Mattanawcook, Mountain Valley win ‘B’ regional wrestling titles

By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News Staff

Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln crowned four individual champions and qualified 10 wrestlers for next weekend’s state championship meet while winning the Class B North title Saturday at Belfast Area High School.

The Lynx amassed 185.5 points with Belfast second with 157 points and Dexter (126), Piscataquis of Guilford (93.5) and Bucksport rounding out the top five.

Also in the field were Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft (86), Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield (78), Ellsworth (61), Mount View of Thorndike (51), Fort Kent (50), Old Town (36), Woodland (13), Caribou (10), Washington Academy of East Machias (6) and Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor (5).

Mattanawcook compiled a 30-12 match record during the meet, including 18 victories by pin, one technical fall and four major decisions.

The Lynx got individual championships from Jackson Sutherland, Isaac Hainer, Keegan Tidswell and Cole Albert.

Sutherland pinned Dexter’s Caleb Schobel in the 170-pound final, while Hainer pinned Isaiah Bagley of Piscataquis in the 182-pound championship match. Tidswell pinned Belfast’s Ryker Evans in the 113-pound final, and Albert outpointed Fort Kent’s Jack Desjardins 15-3 to earn the 120-pound crown.

Other state-meet qualifiers for MA based on top-four regional finishes were runners-up Connor Langerak (126 pounds) and Alex Munson (195), third-place finishers Owen Harper (132) and James Dube (220) and fourth-place finishers Maddox Tash (145) and Emmett Fitch (160), 

Belfast crowned two individual champions among its eight state-meet qualifiers in Hagen Chase (106) and Kaden Bonin (132), while Dexter’s Nathan Schobel won at 195 and Alex Zeller of PCHS claimed the 145-pound crown.

Foxcroft Academy crowned two weight-class champions in Skylar Gibbs (152) and Gage Beaudry (160).

MCI was led by Bryce Bussell, who edged Bucksport’s Jaxon Gross 9-5 in a highly anticipated 220-pound final. Other MCI champions were Keith Cook at 126 pounds and Isaac Keresey at 138.

Bucksport’s Grayson Fernald won the 285-pound title.

At Fryeburg Academy, Mountain Valley of Rumford outlasted perennial power Wells to win the Class B South wrestling championship.

Mountain Valley finished with 177.5 points compared to 162 for Wells, with Morse of Bath (117), York (113.5) and Oceanside of Rockland (73) rounding out the top five.

Also in the field were Erskine Academy of South China (68.5), Lincoln Academy of Newcastle (54), Dirigo of Dixfield (48), Medomak Valley of Waldoboro (47), Winslow (43.5), Fryeburg Academy (41.5), Monmouth/Richmond (25) and Lisbon/Oak Hill (3).

Mountain Valley crowned two individual champions among its 11 wrestlers who qualified for the state championships, as Lucas Libby won at 152 pounds and Tresdon Mills was victorious at 220.

Wells had a meet-best four individual champions: Jace Patel (120 pounds), Griffin Brickett (132), Michael Duchame (138) and Eli Potter (170).

The sister-brother combo of Maddie Ripley and Gavin Ripley were Oceanside’s weight-class winners, Maddie at 113 pounds and Gavin at 126. Phoenix Martinez at 120 pounds and Kael Sidelinger at 160 added third-place finishes for the Mariners.

Other individual champions were Wynn Pooler of Erskine (106), Jayden Lafrenaye of Lincoln Academy (145), Joe Neal of York (160), Allan Rogers of Winslow (182), Job Fox of Fryeburg (195) and William Orso of York (285).
Marshall Addy’s second-place finish at 220 led Medomak Valley, while Xavier Woodbury was third at 170 and Jame Rose was fourth at 195.

Class B North championship

Mattanawcook Acad. 185.5, Belfast 157, Dexter 126, Piscataquis 93.5, Bucksport 89, Foxcroft Acad. 86, Maine Central Institute 78, Ellsworth 61, Mount View 51, Fort Kent 50, Old Town 36, Woodland 13, Caribou 10, Washington Acad. 6, Mount Desert Island 5

Championship finals

106: Hagen Chase (Bel) dec. Garrett Tibbetts (Dex) 8-4, 113: Deegan Tidswell (MA) pinned Ryker Evans (Bel), 120: Cole Albert (MA) maj. dec. Jack Desjardins (FK) 15-3, 126: Keith Cook (MCI) pinned Connor Langerak (MA), 132: Kaden Bonin (Bel) maj. dec. Karson Tibbetts (PCHS) 10-0, 138: Isaac Keresey (MCI) pinned Nate Bock (PCHS), 145: Alex Zeller (PCHS) tech. fall Samuel Charles (OT) 17-2, 152: Skylar Gibbs (FA) pinned Francesco Martin (Bel), 160: Gage Beaudry (FA) dec. Gabriel Kelley (Bel) 8-7, 170: Jackson Sutherland (MA) pinned Caleb Schobel (Dex), 182: Isaac Hainer (MA) pinned Isaiah Bagley (PCHS), 195: Nathan Schobel (Dex) dec. Alex Munson (MA) 7-1, 220: Bryce Bussell (MCI) dec. Jaxon Gross (Buck) 9-5; 285: Grayson Fernald (Buck) pinned Gage Sinclair (Dex)

Consolation finals

106: Kael Niland (FA) pinned Brody Anderson (Car), 113: Nathan Durgin (FA) bye, 120: Connor Fournier (Bel) pinned Luke Horne (Ells), 126: Blaine Gould (Dex) dec. Josiah Miller (MtV) 7-5, 132: Owen Harper def. Kaleb Nightengale (Buck), injury default; 138: David Anderson (Bel) pinned Grayson Mote (Ells), 145: Zepherin Leppanen (Bel) pinned Maddox Tash (MA), 152: Brayden Flagg (Dex) pinned Ridge Weatherbee (Ells), 160: Lucas Theriault (FK) pinned Emmett Fitch (MA), 170: Luke McKenney (Ells) pinned Kayden Foster (Buck), 182: Anthony Mathous (MtV) pinned Freddie Beem (Dex), 195: Joe Bowen (Buck) pinned Kloee Moore (OT), 220: James Dube (MA) ma