Tom Ackley remembers “volunteering” to work his first wrestling meet.

The Monson Academy and University of Maine graduate had never participated in the sport himself, but as a first-year teacher at Massabesic High School in Waterboro he probably felt his professional longevity would benefit if he adhered to the request of a more veteran faculty member, Gary Kent.

That was 36 years ago.

Ackley has been on the front lines of the sport ever since as a meet official, no matter where that has taken him.

Take this year, for instance. Now a math teacher at Fryeburg Academy in southwestern Maine, he spent the past three Saturdays in Caribou, Bar Harbor and Augusta overseeing the Penobscot Valley Conference, Eastern Maine Class B and state championship meets.

He’s also been the sport’s statistician in Maine for more than three decades, compiling team and individual results for every meet on the schedule.

“I probably had 20 thousand computer entries this year alone,” said Ackley. “But it’s a lot easier now than it was in the old days, when all you had was paper and a pencil.”

Saturday’s state championship meet was Ackley’s last as a meet director, a belated concession to his family.

“It’s time to spend some time with my wife,” he said. “She’s put up with a lot for the last 36 years.”

It’s a decision that didn’t come easily, however, because wrestling has a special place in Ackley’s heart and mind.

“It’s a sport that gets into your bloodstream,” he said. “I just love the sport. It’s a sport where you’re out there all by yourself. This is probably one of the greatest ways I’ve seen for kids to grow and mature, because once you’re on the mat there’s nobody else to blame.”

1,000-point club a family affair

Penquis Valley of Milo senior Jordan Allen joined an exclusive club Saturday, becoming just the second player in the school’s boys basketball history to reach 1,000 points.

The 6-foot-1 forward surpassed the milestone in the final regular-season game of his career, scoring 27 points – 21 in the second half – as Penquis edged Mattanawcook Academy 48-41 at Lincoln.

Allen needed 25 points to reach 1,000, and topped that mark in the fourth quarter as coach Tony Hamlin’s club earned its 10th consecutive victory and improved its record to 16-2.

Allen is the first four-year starter for Penquis during Hamlin’s tenure at Penquis, and joins his brother Jeremy as 1,000-point scorers for the Patriots’ boys program. Allen accomplished the feat while leading Penquis to the 2000 Class C state championship and Eastern Maine titles in 1999 and 2000.

Jordan Allen will lead this year’s Penquis team into the Eastern C tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Patriots will face the winner of Wednesday’s preliminary-round game between No. 7 Calais and No. 10 Woodland in a regional quarterfinal at 3:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Jones, Martin earn KVAC honors

Josh Jones of Erskine Academy of South China and Toby Martin of Maranacook of Readfield have been named Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B basketball players of the year.

Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, led the defending Class B state champion Eagles to a 16-2 regular-season record this winter, with the only losses two narrow decisions to undefeated Camden Hills of Rockport. Erskine also lost to Camden Hills 52-37 on Monday night in the KVAC Class B championship game.

Erskine is the No. 3 seed in this year’s Eastern B tournament and will play the winner of Wednesday’s preliminary-round game between No. 6 Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor and No. 11 Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield in a regional quarterfinal at 7:05 p.m. Friday.

Martin, a 5-3 point guard who earned first-team NEWS All-Maine honors last winter, led Maranacook to a 17-1 regular-season record and the No. 2 seed in Eastern B. The Black Bears, who defeated Winslow 49-36 in Monday’s KVAC Class B championship game, will face the winner of Tuesday’s prelim between No. 7 Camden Hills No. 10 Fort Kent in a regional quarterfinal at 3:35 p.m. Friday.

Maranacook’s Mike Packard was named the KVAC Class B girls coach of the year, while Camden Hills’ Jeff Hart and MCI’s Mike Brown shared the KVAC Class B boys coach of the year honors.

TV time in the Valley

Schoolboy basketball is alive and well in the St. John Valley this winter, and with the success came a little extra television exposure this week.

Coaches and players from tournament-bound teams from Fort Kent, Madawaska and Van Buren were featured on a tournament preview program aired on Channel 7, a public access channel based at Madawaska High School, according to Owls coach Matt Rossignol. The program was overseen by Colin Jandreau, a Madawaska social studies teacher involved in the TV station.

“It’s interesting that our teams represent all three classes, B, C and D,” Rossignol said, “so we talked about it and thought it would be good to do a little show before the tournament. We all agreed to have the coaches and one player from each team come on and talk about their team, what being in the tournament means to the community, the different matchups and a little about the other teams in the tournament.”

Fort Kent enters postseason play as the No. 5 team in Eastern Maine Class B, and will face No. 4 Presque Isle in a quarterfinal at 2:05 p.m. Saturday. Madawaska is the fourth-seeded team in Class C, and will face the winner of Wednesday’s prelim between No. 5 George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill and No. 12 Central of Corinth at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday.

Van Buren, the No. 10 team in Eastern D, visits No. 7 Greenville in a preliminary-round game Wednesday. On the girls side, No. 10 Fort Kent played at No. 7 Camden Hills of Rockport in an Eastern B prelim Tuesday night.

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