‘Jammers reclaim state title Camden Hills wins seventh in eight years

AUGUSTA – The Camden Hills wrestling dynasty is back – not that it ever really disappeared.

The Windjammers, whose six-year run of either winning or sharing the Class B state title was snapped by 1.5 points last winter, returned to the top of the winners’ stand in dominant fashion at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday.

Eleven Camden Hills wrestlers finished among the top three in their weight classes during the state championship meet, enabling the Windjammers to amass 202 points and easily outdistance second-place Belfast (162.5) and 2006 winner Mountain Valley of Rumford (127).

So thorough was the Rockport school’s performance that its eighth state title in the last 10 years – the other two times the Jammers’ placed second – was locked up even before the championship finals began.

The program’s strong history has a lot to do with the recent success. But that doesn’t translate into pressure, according to Camden Hills senior Cody Laite, one of four Windjammers to win individual titles.

“[Coach] John [Kelly] pounds it into our heads that we just wrestle to our ability,” he said. “Give it what we’ve got, that’s all they ask for. That’s what everybody does, and we carry on the tradition of Camden Hills and of Camden-Rockport.

“I don’t feel there’s any more weight on our shoulders because we have a great dynasty, but it’s good to be part of it.”

Ivan Bragg (119 pounds), Jack Simpkins (135), and Jacob Berry (152) also won individual titles for Camden Hills, while Kristi Pearse (103), Murphy McGowan (125), True Bragg (130), and Oliver Bradeen (189) each finished second.

“I expected us to be on top, but I didn’t know by how much,” said Laite, whose 2-minute, 59-second pin of Wells’ Ryan Vartanian in his final was the 169th victory and 111th pin of his career.

“I predicted we’d put eight in the finals, and we did have eight in the finals, and I predicted we’d have five champs and we had four champs. We just won the battles we had to win.”

The Windjammers also got a boost from freshman Zach Fields (112), who earned a third-place finish along with teammates Hank Simpkins (160) and Chaz Guthrie, who pinned 2006 189-pound state champion Tyler Child of Mountain Valley in the 215-pound consolation final.

Saturday’s effort capped off an impressive late-season run for the Windjammers, who shook off challenges from rival Belfast at every turn to win the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, Eastern Maine Class B, and state championship tournaments.

“We set our expectations high,” said Kelly. “I’m just proud of this team to be able to go out and be as consistent as we were the last three weeks. That really says something about them.”

Belfast matched Camden Hills with four individual titles from Jimmy Spencer (130), Mike Rolerson (160), Travis Spencer (189), and Logan Kelley (215), and also got seconds from Josh Robbins (119) and Kote Aldus (145).

But the Lions simply couldn’t match Camden Hills’ depth.

“We thought we had a chance,” said Belfast coach Mike Caldwell. “But John had his kids ready to wrestle, no question about it. Hats off to them.”

Among other individual champions, Caribou’s Carlin Dubay capped off an undefeated season by winning his second straight state title at 103 pounds.

Last year there was plenty of drama for the Vikings’ junior, who denied Pearse the chance to become the first girl to win a state wrestling title in Maine with an overtime victory.

This time there was no drama despite the same scenario as Dubay controlled the match from the outset and won by pin in 3:59.

“I’m bigger and more experienced this year,” said Dubay, 44-0 this season.

Mountain Valley crowned three champions in Ernie Matthews (125), Ben Matthews (145), and Kyle Dow (285). Undefeated Gardiner freshman Matt DelGallo (112) and York’s Ray Gauthier (171) also won titles.