RUMFORD — When Christian Durland stepped on the wrestling mat, he realized what needed to get done.

And for the second-straight season, his performance at 215-pounds spoke volumes as Mountain Valley rallied for a 42-28 triumph against Dirigo at a Mid-State League dual meet.

Interesting events usually happen when the two nearby rivals face each other. Unfortunately, Dirigo was limited in juggling its lineup because of being down some wrestlers due to academics and disciplinary reasons.

Mountain Valley (.1-0) trailed by double-digits, but it ruled the upper weights with Taylor Carey (171), Josh Allen (189), Durland and Ryan Glover at (285). Carey stuck Thomas Barnett in 41 seconds, Allen wrapped up Zach White in 15 seconds and Durland finished Alex Snowman in 35.

“We looked good in the light weights,” Falcons coach Gary Dolloff. “Our middle weights let us down, but the heavier guys carried us. Some matches could have gone either way, but a win is a win.”

Class C Dirigo (2-2) trailed 18-10 when three big wins turned the tide. State champion Brandon Jonaitis stuck Robert Sager at 140. In a bizarre circumstance, Cougar senior Chad Oakes executed a takedown at the buzzer to decision Josh Thornton 5-3 in overtime. Oakes had recorded a three-point near fall at the end of regulation. Thornton, upset over the match, broke a window and suffered a cut arm.

“Middle weights are the core of this team,” Jonaitis said. “(Freshman) D.J. Webber set us up with a pin at 152 and other matches could have gone either way. In a couple weeks (people) will see a different team.”

State finalists Alex Miele and Matt Duka locked horns at 60. Miele of Dirigo grabbed a spinning reversal for a 4-0 win.

“The kids wrestled well,” Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. “We still haven’t had our full lineup on the mat, so we need to get every one healthy. It was good to come back, but I knew we were in trouble with three freshmen (171-215).”

The Falcons, who host the McDonald’s Invitational tournament this Saturday, won four of the first five contested matches to lead 8-10. State champions Ryan Burgess stuck Eric Holman and Falcon Robert Worthley upset Cougar state champion Caleb Hall 8-4 at 112. Cody Magoon who had reconstructive shoulder surgery, stuck Justin Jasper.

Tim Ross of Mountain Valley trailed 7-2, but came back for an 11-8 decision over Dylan Castonguay.

The Falcons finished second at the Westbrook Invitational last Saturday. In the final match, Ben Dolloff outweighed Glover by 70 pounds, but the Falcon sophomore utilized strategy to makeup the difference. Glover buried in a power half nelson.

“I had to stay outside and wrestle defensively,” said Glover, who was icing a sore shoulder. “I couldn’t afford to get caught underneath him or I’d have been done. I waited for an opening and used my quickness.”