FA wrestling team top Maine finisher at Sanford event

By Ernie Clark
Staff Writer

The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team capped off a stellar pre-conference portion of their schedule Saturday by emerging as the top Maine finisher and third overall at the Spartan Invitational Tournament hosted by Sanford High School.

Contributed photo

REPRESENTING THEIR HOME STATE WELL — Over the weekend the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team came in third at the Spartan Invitational Tournament at Sanford High School. The Ponies’ 145 points were the most of any competing program from the state of Maine. Foxcroft finished ahead of defending Class A champion Marshwood High School of South Berwick.

The Ponies finished with 145 points, trailing only Timberlane Regional High School of Plaistow, New Hampshire, with 232.5 points and Danbury, Connecticut, with 229 points in the two-day event.

Xavier High School of Middletown, Connecticut, was fourth with 136.5 points, while four-time defending Maine Class A champion Marshwood of South Berwick was second among in-state teams and fifth overall with 132.5 points. Mountain Valley of Rumford (111.5) and Belfast (99) were next among the 19 schools represented at the meet.

“We don’t go to the Spartan tournament every year because it’s such a tough tournament,” said Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala. “This year when our AD asked if we wanted to go I said yes because I knew what type of team we had — experienced kids, very tough kids who want to go to the next level.

“We weren’t sure how we would do as a team, I was thinking a top 10 maybe, but the kids wrestled tough and to finish in third place against this competition and to finish ahead of Marshwood was awesome.”

Foxcroft’s Spartan Invitational finish is the latest in a succession of previous top-three performances at multischool events around the state and beyond during which the Ponies never placed behind a Class B rival.

Foxcroft began the season by winning a nine-school tournament at coach Luis Ayala’s alma mater, Park View High School in Sterling Park, Virginia. The Ponies then finished second at the Mountain Valley Invitational in Rumford behind Class A Noble, won the Penobscot Valley Holiday Tournament in Howland, placed third behind Skowhegan and Noble at the Noble Invitational in North Berwick and finished second behind Skowhegan at the Warrior Clash in Newport.

“The kids have been showing up and working hard every day,” said Ayala. “It’s great to see that we’re coming together and getting ready for the rest of the year.”

Foxcroft had just eight wrestlers competing in the 14 weight classes at the Spartan Invitational as 195-pound senior Brandon Brock was sidelined with pneumonia. Seven Ponies earned top-four finishes led by individual champions Zach Caron and Michael Pendriss — two of just four Maine wrestlers to win their divisions.

Caron remained undefeated this winter, defeating Mountain Valley’s Eddie DeRoche by a 16-1 technical fall in the 145-pound final. Pendriss earned the 220-pound individual title by edging Paul Martorelli of Xavier 1-0 in the 220-pound championship match.

The Ponies also had two second-place finishers in Billy Brock at 182 pounds and Connor Holmes at 285 as Foxcroft produced four of the 11 Maine wrestlers who earned top-two finishes at the meet.

Three Foxcroft wrestlers, Brandon Weston at 106 pounds, Antonio Ayala at 126 and R.J. Nelson at 132, finished fourth in their respective weight classes.

Foxcroft will focus on Penobscot Valley Conference competition for the next few weeks, beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday when the Ponies host Bucksport, Dexter and Piscataquis of Guilford.

The PVC championships are set for Jan. 30 at Ellsworth High School, followed on Feb. 6 by the Class B North regional at Winslow High School and the Class B state championship meet Feb. 13 at Oceanside High School in Rockland.

Contributed photo

TOURNAMENT CHAMPS — Foxcroft Academy’s Michael Pendriss, left, and Zach Caron both finished as champions in their weight classes at the Spartan Invitational Tournament on Jan. 9 in Sanford. Pendriss won the 220-pound division, and Caron was first at 145 pounds, continuing an undefeated season.