi, to spearhead the Windjammers´ drive for a third consecutive Class B title. After capturing the state title at 103 a year ago, Levi Rollins, a junior with a career record of 101-8, is the East´s top seed at 125. Last weekend, Jake Rollins, a sophomore who backed up his older brother last season, won the Eastern title at 103 to become a top seed in his weight class at the state meet.

Other brothers wrestling this weekend include Bonny Eagle´s Cameron Pike at 189 and Brandon Pike at 275, and Gardiner´s Liam Kozma at 130 and Sean Kozma at 171.

Brothers don´t even have to be on the same team at the same time to influence each other.

"Younger brothers can learn something from their older brothers," said DeVoll. "The older brothers may not always be the best wrestlers in the family. As they come along, it seems brothers get better. They pick up things from their older brothers."

Also, having brothers wrestling on the same team is great for attracting the support of an entire family.

"When you have brothers wrestling, the whole family tends to get involved," said Walch, "fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters.

Still, one good wrestler in a family doesn´t guarantee that others who follow will be as talented or successful.

"Sometimes, it works out that one brother isn´t as good as the other," said Kelly. "But usually if you´ve got the same name, you´ve got the same caliber of talent."

====================================================
Wrestling Class A Championships at Bangor Auditorium
====================================================

Noble       130.5
Westbrook    93
Mt. Blue     90
Marshwood    82
Biddeford    59.5
Bonny Eagle  58.5
Kennebunk    55
Massabesic   53
Deering      46.5
Sanford      45
Oxford Hills 39
Gardiner     34
Portland     27
Morse        25
Skowhegan    24
Mt. Ararat   22
Cony         21
Brewer        9
Nokomis       1

Championship Finals
103- N Levine(West) dec P Desmarais (Nob), 11-9
112- S Webber (MB) dec K Hale (Nob) 10-5
119- L Emery (West) dec S Clarke (Port) 6-4
125- B Davis (BE) dec G Croteau (Nob) 10-3
130- P Howard (Marsh) over L Kozma (G) injury default
135- T Metz (Mass) pin T Bentley (Nob) 4:57
140- B Conte (Marsh) dec R Hutchinson (MB) 3-0
152- B Hamilton (Skow) dec D Cotten (Nob) 6-4 OT
160- B Kinerson (K) dec N Legere (San) 10-6
171- J Kane (D) dec J Cotten (Nob) 9-0
189- C Lightfoot (Marsh) dec M Spofford (West)15-3
215- M Waitt (MB) dec C Tracy (West) 5-3
275- M Lude (Mass) pin J Bursley (MA) 2:32

Consolation Finals
103- S Webber (MB) pin N Vassill (Bidd) 1:39
112- J Gaudette (Bidd) pin P Wentworth (San) 2:41
119- A Hale (Nob) dec S Webber (MB) 11-2
125- S McAllister (OH) pin J Cochrane (Bidd) 3:37
130- M Dumas (K) pin B Bourque (San) 3:38
135- Z Braasch (D) over T McKay (G) by forfeit
140- A Cincotta (Bidd) dec B Waugh (C) 8-6
145- A Gammon (OH) dec C Lamson (Marsh) 6-5
152- J Smith (Bidd) dec M Punsky (D) 7-6
160- N Conte (Marsh) dec R Bryce (OH) 4-3
171- C Edwards (San) tech fall over J Maddin (Brew) 15-0
189- C Pike (BE) dec E Zukic (P) 7-3
215- D Decato (Nob) dec P McDonough (BE) 3-1
275- P Begin (West) dec B Pike (BE) 5-4

Outstanding wrestler- Jon Kane (Deering)



====================================================
Wrestling Class B Championships at Bangor Auditorium
====================================================

Camden Hills     157.5
Belfast          151
Mountain Valley   95.5
Winslow           89
Wells             85
Fryeburg Academy  64.5
York              58
Medomak Valley    53
Ellsworth         46
Lincoln Academy   27
Caribou           23
Old Town          23
Erskine Academy   18
Oak Hill          17
Lake Region        8
MCI                3

Championship Finals
103- J Rollons (CH) dec I Venskus (MtV) 17-4
112- K Sylvester (CH) dec M Ames (B) 7-2
119- D Gregory (LA) dec C Fraser (EA) 9-3
125- L Rollins (CH) pin M Burns (Els) 2:53
130- B Madigan (MtV) dec B Blackler (Med) 8-7
135- C Remsen (CH) over E Wallace injury default 3:06
140- D Stace (Win) pin J Zak (CH) 3:36
145- D Armstrong (B) pin A Ripley (Med) 2:42
152- N Quimet (B) pin B Cobb (E) 1:08
160- B Brown (FA) dec S Glover (CH) 12-0
171- E Wagner (B) dec C Fergola (MtV) 7-5
189- M Cicero (Y) pin R Chute (FA) 3:54
215- S Bradburn (Y) dec D Potvin (B) 4-0
275- A Chase (We) pin J Judkins (Car) 4:18

Consolation Finals
103- B Mishou (OT) dec K Bonin (B) 13-8
112- J Nesbit (Win) dec L McLeod (LR) 16-2
119- N Gilmore (B) dec P Lee (Win) 11-10
125- T Baker (OT) dec J Seavey (Med) 19-8
130- D Grethe (We) pin I  Read (CH) 4:07
135- D Folsom (Win) dec C Smith (MtV) 3-0
140- J Wagner (B) dec D Prock (Med) 15-3
145- J Strout (E) dec G Pauly (We) 6-3
152- K Nelson (MtV) dec N Boehmer (CH) 13-0
160- K Roy (Win) pin J McPherson (MtV) 3:15
171- A Davis (FA) pin K Sullivan (Y) 1:44
189- B Creamer (CH) dec R Gilmore (B) 7-1
215- P Casten (We) dec C Desrosiers (Win) 15-4
275- A Buckingham (OH) pin T Mango (FA) :59


Outstanding wrestler- Dan Stace (Winslow)




====================================================
Wrestling Class C Championships at Bangor Auditorium
====================================================

Lisbon           200.5
Dexter           167
Foxcroft Academy 116
Bucksport        109
Dirigo            70.5
Monmouth Academy  44
Madawaska         42
Penobscot Valley  41.5
Woodland          35
Traip Academy     28
Wiscasset         13
Boothbay Region   13
George Stevens    13
Mattanawcook      12
Calais             3
John Bapst         1

Championship Finals

103- C Barkac (Dex) pin A Kaluzynski (Mon)  5:09
112- T Clark (L) dec K Thompson (Dex) 9-7
119- D Giusto (L) pin B Romanelli (Wood) 3:29
125- W Vice (L) pin R Whitemore (FA) 1:25
130- D Maguire (Buck) pin E Thompson (Dex) 2:42
135- BJ Hamm (L) pin J Pelletier (Buck) 3:51
140- V Greene (Dex) dec A Bourgoin (Buck) 1-0
145- K Armstrong (Dex) dec B Cyr (Mad) 154
152- A Thomas (Dex) dec T Pelletier (Mad) 3-1 OT
160- N Gurney (Dir) pin R Hespe (L)   5:14
171- J Bishop (Dex) dec K Champion (PVC)  8-2
189- J Schreiber (L) pin M Proulx (Wood) 1:37
215- A Lord (L) pin S Skibitsky (Dir) 3:46
275- T Merrill (FA) dec D Daigle (Mad) 6-2


Consolation Finals

103- A Priest (PVC) dec C Stambach (L) 9-2
112- K Perkins (Buck) pin C Lizotte (Mad) 1:19
119- G Burrill (B) dec C Cookson (FA) 13-6
125- J Bedard (TA) dec J Foster (GSA) 12-8
130- R Audet (Mon) dec N Hix (L) 7-4
135- M Kennedy (FA) dec M Berry (Dex)  13-1
140- P Rines (Wis) dec C McDonald (Mat) 4-3
145- C Pelletier (FA) dec C German (TA) 4-2
152- KJ Gosselin (FA) pin C Brann (Dir) :36
160- B Pomelow (Dex) dec C Vanio (PVC) 7-2
171- J Steinke (FA) dec R Willey (Lis) 9-3
189- C Brown (BR) dec M Kinney (Dex) 3-2
215- K Milan (Buck) pin N Buter (Mon) :50
275- J Englebert (L) pin M Williams (Dir) 1:13

Outstanding wrestler-  Josh Bishop (Dexter)

BANGOR - At 10 minutes before noon on Saturday, former Belfast wrestling coach Teddy Heroux declared the Class B state wrestling championships were, for all intents and purposes, over.

"Camden has this thing wrapped up," Heroux said from his chair at the Bangor Auditorium.

Heroux, of course, was right. Anyone who had spent 37 years coaching a sport as Heroux has done knows a thing or two about it. But it would take seven hours for the Windjammers to seal the deal and win their seventh state title in coach John Kelly’s 15th and final year running the program.

"That’s Teddy for you," Kelly said. "He’s pretty astute about projecting what’s going to happen. But he was a little premature in making that call."

Camden Hills finished with 157½ points, edging Belfast’s 151. Mountain Valley of Rumford was third with 95½ and the Falcons were followed by Winslow with 89, Wells at 85, Fryeburg at 64½, York at 58, Medomak Valley of Waldoboro at 53, Ellsworth at 46, and Lincoln Academy of Newcastle at 27.

The difference in the meet came down to a match that Heroux described as the upset of the tournament. Kelly agreed.

"We had a big upset in the final. My 112-pounder, Kyle Sylvester, knocked off a defending state champ. Sylvester’s a kid that’s never scored a point in a state tournament before in his life until today. If he doesn’t win that match, we don’t win the tournament."

Sylvester’s win was a double-whammy for Belfast because it came against junior and defending state champion Mike Ames, taking assumed points away from the Lions.

Sylvester managed to break through after a scoreless first period to take control of the match in the second.

"I just knew I was going out there and try my hardest. He’s beaten me three or four times before. But the coach me gave some advice and I followed it," Sylvester said.

Kelly’s advice was for Sylvester to stay on his feet early in the match and not dive in on Ames, who had defeated Sylvester 11-4 in the regional finals. The strategy worked. After a scoreless first period in which Ames expended a lot of energy going after Sylvester’s legs, the Camden Hills junior became less defensive and went on the attack. He took Ames’ legs away from him in the third period and rode to a 7-2 win.

"We’re a tough side," Camden Hills’ Chris Remsen said. "We train hard. We lost six or eight state finalists from last year. Plus, we lost some kids for academic reasons. Look at what [Sylvester] did. That really got us going."

Remsen, a sophomore, won his second straight title at 135 pounds, following junior Levi Rollins, who also won his second state championship in a row at 125 pounds, to the mat.

Those wins and Jake Rollins’ win at 103 pounds were expected by Windjammers followers, but Sylvester’s surprise victory gave a confident team even more confidence.

"We expected to win and we’re going to win," Levi Rollins said following his pinning of Matt Burns of Ellsworth.

But Belfast wasn’t done. The Lions had four wrestlers to go after Winslow’s Dan Stace pinned Camden Hills’ Joe Zak for the 140- pound title. The Windjammers were finished for the day. The problem with the scenario from a Belfast perspective was that the Lions needed a pin in each of their four matches.

Belfast’s Dustin Armstrong gave his team life with a pin of Andrew Ripley of Mountain Valley at 145 pounds.

Armstrong was followed to the mat by 152-pound teammate Nick Quimet, who pinned Brian Cobb of Ellsworth in 1:08. Quimet found out recently that he has received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He said his focus of late hasn’t been on wrestling.

"I’ve wanted to win [a state championship] forever. But when I was informed that I was going to West Point, I mean states is fun, wrestling is fun, but [West Point] is my future. It took a while to get pumped up. Then it started to look like we had a chance at winning the team championship. I was more excited for the team than individually," Quimet said.

But it wasn’t to be. The Lions’ Erik Wagner won the state championship at 171, but was unable to pin Craig Fergola of Mountain Valley.

"We’ve got a group of kids, they just never say die. We didn’t come out of this champions today, but second place, I can’t say enough good things about these kids," Belfast’s first-year coach Neal Wood said.

The third time turned out to be the charm for Winslow’s Stace. After twice finishing the state runner-up, the senior won at 140 and was named Class B’s outstanding wrestler.

"My coach always told me things happen for a reason. I’m glad something good happened to me here today," Stace said.

Also winning state titles Saturday were Lincoln Academy’s David Gregory (119 pounds), Ben Madigan of Mountain Valley (130), Buck Brown of Fryeburg Academy (160), York’s Mike Cicero (189) and Sean Bradburn (215), and Wells’ Adam Chase (275).

"Usually we’ve been losing the close ones. You can put the three state championships that we lost together and it’s by a total of 6½ points." Kelly said. "It’s kinda ironic. I always thought our first [championship] was the best ever as far as how I felt about it. This is my last year and it replaces it as the best."

BANGOR, Maine - The only thing better than four is more, but the Noble High School Knights aren’t really thinking about that right now.

They would prefer to savor the 2002 Class A Maine state wrestling title awhile before talking about a drive for five.

Noble became the first Class A school in 34 years to win four straight state crowns Saturday. Not since Sanford won its eighth straight in 1968 has an A school had such a grip on statewide wrestling supremacy.

There were all kinds of historical nuances to this latest win by the Knights, who put up 130½ points and easily outdistanced runnerup Westbrook (93) and Eastern Maine champ Mt. Blue (90) despite not having a single wrestler come away with an individual title.

"This year especially was all team effort," said head coach Kip Devoll. "We put six kids in the finals and not one of them won. I don’t think anyone’s done that and won since Rumford back in 1972."

Devoll, who watched eight of the nine wrestlers who qualified for states place in the top four, said this may have been the most difficult one to win, but it only made the fourth straight crown even sweeter.

"That’s something we’re going to use a long time down the road to emphasize how important it is for guys to wrestle well across the board," Devoll said. "You don’t necessarily have to win a championship for your team to win.

"We won some big semifinal matches against guys our kids lost to previously this year and that’s what really put us over the top."

Twenty-one years after taking over the head coaching position for Noble, Devoll has not only taken the Knights to the top, he has created a dynasty.

With all but three team members back next year, the drive for five looks more than doable.

"We’re in good shape, but you never know," he said. "I thought last year was tough because we graduated so many kids the previous year, but we’ve been through so much this year with injuries plaguing us."

In fact, last week’s Western Maine Class A regional championship was the first meet in which Devoll was able to field his entire varsity lineup. It was the first time all season everyone was healthy enough to wrestle.

"It’s a tough sport to follow and stay with and understand, so for the kids to stay with this program, it’s a great thing they’ve accomplished," Devoll added.

Of the Noble finalists, Paul Desmarais (103 pounds), Kyle Hale (112), Greg Croteau (125), Travis Bentley (135), Decota Cotten (152), and James Cotten (171) all finished as runners-up in their weight classes. Adam Hale and Dick DeCato each finished third in 119 and 215, respectively.

Individual champions were Westbrook’s Nick Lavine in 103 and Lew Emery in 119; Mt. Blue’s Scott Webber in 112 and Matt Waite in 215; Ben Davis of Bonny Eagle in 125; Marshwood’s Pat Howard in 130, Ben Conte in 140, and Cody Lightfoot in 189; Massabesic’s Tom Metz in 135 and Matt Lude in 275; Morse’s Ben Goulette in 145; Skowhegan’s Brandon Hamilton in 152; Ben Kinerson of Kennebunk in 160; and Jon Kane of Deering in 171.

In the day’s other meets at the Bangor Auditorium, Lisbon won its second straight Class C state crown with 200.5 points while Dexter was runnerup a second straight time with 167. In Class B, Camden Hills took its third straight title with a 157.5-point effort. Fellow conference member Belfast was second with 151.

BANGOR - Retiring Camden Hills coach John Kelly got the perfect sendoff when his Windjammer wrestling team presented him with the Class B team championship on Saturday. It was the the seventh state title and the third consecutive for the Windjammers in Kelly's 15-year tenure.

The team race was close throughout the two-day tournament, but in the end, the Windjammers outdistanced a determined Belfast squad, 157.5-151. Mountain Valley High School finished third with 95.5 points while Winslow High School was fourth with 89.

Belfast held a 30-28 lead over Camden Hills after the quarterfinal round but entered the finals trailing by 1.5 points. The Lions qualified five wrestlers for the finals, Camden Hills had six.

The pivotal point in the team race came in the 112-pound final. Camden Hills' Kyle Sylvester faced Belfast's defending state champion, Mike Ames. The two had faced off in the previous weekend's Eastern Maine championships with Ames coming away with an 11-4 victory. This time the outcome would be different as Sylvester scored three takedowns on the way to a 7-2 win to gain the state title.

"Our strategy was for Sylvester to win on his feet against Ames," said Kelly. It was the first state title for Sylvester, who reached the finals with an 8-6 victory over Western Maine champ Travis Child of Mountain Valley.

Sylvester's finals win added four team points to the Windjammers total. It was a margin that Belfast was unable to overcome. Despite the loss, the Lions still had an outside shot at the team trophy. Wins by pins by the four remaining Lion finalists would give Belfast the victory. Dustin Armstrong (145) pinned Medomak Valley's Andrew Ripley and Nick Ouimet pinned Ellsworth's Brian Cobb to keep Belfast in the hunt. Eric Wagner's 7-5 decision over Mountain Valley's Craig Fergola earned Wagner his first individual title, but shut the door on Belfast's title hopes.

Camden Hills won four individual titles. Jake Rollins (103) opened the finals competition with a 17-4 major decision of Mountain Valley's Ian Venskus. Levi Rollins (125) followed Sylvester's victory with a pin of Ellsworth's Matt Burns. Chris Remsen (135) won his second consecutive state title with an injury default victory over Edgar Wallace of Wells High School.

Sam Glover (160) and Joe Zak (140) finished in second place for the Windjammers.

Kelly was happy to step down from the Windjammer helm on a high note and feels confident that the winning tradition will be carried on in the future.

"Our kids really pulled together through a lot of adversity this year" he said, "We lost some key veterans for a variety of reasons, but the younger guys really stepped up."

Winslow High School's Dan Stace (140) had reached the finals in both his sophomore and junior years but had finished second both years. Saturday, he ended his high school career with a pin of Camden's Zak to win the gold medal.

Lincoln Academy's David Gregory (119) won his first title with a 9-3 decision over Erskine Academy's Chris Fraser. Ben Madigan of Mountain Valley decisioned Medomak Valley's Bryan Blackler in the 130 pound finals. Fryeburg's Buck Brown (160) won his second state championship with a 12-0 major decision of Camden's Glover.

York's Mike Cicero pinned Richard Chute of Fryeburg in 3:54 to win the 189 pound class. York's Sean Bradburn decisioned Belfast's Devin Potvin 4-0 in the 215 pound class. Heavyweight Adam Chase of Wells ended the championship finals with a pin of Caribou's Jim Judkins.

CLASS C

The Lisbon wrestling team didn't sneak up on anybody this year.

The Greyhounds played their favorite's role to the hilt. They used their talented depth to capture its second consecutive Class C championship.

Team scores were: Lisbon 200.5, Dexter 167, Foxcroft Academy 116, Bucksport 109, Dirigo 70.5, Monmouth Academy 44, Madawaska 42, Penobscot Valley 41.5, Woodland 35, Traip Academy 28, Wiscasset 13, Boothbay Region 13, George Stevens Academy 13, Mattanawcook Academy 12, Calais 3, John Bapst 1.

When the championship round of the two-day competition began Saturday night runnerup Dexter remained in contention. Like Lisbon, the Tigers had seven wrestlers scheduled to wrestle in the finals.

"You never know with Dexter," said Lisbon coach Mark Stevens. "They could have had seven champions. That's how good they are. Every one of their kids could have gotten first place."

The lightweights set the pace for Lisbon in the championship round. In quick succession, the Greyhounds got wins from Troy Clark at 112, Derek Guisto at 119 and Will Vice at 125.

Clark's dramatic victory against Dexter's Keith Thompson represented an eight-point swing. Thompson scored a two-point reversal with 10 seconds left in the third period to pull into a 6-6 tie, and Clark scored a two-point takedown 37 seconds into overtime to end it.

Lisbon picked up 12 more points when Guisto and Vice both pinned their opponents.

The Greyhounds clinched the title when B.J. Hamm pinned Bucksport's Josh Pelletier to capture his third consecutive state championship.

Lisbon's Joey Schrieber at 189 and Adam Lord at 215 also earned individual titles by pinning their opponents in the finals.

BANGOR - The Lisbon wrestling team didn`t sneak up on anybody this year. The Greyhounds played their favorite`s role to the hilt and used their talented depth to capture their second consecutive Class C championship Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium.

Team scores: Lisbon 200 1/2, Dexter 167, Foxcroft Academy 116, Bucksport 109, Dirigo 70 1/2, Monmouth Academy 44, Madawaska 42, Penobscot Valley 41 1/2, Woodland 35, Traip Academy 28, Wiscasset 13, Boothbay Region 13, George Stevens Academy 13, Mattanawcook Academy 12, Calais 3 and John Bapst 1.

When the championship round of the two-day competition began Saturday night, Dexter remained in contention. Like Lisbon, the Tigers had seven wrestlers scheduled to wrestle in the finals.

'You never know with Dexter,' said Lisbon Coach Mark Stevens. 'They could have had seven champions. That`s how good they are. Every one of their kids could have gotten first place.'

The lightweights set the pace for Lisbon in the championship round. In succession the Greyhounds got wins from Troy Clark at 112 pounds, Derek Guisto at 119 and Will Vice at 125.

Clark`s dramatic victory against Keith Thompson of Dexter represented an eight-point swing.

Thompson scored a two-point reversal with 10 seconds left in the third period to make it 6-6, and Clark scored a two-point takedown 37 seconds into overtime to end it.

'(Clark) wasn`t supposed to win that match,' said Stevens. 'He lost to (Thompson) 10-1 earlier in the year. That win sparked the rest of the wrestlers.'

Lisbon picked up 12 more points when Guisto and Vice each pinned their opponents.

'That`s what happens when you get the momentum in wrestling,' said Stevens. 'It`s a team sport as well as an individual sport. That`s why the kids stepped it up. We`ve been a tough team all season long.'

The Greyhounds clinched the title when B.J. Hamm pinned Josh Pelletier of Bucksport to capture his third consecutive state championship.

Joey Schrieber at 189 and Adam Lord at 215, both of Lisbon, also earned titles with pins.

BANGOR - Overcoming a season full of adversity, Noble rolled to its fourth consecutive Class A state wrestling championship at the Bangor Auditorium on Saturday.

The Knights, unable to put a complete varsity lineup on the mat until last weekend's regional tournament, finished off a season filled with injury and illness to become the first team in 44 years to capture four A titles in a row.

The team scores were: Noble 130.5, Westbrook 93, Mt. Blue 90, Marshwood 82, Biddeford 59.5, Bonny Eagle 58.5, Kennebunk 55, Massabesic 53, Deering 46.5, Sanford 45, Oxford Hills 39, Gardiner 34, Portland 27, Morse 25, Skowhegan 24, Mt. Ararat 22, Cony 21, Brewer 9, Nokomis 1.

"It's been a tough year," said Noble coach Kip DeVoll. "This is really something for the kids to be proud of with all the adversity they've been through."

Less than a month ago, even DeVoll wouldn't have given the Knights much of a chance to repeat as champions.

With two weeks left in the regular season, a bout of impetigo, a highly-infectious skin infection, affected nearly everyone on the team. It forced the Knights to close up a shop for a week. They couldn't even practice.

"We had to stay off the mats for a week," said DeVoll. "We couldn't wrestle Westbrook for the league championship, and we missed a tournament in Connecticut."

Because of the layoff, DeVoll claimed his team was not at its best at the regional meet. "We were out of shape and sloppy," he said.

The Knights spent the week in between the regionals and state meet working on conditioning.

"We really worked the kids hard this week," said DeVoll. "You don't know when you start pushing kids really hard how they're going to react, but it worked out. The captains and the coaches did a good job of pushing the kids."

Noble got off to a great start at the state meet. On Friday night, eight of its nine wrestlers recorded first-round pins to give the Knights a lead they never relinquished.

On Saturday, seven Noble wrestlers advanced to the championship round of the competition, and four of them did it by upsetting number one seeds.

"A lot of those number one seeds beat our kids during the regular season," said DeVoll. "But this was the day it counted the most."

None of the Knights won individual titles. But it didn't make any difference. In the earlier rounds, Noble built up a lead too large for any of its pursuers to overcome. It became the first squad to capture a team title without winning an individual championship since Rumford did it in 1972.

During the finals, Noble's best chance to capture an individual crown during the 152-pound matchup between Skowhegan's Brandon Hamilton and the Knights' Decota Cotten. Cotten took a 4-2 lead during the opening seconds of the third period. But Hamilton, who won the 135-pound title a year ago, pulled into a tie when he received a point for an escape and then another point when Cotten was called for stalling. Hamilton scored a reversal 30 seconds into overtime to pull out the win.

Jon Kane was named the meet's Class A outstanding wrestler. He recorded the 100th victory of his career when he scored a 9-0 decision over Noble's James Cotten in the finals of the 171-pound division.

BANGOR - Overcoming a season full of adversity, Noble rolled to its fourth consecutive Class A state wrestling championship Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium. The Knights, unable to put a complete varsity lineup on the mat until last weekend`s regional tournament, finished a season filled with injury and illness to become the first team in 44 years to capture four straight Class A titles.

The team scores: Noble 130 1/2, Westbrook 93, Mt. Blue 90, Marshwood 82, Biddeford 59 1/2, Bonny Eagle 58 1/2, Kennebunk 55, Massabesic 53, Deering 46 1/2, Sanford 45, Oxford Hills 39, Gardiner 34, Portland 27, Morse 25, Skowhegan 24, Mt. Ararat 22, Cony 21, Brewer 9 and Nokomis 1.

'It`s been a tough year,' said Noble Coach Kip DeVoll. 'This is really something for the kids to be proud of with all the adversity they`ve been through.'

Less than a month ago, even DeVoll wouldn`t have given the Knights much of a chance to repeat.

With two weeks left in the regular season, a bout of impetigo, a highly infectious skin infection, affected nearly everyone on the team and forced the Knights to close down for a week. They couldn`t even practice.

'We had to stay off the mats for a week,' said DeVoll. 'We couldn`t wrestle Westbrook for the league championship, and we missed a tournament in Connecticut.'

Because of the layoff, DeVoll claimed his team wasn`t at its best at the regional meet.

'We were out of shape and sloppy,' he said.

The Knights spent the week between the regionals and state meet working on conditioning.

'We really worked the kids hard this week,' said DeVoll. 'You don`t know when you start pushing kids really hard how they`re going to react, but it worked out. The captains and the coaches did a good job of pushing the kids.'

Noble got off to a great start at the state meet. On Friday night, eight of its nine wrestlers recorded first-round pins to give the Knights a lead they never relinquished.

On Saturday, seven Noble wrestlers advanced to the championship round, and four of them did it by upsetting top seeds.

'A lot of those No. 1 seeds beat our kids during the regular season,' said DeVoll. 'But this was the day it counted the most.'

None of the Knights won individual titles, but it didn`t make a difference.

In the earlier rounds, Noble built a lead too large for any pursuer to overcome. It became the first team to capture a team title without winning an individual championship since Rumford in 1972.

Noble`s best chance for an individual title came in the 152-pound final between Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan and Decota Cotten of the Knights.

Cotten took a 4-2 lead in the opening seconds of the third period, but Hamilton, who won the 135-pound title a year ago, tied it when he received a point for an escape, then another point when Cotten was called for stalling.

Hamilton scored a reversal 30 seconds into overtime to win it.

Jon Kane of Deering was named the meet`s outstanding wrestler. He recorded the 100th victory of his career when he scored a 9-0 decision against James Cotten of Noble in the final of the 171-pound division.

BANGOR- Camden Hills High Schoolng wrestling teams can never be counted out and the current edition followed suit. The Windjammers beat runnerup Belfast by 6.5 points in the Class B state wrestling championships before fans at the Bangor Auditorium Saturday.

Mountain Valley finished third led by state champions , Ben Madigan (130).

Camden third-straight title, trailed by 1 1/2 points entering the finals, but won four-straight titles.

Rounding out the top five were . The 14 individual state champions are eligible to compete in the New England Championships in Rhode Island March.

"The kids never cease to amaze me,"Camden coach John Kelly said.

Camden Hills,had won the state championship last year over Mountain Valley, led from the get-go behind some quality wrestlers. The Windjammers were Jake Rollins 103, Kyle Sylvester 112, Levi Rollins (125), Chris Resman (135).

"You can never look past any one,"Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. "We had three leads in the semi-finals and ended up losing."

Ian Venskus of Mountain Valley lost 17-4 to Rollins of Camden in the 103 finals.

Ben Madigan decisioned Brian Backler of Medomak Valley 9-8 in over time in the 135 finals. Madigan, a freshman, won a semi-final match 11-9 in overtime. Craig Fergola a senior at 171, lost 7-5 to Eric Wagner of Belfast in the finals.

Belfast champions were Dustin Armstrong 145 and Nick Ouimet 152.

Kirk Nelson 152 of Mountain Valley.

Buck Brown of Fryeburg Sam Glover of Camden at 160. Brown won in the state finals last winter.

Oak Hills Adam BUCKINGHAM WAS THIRD AT 275.

Dan Stace 140 of Winslow finally won in his third appearance in the finals.

BANGOR-the Lisbon High School wrestling team put it all together and defended its Class C state championship by scoring approximmately 170 points to Dexter 149 Saturday.,

Lisbon had won the 2001 state crown. The Greyhounds led by 23 points entering the finals.

Lisbon early in the finals as Troy Clark 112 won 9-7 in overtime and Derek Guisto 119 and 2x William Vice 125 each won by pin. Guisto was a finalists last year,

"A key for us was Jamie Englebert,"Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. He scored 14 points in placing third and was an inspiration to the team. He can only wrestle for a limited time in practice since coming back from a broken leg"

The Greyhounds B.J. Hamm 135 pinned Josh Pelletier of Bucksport. It was Hamm' third state title.

Schrieber repeated as a state champion at 189

Dexter senior Kevin Armstrong won his third title. Aaron Thomas also repeated at 152

Dirigo, third with points, were led by champions Nick Gurney 160. Gurney, who had won a state title at 145 last February, showed Rob Hespe of Lisbon the lights. The Greyhounds Adam Lord pinned Scott Skibitsky of Dirigo at 21 5.

Aaron Kaluzynski of Monmouth lost a tough match to Chris Barkac of Dexter in the 103 finals. Kaluzynski, a junior, had won the state crown in 2000. The Mustangs Ryan Audet was third at 130.