By TERRY DEVEREAUX

Correspondent

For the first time ever, Maine's schoolgirl wrestlers will have a tournament to call their own. Mt. Blue High School will host the first Maine High School Girls Wrestling Invitational on Feb. 20.

The event is open to all Maine high school girls according to organizer Arvid Cullenberg. While girls have been allowed to compete against boys in wrestling since the mid-1990s, there has never been a tournament for girls alone.

"This is an idea I have had for several years" Cullenberg said. "Maine has seen some outstanding female wrestlers. I have been impressed with the perseverance of these girls. I just think it's time that they get showcased."

Indeed, some girls have done very well at the state championships against the guys.

Marshwood High School's Deanna Rix was a Class A state runner-up in 2005 in the 130-pound class and has been a highly ranked competitor on the women's Freestyle (Olympic style) circuit. Current Camden Hills High School wrestler Kristi Pearse has twice placed second at 103 in the Class B state tournament.

Most girls who find success at the varsity level against their male counterparts are in the lightest weight classes. The strength differential between boys and girls tends not to be as dramatic at the 103 and 112 pound weights. As girls get into the higher weights, they often are simply overpowered by the guys.

Erskine Academy senior Beth Belanger is one of four female wrestlers on the Eagles squad.

"I'm really excited about the tournament," said Belanger, who wrestles in the 135-pound class. "It will be the first time I've been able to compete only against other girls. I don't mind wrestling against boys, but they are definitely stronger than me. The competition will be much more even with just girls."

While the tournament will be held after the Maine Principals' Association sponsored state championships on Feb. 16, it is still considered part of the winter sports season and high school coaches will be able to coach the girls during the tournament.

According to Cullenberg, the Feb. 20 date was chosen to ensure that coaches wouldn't be in violation of the MPA sports season policy.

Weight classes will be determined by "grouping." This means that instead of pre-set weight classes, wrestlers will be placed into eight-person brackets based on which wrestlers are closest in weight.

There will be a $15 entry fee per athlete, but teams sending more than four wrestlers will only pay $60. The entry fee is in place to pay for tournament expenses, including individual and team awards, according to Cullenberg.

For more details on the tournament contact Arvid Cullenberg at arvid.cullenberg@maine.edu

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Two area teams with potential to win the Eastern A regional tournament are also having phenomenal dual meet seasons.

Cony High School has set a school record by winning 23 dual meets. The Rams will close out the dual meet part of the season Saturday in Newport, where they will face Nokomis High School and Class B power Camden Hills High School.

"Having over 20 dual meet wins is a nice accomplishment for this young team," Cony coach Shawn Totman said. "It is not something that we set as a goal at the beginning of the year, but as we kept getting closer to the number 20, I think it helped motivate our guys to stay focused on working hard in practice in the hopes of reaching or passing that mark." And then there's Skowhegan, which holds a 20-2 season record.

"The two losses came from a tiebreaker to Mt. Ararat on Dec. 15, then a 48-30 loss to Belfast this past weekend," Skowhegan assistant coach Tenney Noyes said. "Everyone on the team has been wrestling tough and the underclassmen are stepping up big-time.

"We have eight wrestlers with 20-plus wins, and only Brian Parlin is a senior. Parlin is four wins away from earning his 100th career win and should accomplish that at KVACs."

The Indians will have a chance to avenge the loss to Mt. Ararat this weekend when they travel to Topsham for a rematch. Skowhegan will also wrestle against East A regional opponent Erskine Academy and Class C's Monmouth Academy.