Skowhegan earns EM crown; Brewer’s Desjardins 119 champ

BATH – Skowhegan High trailed Mount Ararat of Topsham by two points heading into the championship finals of Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class A Wrestling Championship at Morse High School.

With two competitors in the finals compared to the Eagles’ four, the Indians would need – and receive – some help.

Skowhegan’s Brian Parlin won the 125-pound crown and Joe Buzzell claimed the title at 140, while three Mount Ararat wrestlers fell in the finals as Skowhegan eked out the team victory.

Skowhegan scored 139 points to slip past Mount Ararat (136), while Cony High of Augusta (127) edged Erskine Academy of South China (122) for third place. Morse (119) took fifth.

Oxford Hills of South Paris finished sixth with 66 points, followed by Mt. Blue of Farmington (57.5), Nokomis of Newport (56.5), Brewer (43), Gardiner (29), Bangor (15.5) and Lawrence of Fairfield (6).

Stephen Desjardins of Brewer went home with the 119-pound title after pinning Will Lundquist of Cony in three minutes, 59 seconds. Desjardins had lost in the consolation round last season.

Other key contributors for Skowhegan, which had all 11 wrestlers score points, included consolation winners Kaleb Austin (130 pounds), Jake Sylvain (145) and fourth-place finishers Brandon Carson (135), James Grant (160), Sam McGowen (171) and Bryant Lorette (215).

Zach Chandler was Mount Ararat’s lone titlist, beating Gerald Gould of Nokomis at 189 pounds.

Also crowned Eastern Maine individual champions were Sam Webber of Mt. Blue at 130 pounds, Sam Helm of Gardiner (285), T.J. Vallee (171) and Shawn White (215) of Cony, Matt Delgallo (112) of Gardiner, D.J. Brackett (103), Spencer Chipman (135), Ben Schutt (145), and Logan Russell (152) and Tyler Russell (160), both of Morse.

Matt Cutrafello of Bangor High reached the championship round, falling to Chipman at 135 pounds.

The top four finishers in each of the 14 weight classes advance to Saturday’s state championship meet at Cony High.