Forty-one state champions from all three classes will represent Maine on Friday and Saturday at the 44th annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships.

First-round matches are set to begin tonight on seven mats at Lowell (Mass.) High School, with championship rounds scheduled for Saturday night.

Maine sends each of its three individual state champions to the New Englands, while New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont also send three competitors in each of the 14 weight classes. Connecticut is eligible to send four wrestlers in each class, while Massachusetts may send six in each class.

Leading Maine’s contingent this year is 171-pound Josh Eon of Massabesic of Waterboro, a three-time Class A state champion who placed second in his weight class at the New Englands last year and fourth in 2006.

Eon’s younger brother, Joey Eon, is a junior and three-time state champion for the Mustangs who earned a third-place finish at last year’s New Englands.

Others Mainers back this year after earning All-New England status with top-six finishes at last year’s meet are Camden Hills of Rockport 152-pounder Jacob Berry, a senior who has won three state titles and placed fifth in his weight class at the New Englands; Sam Webber (125 pounds) of Mt. Blue of Farmington, also fifth in the 2007 New Englands; and four-time state champions Chris Smith (119) of Deering of Portland and Jon Hussey (160) of Marshwood of South Berwick, both sixth in last year’s New Englands.

Five Eastern Maine wrestlers were seeded first among their Pine Tree State brethren heading into this meet: Webber, three-time state champion Carlin Dubay (103) of Caribou, senior Cinjin Goewey (135) of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield; two-time state champion Matt DelGallo (112), a sophomore from Gardiner; and three-time state champion Travis Spencer (189) of Belfast.

Other top Eastern Mainers who will compete are four-time state champion Jerod Rideout (160) of Foxcroft Academy; Brian O’Connor (125), Ronnie Harvey (130), Josh Harvey (152) and Lee Morgan (215), all of Dexter; Brandon Briggs (112) of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln; Murphy McGowan (130) of Camden Hills of Rockport; Kote Aldus (160) and Mike Rolerson (171) of Belfast; Jon Pelletier (171) of Bucksport; P.J. Richards (215) of Hermon, Mark Heathcote (285) of Central of Corinth and John Hatt (285) of Calais.

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