GARDINER — It’s a packed gym on Saturday morning for the annual Tiger Invitational wrestling tournament. Teams from as south as York and north as Maine Central Institute surround the mats, taking in the action.
In the far corner of the gym sat the Cony wrestling team. And in the front row, wearing sweatpants, a long-sleeve black T-shirt and wireless headphones, sat the top heavyweight wrestler in Maine.
Jonny Lettre is a two-time state champion. In 2022, Lettre beat Sebastian Merrill 5-2 for the 220-pound Class A title. Last season, Lettre made the move up to the 285-pound weight class and didn’t lose a step. He beat Owen Bourque of Kennebunk by pinfall in less than two minutes for his second straight state title.
This year, Lettre not only wants to repeat as a state champion, but he has higher aspirations. In July, Lettre competed at the US Marine Corps USAW 16U National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, and reached the round of 64 in the junior Greco-Roman tournament.
“I was at nationals this year,” Lettre said. “I came close enough to All-American that I (felt I can achieve it). I’m looking beyond my post-high school year. I want All-American, I want to win New Englands. I’m always striving for more. Not just in Maine, but I want to be better than I was last year.”
Lettre is not the average heavyweight. A lineman for the school’s football team and thrower on the track team, Lettre has a natural athleticism that allows him to use speed and agility, in addition to strength, to rack up victories.
“You see a lot of (heavyweights) just attacking face on,” Lettre said. “I take different angles, try to use my speed, use my strength to get angles to overcome bigger, more powerful guys.”
Lettre is the leader of a young Cony team that has experienced a recent surge in numbers. Last season, the Rams’ roster jumped up to more than 30 wrestlers. This season, Cony has a roster of 31, with a heavy number of freshmen.
“It feels good to have a support system around you,” Lettre said. “My sophomore year, we had five guys around me, a core of five guys at states, wrestling all year-round and trying to get better. Now, there’s a bunch of sophomores and freshmen, coming out for travel and club practices, working to get better. It feels great to have people follow in your footsteps, trying to be better, trying to do what I’m doing.”
In a sport that traditionally carries a serious tone, Lettre makes it a point to keep it light at practice.
“He shows up to practice every day and jokes around, makes us all laugh every day,” said Cony sophomore Kaiden Veilleux, who finished third at the Class A meet last year at 195 pounds. “He makes us a better team just by coming out to practice every day and doing what he needs to do. He’s just an all-around team guy.
“This morning, he was late because he was picking up two kids (on the team),” Veilleux continued. “He’s just a good guy. He’ll go out of his way to help his teammates.”
Marshwood’s Jacob Brengolini, top, and Cony’s Jonny Lettre wrestle in the 285-pound championship semifinals during the Tiger Invitational on Saturday in the James A. Bragoli Memorial Gym at Gardiner Area High School. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Cony head coach Shawn Totman has also been impressed with Lettre’s leadership.
“Jonny loves wrestling, and it’s really contagious,” Totman said during the Westlake Invitational tournament at Morse High School in Bath on Dec. 2. “He lives and breathes the sport. Other kids see that, I see it, and it’s really cool. It makes it fun, because he always looks forward to coming to practice and he loves meets and tournaments.”
“People are going to see me, or the other seniors, the other leaders on the team. If (the upperclassmen) are working hard, they’re going to work hard,” Lettre said. “If we’re happy to be there, they’re happy to be there. I’ve got to keep my attitude up, so they keep theirs up. They all work hard, and that makes me work hard. That fills the room with such a positive energy. It just feels great to be in there.”
Lettre, who fell in love with wrestling in elementary school, followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Aaron Lettre, a 2019 Class A champion at 182 pounds. Jonny Lettre said he’ll continue his career after graduation, as he’s been in talks with multiple college wrestling programs.
“He’s been wrestling since he was four years old,” Veilleux said. “He’s just that guy. It’s who he is. He loves wrestling. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
But before that, there’s still unfinished business in the high school ranks.
“It’s kind of a dream,” Lettre said. “I’ve been around here my whole life, I’ve seen people graduate, people have successful senior years like my cousin and my friends. I get my crack at it (now). I get my crack to lead the team and kind of be a role model. Not just to my team, but everyone around.”
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