Brawn, one of six Nokomis wrestlers, wins EM crown at 189

Brent Brawn sees both the highs and lows of competing for a wrestling team that lacks a full complement of competitors.

“It’s hard to win any team competitions,” said Brawn, one of six members of the Nokomis of Newport wrestling team. “But we get a lot of one-on-one time with our coach. We only have one coach, but he’s working with us all the time.”

That instruction certainly has paid off for Brawn, a junior from St. Albans who won the 189-pound title at the Eastern Maine Class A championship meet held at Bath last weekend.

Brawn, top-seeded entering the meet in part because of his victory a week earlier at the Penobscot Valley Conference championships, won his regional title with one majority decision and two pins, including a 1:22 pin of Cody Meyers of Cony of Augusta in the final.

“I thought I’d do all right this year,” said Brawn, who didn’t place at last year’s PVCs and finished third at the 2003 Eastern A meet. “But I’m a little bit surprised.”

Brawn credits much of his current success to a week spent last summer at a wrestling camp at Lock Haven (Pa.) University.

“I think it made me better,” he said. “It gave me a lot more motivation.”

Brawn also has wrestled in a number of offseason tournaments, according to Nokomis coach Scott Preble.

“Brent has worked really hard and he’s earning it,” said Preble, who at age 38 often has to participate in wrestling drills with his shorthanded squad.

“Brent’s starting to get the benefits of what he has been putting into wrestling. His strength has come to the top, and his ability is coming with it.”

Brawn and Dale Smart, an alternate at 140 pounds, will represent Nokomis at the state championship meet to be held Friday and Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium.

“I’m just going to go for it,” Brawn said.

Millennium milestones

The schoolboy basketball 1,000-point club keeps growing larger as the regular season winds down.

Last Wednesday, Washington Academy of East Machias seniors Whitney Stevens and Jared Gray reached the mutual mark in the same game, a Class C victory in overtime over Narraguagus of Harrington.

On the same night, senior guard Abraham Beal of Jonesport-Beals scored his 1,000th point in a loss to Sumner at East Sullivan.

“Abraham’s a good offensive player, an excellent athlete and a winner,” said Royals coach Ordman Alley.

Beal’s senior season has been challenging, in that he was shifted from his customary shooting guard slot to point guard to replace the graduated Ben Durkee.

“He really is a shooting guard,” said Alley. “But we had to move him over to the point. He’s worked hard to adjust, and done a good job in most cases.”

A three-year starter, Beal had 17 points last Friday night as Jonesport-Beals gained perhaps its most important victory of the season, a 60-59 win over Washington Academy secured on a late free throw by Royals’ center Jeremy Chandler.

Jason Thompson, a 6-foot-3 junior center from Washburn, scored career point No. 1,000 Friday night in the Beavers’ victory over Easton.

He becomes the first Washburn boys player to score 1,000 points since his cousin, Nick Thompson, reached the milestone in 1999. He also becomes the fifth Washburn boys’ player in the club (Thompson, Trent Cunningham, Greg Sponberg and Daryl Perry are the others), and ninth player overall in school history.

Thompson has averaged nearly 23 points per game over the last two seasons, according to Washburn coach Larry Worcester, after averaging 10 points per game as a freshman despite missing four games with a broken thumb.

Devan Philbrick, a senior center at Highview Christian in Charleston, topped 1,000 points during a monster game against Lubec on Saturday. Philbrick not only scored a game-high 25 points, but grabbed 21 rebounds in the win, which improved the Knights’ record to 10-3 as they close in on an Eastern D tournament berth.

The game marks Philbrick’s second recent game with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. He also accomplished that feat in a victory over Greenville.

One other achiever of note is Josh Kipp of Forest Hills of Jackman, who on Saturday set school records of 11 3-point goals and 51 points to surpass 1,000 career points during a 99-87 victory at Eastgate Christian of New Gloucester.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net