AUGUSTA — Saturday’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Championship showcased many talented high school wrestlers the conference had to offer, and teams that came to Cony High School with depth competed for the titles.

Camden Hills received victories when it needed to, behind wins from Dawson Allen (132), Ian Henderson (138) and Noah Lang (145) to edge the team from Mt. Ararat/Brunswick, 178-173.5, for the KVAC Class A title.

“We had some high points today, and certainly some lows,” Mt. Ararat/Brunswick coach Erick Jensen said. “Have seven make it to the finals and only have two champs, it was a little bit of a disappointment. Hats off to Camden, they came into the final round and did what they needed to do.”

Morse finished sixth with 88 points, getting an individual title from Ihsan Myers in the 182-pound weight class.

The Eagles received top four finishes from nine wrestlers on their way to the second-place finish. In the championship round, the Eagles sent seven wrestlers to the finals.

Brycen Kowalsky took first at 113, taking down Calvin Peck from Nokomis. The freshman recorded two pins along the way and did not allow a point to Peck (12-0). Kowalsky has yet to lose a match this season.

“It was nice to see him win,” said Jensen, who was named co-Coach of the Year in Class A with Cony’s Shawn Totman.

“I was just hoping I would get a good match here today,” Kowalsky said. “I’ve attended these events in the past watching my brother, so I knew what to expect.”

But the humble freshman did not want to look too far ahead.

“Yeah this gives me some more confidence, but anyone can beat anyone on any given day, so I don’t want to be over confident,” added Kowalsky.

Mason Hultman grabbed the 170 title for Mt. Ararat/Brunswick, winning his first championship match. He won a decision over Medomak Valley’s Amos Hinkley, 12-4.

“This was my first time ever placing, so it’s a big deal for me because I’m a third-year wrestler, it’s just a great experience,” said the senior. “I’m excited for the regionals and states.”

“It was a really good win for Mason in his senior year,” added Jensen.

At 132, a gutsy performance by Spencer LeClair fell short after going three overtimes with Camden Hills’ Allen. The freshman made it to the finals with a pair of pins.

Junior Caden Kowalsky took his third match of the day to a decision, falling to Henderson at 138 to place second.

At 152, Eagles Ben Laurence fell to Mark Ward of Medomak Valley, but it was his comeback from a 3-1 deficit to tie him in the final minute, only to fall with 20 seconds remaining in the match that resonated for the junior.

“I know I can beat him now. I competed well against him in the past so this was good,” Laurence, who won at 132 a year ago, said. “Hopefully I’ll see him again.”

“He lost two weeks ago to him, but he wrestled a really good match today, so this should carry with him,” Jensen said.

Cody Holman made it to the finals in the 160 class with a pair of wins, including a pin of Morse’s Isaak Sinclair in the second round. Holman fell to Elias Miller via pinfall at 1:56.

Eagles grappler Brady Mitchell-Damms scored a couple of pins on his way to the 195 final, where he held on as long as he could, falling to Belfast grappler Brian White in an 11-2 decision.

At 182, Myers’ first-ever top finish came at perfect time. The Morse senior recorded three pins en route to the finals, where he beat Oxford Hills’ Cole Dunham, a wrestler he had split with in his two previous meeting this season, 4-3. Afterwards, he was all smiles.

“Every tournament I’ve had I’ve either finished third or fourth, this is the first time I’ve ever made it to the finals and won,” Myers said. “I was thinking if I did well today, I wouldn’t have to face the harder guys until the end next week. I work every day and hit the gym, taking the extra step to be better.”

“It was a huge win for him. What a better time in his senior year at KVACs, it’s unreal,” Morse coach Mike Bennett said. “Every match he’s had with that kid has gone down to the wire, including a triple-overtime match and a take down in the last second. They’ll probably meet in the regional finals and maybe even states.

“He’s a team captain, class act in the room, and all of the underclassmen look up to him. He’ll be missed next year for sure.”

More finishers

The consolation rounds were where some of the best wrestling was had.

Morse’s Cole Avery won a match before falling to the consolation round. There, he earned a pin and a decision over Mt. Ararat/Brunswick’s Sam Foye for third place.

“Cole stepped up for us today,” Bennett said. “He’s filling in for one of our regulars and he competed right until the end.”

Foye himself won three matches in the round, carrying the sophomore to the fourth-place finish.

“This is my first time placing,” said Foye, in his second year of wrestling. “The KVAC is a big deal but the pressures are the same, like any other meet.”

Mt. Ararat/Brunswick’s Kyle Graffam and Morse’s Mason Savary clashed in the 145 consolation final after both falling in the third round of championships. Savary outlasted Graffam for an 8-2 decision and third place.

After losing his first match at 220, Morse’s Karl Shumaker recorded a pair of quick pins (41 and 43 seconds) to advance to the consolation finals. Shumaker fell to Belfast’s Cameron Watts to place fourth in the class.

With the KVAC’s behind them, both teams will now put their focus on next week’s regional tournament, then the states.

“We weren’t at full strength today,” Bennett said. “We will have two of our captains back next week and we’ll have a very tough lineup, hopefully fielding a top-four team at the regionals.”

“That’s what we need to focus on now and put this behind us. We came close,” Jensen said. “We’ve got regionals and will face them (Camden Hills) again next week and then the states. We’ve got to come out on top.”

And not just the coaches are looking forward to it.

“We wanted to win, coach wanted it, we wanted to make that happen for him, unfortunately we fell a little short. We gave it our best shot,” Laurence said. “We’ve progressed a lot through the season and I’m very proud of our team of what we’ve accomplished so far and hopefully we’ll bring that through states right to the end.”

 

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