How do you top a groundbreaking, historic feat?

For Oceanside High wrestler Maddie Ripley, it’s repeating that feat, but in a different weight class.

One year after Ripley became the first girl in Maine to win an individual state wrestling championship against boys by capturing the 106-pound division at the Class B championships, she earned a second Class B title as a senior, this time in the 113-pound division. Ripley beat Noah Parenteau of Belfast by a 6-3 decision on Feb. 17 at Mountain Valley High in Rumford.

“It’s kind of unreal,” Ripley said. “Winning (states) in two different weight classes was definitely (a goal) we talked about. … It feels kind of weird that it’s over, now that we’ve had our last high school tournament. But I’m pretty happy with the way I performed throughout high school. I pretty much reached every goal that I wanted to.”

Ripley went on to repeat as the 107-pound champion at the Maine State Girls’ Championship on Feb. 20 at Winslow High. She wrapped up her high school career with another first, winning the 107-pound title at the inaugural New England girls’ wrestling championship on March 2 in Providence, Rhode Island. Ripley beat Tatianna Irizarry of Ledyard, Connecticut, by a 6-2 decision in the final.

Putting a cap on a sterling career, Ripley is our choice as the 2024 Varsity Maine Girls’ Wrestler of the Year. It’s the third consecutive year she’s won the award.

The path for Ripley winning a state title this year was not an easy one. Ripley bulked up and showed noticeable muscle in her jump from 106 to 113 at the start of the season. But she had a rough start to the regular season, falling 12-0 to Evan Kowalsky of Mt. Ararat/Brunswick in the championship round at the Westlake Tournament on Dec. 2. Ripley dropped back down to 106 at the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships, but fell 15-4 to Belfast freshman Dominic Simpson in the championship round.

Ripley received a shot of confidence by winning the 113-pound title via a 1-0 victory over Mountain Valley’s Keygan Boucher at the Class B South regional. At the state meet, Ripley beat Asher Bishop of Woodland by pin and Bo Provencher by a 12-5 decision before moving on to the championship round. Ripley won a hard-fought battle with Parenteau, who allowed Ripley to escape not once, but twice, in an effort to score points on takedowns. Ripley managed to fend off Parenteau to claim the title.

Ripley leaves her high school career behind as the number of girls wrestling in Maine is climbing. A total of 97 wrestlers competed at the Maine State Girls’ Championship, a jump from 50 the year before. Coaches and fellow female wrestlers believe Ripley’s success has had an impact.

“It’s just crazy,” said Oceanside Coach Jason Yates, who is Ripley’s stepfather. “I never expected her winning to be as big as it was. Quite frankly, wrestling gets second fiddle to every other sport in the state. I really didn’t think that many people were going to care about what Maddie did, and then it just blew up. And then to see the impact it had on all these other girl (wrestlers) is just incredible.”

Ripley’s dedication to the sport is no surprise, considering her family roots. Her sister, Shannon, was a national collegiate champion at Husson University in Bangor. Her twin brother, Gavin, won his third straight state title when he beat Dyllan Davis of Wells by a 6-0 decision for the 132-pound title at the Class B championships.

Maddie Ripley’s career is far from over. She is planning on going to prep school next year in the hopes of catching on with a major collegiate program. With her high school career finished, Ripley has a new set of goals.

“Hopefully I’ll (eventually) win prep New Englands,” Ripley said. “Then, in college, I want to be a national champion. After college, hopefully it’s the world team, and then the Olympics.”

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Varsity Maine Boys’ Wrestler of the Year: Gavin Ripley, Oceanside