METHUEN, Mass. – As you’d expect in the New England Championship finals, it was six rugged minutes.

In the end, Alvirne High junior Kyle Gora came up just short in his title bid, falling 3-1 in the 170-pound finals to Vermont state champion Seth Carney of Essex High.

The two mauled each other in a match that featured no takedowns and a ton of muscle.

The difference? Starting the second period on the bottom, Gora found himself in a precarious spot and paid for it, surrendering three points for back exposure.

He took to the top in round 3, Carney’s choice, and twice nearly had his opponent in trouble, he just couldn’t finish the move.

Carney, a cagey veteran, spent the final minute in delay mode, hit for one stalling point, but that was it.

Merrimack featured a pair of placers, 152-pounder Anson Dewar and 220-pounder Griffin Ostrom. Each left the event with a good feeling, winning the fifth-place match.

Dewar earned a 6-2 decision in that one, finishing 4-2 in the weekend.

He was fatigued but very happy.

“I tried to focus my mindset. I took some breathing exercises before each match, tried to calm myself down, and it seemed to work out well,” said the junior Dewar.

“I’m happy placing, but I think I could have wrestled better. I went 0-2 here last year, this is a big improvement.”

Dropping his opening match on Saturday, Ostrom took the tough route to the podium. He finished the weekend 5-2. And his final match was simply an exclamation point on a superb season.

He knocked off Milford, Conn.’s Joao Neiva, 15-4 to close out his senior campaign.

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