1. Noble: The Knights nearly completed a championship sweep, winning the Class A dual meet title, the South regional and the first Maine girls’ team championship, then claiming the first New England girls’ team championship behind individual 100-pound champ Hannah Perro and runner-up Delaney Frost. Massabesic beat Noble by five points at the Class A team championship, however. Look for Noble to bring home more plaques. On the girls’ side, Perro (106 pounds) and Frost (120/126) – who will both wrestle varsity matches all year long – lead a deep squad. Brady Ouellette, a junior, and senior Kaden Dustin are both two-time state champions. Dustin could stick at 144 pounds, while Ouellette, the champ at 120 a year ago, will make a big leap to either 150 or 157. Based on his Outstanding Wrestler award at the Dec. 7 Nate Wood Memorial tourney in Saranac, New York, he will continue to be among the state’s top wrestlers. Senior Owen Gray (138/144) is a returning state runner-up, junior heavyweight Sean Leach was third at states, seniors Kaleb Dustin and Adam Dumont have placed at states in the past, and freshmen Ryder Brown and Brock Nice will contribute at the lighter weights.

2. Camden Hills: The Windjammers are celebrating their 50th season as a high school program, and it could be special. The Windjammers are led by a gauntlet of tough wrestlers in the middle weights, starting with twins Connor and Landon Pease at 144 and 150 pounds. Connor Pease missed last year because of an injury, while Landon was the New England Qualifier winner at 126. Then comes Justin Batty (157), who won four matches at the New England championships, Class A North regional champ Reilly Turner-Watts at 165, and Class A 150-pound champ Michael Rollins at 175. Keagan Kelly, Angus Ward and Kergan Thomann placed second at the early season 16-team Belfast tourney at 106, 113 and 120, respectively. Sophomore Allana Smith, second in the girls’ 114 class last season, is another strong wrestler in the 113 range.

3. Wells: The Warriors have won six of the past seven Class B state titles. The past two seasons, they won both the traditional team tourney championship and the dual meet title. They won’t be as dominant as the 2022-23 team that was the top Maine team at the Sanford Wrestling Annual Tournament, but this year’s squad has the returning talent to keep it rolling for Coach Scott Lewia, who recently picked up his 300th career dual-meet victory. Eli Potter, the 2023 champ at 170, is back after an injury-shortened junior season and will compete at 215. His football running mate, Dominic Buxton (third at states last year), will be in the 165/175 range. William Martinez (190) was second in Class B and qualified for the New England championships last year as a sophomore. Seniors Nate Malloy (285), Nick Allen (120) and Alex Albright (157/165), sophomore Brady Godin (175/190) and freshman Gavin Silva (113) could also be on the Class B podium come Feb. 15, when both the Class A and B championship meets will be held at the Colisee in Lewiston.

4. Massabesic: The defending Class A champions graduated three individual state champions but are still a threat, especially in a tournament setting. Sophomore Evan Boulard was 51-7 last season and won the Class A 126-pound title. He’ll possibly stick at 126 or move up a class. Senior Nicholas Chenard (132/138), the regional champ at 132, is one of the most consistent performers in A South and is vying to reach 150 career wins. Coleman Pennington (175/190) is a returning state meet qualifier. Freshman Remi Grunhuvd is looking good at 106 pounds. He and his older sisters, Sophie (138/144) and Nevaeh (132/138), are new to the team after their family moved from Montana, where Sophie and Nevaeh, both juniors, were two-time placers in the girls’ state championship.

5. Marshwood/Traip: Class A South is the toughest division in the state, home to several programs with rich wrestling traditions. The Hawks won six of seven Class A championships from 2012-18 prior to Matt Rix retiring as coach. Some lean years with thin rosters followed, but fourth-year coach Luke Howarth has the team flying again, with 35 wrestlers. Seventh at the Class A meet last year, cracking the top five likely with a group led by three returning state placers in sophomore Kylan Berry (winner at 106, 55-3 overall), senior Cody Bubier (second at 150, 44-10 record), and senior Jack Anderson (fourth at 157, 46-11 record). Each is planning to bump up one weight class and surpass 100 career wins. Junior heavyweight Jacob Brengolini figures to improve after going 29-22 as a first-year wrestler. Kelsie Strong, the varsity starter at 106, leads the six-wrestler girls’ team.

Other Class A South teams worthy of note are Sanford, Kennebunk and the Portland/South Portland co-op. Sanford is led by seniors James Chaplick (138), Canton Hill (190) and Richie Simpson (175). Kennebunk should fill every weight class and returns state placers Moose Keys (165), Grisam Shields (113) and Mario Real (138) and improved Ben Johnson (144) and Asher Kennedy (126/132). Portland/South Portland is up to 38 wrestlers, including state runner-up Hussein Ali (165), state meet qualifiers Silas Wasklewicz (144), Gage Nisbett (150) and Biddeford/Thornton transfer Ghaith Al-Khulaifawa (157), and improved senior Zeke Brokaw.