AUGUSTA – It all came down to the last match.
David Smith of Mountain Valley repeated as a state champ, but the Falcons were two points shy as Camden Hills High School won the Class B state wrestling championship, 166.50-164.50, for the sixth-straight year before 5,000 fans at the Augusta Civic Center Saturday.
Mountain Valley has finished second three years in row Saturday. The Falcons came on late by winning the last three finals matches, but Smith needed a pin. The Falcons state champions were Chris Smith (189 pounds), Brendan Bradley (215) and Dave Smith at 275.
Camden issued a challenge again with 13 wrestlers competing. The Windjammers won four titles.
Rounding out the top five were Belfast (136) and Wells (75.50), and Ellsworth (57). The 14 individual state champions are eligible to compete in the New England Championships in North Andover, Mass., next month.
Camden coach Pat Kelly said several times that the Jammers were never out of it.
Camden Hills amd Mountain Valley battled from the get-go. The teams were tied at 151 entering the finals. The Windjammers led by 18 points after wins by freshman Murphy McGowen (103), True Bragg (119) and Cory Laite (140) and Harry Pearson (160).
“Kids came to wrestle today,” Mountain Valley coach Gary Dolloff said. “I told the kids to wrestle up to their seeds and not to worry what Camden is doing.”
Chris Smith (36-0) won his third-straight crown by pinning three opponents in the first period. Younger brother David Smith (33-0) defended his crown by securing a head-and-arm pin.
“‘I felt good coming in today,” Chris Smith said. ‘Comfident, not cocky, go out on the mat and get the job done.”
The Falcons’ Zack Bradley trailed 3-2 with 12 seconds left, but couldn’t execute a takedown. Aaron Arsenault (152) lost in waning seconds to Tom Burns of Ellsworth in a key match. Ben Madigan was decisioned by two-time champion Harry Pearson of Camden Hills. Madigan won a state championship in 2002. The semifinals proved exciting as Madigan escaped with 15 seconds left in the third period.
‘Time was running out,” Madigan said, while icing a sore neck. “I had a burst of energy and got out. This was my last chance to reach the finals because the previous two years hadn’t gone well.”
Child lost 4-1 to Jacob Treadwell of Wells, but Bradley followed with a big stick off a back salo. Mike Gilbert broke his hand at 112 and Chris Cayer (140) placed fourth. Ben Matthews (145) rolled through for a pin to place third.
‘There was a few close matches in the semis, but we won them,” Dolloff said. ‘The kids kept wrestling the entire time. Matthews wrestled out of his head today. This team stayed together while I was hospitalized and credit my assistant coaches Chris Beam and Jeff Gilbert.”
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