Foxcroft Academy ‘ironmen’ win first Class B wrestling state championship

By Ernie Clark
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Three months of grinding practices and major tournament success produced a familiar result for the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team Saturday — a state championship.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

STATE CHAMPS! — The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team is the best in Class B after the Ponies finished in first place on Feb. 13 at Oceanside High School in Rockland, scoring 146 points or 23 more than the runner-up. Five members of the squad earned individual titles and the team honor completes a season sweep of the postseason matches with Foxcroft having previously won the Penobscot Valley Conference crown and the Class B North championship. The state championship, the first under the new two-class system, is the sixth overall in program history and the half dozen have been won with Luis Ayala as the head coach.

But this one is different.

Strength in the heaviest weight classes proved decisive for the Ponies, who edged Dirigo of Dixfield for the Class B crown at Oceanside High School in Rockland.

Foxcroft crowned five individual champions and totaled 146 points in winning its first Class B title after five Class C championships between 2004 and 2013.

“Every one is special,” said Ponies head coach Luis Ayala. “but this being the first state championship for Foxcroft in Class B is great.

“The stigma has always been ‘Foxcroft’s always good but they wrestle in Class C’, you’re a Class C team. So I told the guys, let’s go out and show all those doubters who never thought we could do it that we can compete at this level. The last couple years in Class B we didn’t have any (individual) state champions, but now we have five this year and we win states as a Class B team. I think we’ve definitely proven we’re one of the elite teams in the state.”

Dirigo, the two-time defending Class C state champion, was moved up to Class B when the state’s wrestling world was reduced from three classes to two last spring but finished a solid second with 123 points.

Defending Class B state title holder Ellsworth was third with 94.5 points, with Winslow (91) and Mountain Valley of Rumford and Wells (79.5 points each) next among the 22 scoring schools.

Foxcroft took just a 115-109 lead over Dirigo heading into the championship finals, but the Ponies went 5-2 in those matches while the Cougars went just 2-2.

“I’m just proud of the guys for how they came together and for just being relentless all year,” said Ayala. “At the beginning of the year we thought we had a pretty good team but as the season progressed it became obvious what they were capable of doing and it was great to see them put it all together and achieve their goal.”

Foxcroft senior Zach Caron remained undefeated on the season and earned his third individual state title in as many years by outpointing Mountain Valley’s Eddie DeRoche 5-3 in the 145-pound final.

Then Foxcroft asserted itself in the upper weight classes, where the Ponies’ Ironmen contingent of brothers Billy and Brandon Brock, Michael Pendriss and Connor Holmes all delivered victories.

“We had T-shirts made up for this year that said, ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ and some people asked what that meant,” said Ayala. “Our answer is it’s how you get great.

“For you to do well, your partner has to push you to the limit at practice, you have to push each other. And here’s a group of kids at 182, 195, 220 and 285 who have pushed themselves all winter and made each other better.”

Sometimes that improvement came at a physical price, like when 285-pound Connor Holmes broke his hand while wrestling Billy Brock at practice and even as late as the night before States, Ayala said, when Brandon Brock injured his back while working out with his younger brother.

“Sometimes it can be tough,” said Ayala, “but that’s the way they’ve always gone hard to push themselves. To see all those guys win state championships Saturday was great.”

First junior Billy Brock avenged a loss to Winslow’s Patrick Hopkins at the Class B North championships a week earlier, winning by pin at 5:38 of their 182-pound final in what turned out to be the championship-clinching victory.

Then Brandon Brock, a senior, pinned Dalton Berry with one second left in the opening round of the 195-pound final — the only championship match featuring a battle of wrestlers from Foxcroft and Dirigo.

Senior Michael Pendriss kept the Foxcroft run going at 220 pounds, with the senior edging Winslow’s Nat Beckwith 8-6.

Holmes, another senior, shook off his broken hand to pin Jake Peavey of Erskine Academy in South China at 1:20 of their championship final.

Foxcroft got additional top-four finishes from sophomores R.J. Nelson, second at 132 pounds, and Brandon Weston, third at 106, while senior captain Antonio Ayala capped off a stellar four-year career by accepting the championship trophy after he finished fifth at 126 pounds to earn a berth as an alternate to the all-state meet Saturday at Mount Ararat School in Topsham.

All of Foxcroft’s top-four finishers earned automatic berths to the all-state meet, which features the best wrestlers from both Class A and Class B seeking to qualify for the New England championships.

Dirigo’s Griffyn Smith won the 113-pound final for his fourth individual state championship and was named the meet’s outstanding performer. The Cougars’ other individual title came from Bryce Whittemore at 152.

Dexter finished ninth in the team standings with 34 points. The Tigers were led by sophomore Tyler Beem, third at 132 pounds, and junior Jacob Hesseltine, fourth at 160.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

GIVE HIM A LIFT — Foxcroft Academy’s Billy Brock picks up Winslow’s Patrick Hopkins during their finals match in the 182-pound weight class at the Class B state wrestling championship Saturday. Brock won the match by pin to seal Foxcroft’s team title, the sixth overall in program history and first since the 2013 Class C crown.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION — Foxcroft Academy’s Connor Holmes pins Erskine Academy’s Jake Peavey in the 285-pound final at the Class B state wrestling championship Saturday at Oceanside High School in Rockland. Holmes’ performance helped the Ponies capture the state title.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

ALL IN THE FAMILY — Brandon Brock of Foxcroft Academy competes against Dalton Berry of Dirigo during their 195-pound championship match on Saturday in Rockland. Brock won the match by pin, to join his younger brother Billy as an individual state champ.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

GROUNDED FALCON — Foxcroft Academy’s Zach Caron competes against Mountain Valley’s Eddie DeRoche in the finals of the 145-pound division during the Class B state championship at Oceanside High School. Caron won the match 5-3.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala

220-POUND WINNER — Foxcroft Academy’s Michael Pendriss puts a hold on Winslow’s Nat Beckwith in the 220-pound final at the Class B state wrestling championship on Feb. 13. Pendriss won by decision 8-6 to capture the first-place finish.

Class B state wrestling championship 

1. Foxcroft Academy 146, 2. Dirigo 123, 3. Ellsworth 94.5, 4. Winslow 91, 5. Mountain Valley 79.5, Wells 79.5, 7. Oceanside 70.5, 8. Medomak Valley 52, 9. Dexter 34, 10. Erskine Academy 29, 11. Oak Hill 27.5, 12. Penobscot Valley 20.5, 13. Lisbon 20, 14. Belfast 17, 15. Monmouth Academy 16, 16. Maine Central Institute 14, 17. Madison 10, 18. Bucksport 7, 19. Caribou 3, John Bapst 3, Mattanawcook Academy 3, 22. Lincoln Academy 1, Washington Academy 1

Championship finals

106: Alex Fogarty (Ocean) def. Codi Sirois (PValley) major dec. 11-0; 113: Griffyn Smith (Dir) def. Devin Vigue (Winslow) pin at 1:10; 120: Danny Buteau (OH) def. Calvin Thompson (Mon) tech fall 18-1; 126: Caleb Austin (MtnValley) def. Cullen Cummings (Wells) tech fall 16-0; 132: Ben Ripley (Ocean) def. R J Nelson (Fox) 3-0; 138: Peyton Cole (Ells) def. Mike Provencher (MtnValley) pin at 3:32; 145: Zac Caron (Fox) def. Eddie Deroche (MtnValley) 5-3; 152: Bryce Whittemore (Dirigo) def. Justin Studholme (Ersk) win by DQ; 160: Trent Goodman (Ells) def. Michael Wrigley (Wells) pin at 0:50; 170: Ryan Fredette (Winslow) def. Nolan Degroot (Dirigo) pin at 1:39; 182: Billy Brock (Fox) def. Patrick Hopkins (Winslow) pin at 5:38; 195: Brandon Brock (Fox) def. Dalton Berry (Dirigo) pin at 1:59; 220: Michael Pendriss (Fox) def. Nat Beckwith (Winslow) 8-6; 285: Conner Holmes (Fox) def. Jake Peavey (Ersk) pin at 1:20

Consolation finals

106: Brandon Weston (Fox) def. Will Perry (Medomak) pin at 0:23; 113: Xavier Adams (Lisbon) def. Michael Sprague (Ersk) 5-1; 120: Zyanthony Moss (MCI) def. Austin Merando (Belfast) 9-8; 126: Logan Lord (Ells) def. Jon Wainwright (Dirigo) major dec. 9-1; 132: Tyler Beem (Dexter) def. Ethan Boucher (MtnValley) win by inj def; 138: Steven Thompson (MValley) def. Hunter White (Dirigo) pin at 3:30; 145: Josh Wright (Ells) def. Elias Miller (Medomak) major dec. 15-5; 152: Connor Petros (Ells) def. Issac Therrian (MtnValley) tech fall 192; 160: Ben Abbott (Winslow) def. Jacob Hesseltine (Dexter) 9-7; 170: Dallas Ball (Ocean) def. Jake Spofford (Wells) pin at 2:58; 182: Nolan Potter (Wells) def. Spencer Vaughan (Dirigo) major dec. 10-2; 195: Sean McCormack-Kuhman (Wells) def. Reagan Billingsley (Ocean) 7-4; 220: Lucas Macdonald (Dirigo) def. Brenden Dean (Wells) pin at 1:34; 285: Owen Gilbert (Medomak) def. Matt Brown (Madison) pin at 3:42