RUMFORD – Mountain Valley came back with vengeance with 204 points to win the Class B Western regional wrestling championship Saturday over runner-up Wells, which scored 150 points.
The Falcons won six individual championships and qualified all of their 11 wrestlers in the top three of the respective weight classes.
The Falcons, who have won the regional three straight years, started strong and refused to let up throughout the entire event. A key figure was Ben Madigan who resurfaced to win the crown at 160 pounds. Madigan, who had been sidelined with a neck injury for one month, deployed a swift strategy by executing throws to stick three opponents. He spent a combined two minutes on the mat.
“It’s a pain,” Madigan said, referring to his neck. “There’s a big distraction because any tapping on it is painful. I’ve been out quite a while, so conditioning was a factor. Today, I just wanted to go out and get the job done.”
The top four in each weight class automatically advances to the state meet next Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. The goal of the teams was to get the most quality wrestlers in the top seeds.
Wells tried to stay close, but the Falcons simply had too much depth. Zach Bradley (135) got things going by winning a 6-2 decision against the Warriors’ Billy Barry.
“I didn’t wrestle today as well as I can,” Zach Bradley said. “I like to wait and capitalize on mistakes. That’s the technique I use.”
Falcon teammates Aaron Arsenault (152), Chris Smith (33-0 at 189), Brendan Bradley (215) and David Smith 30-0 at 275 also won. Chris Cayer (140), Ben Mathews. 145 and Tyler Child (171) were each finalists. Jacob Treadwell of Wells stuck Child.
“We did what we had to,” Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. “The goal was to have the kids place as high as possible and the finals were all for the state meet.”
Mountain Valley also rose up in the consolation finals. Mike Gilbert 112 executed a five-point move in overtime against Nikole Lemay of Oak Hill. T.J. Burgess escaped with seven seconds left to win. Joe Wysocki of Oak Hill was third at 125.
Arsenault snapped a roll for a near fall and escaped late for a decision over Bill Hardy of Wells.
“I felt drained out there,” Arsenault said. “There was a few bursts of energy, but I’ve got to work on my conditioning. We’ve got a hard week of practice coming up.”
Fryeburg champion was Nick Novia, lone competitor at 103. The Raiders Sequoyah Reynoso 135 and Beau Demello 215 each placed third.
Falcon state champions Chris Smith and David Smith each recorded three pins during the day.
“My moves are not effortless,” Dave Smith said. “I’m thinking ahead, so if he backs up, I shoot. If he comes forward, I throw him.”
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