BIDDEFORD — Some athletes like to forget about past failures. Others simply can’t.

Count Biddeford junior wrestler Dominick Day, the Class A state runner-up in the 132-pound weight class in each of the past two years, in the latter category.

“I have the article at home from when I lost last year. I think about it all the time,” Day said of his 10-6 loss to Marshwood’s Trevor Smith, an opponent he had beaten three times previously during the season, in last February’s Class A state meet.

“Winning that state title is a goal I want to achieve, and I think about it every day in practice. I’ve been so close so many times, that’s the goal this year.”

It’s been a realistic goal ever since Day’s impressive freshman year, when he compiled a 29-8 overall match record but ran into another stout freshman in Marshwood’s Jackson Howarth, who got the better of the pair’s matches in the regional and state championship finals.

Day was even better last year, when he won the 132 crown at both the prestigious Atlantic Invitational ”“ in a 12-4 decision over Smith ”“ as well as the SMAA Classic before again beating Smith in a close 9-7 match to win the 132 regional title.

But Smith got the better of their rematch in the state final, getting the first takedown to grab the momentum and opening up a 10-2 lead after two periods, a deficit Day battled to cut but couldn’t dig out of in the last two minutes.

It’s a defeat that Biddeford head coach Steve Vermette said has been clearly driving Day every day since.

“Right from the get-go during summer wrestling, you could see he’s hungry this year,” Vermette said. “We’ve had to put fresh guys on him all the time, he runs through everybody here. We’re putting two or three coaches in on him, plus our regular wrestlers. He’s just a machine.”

Instead of resting on his laurels, Day also went back to the drawing board and realized that despite his solid showings, he wasn’t strong or powerful enough compared to the other big guns in his weight class.

To equip himself for a rugged season that stretches three-plus months and ends with the arduous regional and state meets, when a wrestler must win three times in a day to claim a title, getting that extra bit of muscle to carry him through was crucial in Day’s mind.

“I wasn’t strong enough, and that’s something that played a big part last year. Almost everybody in my weight class was bigger than me strength-wise,” Day said. “So I’ve been hitting the gym, and I think have better strength. I’m a lot bigger than last year.”

Day is a lot bigger ”“ just ask the scales. After competing at 132 his first two years, he will shift up to 138 or possibly 145 this winter. It’s a move Vermette doubts will be much of an issue.

“Where the stronger weight class is, he’s going. He’s a team player, he’s willing to go wherever we need him the most,” Vermette said.

“The weight will not affect him. He’s a lot stronger this year through lifting and not having to struggle as much to make weight.”

With only two seniors on this year’s Biddeford roster, Day has also been asked to take on much more of a leadership role this season as a co-captain. So far, it’s a responsibility on which he thrives.

“I think I set very high expectations for everyone else on the team, and I think the team’s starting to fall into that,” Day said. “We’re going to have a pretty good team this year.”

The Tigers will begin their season tonight with a home dual meet against Portland, with trips to the Atlantic Invitational and the Spartan Invitational ”“ perhaps the most competitive meet on the calendar in all of New England ”“ also on the schedule in the first month of the season.

That means Day’s state championship credentials are sure to be tested early and often, although for his part, Day takes a more philosophical, practical approach to the opening part of the season.

“Every beginning meet is practice pretty much. You’re always getting better as you go along,” he said. “I watch other wrestlers who aren’t even in my weight class, and if they throw a move that I’ve never seen before, I try to copy it and work it into my game. You’re always learning. It never stops.”

According to his coach, neither does Day.

“I’ve had other wrestlers who may be more talented as far as technique, but his heart and his dedication and his will to work and not give up ”“ I don’t have any one else like him,” Vermette said. “I’ve had other wrestlers who were very good and tough, but his heart is unbelievable. That sets him apart.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.