Mount Anthony wrestling dominates finals to march record title reign to 35 straight years

BRANDON — After Ryan Marsden captured the 285-pound division with a second-round pin, the Mount Anthony sophomore raced around the mat and leaped into the arms of his coach.

"It felt like a big moment," Marsden said.

After Asa Reiss closed out his victory at 138 pounds, the night's final match, chants of "MAU, MAU, MAU!" reverberated all over the gym at Otter Valley Union High School.

"That’s our culture, man. We win big matches and we have fun doing it," Marsden said.

The Mount Anthony Patriots entered this weekend's Vermont state championship with eager challengers to their throne. The field came at the kings. But they all missed.

Claiming five individual champions out of the 14 weight classes on Saturday, the Patriots put an exclamation point on extending their national-record title streak to 35 consecutive years. The MAU dynasty remains undisputed.

Ahead by 15 points through the semifinals, MAU pulled away for a 35-point win over runner-up Spaulding (189-154). Colchester finished third with 149.5 points and host Otter Valley took fourth with 122.5. MAU's margin of victory is its fifth smallest since the championship streak began in 1989.

[See below story for full team scores and top-six individual results for every weight class.]

"There was a lot of critics talking this year — it’s kind of how it is every year — and there was a lot of talk going on and we silenced it this weekend," Marsden said. We are pretty hyped.

"Kings do stay king."

MAU co-head coach Frank Gaudette said they were motivated from recent chatter around the state. Along with Marsden and Reiss, Duncan Harrington (120), Logan Davis (126) and Spencer Boucher (150) snagged individual crowns. And Toby Himes, who wrestled at the JV tournament last weekend, added additional depth with a fourth-place showing at 157.

"There was a little bit of talk up north the last couple weeks and I think that just fueled the fire for the guys," Gaudette said. "They were ready to go. They rose to the occasion. That’s big, to go 5-for-5 in the finals."

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Saturday's final matches kicked off with a lightning-quick finish. Colchester's Mason Sheltra needed just 33 seconds to pin Seth Markwell of Springfield for the 103-pound title. The sophomore won all three matches via a pin during the two-day tournament.

"You just gotta go in there strong and your mentality has to be strong," said Sheltra, who has a 51-2 record this winter. "It’s an awesome feeling to start the finals that way."  

Saturday also produced multiple repeat champions.

At 113, Colchester's Cahota Lafond dominated for a major decision of 18-2. Fair Haven's Trey Lee claimed a 9-0 win at 132. Spaulding's Elias Kalat, named the meet's outstanding wrestler, won at 144 with an 18-6 triumph.

"I just went out there and did my job and it turned out well," said Lee, who thanked his retiring coach, Scott Shaddock, for his commitment. "This is a cherry on top of everything."

Jack Arpey of Mount Mansfield overcame a shoulder injury for the 165-pound win (5-3) for a three-peat.

"Don’t quit on a match, that’s what my coach tells me," Arpey said.

And Essex's Anthony Matas remained poised late for a 6-4 win at 175, one year after claiming 152. Matas' opponent, Otter Valley's Isaac Whitney, tied up their match at 4 late in the third round before Matas picked up two points to avoid overtime.

"I felt confident in myself that I was going to get a takedown and I did," said Matas, who's bound for Division I's University at Buffalo to continue his wrestling career.

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Chase Cram of Otter Valley struggled to maintain a winning record before his senior year. Saturday, Cram bested Brody Coppins of Colchester 8-4 in the finals at 157 to up his season record to 32-0.

"I just came in this year and I was little bit unsure if I wanted to do it or not and (coach) Cole Mason said, 'Give me a shot, I’ll make it worth it,'" Cram said. "I’ve come a long way and I trained hard."

Marsden also relied on his coach's encouragement. At 200 pounds, Marsden wrestled above his weight class, but his quickness sparked a pin of Winooski's Graham Resner.

"I just trusted my abilities and my hard work. I work hard and have a lot of fun doing it," Marsden said. "(Resner’s) a tough kid, a lot of respect to him."

Marsden's win also signaled a potential new era in Bennington. It's very familiar one: Over half their lineup are freshmen and sophomores.

"There is pressure with it, but our coaches tell us all the time: 'Everything comes to an end,'" Marsden said. "So it’s not a worry for us, we just wrestle, we wrestle for each other."

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

2024 wrestling championship results

At Otter Valley (Saturday-Sunday)

Team scores: 1. Mount Anthony 189; 2. Spaulding 154; 3. Colchester 149.5; 4. Otter Valley 122.5; 5. Middlebury 106.5; 6. Vergennes 99.5; 7. Essex 80.5; 8. Springfield 68.5; 9. Mount Abraham 60; T10. Burr and Burton, Fair Haven 58; 12. Randolph 53; 13. Mount Mansfield 50; 14. Harwood 46; 15. Champlain Valley 32.5; 16. Winooski 22; T17. Lamoille, Rutland 20; 19. St. Johnsbury 18.5; 20. North Country 18; 21. Lyndon 17; 22. Mill River 14; 23. Lake Region 7; 24. Mount St. Joseph 5.

106 pounds: Mason Sheltra (Col) pin Seth Markwell (Spring) at :33; 3. Zach Montgomery (MTA); 4. Landyn Williams (Essex); 5. Aaron Collette (MAU); 6. Wesley Churchill (Spa).

113: Cahota Lafond (Col) def. Eoin Comes (NC) 18-2; 3. Noah Markell (Spring); 4. Anthony Abetti (BBA); 5. Thomas Givens (OV); 6. Finn McMahon (Essex).

120: Duncan Harrington (MAU) pin Kaidin White (MTA) at 4:55; 3. Stephen Kittredge (Verg); 4. Jaden Coppins (Col); 5. Jeff Gershon (Essex); 6 .Sean Maynard (CVU).

126: Logan Davis (MAU) def. Alex Sperry (Midd) 6-3; 3. Garrett Portillo (Rut); 4. Anthony Szabo (FH); 5. Tennyson Miller (Essex); 6. Aiden Perren (Col).

132: Trey Lee (FH) def. Karter Morey (Lyn) 9-0; 3. Michael Grasso (Spa); 4. Parker Carl (Midd); 5. Kayden Grout (Rand); 6. Dylan Jacobs (Col).

138: Asa Reiss (MAU) def. John Marcellus (Spa) 5-2; 3. Sebastian Krueger (Lam); 4. Isayah Isham (MTA); 5. Bryce Barber (Essex); 6. Lincoln Wilcox (OV).

144: Elias Kalat (Spa) def. Avery Carl (Midd) 18-6; 3. Shawn Gassaway (MAU); 4. Dillan Lacasse (Spring); 5. Jackson Ladd (SJA); 6. Noah Bouchett (MMU).

150: Spencer Boucher (MAU) pin Quinn Smith (Har) at 3:38; 3. Tucker Wright (Midd); 4. Blake Allen (OV); 5. Leo Johnson (Spa); 6. James Ripley (MMU).

157: Chase Cram (OV) def. Brody Coppins (Col) 8-4; 3. Colby Kathan (Har); 4. Toby Himes (MAU); 5. Landin Larrabee (Spa); 6. Toby Pytlik (MR).

165: Jack Arpey (MMU) def. Gabe Bache (FH) 5-3; 3. Tyrelle Lavoie (Verg); 4. Wyatt Kennett (Midd); 5. Gabe Hoar (Spa); 6. Drake Felkl (OV).

175: Anthony Matas (Essex) def. Isaac Whitney (OV) 6-4; 3. Max Laperle (Spa); 4. Owen Fullerton (Col); 5. Aiden Riordan (MAU); 6. Zane Cooper (Rand).

190: Isaac Preston (Verg) pin Thomas Murphy (CVU) at :51; 3. JT Wright (BBA); 4. Keegan Reed (OV); 5. Noah Abbott (Col; 6. Rian Arnold (MAU).

215: Jamison Couture (Verg) pin Rieley Lyford (Rand) at 1:08; 3. Jordan Lavoie (Col); 4. Simon Martin (OV); 5. Caleb Hoar (Spa); 6. Clifford Waller (BBA).

285: Ryan Marsden (MAU) pin Graham Resmer (Win) at 3:50; 3. Phillip Maurice (Spa); 4. Dominic Decker (BBA); 5. Kameron Raymond (Midd); 6. Hunter Ferland (Spring).

Coach of the year: Cole Mason, Otter Valley. Outstanding wrester: Elias Kalat, Spaulding.