In some circles, the sport of wrestling occasionally may still face the stereotype of brawn over brains.

But don’t try telling that to Caleb Pelletier or Tom Burns – or all the wrestlers they’ve defeated during the last four years.

Pelletier is a three-time Class C state champion from Charleston and Foxcroft Academy, while Burns is a two-time Class B state champion from Somesville and Ellsworth High School.

Both have won 152-pound state titles each of the last two years.

And for sure, both are very athletic.

But consider the quality of their collegiate futures for a moment, and you realize the balance between academics and athletics that often leads to success both in the classroom and on the mat.

Pelletier has been accepted at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in the fall while Burns will attend Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Both see wrestling as the ultimate complement to their academic endeavors.

“Wrestling taught me so many values about how to push myself through all the obstacles you face during the course of the season,” said Pelletier, who finished his high school wrestling career with a 122-25 record. “I’ve been able to take that from wrestling and apply it to other things.”

“For me, education and wrestling have gone together a lot,” said Burns, whose 113-33 career record included a 67-5 mark over his final two years. “Sometimes when I face something in the classroom, I think about getting through a wrestling situation, and when I get in certain situations in wrestling, I think about how I dealt with a situation academically.”

Pelletier similarly sees how the intensity of athletics brings out intensity in other walks of life.

“It might have been there before, but I think wrestling really brought it out for me,” said Pelletier, who capped off a 40-0 senior season by defeating Nick Adams of Lisbon in the 152-pound final to help Foxcroft win its second straight Class C team state title. “It showed me how I could push myself, not only in wrestling, but in other arenas of life.”

Pelletier expects to study a business-related discipline at West Point, and also hopes to earn a spot on the Cadets’ Division I wrestling team. He expects to compete at the subvarsity level initially.

“I’m going to have my work cut out for me,” said Pelletier, who watched an Army-Navy meet during his visit to West Point. “They’ve got some really good wrestlers there.”

Burns opted to attend Johns Hopkins after also considering Northeastern, Michigan and Wisconsin.

“I got a good sense for the campus, they have a good curriculum and it’s a great environment,” said Burns, who decisioned Aaron Arsenault of Mountain Valley of Rumford 7-2 in this year’s 152-pound Class B state championship match. “There was also the potential for wrestling there that I didn’t have at the Division I schools, and Northeastern doesn’t have wrestling.”

Burns plans to study psychology, with designs on pursuing a career in forensic psychology. He also hopes to continue wrestling at Johns Hopkins, which competes in Division III in all sports except lacrosse.

“The great thing about wrestling is that every time you compete, it’s all on you,” said Burns. “If you lose, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you win, it’s because of what you put into it.

“At the same time, wrestling provides you the true camaraderie of a team, which is one of the great things about playing sports.”

Weight guidelines tightened

The National Federation of State High School Associations has adopted a more stringent program to prevent rapid weight loss by high school wrestlers beginning with the 2006-07 season.

Under the rules adopted by the NFHS wrestling rules committee, wrestlers may not lose more than 1.5 percent of their weight per week and must maintain body fat of at least 7 percent for boys and 12 percent for girls. Also, their weight-loss plans must be monitored weekly by the schools.

Another rule revision that involves the weight issue decreases the amount of weight a wrestler is able to acquire during days of consecutive competition. In the past, wrestlers could gain a pound for each day of consecutive competition. Under the new rule, a maximum of two pounds will be allowed, regardless of how many consecutive days are spent in competition.

“The weight management rule change effective 2006-07 is certainly monumental,” said Dave Carlsrud, assistant to executive secretary of the North Dakota High School Activities Association and chairperson of the NFHS wrestling rules committee in a press release. “While weight management has been researched for many years and may have been passed earlier, a number of our states needed time to prepare for an effective implementation.”

HA allowed 1 more co-op year

Members of the Hampden Academy swim team are excited to hear that they’ll get to swim with the Brewer High team for one more year.

The Maine Principals’ Association decided to grant an appeal which will allow the Broncos, who compete as individuals, to practice and swim with cooperative-team Brewer for just one more year, it was revealed at Wednesday night’s SAD 22 board of directors meeting.

“We are all thrilled, needless to say,” said Hampden sophomore swimmer Marggi Jadkowski.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board of directors discussed the proposed budget for next school year, which includes $16,825 so Hampden can start its own swim team.

Assistant superintendent Emil Genest said Wednesday a subcommittee will decide whether the Broncos will start their own team for next year or continue to swim with the Witches. If the collaboration continues, SAD 22 will use part of the allotted budget funds to pay Brewer for expenses.

Hampden athletic director David Shapiro said the SAD 22 athletic subcommittee will meet Monday night at the Reeds Brook School in Hampden to work out details of next year’s arrangement.

This year Hampden paid Brewer swimming coach Kathy Cahill a token salary of $1. In previous years the Broncos had paid nothing.

For the past 17 years Hampden had been sending its swimmers to Cahill’s Brewer program, which was considered a cooperative team under MPA rules. But as the number of Hampden swimmers ballooned to 12 this past year, the MPA told the school the number was too high to need a cooperative team and that Hampden would have to start its own program.

Tennis schedule modified

The postseason high school tennis schedule has been revised slightly in order to prevent any overlap between the late rounds of the state singles tournament and the early rounds of the regional team tournaments.

The opening round of singles play will be held May 14 at various sites around the state. The remainder of the tournament will be held over a four-day period, with Round of 40 preliminary matches on May 27, the Round of 40 playdown on May 28, and the state semifinals and finals on May 30 (Memorial Day).

The Round of 40 preliminary matches will be held at Bates College in Lewiston (girls) and Lewiston High School (boys). From the Round of 40 through the state championships, all matches will be held at Bates.

The state team tournament is set to begin May 31. Regional championships are scheduled for June 8, with the Eastern Maine finals at Colby College in Waterville and the Western Maine finals at Bates. The team state championship matches will be held June 11 at Lewiston High School.