The 2019-20 winter sports season saw local athletes and teams once again turn heads as they fought their way to the top of the heap.

Mt. Ararat/Brunswick’s Shea Farrell tries to take down Joshua Cote of Noble in the 132-pound weight class match during the Class A state wrestling match. Cote won the match. File photos.

The Mt. Ararat/Brunswick wrestling team wasn’t able to repeat as Class A state champions, but the squad was second and featured a pair of individual champions in Brycen Kowalsky and Ben Laurence. Morse tied for 22nd. The Shipbuilders did have a state champion, Deja Douglass, in the girls’ meet.

Morse’s Evan Willertz wins the 200 individual medley at the Class B boys’ state meet.

In the pool, Morse’s girls’ swim team was fifth in the Class B state meet, as Haily Harper won the 200 individual medley and Olivia Harper was first in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. The Morse boys were sixth, as Evan Willertz was a winner in the IM and the backstroke. Hyde’s Ella Stone won the girls’ diving title in Class B.

In Class A, Mt. Ararat’s boys, featuring champion diver Anibal Berry-Gaviria, were 11th, while Brunswick came in 13th.

The Eagles’ girls were 12th in Class A. The Dragons placed 15th.

Brunswick’s Thomas McCormack was one of the many top indoor track athletes in the Mid-Coast this winter.

The top track and field performance this winter came from the Brunswick boys’ squad, which was runner-up to Scarborough. The Dragons were led by Samuel Cenescar, who won the high jump. Mt. Ararat, which featured distance superstar Lisandro Berry-Gaviria, the champion of the mile and two-mile, was third.

In the Class A girls’ meet, Brunswick tied for 15th, while Mt. Ararat tied for 20th.

In Class B, Morse’s boys tied for 15th, as William Carrolton won the individual title in the shot put.

On the ice, Brunswick’s boys were knocked off by Gorham in the Class B South quarterfinals. Mt. Ararat didn’t make the playoffs.

The Mt. Ararat girls made it to the North Region quarterfinals before losing to Edward Little. Brunswick failed to qualify.

Before we take a deep breath and move on to spring sports, here’s one last look at the best of the best this winter:

State champions

Individual

Swimming
Ella Stone, Hyde, Class B girls’ diving
Haily Harper, Morse, Class B girls’ 200 individual medley
Olivia Harper, Morse, Class B girls’ 100 backstroke
Olivia Harper, Morse, Class B girls’ 100 butterfly
Evan Willertz, Morse, Class B boys’ 200 individual medley
Evan Willertz, Morse, Class B boys’ 100 backstroke
Anibal Berry-Gaviria, Mt. Ararat, Class A boys’ diving

Indoor track
Samuel Cenescar, Brunswick, Class A boys’ high jump
William Carrolton, Morse, Class B boys’ shot put
Lisandro Berry-Gaviria, Mt. Ararat, Class A boys’ mile
Lisandro Berry-Gaviria, Mt. Ararat, Class A boys’ two-mile

Wrestling
Deja Douglass, Morse, girls’
Brycen Kowalsky, Mt. Ararat/Brunswick, Class A, 120 pounds
Ben Laurence, Mt. Ararat/Brunswick, Class A, 170 pounds