Larry Gill of Rumford is among five athletes inducted into the MAWA Hall.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

BATH – The lessons learned in wrestling can sometimes be utilized throughout life. And that is why five individual inductees of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Hall Of Fame were honored for their accomplishments Saturday night.

The 2003 class proved to be the center of attention at the MAWA banquet before the largest-ever crowd at the Hyde School. The inductees brought a total to 36 wrestlers who have been enshrined since 1993.

The class included Larry Gill of Rumford and former Morse coach Jim Coffin. Other wrestlers were Brian Walch of Westbrook, Dennis Sprague of Belfast, and Mark Perkins of Mt. Ararat.

Sprague and Gill were the first two introduced. Both achieved a great deal of respect and admiration by displaying a no-nonsense approach toward each wrestling match.

Gill, who works in the Maintenance Department at Mead-Westvaco, had stepped on the mat with absolutely no wrestling experience. He adapted immediately and took to the sport, earning a strong reputation for his tireless work ethic.

“Wrestling is a team sport,” Gill said. “It’s a combined effort, but when you step on to the mat, it’s one-on-one. It doesn’t matter what size you are because the sport allows any one with an opportunity to succeed. Whether one does or doesn’t depends on the amount of effort and sacrifices that is willing to be made.”

He was one of the first-ever freshmen to have earned a starting position at Rumford in 1973. He won the first of four Class A regional crowns and finished fourth at 112 on the 1974 state championship team.

During a stellar four-year career, Gill set numerous records, holding school records for takedowns, pins, two and three-point near falls and reversals. Gill had a career record of 96-13-1. He only lost four matches the final three years.

Gill dedicated himself to winning a state title, but adversity hit the week of the state meet during his junior year. A snow blower cut off half of a finger and he was advised against any competition. Gill ignored the stitches and pain, eventually beating John Cogley of Mexico to win his first of two state championships in 1976. Gill bumped up to 119 as a senior and repeated as a state champion in 1977. He was also a New England finalist.

Gill compiled a respectable 4-4 record, in both freestyle and Greco Roman while touring Europe on an A.A.U. team in 1975. Gill also wrestled against teams from Poland, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Gill and fellow HOF Gilmore of Morse are the top two Maine wrestlers with international experience.

Sprague is the oldest competitor in the 2003 class. He advanced to three state finals in the early 1970s. Sprague won state championships as a junior and senior and was known for perfecting an overhead takedown and his strong pinning combinations. Sprague had a 91 percent winning percentage, second best at Belfast behind 2000 HOF Kevin Marriner. He compiled a 25-0-1 record en route to winning a New England title as a senior. The championship erased a year of frustration because Sprague had been a N.E. finalist as a junior, but lost on riding time.

Coffin coached at the Bath-based school for 24 years and was extremely effective at getting a solid effort out of his wrestlers. They respected him and appreciated his over-all concern for their well-being. Coffin, a fisherman, had a unique way of being able to break into a wrestler’s mental state of mind. He accomplished this by quoting numerous philosophers and using positive reinforcement.

“My first thought of wrestling leads me to look at the circles on the mat,” Coffin said. “The inner ring represents one’s inner self and it really allows an individual to discover what’s inside them. Also, at the NCAA division tournament the announcer always welcomes every one to the world’s oldest and great sport. That is certainly a true statement.”

Walch won two Class A state championships at Westbrook and compiled a 130-27-1 record. During his high school career, Walch competed in four different weight classes.

Walch was unbeaten as a junior and senior.

“Brian grew up knowing the sport inside and out,” father-coach Dennis Walch said. “He is the only person I know who could have wrestled competitively on a varsity team for six years. I can honestly say that he was the best mat wrestler ever in our state.”

Brian Walch is a physical therapist in New Jersey and Dennis Walch is the 2003 runner-up National runner-up Coach of the Year in Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

The younger Walch achieved success at the next level by competing at Ithaca College in New York for four years and was a member of the 1994 Division III national championship team. Walch was a two-time Academic All-American and was All-New York State twice.

The MAWA honored Ben and Cindy Brassch as its Person of the Year. The couple have been a driving force in support of the Deering wrestling program.

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

“I have some fond memories,” Perkins said. “Wrestling provided me with sportsmanship and integrity. As a trial lawyer, I encounter some tough attorneys who don’t always want to look at all the (aspects). I hope that I never turn out like that.”

Perkins resides in Massachusetts and referees in youth wrestling. He went on to wrestle at Blair Academy in New Jersey and placed fourth in the Prep nationals.

The exposure led to interest from the University of New Hampshire, and as a senior captain, won the Division I New England championship.

The annual John Caramihalis Scholarship was awarded to Chris Tracy of Westbrook. The other finalists included Levi Rollins of Camden Hills and Brandon Hamilton of Skowhegan. The $1,000 scholarship is named in honor of the father of Maine wrestling who created a program at Sanford in 1959. Caramihalis was the first individual inducted into the MAWA HOF in 1993.

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