Aaron Watson now has a varsity coaching job to keep him busy for the winter season as well as the spring.

Watson, the Orono High baseball coach, has been named to take over the Red Riots’ boys basketball team.

He served as the junior varsity basketball coach for two seasons under Matt Clark. Clark left Orono to take over the girls basketball squad at John Bapst of Bangor.

Watson, who was also an assistant basketball coach at Thomas College in Waterville, teaches physical education at the Asa Adams elementary school in Orono.

The familiarity he has with the school system and the players should help him, Watson said.

“I do know the kids very well,” he said. “Hopefully it will make the transition easier for them.”

Watson played two years of varsity basketball at Oxford Hills of South Paris. The Vikings went as far as the 1990 Class A state championship game, where they lost to Eastern Maine’s Lawrence of Fairfield.

“I’ve already experienced success at this level,” he said.

Wrestling meet to be consolidated

The Maine Principals Association’s wrestling championships will have a new look for 2001.

The MPA will hold the state championship meet for all classes (A, B and C) at the Augusta Civic Center on Feb. 10, rather than separate locations.

Last year state wrestling meets were held at high schools in Skowhegan, Belfast and Bucksport, and on the same day as two swimming state meets and two indoor track and field meets.

The goal is to get more spectators and media out to see the different classes.

“Our hope is that we’ll get better coverage,” said Bob Stedt, a MPA wrestling committee member. “The MPA has been looking for a number of years at holding all three meets in one place to give [wrestling] the exposure that it needs.”

Having the wrestling state meet a week early, the same day some sports hold conference or regional championships, might accomplish that, Stedt added.

The wrestling championships had to be moved up because the Western Maine basketball tournament starts at the Civic Center Feb. 17.

The MPA will set up eight mats on the Civic Center’s main floor, to have eight matches going at once. During the finals for each weight division, only three matches – one per class – will be contested at the same time.

Stedt, the athletic director at Fort Kent, said the MPA is looking into televising the championships on Maine PBS.

Wally Devoe of Mountain Valley High in Rumford will serve as the meet director. Tom Ackley, Gordon Cutten, Marty Ryan and Terry Devereaux will assist.

Patterson, Cyr honored

Bangor Christian senior Chris Patterson and senior Kelly Cyr of Wisdom High School in St. Agatha have been named the Maine state winners of the Wendy’s High School Heisman.

Patterson, the top male, competes in soccer, basketball and track and field for the Patriots. Female winner Cyr is a soccer, basketball and softball standout for the Pioneers.

Patterson and Cyr are among the 102 student-athletes who now go to the national competition from which 12 finalists will be picked. One male and one female of the final 12 will win High School Heisman awards. The winners will be announced Dec. 8.