Score best performance
THORNDIKE, Maine — Caribou wrestlers had their best performance of the season Dec. 28, 2015 at the Mid-Maine Tournament hosted by Mt. View High School.
Seven of the squad’s nine competitors placed as the Vikings scored 102.5 points to place fifth out of 14 teams. Dexter, with 149 points, came in first, followed by Cony (127), Oceanside (118) and Erskine Academy (112.5).
“A few breaks here and there and a lot of what-ifs and we could have won this tournament,” said Caribou coach James “Chico” Hernandez. “We were leading all the teams after the first round, so I’d say we did pretty good and I am proud of the wrestlers who represented the team well.”
Evan Michaud executed some of his finest wrestling of the season and took the silver medal, losing to Bucksport’s Foster Ashmore in the finals of the 113 lb. division. Tre Caudill also made it to the championship round, but lost to Oceanside’s Ben Ripley on a second-period pin in their 132 lb. bout. Dustin DeMerchant was the third Caribou wrestler advancing to the finals. He lost by fall 34 seconds into the match to Devon O’Connor of Cony in the 195 division.
Carter Conley recorded two pins en route to third place in the 182 class, while Izaiah Thayer also was third in 220. Taking fourth were both Cory Jandreau in 126 and Colton Conley in 285.
“I think one of the reasons we are wrestling well right now is because some of our past competition has prepared us,” Hernandez added. “Looking forward, we have a very hard grind through the entire month of January but it we stay healthy and get back our two academically-ineligible wrestlers, we should be well prepared for the regionals and be among the top teams out of the 22 represented.”
