Noah Hernandez of Massabesic celebrates winning the 160-pound high school division at the third annual “Rumble at The Ballpark” on Saturday in Old Orchard Beach. (Contributed photo)

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The third annual “Rumble at The Ballpark” presented by Moriarty Electric welcomed 80 wrestlers to The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the high temperatures, the tournament proceeded thanks to a large tent covering the wrestling mats — and, according to founder and tournament director Pat McDonald, it was a successful day at the historic stadium.

“The weather didn’t really cooperate with us, but we were thrilled with the outcome. We had 80 wrestlers and there was some outstanding wrestling,” McDonald said. “We utilized a huge tent from Marshall Tent and Event Rental in Kittery and that helped us keep the mats cool enough for the wrestlers. We certainly had some wrestlers stay away from the heat, but the wrestlers who showed up and gutted it out really put on a show.”

There were 13 weight classes in the high school division, while the college-age division featured three brackets. All champions brought home a commemorative baseball bat.

Bonny Eagle’s Caden Frost won the 106-pound title with a 5-3 win over his brother Cameron Frost. Sanford’s James Blood was third with Saco’s Dyllan Davis fourth.

At 113 pounds, Benjamin Herrera won a three-man round robin bracket. He went 3-0 with a pair of pins on his way to the title. Alexis Dobson was second and Jacob Roger third.

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The 125-pound bracket saw Evan Lombard win the title with a 4-2 win over Kenny Santiago in the finals. Kennebunk teammates Eli Soule and Garrett Dickinson finished third and fourth, respectively.

At 128 pounds, Tanner McKenna was the champion after he pinned Ryder Le in the finals. Massabesic’s Garrett Francoeur was third and Jonathan Brown finished fourth.

Joshua Sharron took home the championship bat at 138 pounds. He would accept a forfeit in the finals as second-place finisher Devon Whitmore of Biddeford was dealing with an injury. Bonny Eagle’s Colby Frost finished third with Alex Zeller fourth.
Joshua Sam captured the 145-pound title with a 4-2 win over Biddeford’s Josiah Garcia. Josh Troutman was third and Jared Kinsey finished fourth.

In the 152-pound bracket, Hunter McKenna won the title in a three-man round robin. Adam Marquis was second and Cameron Strout finished third.

Massabesic’s Noah Hernandez won the title at 160 pounds with a hard-fought 5-2 win over Mt. Ararat’s Ben Laurence in the finals. Noah Stemple was third and Andrew Martin took fourth.

Dillon Worster captured the crown at 170 pounds with a 6-1 win over Javier Nieto. Nicholas Cox finished third and Daniel Tokar was fourth.

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At 182 pounds, Cole Dunham won the bat with a 3-0 performance in a round robin bracket. Pablo Garcia was second, while Aushe Edmond was third and Jack Melvin finished fourth.

Brian Giacchi won the championship at 195 pounds after he pinned Sean Wakefield of Massabesic in the finals. Jakory Harvey finished third and Gracie Talbot was fourth.

Armel Duke picked up the title at 220 pounds as he had a perfect record in the three-man round robin. Rhamsez Thevenin was second and Beau Talbot finished third.

In the 285 weight class, Jeffrey Worster picked up a 1-0 win over Stephan Monshery in one of the final matches of the entire tournament to win the title. Monshery was second, while Luis Lowery finished third and Mustafa Mshari was fourth.
In the college-age division, Bonny Eagle graduate Caleb Frost won the title at 170 pounds. Brendon Henderson was second with James Cline finishing third.

At 197 pounds, Josh Smith won the title with a perfect record. Nate Stemple was second and Billy Doner finished third.
The 285-pound division went to Jake Allen, who picked up a 13-3 win over Elijah Babb to capture the bat. Alex Ashooh was third and Dakota Melvin finished fourth.

“We had champions from several different states, including Maine, New Hampshire and New York,” said McDonald. “The heat prevented us from having a bigger turnout, but it was awesome to see 80 wrestlers show up, fight through the temperatures and really give it their all on the mats.”

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McDonald praised the staff at The Ballpark as well as the volunteers who helped run the tournament.

“Guy Fontaine and his crew at The Ballpark have been outstanding with us since day one. We wouldn’t want to do this anywhere else,” said McDonald. “The coaches that have been with me from the beginning— Paul Rivard, Rick DeRosier, Steve Vermette and Steve Young — and all of the volunteers who help the day of the event, are the reason we can keep this thing going.”

The plan is for the Rumble at The Ballpark to return next summer in Old Orchard Beach, according to McDonald.

“This was our best tournament yet as far as it running smoothly with some incredible wrestling and people really enjoying it — and that is with Mother Nature throwing us some extremely high temperatures,” McDonald said. “We are planning on being back next summer and feel that this tournament will continue to grow each year.”

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