The Friendship Series, a wrestling exchange involving some of Maine’s top high school wrestlers and some of Nebraska’s top high school wrestlers, began its 23rd annual wrestling matches last week in York. The series is as much about culture as it is about competition with each state’s delegation of athletes visiting the other in alternating years.

The summer of 2007 was Maine’s turn to showcase its rocky coast and pine tree forests. The first of four matches between the two states took place Thursday, June 21, at York High School where some of the best mat men in southern Maine battled with their Cornhusker visitors.

Neither team had any idea what type of wrestlers they’d be up against or what style wrestling they might have to counter. During the course of the match, Nebraska’s wrestlers seemed a bit quicker and many of Maine wrestlers admitted afterward that their opponents were stronger than they expected.

Bonny Eagle’s Dalton Groeger lost by technical fall to Simon James of Riverton, Neb. James frustrated the Maine state champion during the entire match with his strong technical wrestling skills and his quick and decisive offensive moves.

Only three Maine wrestlers won matches last Thursday.

State champion Josh Eon of Massabesic went head-to-head with Nebraska state champion Cory Steiger in one of the evening’s highlight matches. It was close throughout as both wrestlers looked for that takedown that would decide the match. In the end, it was Eon with a late flurry of points breaking a 4-4 deadlock for a 7-4 victory.

Younger brother Joe Eon wrestled two different Nebraska wrestlers. He dropped his first meeting by a 4-2 score in overtime, but he came through with a 3-1 win in overtime in his second duel of the night.

Maine’s third win – and only Maine pin of the evening – went to Massabesic’s Peter Gilman. The Mustangs’ state champion earned a win by pin in his second match after losing his first match (12-6) to a very quick and strong Nebraskan named David Gonzales.

Recent Massabesic graduate and soon-to-be Maine Maritime Academy student Corey Holland also wrestled. The Mustang dropped an 11-3 decision to powerful Taylor Foss of Kearney, Neb.

Sanford’s Zach Clarke was one of the 15 local wrestlers who were invited to take on these young grapplers from the Great Plains. Clarke competed against Tim Crocker of Norfolk, Neb., and he was within 3-2 very late in the match. But Crocker managed to score some late points to knock off the Sanford junior by a 7-2 margin.

Biddeford’s Ryan Toussaint was the second Mainer out of the gates last week and he found himself in a situation where he needed a quick takedown in the closing seconds of the match. But Nebraska’s Jerek Patterson didn’t allow that to happen and the visitor from the Plains scored a 4-2 victory in a very close duel.

The Nebraska team took on three other groups of Maine wrestlers last week in matches at Winslow, Dirigo and Morse high schools. Maine had a little more success at Winslow where they won seven matches and they added three more victories at Dirigo. The final match of the week was scheduled for Morse High School on Wednesday, June 27.

Next year, Maine wrestlers will visit Nebraska for the 24th annual Friendship Series. The Maine kids will learn about life in the Midwest while they compete against another strong group of Nebraska grapplers.