To say that Dirigo responds well to a challenge would be an understatement. The results during the past three weeks have shown that anything is possible.
The Cougars have a revived spirit that is filtering throughout the roster. Dirigo has won 11 consecutive meets, including a 46-34 victory against rival Mountain Valley last Wednesday.
That trend continued Saturday with several outstanding performances.
“The kids have responded well,” Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. “The kids hadn’t been wrestling well on Saturdays, so that was the challenge of the day. We only lost four matches all day and that includes JV.”
Dirigo (15-3) made the most of the situation as Derek Daley (103), Josh Ronan (18-9 at 119) and Mike Jonaitis (18-10 at 130) each overcame earlier losses to defeat opponents who they had lost to twice this season. Daley, a freshman, and Jonaitis, a 2004 state finalist, both rallied back and eventually prevailed in overtime.
“Those were big matches,” Gilbert said. “It was really good for them to come back against kids who they had lost to. Josh Ronan has now won 12 matches in a row. I feel Mike Jonaitis (moved up three weight classes) has gotten his confidence back.”
The team has developed some depth that should pay off in tournaments the next three weeks – the Mid-State League, regional and state championship meets.
Junior Devin Brann (22-7) is leading the way at 160. Kyle Meile, with eight consecutive wins at 152, and Randy Hall (171) each placed third in the state meet last year. Freshman Jon Smith (21-4) is expected to be a force at 125.
Sudden impact
A change of scenery has proved beneficial for Jake Walmer of Wiscasset. The senior arrived from Utah and has compiled a 18-2 record as of last week.
Walmer’s success has been a pleasant surprise. He considered himself an average competitor in Utah, where he failed to place at the state meet.
“I was in the middle of the (pack),” Walmer said. “Wrestling was a lot harder in Utah. The referees let a lot of things go because the wrestlers were much more aggressive.”
Walmer opened some eyes when he advanced to the finals of the McDonalds tournament last month, but came up short against two-time state champion Randy Briggs of Foxcroft. Ten days later, the Redskins wrestler won the Wells Invitational.
“It’s different here,” Walmer said. “I’ve found that you really need to be careful when trying to secure a hold. The Maine referees are more adapt to whistle it off where as the match would have continued in Utah.”
An interesting match almost occurred last week at Mountain Valley. Chris Brennick stepped on the mat for an exhibition match, but Walmer pointed to Chris Smith. The two-time Falcons state champion quickly donned his headgear and rushed out, but the match never materialized because each competitor hadn’t had the required 45-minute rest between matches.
Wrestling bits
The absence of updated information has been a problem. Maine’s size has hindered the publicizing of results from Kittery to Fort Kent. Unfortunately, an avenue that exists isn’t being fully utilized.
For the past several years, the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance has operated a Web site (MAWAonline.org) which allows coaches, wrestlers and fans to view a variety of topics.
It would be nice to have one place for coaches and tourney directors to view results. The designation of one site to receive results might increase the responses and would allow interested parties access to those results.
Another source of information is operated by Harry Smith of Canton. The site mainewrestling.com has a calendar of events, news and also lists of past multiple state champions.
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