Bradley Beaulieu had two major goals in mind when he entered his senior season of wrestling at Marshwood High: regain the Class A team title and win his first New England championship.
“I had accomplished a lot as an individual, and last year, not winning that team title really stuck with me,” Beaulieu said. “I didn’t want to come home from this year’s states with a second place or a third place.”
Wrestling at 138 pounds, Beaulieu won it all this year.
He won the Lowell Invitational, New England’s largest tournament. He won his fourth Class A title in his fourth weight class. Marshwood, which had its four-year title streak snapped by Skowhegan in 2016, stormed back with a revamped lineup this season. The Hawks dominated the Class A tournament, scoring 184 points to beat runner-up and archrival Noble by 103.5 points.
Then, Beaulieu capped his 53-0 season with a New England championship, winning the one regional title that had eluded him after placing sixth, second and third in his previous three tries.
“It was one of his things on his bucket list, one of the few that he hadn’t accomplished,” said Coach Matt Rix.
With his New England title, Beaulieu raised his career record to 243-14, giving him the most wins in Maine high school history.
Add in his leadership for a team that had eight wrestlers place for the first time at the state championships, and Beaulieu is the Maine Sunday Telegram Wrestler of the Year.
“Something that makes me happy as a leader is that we all came together as a team,” Beaulieu said.
With few in-state wrestlers capable of testing Beaulieu, the Marshwood coaching staff helped him avoid fixating on the New England championship.
“They reminded me to enjoy the entire season. Senior year, it was my last of everything – my last regional, my last states, my last all-states – as a Marshwood Hawk. So there was always something to keep me going, and when New Englands came around I was ready to go.”
Beaulieu tops a senior class that included four other 200-win wrestlers, including New England 106-pound champion Cody Craig of Skowhegan and New England 170-pound runner-up Robert Hetherman of Mt. Ararat.
Beaulieu, who trains year-round, will wrestle for Old Dominion University.
Rix said it wasn’t unusual for Beaulieu to go straight from a Marshwood practice to Smitty’s Wrestling Barn, 37 miles away in Kingston, New Hampshire, to get in an extra workout.
“I’m not sure what keeps him going. I think he just loves the sport, the competition, the scrambles,” Rix said. “He doesn’t get flustered. He’s very good at not putting himself in a bad position. He’s very aware of where his hips are. He’s got phenomenal hips. He has a good sense of feeling what’s going to happen.”
ALL-STATE TEAM
Cody Craig, Skowhegan senior, 106: Craig, a four-time All-State choice, capped his brilliant career with a 63-0 season and a New England championship. A four-time state champion and the first person to win four New England qualifier tournaments, Craig was 221-5 in his career, with all five losses at the New England championships.
Leo Amabile, Massabesic senior, 113: Amabile won his first Class A title and also won the New England qualifier. He finished the season with a 43-2 record, with both losses coming at the New England championships, and was 140-22 in his career.
Alex Fogarty, Oceanside sophomore, 120: In a topsy-turvy weight class, Fogarty won the Class B North regional and the New England qualifier (against Devon Vigue of Winslow, who beat him in the Class B state meet). The 106-pound champ as a freshman, Fogarty went 41-8, including a 2-2 record at the New England championships.
Caleb Austin, Mountain Valley senior, 126: One of the five seniors to cross the 200-win plateau this season, Austin is a repeat All-State pick. He won his second Class B title and the New England qualifier before going 2-2 at the New England championships. Austin was 50-3 this season and 207-11 in his career.
Samson Sirois, Skowhegan junior, 132: Sirois did not lose to a Maine wrestler in a 48-4 season and beat four-time state champ Danny Buteau of Oak Hill 6-5, at the New England qualifier. The Class A champ placed fourth at the New England championships and is 148-9 in his career.
Bradley Beaulieu, Marshwood senior, 138: A four-time state champion and three-time All-State selection, Beaulieu went 53-0 and won the New England championship. He was instrumental in leading Marshwood to the Class A title. Beaulieu, who will compete at Old Dominion University, posted a career record of 243-14.
Austin Shorey, Noble senior, 145: A three-time All-State choice, Shorey moved up from 120 pounds and won his second Class A title before placing sixth at the New England championships. Shorey went 61-7 this season and finished with a career mark of 225-31.
Peyton Cole, Ellsworth junior, 152: Cole, a three-time All-State pick, won his third state title and his second New England qualifier, then placed fourth at the New Englands. He finished 46-2 this season and is 117-16 in his career.
Sam Anderson, Sanford junior, 160: After wrestling at 182 as a sophomore, Anderson was a force this winter, winning outstanding wrestler honors at the Noble Invitational, and then taking the Class A and New England qualifier titles in a 41-5 season. He has a career mark of 112-38.
Robert Hetherman, Mt. Ararat/Brunswick senior, 170: Hetherman got his 200th career win in the Class A final, then beat Trent Goodman of Ellsworth in the New England qualifier before finishing second at the New England championships. He went 54-1 this season and was 206-18 with 126 pins in his career.
Ryan Fredette, Winslow junior, 182: After an unbeaten season in Maine that included Class B and New England qualifier titles, Fredette was one of the four Mainers to reach the final at the New England championships. His loss in the final left him with a 50-1 record.
Nolan Potter, Wells junior, 195: The Class B and New England qualifier champion was another who did not lose in Maine with a 50-2 record this season, including a 2-2 mark at the New England championships. He is 116-33 in his career.
Matthew Carroll, Massabesic senior, 220: Carroll won the Class A title and New England qualifier, and went 40-4 to finish his career with a 110-17 record.
David Gross, Bucksport freshman, 285: Gross backed up his Class B championship by beating Class A winner Zebulon Leavitt of Cheverus in the New England qualifier final. Gross went 39-4 this season.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Matt Rix, Marshwood: The Hawks won their fifth Class A title in six years because Rix developed quality wrestlers across all weight classes. Marshwood returned only three wrestlers who placed in the top four at the 2016 Class A state meet. This season the Hawks had 11 top-four finishers and won the title by more than 100 points.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
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