There are always special moments that stand out during a season and these times should be cherished. The Oxford Hills wrestling team have been on an upward curve for more than a month.

The Vikings entered last weekend with an impressive 11-1 record and showed no signs of letting up.

“Again, this year I am enjoying every minute with the kids,” Viking coach Mark Dolloff said. “They truly are a special bunch of young men. They have worked and taken everything I have given them with no complaints. We are starting to go on the mat with confidence in our ability and we work on being the aggressor. Sometimes it gets us in trouble, but I tell them to go for it.”

Oxford Hills is determined to return to the top in Eastern Maine. The Vikings finished as bridesmaids to Skowhegan in the East last season and haven’t won the crown since 1998.

Leaders on the current team include Seth McAlister, who is the leader in career wins. The former state champion has been solid at 140 pounds and his lone loss was in the semifinals at the Redskin Tournament.

Josh Laird (135) is healthy now, but has already encountered his share of adversity in several close matches. Laird lost in overtime to two-time state champion Derek Giutso of Lisbon. McAlister and Laird were state finalists in 2003.

“Josh has been right there,” Dolloff said. “He has come up short in three OT matches and also had a 1-0 loss in the tourney. But, it has given him a lot of wrestling and he has always been a late season wrestler.”

Matt Hess (275) has returned from a slight shoulder separation and John Sirmopoulus could surprise at 152. Keith Hingey was injured and still needs to work on his conditioning and Shawn Moulton is tough at 145.

The Vikings keep track of an interesting statistic. If there is a choice made between periods on offense, defense or neutral and the individual does not score from that choice, the wrestler will have extra work to do in the next practice.

“We have some promising freshmen,” Dolloff said. “There’s Luke Guy 103, Willie Rolfe 112 and Jack Pike 119. They need to win a big match and gain some confidence. Jack Pike 119 has done well, ran with some big dogs this season, very coachable and is learning all the time.”

Sophomore Keith Brown 152 and junior Cory Smith 189 have each shown promise.

A Knights tale

It’s remarkable when a program stands above the rest. Noble has established a dynasty in Maine, evidenced by nailing down the last five Class A state championships.

Despite the overwhelming success, the Knights are not resting on their laurels. The driving force still is to provide every athlete with an opportunity to succeed.

“We do give our junior varsity kids opportunity,” Noble coach Kip Devoll said. “But, they have to earn it. If we don’t feel that they are working hard enough, then they will not get their shot. We also wrestle off for varsity each week, so there is plenty of competition in the room all the time.”

A key component in Noble’ success lies in out of state competition. Former wrestlers benefited from the extra competition and the current kids see the sacrifices that enable them to perform at a higher level.

Since 1986, Devoll has compiled a 253-120-5 dual-meet record, including 73-3 since ’99. Devoll has coached 33 individual state champions, 51 regional champs and 21 wrestlers have won more than 100 matches.

“Noble kids believe they are going to win,” Devoll said. “You have to believe that, no matter what confronts you, either in a sport, job or everyday life. We try teaching that to our wrestlers every day. Yes, sometimes you lose, but use that to motivate yourself. Push yourself harder.”

There are three Pee Wee teams that attracts between 120-150 kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. The coaches challenge each youngster to test his own intestinal fortitude on every occasion.

“You never want to say to yourself ‘what if.’ What if I had worked a little harder, what if I had gone on that early morning run, what if I had taken that last shot. So, we teach the kids to go all out all the time,” he noted.

Last season, Noble’s Dekota Cotten compiled a 44-0 mark and captured a New England championship. It was the first time a Maine wrestler had won a NE crown since 1978.

Challenge for Lisbon

Lisbon continues to roll along. The Greyhounds won the Kennebunk Duals last Saturday by beating Mountain Valley 39-32. The Greyhounds won the first eight classes in the championship meet, after having crushed Dexter 57-12 and Biddeford 45-15.

The three-time defending Class C state champions will face some stiff competition at Essex, Vt., this Friday and Saturday. The invitational includes teams from New York and throughout New England.

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