Wrestling
Wildcats wrestlers strong in championships
By Stan Ross
YORK - Last Saturday, Feb. 10, the Wildcats wrestling team competed with 22 other Maine high schools in the Class B State Championships in Augusta and finished in sixth place behind perennial champs Camden Hills.Other teams of note were Belfast in second place, Mountain Valley in third, Wells in fourth place and M.C.I. in fifth with 53 points - just ahead of York's team with 51.5 points.
Highlights for York included a state championship win by Ray Gauthier in the 171-pound class with an 11-5 decision over Clyde Tibbets of Oak Hill.
The Wildcats also earned the Team Class B West Sportsmanship banner, a team first, noted Coach Bryan Thompson.
"Sixth place as a team was a little off our goal of top five, but we had some tough wrestling," he said after the tournament.
Carlos Sanchez made it to the consolation finals but lost by decision (9-4) in the 145-pound class and Corey Caramihalis made it to the consolation finals in the 152-pound class, but lost by decision to his opponent from Gardiner. Both placed fourth in their respective classes.
"All in all, a good season," Thompson noted. "We peaked at the right time at the Western Maine Regionals, winning the team championship for the first time, and qualified a team record 14 for states."
The Wildcats wrestlers were also the Sullivan Memorial York Duals Team Champion for the second straight year and placed third at the Kennebunk Duals, and the team's three coaches were named Coaches of the Year for the Mid-State League.
"We stand to lose six seniors - Caramihalis, Sanchez, Tom Ciampa, Gene Jones, Jake Moran and Tom Ross - but reserve a number of talented varsity veterans for next year: Reaha Goyetche, Billy Gauthier, Alex Hymanson, Dan Towers, Ray Gauthier and Nick Mercurio," Thompson said. "We carried 32 wrestlers on our roster all season, so we expect a number of JV wrestlers who have worked hard with our program in the last two years to step into varsity roles next season."
Next on the calendar for the York wrestling team will be Winter Sports Awards, to be scheduled after next week's February vacation and after the end of the ice hockey, track and basketball playoffs.
