Strategic move helps ‘Jammers nip FA

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Two championship wrestling programs collided here Wednesday night, and the difference was so slight a bit of gamesmanship proved decisive as Camden Hills of Rockport edged Foxcroft Academy 42-36.

Foxcroft, the 2004 Class C state champion, had used its strength in the middle and upper weight classes to forge a 30-24 lead against Camden Hills, the five-time defending Class B state champion.

The Ponies seemed poised for another win with Josh Pelletier favored to defeat Camden Hills’ Gibby Bryant at 215 pounds. But Camden Hills coach Patrick Kelly pulled Bryant from that match, took the forfeit, and moved Bryant to the 275-pound class, where he pinned the Ponies’ Kris Preble in 5 minutes, 39 seconds.

That drew Camden Hills within 36-30, and the Windjammers went on to victory as freshman Murphy McGowan won by forfeit at 103 pounds and his brother, junior Joe McGowan, pinned Foxcroft’s Colby Johnson in 55 seconds to conclude the match.

“The whole plan was to do that that if things went awry, because I know Pelletier is going to pin my kid, and I know my heavyweight is going to get pinned, so I figured why not give my 215 a shot at wrestling heavyweight,” said Kelly. “I had two of my studs go down earlier in the match; I had to pull something out of my hat.”

There also was a discussion about whether Bryant weighed enough to compete at 275 pounds, but the match was allowed to proceed.

“That’s part of wrestling,” said Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala.

The win improved Camden Hills’ dual-match record to 30-1, its only loss to six-time Class A champ Noble of North Berwick.

“What these kids showed me tonight for the first time all year was a sense of tradition, that we’re a team,” said Kelly, who used eight freshmen and sophomores against a more veteran Foxcroft team. “We need to take to the postseason what it took to win tonight, dogged, hard work.”

Foxcroft is 23-1.

“That’s the type of battle we want to get us mentally ready,” said Ayala. “They’re a great team, and that’s why we have them on our schedule. If this doesn’t get the guys motivated to practice hard to get ready for the [Penobscot Valley Conference meet] and regionals, I don’t know what will.”

Beyond the late-match strategy, this meet featured wrestling at a high level, with five defending individual champions among 14 wrestlers who earned top-four finishes at last year’s state meet.

Camden Hills proved strongest in the lower weights, with True Bragg (119), Derek Young (130), Randy Lemar (135) and Cody Laite (140) joining the McGowans as winners.

Lemar’s victory was the most emotional, as he trailed Foxcroft freshman Jerod Rideout 7-0 after two periods but rallied to win by fall with 28 seconds left.

“Randy Lemar kept us alive, period,” said Kelly. “That match was a true testament that if you listen to your coaches all year long and keep it close, you can win.”

Foxcroft’s only breakthrough in the lower weights came from 125-pound senior Mike McNaughton, who avenged two earlier defeats by pinning Jake Berry in 3:33.

“Mike is one of those guys who never quits,” said Ayala. “He wrestles hard, and he can catch anybody on any night, and that’s what he did.”

Ryan Whittemore became the ninth wrestler in Foxcroft history to reach 100 career victories as he pinned Keith Drago in 5:09 at 145 pounds.

Caleb Pelletier (152) and James McPhee (189) added pins, with McPhee’s defeat of Oliver Bradeen coming with just 4.4 seconds left. Andrew Pomeroy (160) and Randy Briggs (171) both coming off injuries, earned decisions, with Pomeroy edging defending Class B state champion Harry Pearson 5-2.

“Andrew’s been hurt lately, and we didn’t know what we’re going get out of him,” said Ayala. “We weren’t even counting on him to win, but he stepped up and gave us everything he had, and it was awesome.”