Sanford's Jack Van gieson, right, prepares to wrestle Cheverus/Falmouth's Damianos Skinsacos in the Class A South 120-pound final on Saturday in North Berwick. Skinsacos won by decision, 9-2. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press He

NORTH BERWICK — The Noble High wrestling team did what it expects to do at a Class A South regional championship, which is win and set itself up for a state title run.

The host Knights had 12 wrestlers place in the top four Saturday, and therefore advance to next Saturday’s Class A championships, which will be held at The Colisee in Lewiston simultaneously with the Class B meet.

“It’s a lot. I’m pretty impressed with the team,” said Noble junior Brady Ouellette, a two-time state champion who won the 150-pound division to go with his two previous regional titles at 106 and 120. “Today was a stepping stone.”

Noble scored 278.5 points. Defending state champion Massabesic (217) was second, followed by Sanford, Marshwood and Cheverus/Falmouth.

Kaden Dustin (138) and Adam Dumont (144) also won titles for Noble, which had five runner-up finishes.

Ouellette and Dustin, a senior, are both three-time regional champs. But for Dumont and many of other individual champions, this was a first regional title.

That Biddeford/Thornton senior Joseph Lathwood won at 165 surprised no one in the wrestling-savvy crowd. After moving to Maine as a junior, he’s unbeaten in-state, and this year unbeaten overall. His arsenal of moves, supported by superior technique, balance and strength, usually leads to him quickly racking up enough points for a technical fall, but he was derailed by a knee injury last season.

“I’m trying to work as much as I can, trying to get as much mat time as I can before I get to New Englands,” Lathwood said after scoring a 17-2 technical fall in the final against Marshwood’s Jack Anderson.

Cheverus/Falmouth had three first-time champs: freshman Damian Skinsacos (120 pounds), senior Liam Backman (175) and junior Evan Metivier (215). Senior Indi Backman, who attends Falmouth and is Liam’s cousin, was runner-up to Sanford’s Richie Simpson at 190.

“Starting as a freshman and not knowing how to wrestle, it feels like I’ve accomplished a lot and I’m proud of that,” Liam Backman said.

Marshwood also had three individual champions among eight qualifiers: Kylan Berry (113), Cody Bubier (157) and Jacob Brengolini (285).

Masssabesic and Sanford each had two champions and will send eight and seven wrestlers, respectively, to the state meet.

Sanford senior Isaiah Phillips won his first title at 126 pounds. Phillips, a second-year high school wrestler, said he was exhausted and “operating on auto pilot” when he rebuffed Noble’s Austin Bruce in the final seconds for a takedown to secure a hotly contested 17-13 win.

Massabesic’s champs were Evan Boulard (132) and Remington Grunhuvd (106).

The 106-pound final presented the opportunity for history, as Noble’s Hannah Perro, the second seed, was trying to become the first girl to win a Class A regional championship. Five girls have done it in Class B, most recently Maddie Ripley of Oceanside, who won three regional crowns and became Maine’s first female state champion, doing that twice.

Grunhuvd, the younger bother of two sisters who are talented wrestlers, was able to work from on top in the third period to rally from an 8-4 deficit with a near fall that tied the score 8-8, then made a similar move that led to a pin at the five-minute mark.

“I knew I had pinned her before when I was on top, so I just decided to go back to what had worked before,” said Grunhuvd, who had pinned Perro in the regular season.

Perro, an aggressive wrestler who is unafraid to go for the big move, nearly pinned Grunhuvd in the second period.

“I thought I was going to eventually get him and then he got out of it, but that happens,” Perro said. “I feel like the crowd and the atmosphere just changes things a lot, and just looking forward to next week.”