Foxcroft wrestling places fifth at Class B championship; Dexter’s Wing and Beem win individual titles

BUCKSPORT — The Foxcroft Academy wrestling team finished in fifth place, out of a field of 28 schools, at the 2017 Class B state championship on Feb. 18 at Bucksport High School. The seven Pony grapplers combined for a score of 69 points.
Foxcroft’s RJ Nelson and Billy Brock both reached the championship finals. In the last match at 132 pounds Nelson fell by a 9-1 major decision to Danny Breau of Oak Hill High School of Wales. Nolan Potter of Wells High School pinned Brock at the 2:39-mark of the 195-pound final.
Elijah Ames finished in third place in the 170-pound division. In the consolation finals Ames had a 9-3 win over Jesse Pelletier of Mountain Valley High School of Rumford to record the third-place performance.
Foxcroft’s Rico Ayala and Marcus Caudill both earned a top four finish. Ayala advanced to the consolation finals at 106 pounds, where Mountain Valley’s Vinny Deroche earned a pinfall victory at the 4:23-mark. Caudill fell by a slim 7-5 margin to Patrick Curtis of Belfast Area High School in their 126-pound consolation final.
Also wrestling on Saturday for the Ponies was Dustin Simmons and Matt Storer. Simmons reached the 152-pound semifinals and in the 285-pound class Storer advanced to the consolation semifinals.
The Dexter Regional High School team scored 59 points to finish in seventh place out of the 28 squads as two Tigers won individual championships.
Justin Wing won the first title at 106 pounds. In the championship final Wing pinned Oakley Dugans of the Bangor Christian School at the 3:10-mark.
A short time later Tyler Beem claimed the 2017 Class B 145-pound championship. Beem made quick work of Ellsworth High School’s Josh Wright as Beem scored the pinfall 35 seconds into their match.
Dexter’s Caleb Weeks came in fourth at 113 pounds. In the consolation finals of the weight class Ryan Norton of Wells earned a 14-5 major decision victory.
Gage Stone and Jacob Hesseltine also represented the Tigers at the state championship. The two wrestled at 132 and 160 pounds respectively.
Three Piscataquis Community High School wrestlers took to the mat in Bucksport. The Pirates earned six points to place 22nd.
Ethan Moulton reached the 120-pound consolation semifinals and Zac Wilson did likewise in the 160-pound division. Matthew Griffith wrestled on Saturday at 170 pounds.
Wells finished with exactly 100 points, besting the 73.5 picked up by both Winslow High School and Ellsworth High School. The Class B crown is the third in program history for Wells and first since 1996, the school also won the state championship in 1988.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
FULL NELSON — Foxcroft Academy’s RJ Nelson earned a 5-3 semifinal victory at 132 pounds over Cullen Cummings of Wells during the Class B championship on Feb. 18 at Bucksport High School. Nelson would go on to finish second in his weight class to help the Ponies place fifth out of 28 teams.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
195-POUND RUNNER-UP — Billy Brock of Foxcroft Academy, grappling with Dalton Berry of Dirigo of Dixfield, would come in second in the 195-pound division at Saturday’s state championship in Bucksport.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
HEELS OVER HEAD — The Ponies’ Marcus Caudill flips Zoe Buteau of Oak Hill of Wales during their opening round match at 126 pounds. Caudill earned a 14-6 major decision win vs. Buteau and Caudill would go on to finish in fourth place.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
UPSET WIN — Rico Ayala of Foxcroft Academy knocked off South No. 1 Jack Tibbetts, 4-2, on Saturday. The win helped Ayala finish in fourth place at 106 pounds.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
FOCUSED ON THE TASK IN HIS HANDS — Pony 170-pound grappler Elijah Ames would pin Brad Harriman of Lisbon at the 4:32-mark of their opening round match. Ames would win in the consolation finals to grab a third-place finish at the state championship.