By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

The addition of five formidable schools should make the Mid-State League more competitive this wrestling season.

The MSL nearly doubled in size to 12 teams, with the addition of Wells, York, Lake Region, Fryeburg and Traip. The five programs were members of the Western Maine Conference.

The change became official last Friday, when several athletic directors met and agreed to make the change. The meeting and proposal was organized by Dirigo athletic director Jeff Turnbull.

“Jeff deserves a lot of credit,” Dirigo coach Doug Gilbert said. “We just told him what we had suggested, and he did all the leg work, assembled everybody and ironed out the details.”

The initial idea had been laid out during a state-wide coaches meeting last month at Scarborough High School. The coaches fully supported the changes and were eager to proceed to the next phase.

“It was quite easy,” Gilbert said.

“We got the coaches behind closed doors and told them what we had in mind. They all agreed with the idea. It really makes sense because the additional teams immediately increase the competitiveness of the entire league.”

The MSL was comprised of Lisbon, Mountain Valley, Dirigo, Monmouth, Wiscassett, Madison and Hyde. The 2006 championships, originally scheduled at Dirigo, will be held at York on Jan. 28.

The major obstacle the MSL faced in the past was the lack of wrestlers to fill each weight class.

Teams would strengthen their respective regular season with the most competitive schedules available. This has included tournaments such as Mc Donald’s, Wells Atlantic, Noble, Redskin and Essex Classic to prepare for the regional and state championships.

“The Mid States has (seen) a drop in level of (overall) competition because the lack of the number of teams,” Lisbon coach Mark Stevens said. “However, the quality of wrestlers that Mountain Valley, Dirigo and Lisbon have put on the mat has been incredible. In addition, there are always some talent sprouting up from other teams, but the numbers are not always there.”

This change should raise the MSL’s competitiveness, along the lines of the three major entrants in the state – Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference; Southern Maine Activities Association and the Penquis Valley League.

“The increase in number of teams will fill the brackets,” Stevens said.

“Any decision to make wrestling more meaningful for the kids is a good one.”