Foxcroft wins Class B North title, eyes state wrestling meet
WINSLOW — Superior talent and depth propelled the Foxcroft Academy Ponies to the Class B North wrestling championship at Winslow High School over the weekend.
Foxcroft crowned five individual champions, led by undefeated 145-pound senior Zach Caron, and qualified 10 wrestlers for the Class B state championships to be held Saturday at Oceanside High School in Rockland.
Foxcroft followed up its victory a week earlier at the Penobscot Valley Conference championships with a dominant performance at the regional. The Ponies scored 205.5 points compared to 146 for second-place Ellsworth, which advanced seven wrestlers to states.
Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
MORE HARDWARE FOR THE PONIES — A week after finishing in first place at the Penobscot Valley Conference championship match, the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team won the 2016 Class B North Championship on Feb. 6 at Winslow High School. Five Ponies won their individual weight classes as the team finished nearly 60 points ahead of runner-up Ellsworth High School. Ten Foxcroft wrestlers qualified for the state championship on Saturday at Oceanside High School in Rockland, which will be the first Class B championship since the switch from three to two classes in the sport.
Belfast (141.5), Winslow (117), Oceanside (97) and Medomak Valley of Waldoboro (95.5) were next in the 19-school field, while Dexter (80) was seventh and Piscataquis of Guilford (20) finished 14th.
Foxcroft’s ninth regional championship in Luis Ayala’s 15 years as head coach leaves the Ponies as one of the favorites for the first Class B state title since the Maine Principals’ Association switched from three classes to two last spring.
Foxcroft’s top challengers will include Ellsworth, the defending Class B state champion, and two-time defending Class C state champion Dirigo of Dixfield.
Dirigo comfortably won the Class B South title at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford last Saturday, totaling 200 points compared to 147.5 for second-place Mountain Valley and 131.5 for third-place Wells.
Dirigo advanced 11 wrestlers to states, including five individual regional champions.
“We tell tell the kids the next event’s the big one and we’ve got to take them one event at a time,” said Ayala. ”But I’m really proud of the kids and how they stepped up (at regionals). There were some really tough matches.”
Caron, a two-time defending Class C individual champion, secured the 145-pound crown by pinning Ellsworth’s Josh Wright at 53 seconds of the first round in their final.
Foxcroft also received first-place performances from 132-pound R.J. Nelson and in the top three weight classes as Brandon Brock, Michael Pendriss and Connor Holmes also emerged victorious.
Nelson edged Dexter’s Tyler Beem in overtime of their semifinal, then scored a 12-5 decision over Oceanside’s Ben Ripley in the finals.
“R.J.’s match with always tough Tyler Beem was 0-0 going into overtime and then he put in the crucial takedown to win his semi,” said Ayala. “Then in the final it was another tough match, back and forth, but he pulled it out so he had one of the best days for us.”
Brock secured his 150th career victory by pinning Jared Smith of John Bapst of Bangor in the semifinals before winning the 195-pound crown by injury default over Regan Billingsley of Oceanside.
“Brandon’s been a constant on the team for the last four years and for him to get his 150th win is special,” said Ayala of Brock, who joined Caron and senior Antonio Ayala as Ponies to reach the 150-win milestone this winter.
Pendriss edged Nat Beckwith of Winslow 2-1 in the 220-pound championship match to avenge a loss to the Black Raiders’ standout in the semifinals of last year’s state meet. The victory was the 100th of Pendriss’ two-year varsity career.
“Michael knew it was going to be a tough match and he just kept it close the whole time,” said Ayala. “It was 0-0 going into the third period and he chose down and Michael got the escape with 30 seconds left.”
Holmes, who missed the PVC championships due to injury, returned to action and won the 285-pound crown by injury default over Owen Gilbert of Medomak Valley, who was seeing his first meet action since suffering a broken ankle early in the season.
Foxcroft senior Antonio Ayala and junior Billy Brock scored second-place finishes, Ayala at 126 pounds and Brock at 182.
The Ponies’ Conner Johnson finished third at 138 pounds with a 5-0 victory over Judd Kinney of Washington Academy in East Machias in their consolation final.
Foxcroft added two fourth-place finishers who also qualified for states in Brandon Weston at 106 pounds and Dustin Simmons at 152.
Dexter was led by third-place finishes of Beem, Jacob Hesseltine and Daniel Wallace.
Beem defeated Caribou’s Cory Jandreau 6-2 in the 132-pound consolation final while Hesseltine pinned Washington Academy’s Jordi Valls Rottsman at 4:16 of their 160-pound third-place match.
Wallace won by injury default over Belfast’s Jacob Waterman in the 182-pound consolation final.
The Tigers’ Tanner Hall advanced to states with his fourth-place finish at 285 as did Matthew Griffith of PCHS, fourth in the 170-pound weight class.
Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
TRIPLE DIGIT WINS — Michael Pendriss of Foxcroft Academy, pictured with his head coach Luis Ayala, earned the 100th victory of his high school wrestling career on Saturday at the Class B North Championship in Winslow. Pendriss earned the milestone win via a 2-1 decision in the 220-pound final.
Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
CAREER VICTORY NO. 150 — Foxcroft Academy’s Brandon Brock earned his 150th career win in a Pony singlet over the weekend at the regional championship, with the victory coming via pinfall in the 195-pound semifinals and Brock would then win his weight class by injury default. Pictured with Brock are, from left, Foxcroft coach Lee Gustin, head coach Luis Ayala and coach Terry Whittemore.