Peter Del Gallo ended his career as a Gardiner Area High School wrestler with a flourish — winning not only his fourth Maine state championship, but also winning his second New England championship title and earning the tournament’s outstanding wrestler honor in the process.

Del Gallo finished 185-5 in his high school career. He’s also fared well on the national stage, finishing second twice at the prestigious National High School Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships.

For his outstanding senior year and career success, Del Gallo is the Kennebec Journal Wrestler of the Year.

Del Gallo is the youngest in a family whose name has become synonymous with success on the mats in Maine. His brother, Matthew, was a four-time state champion, while Daniel was a three-time state champ and finished second twice at the New England tournament.

Matt Hanley has coached all of the Del Gallo brothers during high school and says the family dynamic created the atmosphere for Peter to achieve his level of success.

“There are five brothers in the family and the level of competition between them can be intense,” Hanley said. “Whether lifting weights, doing pullups or wrestling it was always a competition.”

Peter agrees, saying his brothers have helped with his development.

“Yes, there is competition between us but it is a good competition,” he said. “I have a drive to do better than what they did, but I really respect my brothers and what they have accomplished. I really want them to be proud of me. When I’m successful they are part of that success because of all the time they have spent with me, training with me and encouraging me to be the best I can be.”

Oak Hill’s Danny Buteau, a three-time state champion and an outstanding wrestler in his own right, has trained with and competed against Del Gallo. Buteau said Del Gallo brings out the best of others around him.

“Wrestling Pete is like wrestling the best of the best,” said Buteau “Everything you do he has a counter for and he is the best scrambler I know. What makes Pete so good is that he makes up his own stuff that can be almost impossible to stop.”

Del Gallo drew some interest from Division 1 college programs, but decided to attend the University of Southern Maine, where he will once again be on the same team with his brother, Daniel.

“Daniel is a big reason why I am going to USM at this point,” he said. “Being able to wrestle on the collegiate level with my brother is something I really want to do. USM has an excellent coaching staff that I know will greatly improve my wrestling abilities.”

Daniel has seen the growth in Peter as a wrestler first-hand. Daniel was a senior at Gardiner and finished second at the New England tournament the same year that Peter won his first title as a freshman.

“I think he was kind of surprised that he won as a freshman,” said Daniel, “but then he started doing really well at national-level competitions and recognized that he is one of the best. You can see that in his style.”

Daniel points to Peter’s gymnastic background as playing a big part in his style as a wrestler.

“He does things on the mat that most wrestlers wouldn’t even think of, because he is so confident with what he can do with his body,” Daniel said. “I think he can make an immediate impact as a freshman at USM at 125 pounds.”

Hanley has seen a lot of outstanding wrestlers during the more than 40 years he has been involved in the sport, but few — if any — better than Peter Del Gallo.

“I feel that Peter is one of the best high school wrestlers ever in the state, if not the best,” he said.

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