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LINCOLN — Dirigo wrestling coach Dana Whittemore crunched the numbers before his first of four finalists went on to the mats at Mattanawcook Academy during the Class B wrestling state championship Saturday. The math told him no matter what happened from that point, his team was going to take a trophy back to Dixfield.

“I told my finalists that it was clinched and they (should) go out and wrestle for themselves,” Whittemore said. “Lots of times, we ask them to get pins. Sometimes, it’s hard to get a pin. I told them ‘Go out and wrestle your style, your match. Do it for yourself, not for the team.'”

Dirigo wound up with two individual titles, as Caiden Skidgell took the 144-pound division over Oceanside’s Jesse Knowlton by technical fall, 19-4, and Leighton Waite won the 165-pound division against Dexter’s Damiair Miller, also by technical fall, 20-5.

Skidgell, a senior, earned his third consecutive state championship. Waite’s victory was the 100th career win for the junior.

Dirigo, last year’s runner-up, scored 108.5 points to secure its first state title since back-to-back Class C championships in 2014 and 2015. The Cougars went in as favorites, having already won the Mountain Valley Conference championship, the Class B duals title and the B South regional.

“It’s a goal we set the first night we met as a team,” Whittemore said, “and we did it.”

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Given the team’s limitations at the start of the season — Skidgell was out until January because of a leg injury, two-time 157-pound champ Hudson Lufkin had to sit out the season because of a torn ACL, and others were out because of illness or grades — it makes the November goal seem lofty. But Whittemore challenged everyone to step up, and knew his wrestlers could reach those heights.

“We all just pushed each other in the room, and knew that we were the better team in the state,” Waite said. “Came out and got it done.”

Winslow (86.5), Mountain Valley (76.5), B North champion Mt. View (69.5) and three-time defending champion Wells (58.5) rounded out the top five.

Caribou’s Brock Gagnon pinned Dirigo sophomore Kolton Bradeen in the 150-pound final, and Jakobi Hagar of Lincoln Academy won his third straight 175-pound title with a pin of Dirigo senior Tanner Bradeen.

Mountain Valley’s Chance Watson was named the Wally LaFountain Most Outstanding Wrestler after pinning Belfast’s Noah Parenteau during the first period of the 138-pound final.

Watson won last year’s 132-pound title, and the senior went into Saturday’s meet with a similar goal, to “absolutely dominate.”

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“Once I got his leg, I was like, ‘Cradle is right there,'” Watson said. “I grabbed it, and I went for it.”

The 132-pound title stayed with the Mountain Valley program, as junior Keygan Boucher defeated Waterville sophomore Cohen Swoveland, 6-1.

Medomak Valley senior brothers Grady and Shamus Pease won the 190- and 215-pound titles. Grady Pease defended his division crown with a 3-1 decision over MCI sophomore Muiin Cook. Seamus Pease had the quickest final of the day, pinning Mattanawcook sophomore Max Fitch in 47 seconds.

Other individual winners included Liam McKenney (106) of Winslow, Julien Melendez (126) of York, Noah Schultz (157) of Monmouth and William Martinez (285) of Wells. Clayton McPheters (113) of Mattanawcook moved up in weight and won his second straight championship, and Belfast’s Dominic Simpson (120) did the same to become a three-time champion.

Cooper Sullivan covers high school and collegiate sports in Brunswick and the surrounding communities. He is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he studied at Wake Forest University ('24) and held...

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