By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

There won’t be any reason to hold anything back when Maine wrestlers compete in the 41st New England championships.

The event will be held today and Saturday in North Andover, Mass.

There are over a dozen Mainers making their second and third appearances in the huge tournament. The out-of-state wrestlers take this event seriously and go all out on the mat.

“I think we have some talented freshmen this year wrestling at NE’s,” Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. “(John) Hussey of Marshwood, (Chris) Smith of Deering and (Jerod) Rideout of Foxcroft. Maine has some bright stars coming up. There are also several multiple-state champs that have been at NEs before and will be mentally prepared. I am not sure how the rest of the states are loaded, but I would not expect a repeat from 2004. Two NE champs are unlikely.”

The current Maine entrants will need some solid performances to equal the success achieved last year. Chris Remsen of Camden Hills and Dekota Cotten of Noble each won championships. It was the first time two Maine wrestlers won titles in the same year since 1978.

The lone returning medalist is David Smith (33-0) of Mountain Valley. He placed sixth last year at 275. The Falcon wrestler, the No. 1 seed from Maine, won two matches on Friday, but he freely admitted that it took a physical toll.

“I was amazed at winning my first two matches,” David Smith said. “I was physically spent after my second match. My agility is definitely an asset. I may not be as strong as wrestlers from out of state, but I can move around the mat. It has helped me by playing other sports.”

A strong hopeful to medal is top-seeded Chris Smith (36-0) of Mountain Valley. He was the Most Outstanding wrestler of the Class B state tournament. The three-time state champion won the Redskin Invitational against a wrestler from away in January.

Justin Cornell (26-2) and Charlie Stambach (27-4) of Lisbon both took it on the chin last year.

They have trained and are banking on a new approach for this weekend.

Brendan Bradley (30-7) is the third Mountain Valley state champion. The junior had performed steady all season and raised the bar in the state meet.

The biggest obstacle facing Maine wrestlers is the absence of competition since their respective state meets. The states were held on Feb. 12, so it’s each wrestler’s responsibility to remain physically and mentally prepared.

Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island each have a wrestler in each weight class, but Timberlane, N.H., has 13 qualified. Massachusetts will be represented by the top six in each weight class.

“I would love to somehow cut down on the dead time,” said Marty Ryan, who is the Maine wrestling committee chairman. “Our wrestlers currently endure (three weeks) between the end of the sport season and the start of the New England tourney. I believe wrestling is the only activity where such a lengthy time exists for the athletes to maintain their competitive edge.”

Four-time Class C state champion Chris Barkac (40-0 at 130) of Dexter placed sixth in the New Englands three years ago. Barkac’s brother Jeremy (40-0 at 103) earned a medal in the Cadet Nationals last summer. The sophomore is ranked 14th nationally by Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine.

Wrestlers from western and central Maine include Mt. Blue’s Shane Webber who went unbeaten en route to winning a second-straight Class A state championship. Dylan Wentworth (140) of Skowhegan and Cory Smith (189) of Oxford Hills will each be making initial trips.

The largest Maine team represented will be two-time Class C state champion Foxcroft Academy with seven. Caleb Pelletier (40-0 at 152), Randy Briggs (35-2 at 171) and Josh Pelletier (35-0 at 215) are each returning.

It will be important to start strong in initial matches, so Belfast teammates Kyle Bonin (112) and Norman Gilmore (130) could gain momentum. Colby Lamson of Marshwood will be out to rebound from last year. The Hawk senior was leading 5-0, but got caught and stuck.