From the moment he won his first title as a freshman, Foxcroft Academy’s Jerod Rideout has pursued wrestling history – the quest to become just the ninth four-time state champion from Maine.

“I thought about it right after my freshman year,” he said. “My goal my freshman year was just to make it to the state finals, and whatever happened I was going to be happy with. But coming away with that victory, I really started setting my goals high.”

Since then that quest has continued, initially with few roadblocks. After winning the 135-pound Class C crown in 2005, he won at 140 as a sophomore and 145 last season. Through three years, his record was 126-8.

But Rideout’s title pursuit has been tested this winter, not by competition but by injury.

A key player on Foxcroft’s football team, Rideout hurt one of his knees during the Eastern Maine Class C final in mid-November. He worked through the pain to play again a week later when the Ponies defeated Boothbay to win the state crown, but a subsequent diagnosis revealed a meniscus tear and two bruised bones.

“I found out after football season, because I figured that since I was able to run on it that maybe it was something that would go away eventually,” he said. “But I realized once I got into wrestling where I needed more mobility than just running that it was going to be trouble.”

Rideout could have tried to wrestle through the injury and risk season-ending surgery, or he could let six weeks of rest be the primary recuperative option. So he opted to wait out his injury until returning to action just after Christmas at the Noble Invitational tournament in North Berwick.

“My feeling was it could always be worse,” he said. “I’m still walking and I can still wiggle my fingers and toes, so I’m happy, but I was disappointed in missing the first half of my senior year.”

These days are all about conditioning for Rideout, all in preparation for the major meets ahead – capped off by the Class C state championship meet to be held on his home mat at Foxcroft in mid-February.

But he learned while competing at Noble just how much work is in front of him before states. Comfortably ahead in a match against Steve Martin of Class A Bonny Eagle of Standish, Rideout tired in the third period and got pinned.

“I realized right there that conditioning’s what’s going to win the matches,” he said. “I wasn’t too worried about losing that match. You just get up and win with grace or lose with grace. He got me, but once the conditioning comes back, I’d like to see him again. I know that’s not going to happen, but I realized then I was not where I needed to be.”

But just a week later there already were signs of improvement, as he finished third at Sanford’s Redskin Invitational, advancing to the semifinals before again losing late in a match, this time to Belfast standout Kote Aldus.

“I feel confident with my skill level, but it’s all about conditioning right now,” he said. “I went down there and was able to get some guys just through outworking them, but once it came down to conditioning, the guys got me.”

As he continues to build stamina, Rideout will compete at both 152 and 160 pounds , but it’s 152 he’s targeting for one final run at glory.

“I’m about three weeks away from being in shape, I feel,” he said. “I usually find that Noble and Sanford is when I’m wrestling my best, so considering when I started this year, I’m hoping that will come right around states. That would be nice.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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