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Mt. Blue's Preston Garland, right, wrestles Oxford Hills' River Brackett in the 106-pound championship at last winter's KVAC championship. Garland, is one of four Class A champs who are back this year for the Cougars. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

Mt. Blue boys: The Cougars again won the Class A North championship last season, with Preston Garland (106), Jace Goodrow (113), Dillon Gray (150) and Casey Adams (215) capturing individual titles. That entire group returns, which makes the Cougars favorites for another regional title. Ultimately, the question is whether Mt. Blue can take its dominance in the North and translate it to a team title at the state championships. Two years ago, Mt. Blue finished third at the state meet. Last year, the Cougars were fifth. With another year of experience, look for the Cougars to continue to be in the mix, despite having only four seniors.

Mt. Blue girls: The Cougars have been the runner-up at the girls state meet each of the past two seasons. They return two state champions in sophomore Kaydn Hansen and senior Brooklynn Webber. Abigail Garland, a junior, was a state runner-up. Mt. Blue continues to do an excellent job in recruiting new numbers for its program, keeping it a contender for the team championship. With its returning talent, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Cougars will be a top-three team at the state meet again.

Mount View boys: Hamilton Richards, who has hit the 31-year mark as head coach at the Thorndike school, led the Mustangs to their best season in program history last winter, highlighted by their first Class B North title. Mount View went on to finish fourth at the state meet. The Mustangs have graduated some key contributors from last season’s squad, but regional champions Anthony Vieira (138 pounds) and Cooper Wren (175 pounds) are back. There’s reason to believe Mount View can again contend in B North.

Cony boys: Since the boom period has hit wrestling in Maine after the COVID-19 pandemic, Cony has continuously carried large numbers within its program. The Rams finished sixth in Class A North last season and 12th in the state. But with its numbers, along with strong returners such as Kaiden Veilleux (runner-up in A North at 190 pounds), Corbin LeBlanc (second in A North at 106) and Bryson Poulin (third in A North at 126), the team should stay in the mix.

Winslow boys: The Black Raiders, who compete in Class B, don’t carry large numbers, but they have done an excellent job at making the most of their talent. They finished fifth in Class B South last season and 10th at the state meet. Winslow returns sophomore Owen Vigue, who won the 106-pound title in B South and was runner-up at states. He’s joined by Quincy Nesbitt, who was third in Class B at 120. Vigue will compete at 120 pounds this season, while Nesbitt will be at 126. Winslow also could have contenders in Liam McKenney (106) and Benjamin Thomas (285).

Dave Dyer is in his second stint with the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. Dave was previously with the company from 2012-2015 and returned in late 2016. He spent most of 2016 doing freelance sports...

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