Wrestling is not a sport that you can just casually compete in – not if you want to have your hand raised at the end of a lot of matches. If you are going to become a champion on the mat, you need to be dedicated and truly love the sport.

One thing no one has ever done is question Leo Amabile’s passion for wrestling and that dedication has led to more than 100 wins and a ton of hardware in his three years on the Massabesic wrestling team.

Massabesic coach Rick DeRosier believes Amabile’s hard work will pay off when the standout heads to Providence this weekend for the New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships.

“He’s put a lot of time in, he’s put a lot of effort in and he should do well,” said DeRosier.

Amabile believes the trip the Mustangs made to Athens, Pennsylvania for a rugged early season tournament has helped him this postseason, which has included second-place finishes at both Class A states and the New England Qualifier.

“It definitely helped going down there early in the season to figure out what I needed to work on because we were wrestling top-level guys there. That was huge for me just figuring out what I need to work on for states and regionals,” said Amabile, who won the 106-pound Class A South regional title in early February.

One of the main things Amabile took away from the trip to PA was the need to work on wrestling in the bottom position.

“They were tilting me up and in Maine that really doesn’t happen, but they were really tough on top,” said Amabile, who also saw some tough competition in the neutral position at the tournament. “On their feet, everyone is good on their feet (in Pennsylvania).”

DeRosier witnessed the extra work Amabile put in at practice after returning from Pennsylvania.

“I think it made an impact on him all the way through the season,” said DeRosier, who felt the PA trip was an eye-opener for Amabile when it came to wrestling on bottom. “That was something he needed to work on with the kids on top and he realized that when he was down there, and when he came back, his practices were more focused on getting on bottom and trying to get away.”

Facing some of the best wrestlers Pennsylvania and New York has to offer in Athens will make the New England meet feel a little less daunting, according to Amabile.

“It’s going to help out a lot, especially at New Englands, because everyone you wrestle placed at states and at All-States, so you are wrestling the best guys in New England, so (the Pennsylvania trip) definitely helped,” said Amabile.

Amabile has seen plenty of tough competition in Maine as well as he has faced three-time state champion Cody Craig of Skowhegan in both the state and New England Qualifier finals.

“He’s not afraid to stand toe-to-toe against him … and he’s not beat mentally before he goes out there,” said DeRosier of Amabile facing Craig. The junior has been working with Craig and four-time state champion Peter Delgallo of Gardiner to prepare for New Englands.

“It’s pretty good working with guys I don’t normally see and getting different workouts in,” said Amabile, who also worked with Oak Hill 120- pound standout Danny Buteau. “We had a pretty good group going with me, Danny Buteau, Delgallo and Cody Craig.”

Working with Delgallo, who will wrestle in the 120-pound weight class at New Englands, has been especially helpful, according to Amabile.

“It’s super good. His defense is great and so is his offense … it definitely helps out for New Englands, it’s great,” said Amabile.

DeRosier wasn’t surprised to see Amabile seek out tough competition during the weeks leading up to New Englands.

“I mean Leo is the type of wrestler where he’ll grab those guys through- out the season if he gets a chance to workout with them,” said DeRosier. “If you have an open mat somewhere, he’s not going to shy away from grabbing one of those guys to work with. He mentally and physically gets it.”

While Amabile might be getting some tough workouts in with some of the state’s best now, it doesn’t hurt that he gets a chance to workout in the tough Massabesic room all year long.

“That plays a huge role for myself because you get to roll around with some of the best guys in the state,” said Amabile.

With the Mustangs graduating several standouts last year, Amabile was happy to step up and become a leader this season.

“It was a little different because I looked up to our captains last year and I had to kind of play that role for the younger guys. I had to lead the team, which was a little bit different, but I enjoyed it, it was fun,” said Amabile.

Amabile credits DeRosier and assistant coach Peter Gilman with helping him get to this point in his wrestling career.

“Coach D and Peter, I love them, they are great guys and they have helped me out so much,” said Amabile. “Peter wrestled at (University of Southern Maine), so he’s got a lot of different stuff that he helps me with and he will stay after practice a little bit and he’ll help me anytime. Coach D, the same thing, those guys are always there for me.”

While Amabile receives plenty of support from his coaches, the standout knows it all starts at home.

“My parents are great,” said Amabile. “They drive me all over the place, they pay for everything, they take me out of state to wrestle, it’s huge because I get all the experience from that. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am as a wrestler or person.”

Amabile, his family and coaches will make the trek to Providence on Friday and the standout is hoping to make some noise.

“I want to win my first match, go to the hotel and then Saturday I want to place … get in the medal round for sure,” said Amabile.

The standout is hoping a good performance at New Englands will give him some momentum heading into his senior campaign.

“It’s really big for me. I’ve been there once already, I know what it’s like, I have the experience and if I place this year, it will only help me out for (my) senior year,” said Amabile.

While the New England meet may be the last action some wrestlers see for a while as they head on to baseball or track, Amabile will take a few days off before starting his work with the Maine Trappers wrestling club – and he is hoping to hit the road a lot this offseason.

“I go all year. We will be starting up Trappers on Tuesday and I’ll probably go to Northeast Regionals in Pennsylvania again, maybe (go to) Maryland, and I want to go to Virginia Beach nationals, but we’ll see,” said Amabile, who will face Riley Millette of Windham, New Hampshire in the first round on Friday night.

NOTE: Amabile will join Kennebunk’s Alden Shields, Biddeford’s Chris Lantagne and Sanford’s Sam Anderson at New Englands … Look for feature on Lantagne on Thursday and Anderson on Friday. Shields was featured in Tuesday’s Journal Tribune.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.