The Mt. Blue wrestling team started slowly, but the Cougars have several veterans helping shoulder the load.

“Things have been going pretty well,” Mt. Blue coach Nate Platt said. “We have been plagued with injuries this year. Some from wrestling, but a few injuries are left over from the football season.”

Most notable of those is junior tri-captain Hazen Pingree.

Defending Class A champion Shane Webber has served as a key leader. The senior, who recorded three pins in the state meet, is determined to sweep through the postseason again. Webber has always been aggressive on the mat, which bodes well for a takedown specialist.

Webber eclipsed 100 career wins two weeks ago. to join older brothers Scott and Seth Webber for having passed the century mark.

The Cougars also are high on the talents of freshman Sammy Webber (112). The Tiger Invitational champion is following his brothers’ fine wrestling techniques and is turning out to be an excellent wrestler.

The Cougars have already discovered that an improved Mt. Ararat squad will be their main threat when Mt. Blue defends its regional crown.

There is still plenty of wrestling to prepare for and the team is hoping that solid results are a prelude to the future.

“I have been trying to push kids hard this year,” Platt said. “(The objective) is to build confidence in our team. I feel the wrestlers are starting to believe we have a great team this year and can accomplish great things by the end of the season.”

Fryeburg’s numbers up

The future is looking bright for Fryeburg Academy.

The team currently has 18 wrestlers, which is a positive sign. The Raiders had concluded the previous two seasons with nine kids.

The lack of competitors had affected everyone’s morale, but an influx of underclassmen this season isn’t going unnoticed.

“The program is on an upswing,” Fryeburg first-year coach Ron Pelkie said. “I think people will be shocked in two years. Fryeburg is going to be competitive again. We’ve got some younger kids who want to learn.”

The Fryeburg program was a force in the early 1990s with multiple state champions Keith Sirois and All-American Mark Fox. The last state champion was Buck Brown in 2001.

A trio of veterans return, including Shawn Hoagland (130), Greg Pierce (140) and Josh Walker at 185. Hoagland placed third at the McDonalds tournament.

Growing pains

The first-year program at Madison is facing some skepticism.

“We were a club last year,” coach Scot Padelford said. “The administration has accepted our program and shows support. The student body is having a little more difficulty in doing so. The sport is new to the area and the kids do not know or understand anything about the sport.”

Several kids have attended practices, but they are hesitant to join in. It’s been a slow process to convince underclassmen to try something new.”I saw what kind of athletes Madison had and knew it would work out,” said Padelford. “Yes, we have some pretty tough kids.”

The next step is to show most of the community that a wrestling program exists. In an effort to increase community awareness, Madison is hosting a tournament Jan. 8th.