Just one high school wrestling program in Eastern Maine boasts two returning state champions this winter.
No, it’s not Camden Hills of Rockport or Belfast or Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft or Penobscot Valley of Howland — each of which has one 2010 individual state champ back on its roster.
Try Calais High School, from where seniors Scott Carpenter and Spencer McCormick each hopes to launch one more successful run to a state title.
Carpenter is seeking his third Class C crown, having gone 28-0 at 119 pounds as a sophomore and 37-0 at 125 pounds as a junior, while McCormick is after a second state title after going 26-0 at 152 pounds last winter.
“Just achieving your goals is the big thing, whether it be winning a match or a state title,” said Carpenter. “There’s a saying that the only fun thing about wrestling is winning, and that’s true. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it, after all the days of training and workouts, to see it put to work and used well.”
Both wrestlers attribute their success to dedicating themselves to the fundamentals of their sport.
“I just focus mainly on the basics going back to when I first started wrestling because that’s what wins matches,” said McCormick.
Carpenter is off to a 17-2 start at 135 pounds, including a fourth-place finish at last week’s Noble Invitational tournament at North Berwick. It was at that meet, which brings together many of the top wrestlers and teams in Maine and New Hampshire regardless of class, where he suffered his only two defeats, a 3-1 decision to reigning Class A 135-pound state champion Jake Bagley of Noble, and a 4-0 loss to 2010 Class B 130-pound state runner-up Dan DelGallo of Gardiner in the consolation finals.
“Other than that last match (against DelGallo) I was pretty happy with how I wrestled,” said Carpenter, who may drop back to 130 pounds for regional and state competition.
McCormick’s competitive season is just beginning, because while an ankle sprain that sidelined him midway through football season has healed, he continues to cope with a nagging wrestling-related neck injury.
“I just started this past week in training real hard,” said McCormick, a first-team All-LTC choice as a fullback and defensive back in football last fall. “I’m probably 85 to 90 percent right now.”
McCormick likely will continue to wrestle at 152 pounds this winter, though he is mulling a drop to 145 at some point before the Class C qualifying meet at Jay High School on Feb. 5.
At either weight, he relies on the little things to produce big results.
“If I’m going up against a real tough guy and I know what he does, I’ll just set small goals,” said McCormick. “I’ll know what his best moves are, so I’ll set a goal of not letting him get me in that move, and I’ll do that one step at a time throughout the match. Then to get your hand raised after the match is the best feeling.”
Calais won’t contend for regional and state team honors this winter. The Blue Devils typically fill just six of the 14 weight classes at a meet, which leaves goals for veterans like Carpenter and McCormick more personal in nature.
“Both Spencer and I want to win a state title, for sure, and both of us are looking at New Englands,” said Carpenter. “The first year (as a sophomore) I went to New Englands was kind of a learning experience, but last year I didn’t wrestle well down there (finishing 1-2) and I hope to do better this year.”
“One of my biggest goals is to be a two-time state champion and to go down to New Englands,” added McCormick, who didn’t compete in the 2010 New Englands due to his neck injury. “I’ve been going to the New Englands since I was a freshman to watch them, so I think I know what it takes to get there and what kind of competition will be there.”
Trojans under the radar
Scan the Big East Conference boys basketball statistics and there’s only modest representation from the Mount Desert Island Trojans — with no one among the leading scorers or rebounders.
But look at the Heal points for Eastern Maine Class B, and coach Justin Norwood’s club is well represented, ranked second in the division with its 6-0 record after a 52-45 win over Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln on Monday night.
MDI’s success has been based on defense and balance. The Trojans have allowed an average of just 45.6 points per game, while five different players have led the team in scoring and eight different players — Jayson Burke, Nate Chisholm, Steve Joy, Ryan Lynde, Caleb MacDonald, Nick Shaw, Duncan Smith and Ben Walls — have scored in double figures at least once so far this winter.
MDI will try to extend its winning streak on the road Wednesday night at Hermon, which recently regained the services of senior guard Taylor Gross, who had been sidelined since the start of the season due to mononucleosis.
After playing Hermon, MDI will face Class C opponents George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill on Friday and Washington Academy of East Machias on Jan. 10. It then starts the second half of its schedule with an eagerly anticipated Jan. 14 showdown against undefeated Ellsworth at Parady Gymnasium in Bar Harbor.
Bapst’s Desmond award finalist
Chris Desmond of John Bapst of Bangor is among 11 Maine high school football linemen who have been named finalists for the first Frank Gaziano High School Scholarship and Awards.
The finalists are invited to appear before the Gaziano awards committee for a personal interview, leading to the presentation of the award and scholarships at a banquet brunch at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 23 at the Augusta Civic Center. Each finalist and all applicants will receive four free tickets to the banquet, where one offensive player and one defensive player will be awarded a first-place trophy and a $2,500 scholarship. Additional awards will be presented to runners-up in each category.
The new scholarship and awards program for Maine high school football linemen was created in memory of Frank J. Gaziano, founder of National Distributors and a former college All-American at Holy Cross and pro football player with the Washington Redskins.
The annual Frank J. Gaziano Memorial Offensive and Defensive Linemen Awards will be presented to players who epitomize the character, leadership and perseverance of Gaziano. Recipients will be selected by an awards committee based on their strong leadership on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Desmond was a first-team All-LTC offensive tackle and defensive lineman this fall while leading John Bapst to a berth in the Eastern Maine Class C championship game. He also was a nominee for LTC player of the year.
Desmond was nominated for the Gaziano Award as a defensive linemen, along with Trevor Bates of Westbrook, Christian Durland of Mountain Valley of Rumford, Jack Horton of Falmouth, Nathan Martel of Bonny Eagle of Standish and Connor McAleney of Cape Elizabeth.
Offensive linemen named finalists for the award were Matthew Archer of Mt. Blue of Farmington, Zach Dulac of Cheverus of Portland, Jake Huerfano of Waterville, Nicholas Ramsdell of Windham and Matt Welch of South Portland.
