AUGUSTA – A young Foxcroft Academy team ended Lisbon’s three-year hold on the Class C state wrestling championship Saturday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
Mountain Valley, a runner-up two of the past three seasons, captured its first Class B state championship in five years.
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The top five Class B teams: Mountain Valley 168.5, Camden Hills 141, Belfast 105; Fryeburg Academy 94 and Morse 71.
The top five Class C teams: Foxcroft Academy 128, Lisbon 122, Dirigo 120, Dexter 94 and Fort Kent 86.
It was the first Class C title since 2005 for the Ponies.
“What a day today,” Foxcroft Coach Jose Ayala said. “The kids really stepped up today. We’re a very young team and sometimes they can get overwhelmed with stuff. But they wrestled tough.”
Five wrestlers won individual titles for Lisbon, but it wasn’t enough.
“I hate to be a pundit, but the Ponies had more horses than we had,” Lisbon Coach Mark Stevens said. “We knew we had to have pins all the way up through and we didn’t get them. It came down to splitting hairs at the end.”
By winning the 119-pound title, Forrest Cornell, named the outstanding wrestler for the Class C meet, became the first wrestler from Lisbon to win four state championships.
Previously he won one state title at 103 and two at 112.
Cornell is only the 15th Maine wrestler to win four individual titles during his high school career.
“I was just thinking it was another match, and I’ve got to do what I can and stick to my basics,” said Cornell, explaining his approach to each one of his matches Saturday.
Ryan Burgess nailed down the Class B championship for Mountain Valley by recording his 150th career win while capturing the 112-pound title. It was the third individual state title for Burgess.
Also winning individual titles for the Falcons were Josh Thornton at 145, Josh Allen at 189, Christian Durland at 215 and Ryan Glover at 285.
“We knew we had seven good kids who should get into the finals, and they all did,” Mountain Valley assistant coach Joe Thornton said.
“We had some young kids wrestle back through in consolation matches, and everyone won a match. It was a team effort.”
Brent Waterman of Belfast, who won the 125-pound division, was named the outstanding wrestler of the Class B meet.
Also in the Class B meet, Jacob Powers of Camden Hills remained the state’s lone unbeaten wrestler when he pinned Britton Moholland of Maine Central Institute 49 seconds into the second period to win the 160-pound title.
Justin Libby of Old Town recorded his 100th career win while finishing third in that division.
In the Class C meet, Zach Ragott, a junior from Washington Academy in East Machias who won the 215-pound title, became the first wrestler from his school to record his 100th victory.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
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