Renowned Morse coach Jim Coffin headlines the Class of 2003.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

The Maine Amateur Wrestling Hall Of Fame will induct the Class of 2003 this weekend.

The careers of the five new members spanned three decades and their strong dedication and hard work provided a cornerstone in achieving success.

The class is led by Jim Coffin, who was a highly respected coach at Morse High School. Wrestlers include Larry Gill of Rumford, Brian Walch of Westbrook, Dennis Sprague of Belfast, and Mark Perkins of Mt. Ararat.

They will be formerly inducted Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Hyde School in Bath.

The inductees bring the total to 36 who will have been enshrined in the MAWA HOF since 1993.

“This is the best group that have been selected to be inducted,” MAWA President Dennis Bishop said. “Their careers each represented different time frames in the sport. They are all very deserving of the honor and accomplished a lot during their careers. It’s also gratifying to see how most of them are giving back to the sport in one way or another.”

Coffin, a fisherman from Harpswell, coached in the “Pit” at the Bath-based school for more than 20 years and earned the respect and appreciation of those who met him. The Shipbuilders had some solid teams and countless outstanding individuals, but Coffin achieved a benchmark in the coaching profession. Coffin realized early on that the sport could teach athletes important facets that would carry over throughout life.

“This will be a grand night for the wrestling community,” Bishop said. “It’s been a highlight of mine since being involved with the MAWA. The board of directors take the task quite seriously in being able to recognize those individual’ who have achieved success in the sport.”

Walch established himself on the mat with outstanding careers at Westbrook and Ithaca College in New York. Walch compiled a 130-27-1 record in high school, while competing in four different weight classes.

Walch was unbeaten and won Class A state championships as a junior and senior. He also competed in Nebraska in 1992 in the Friendship Series.

“He was the best mat wrestler I’ve ever seen in this state,” retired Westbrook coach Dennis Walch said. The elder Walch enjoyed wearing two hats as both a father and coach.

The younger Walch competed at Ithaca four years and was a member of the 1994 Division III national championship team. He was a two-time Academic All-American.

Perkins was also a two-time Class A state champion in the early 1980s. As a junior, the Eagle wrestler gained some momentum after having upset the top-seed Mark Dolloff of Rumford in the regional. This continued at the state meet and carried over to a record-breaking season in 1983.

After graduation, Perkins wrestled at Blair Academy in New Jersey and placed fourth in the Prep nationals. He then competed at the University of New Hampshire and as a captain, won the Division I New England championship.

“Mark is very humbled by receiving this honor,” said Bishop, who coached Perkins in high school. “Although Mark had an outstanding career and earned a great deal of success, you’d never know it. Mark is certainly proud of his past, but you won’t see him going around gloating about it.”

Sprague also was a fierce competitor who advanced to three state finals, winning championships as a junior and senior.

Known for his pins, he was 25-0-1 en route to winning a New England title as a senior. The championship erased a bittersweet memory when he lost in the New England finals as a junior on riding time. Sprague’ son Troy won two Class B state crowns at Belfast in the 1990s.

The MAWA will also honor its Person of the Year to an individual who has helped to promote the sport.

The annual John Carmihalis Scholarship will be awarded in honor of the father of Maine wrestling. Carmihalis created a program at Sanford in 1959. The three finalists are Levi Rollins of Camden Hills, Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan and Chris Tracy of Westbrook.

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