Foxcroft repeats as Class B North wrestling champions

CARIBOU — The Foxcroft Academy Ponies, led by 132-pound champion R.J. Nelson and 195-pound titlist Billy Brock, successfully defended the program’s Class B North regional championship at Caribou High School on Saturday. The Eastern/Northern Maine title is the 10th in 16 seasons for the Ponies under head coach Luis Ayala.
Foxcroft accumulated 127.5 points to outdistance Winslow, which had 110 points and Ellsworth (103). Bucksport was fourth (100.5) and rounding out the top 10 were Oceanside of Rockland/Thomaston (98), Belfast and Dexter (87 each), Medomak Valley of Waldoboro (63), Washington Academy of East Machias (37) and John Bapst of Bangor (33).
The Class B North championship comes a week after Foxcroft won the Penobscot Valley Conference crown in the team’s home gym.
The state championship is scheduled for Saturday at Bucksport. A year ago the Ponies finished in first place at the state meet, becoming the inaugural Class B champs under the switch from three to two wrestling classes.
On Saturday Nelson claimed his triumph with a 5-1 win over Mark Ward of Mount View of Thorndike while Brock nipped Benjamin Abbott of Winslow 6-5.
Marcus Caudill, at 126 pounds, Elijah Ames, in the 170-pound class, and 285-pound grappler Matt Storer all reached the regional championship finals.
Dustin Simmons came in third at 152 pounds by virtue of his win in the consolation final.
Rico Ayala also qualified for the state championship with a fourth-place performances over the weekend at 106 pounds.
Tyler Beem led Dexter by finishing first at 145 pounds, in the final he earned a default victory over Ellsworth’s Josh Wright.
The Tigers’ Caleb Weeks and Gabe Stone both recorded third-place days. Weeks won his consolation final at 113 pounds and Stone was third in the 132-pound class.
Jacob Hesseltine was fourth at 160 pounds to earn a trip to Bucksport on Saturday.
The wrestlers from Piscataquis Community High School picked up 26 points in Caribou to place 14th at the regional final.
Ethan Moulton and Matthew Griffith both came in fourth to earn state championship berths. Moulton wrestled at 120 pounds and Griffith was fourth at 170 pounds.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
MORE HARDWARE FOR THE PONIES — A week after finishing in first place at the Penobscot Valley Championship, the Foxcroft Academy wrestling team won its second consecutive Class B North championship on Feb. 11 at Caribou High School. RJ Nelson and Billy Brock both won individual titles and five other team members placed in the top four to qualify for the state championship on Saturday in Bucksport. The regional title is the 10th in 16 seasons for Foxcroft head coach Luis Ayala.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
132-POUND CHAMP — RJ Nelson of Foxcroft Academy ties up Mark Ward of Mount View of Thorndike in their 132-pound championship final during the Class B North championship on Feb. 11 at Caribou High School. Nelson earned a decision victory over Ward to help the Ponies win back-to-back regional championships — the first two Class B North titles since the implementation of a two-class system for wrestling.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
BROCK WITH AN ARM LOCK — The Ponies’ Billy Brock defeated Benjamin Abbott of Winslow to claim the 195-pound title at the 2017 Class B North championship in Caribou on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
ON TO BUCKSPORT — Placing third at 152 pounds was Foxcroft’s Dustin Simmonds, pictured wrestling Noah Larrabee of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln. Simmonds and six of his teammates qualified for this weekend’s Class B state championship at Bucksport High School as the Ponies will defend the team’s 2016 title.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
PLACING AT 106 POUNDS — Rico Ayala of Foxcroft tangles with Colby Hyde of Medomak Valley of Waldoboro during a match in the 106-pound division. Ayala finished fourth at the regional final on Feb. 11 to earn a berth in the state championship.

Photo courtesy of Angela Ayala
NOWHERE TO GO — Foxcroft’s Jacob Diamond has Dominic Libbey of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln firmly in his grasp during their match in the 138-pound class on Saturday at the Class B North championship in Caribou.