TOPSHAM, Maine — The newly crowned Class A state champion Skowhegan Area High School wrestling team advanced six wrestlers to next month’s New England championships during Saturday’s annual all-state qualifying meet at Mount Ararat School.
The top three finishers from each of the 14 weight classes at the qualifier are eligible to compete at the 52nd annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships set for March 4-5 in Providence, Rhode Island.
The all-state qualifying meet featured the top four finishers in each weight division from both the Class A and Class B state championship meets competing in a double-elimination format.
Twenty different programs from around the state qualified at least one wrestler for the New Englands.
Skowhegan’s effort was paced by two individual champions in Cody Craig at 106 pounds and Julian Sirois at 152. Also qualifying for the Indians were second-place finishers Cooper Holland (132), Kameron Doucette (160) and Logan Stevens (182) and third-place Samson Sirois (126).
Perennial Class A powers Marshwood of South Berwick and Noble of North Berwick were next with four New England qualifiers apiece, followed by Class B state champion Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft, Dirigo of Dixfield, Mountain Valley of Rumford and Winslow all with three qualifiers each.
Foxcroft crowned two individual all-state champions in 145-pound Zach Caron and 220-pound Michael Pendriss, with the Ponies’ Brandon Brock finishing second at 195 to earn his trip to the New Englands.
Ellsworth crowned two individual champions in Peyton Cole at 138 pounds and Trent Goodman at 160 as did Nokomis of Newport with Christopher Wilson at 195 and Hunter Glidden at 285.
Wilson, who pinned Foxcroft’s Brock at 1:55 of their championship match, was named the Dennis Bishop Outstanding Wrestler of the meet.
Other all-state individual champions were Griffyn Smith of Dirigo (113 pounds), Peter DelGallo of Gardiner (120), Caleb Austin of Mountain Valley (126), Bradley Beaulieu of Marshwood (132), Robert Heatherman of Mount Ararat/Brunswick (170) and Justin Stacy of Marshwood (182).
