RUMFORD – The quantity of wrestlers can make a difference as Mountain Valley discovered firsthand as York utilized its depth to score 202 points and win the Class B Western regional championship on Saturday.
The Falcons qualified 12 individuals for the state meet next Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.
York started strong, and refused to let up through out to win its first-ever regional crown. The Falcons did what they had to and won seven individual championships, including Ernie Matthews (125-pounds), Derek Sicotte (135), Ben Matthews (145), Devin Roberts (152), Tyler Child (215) and Kyle Dow (285).
“We did all we could,” Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. “We had 12 wrestlers and they had 14. I thought if we stayed close, then we might have a chance of catch them in the finals.”
York started strong and led by 35 points entering the finals. A pair of wins by Rhea Goyetche and Billy Gauthier put the Wildcats in command. Goyetche decisioned Falcon freshman Tim Ross 8-6, and Gauthier recorded a major decision over Ken Pinard of Oak Hill.
“We brought 14 wrestlers and they each scored points,” York coach Wally Caldwell said. “You can’t ask for more than that, and all 14 are going to the state meet. We’ve never been in this position before.”
The Falcons (186.5) rebounded to win four of the next six matches. Ernie Matthews controlled Jimmy Cryer of Wells and Sicotte found a rhythm and shutout Tom Ciampa of York. Ben Matthews stuck state champion Bill Berry of Wells. Roberts won his first-ever high school tournament by pinning Cory Caramahalis of York.
“I was able to anticipate and counter his moves,” Roberts said. “Staying aggressive really helped me.”
Falcon teammates Mike Gilbert (130) won his 100th career match early on, but blew a 6-2 lead and lost in the finals to Josh Rutland of Lake Region. Cody Grassruck placed third at 160.
Chris Lagasse of Oak Hill (fourth 77 points) won a regional title by sticking Nick Peterson of Wells. Lagasse had his opponent on his back, but alertly pulled him inside the circle.
“Getting him inside was the turning point ,” Lagasse said. “He had relaxed and wasn’t expecting it. This is the first Oak Hill title in a long time.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.