RUMFORD – The Mountain Valley High School wrestling team was declared co-champion of the 2005 Class B state meet at a hearing Thursday before the Maine Principals’ Association.
The Falcons had appealed the results of last month’s championship after a scoring error was discovered that awarded Camden Hills two additional points. Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff had recalculated the scoring during the night and contacted the committee by 9 a.m. the following morning.
“It’s very satisfying,” Dolloff said. “It has been in the back my mind for nearly a month, But, I think the (MPA) made the right decision. It’s good for the kids because they worked hard for it. It will also be rewarding to be able to hang a state championship banner up on the wall at school.”
Mountain Valley principal Bruce Lindberg presented his findings to the MPA in a closed-door meeting in Augusta.
The results at the state meet had Mountain Valley finishing second with 164 points, two points behind Camden Hills.
Lindberg argued that it is impossible for a school to keep a running tally for every team at an eight-mat tournament. That is why the MPA hires a scorekeeper and a meet director.
The wrestling committee recognized that a (software) scoring mistake was made, but didn’t feel it had the authority to change the results. The Federation rule book states that any appeal must be made 30 minutes following the completion of the meet.
The Falcons’ points were earned by state champions Chris Smith (189), Brendan Bradley (215) and David Smith (275). Other finalists were Brendan Bradley (135), Aaron Arsenault (152), Ben Madigan (160) and Tyler Childs (171). Ben Matthews placed third at 145. Mike Gilbert and Chris Cayer were both fourth at 112 and 140.
The error occurred when Murphy McGowen (103) received four-advancement points. The Camden Hills freshman had a bye in the quarterfinals and wasn’t eligible for advancement points until he won his next match. McGowen eventually won the state championship.
Lindberg polled every Class B coach to find out if each one keeps a running tally of their own scores. They agreed that maintaining other team scores would not be possible.
It’s the first wrestling state crown in the River Valley since Rumford won Class A in 1981. Mexico captured the Class B crown in 1980. Camden Hills had won the previous five state championships, with Mountain Valley finishing second each year.
Mountain Valley has now won three state Class B championships in four months, including football in November and boys’ skiing last month.
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