For Trevor Dearden, another state title – his third – was not only the goal, but as close to a foregone conclusion as New Hampshire wrestling fans could find at the Meet of Champions.

For the veterans – 135-pounder Alex Pittera, 160-pounder Corbin Decker and heavyweight Ryan Stanton – it was a chance to cement their legacies at the final MOC of their high school careers.

For the less experienced – freshman 112-pounder Devon Dearden, sophomore 140-pounder David Welch and junior 171- pounder Steve Comtois – it was an opportunity to prove they belonged on the Granite State’s grandest stage.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, at Londonderry High School, the elder Dearden did what he does best and dominated the competition; he won all three bouts and currently holds a 105-match winning streak against New England opposition.

The 125-pounder’s two losses this season came at the Beast of the East tournament in Delaware in December, where he took on many fellow Olympic and D-I college hopefuls. The only times an opponent scored on Dearden this season were when he looked to gain an advantage by allowing them an escape.

Classmates Pittera and Decker – with first- and second-place finishes, respectively – follow Dearden to the New England Championship, which takes place at Lowell High School in Lowell, Mass., on Friday, Feb. 29 and Saturday, March 1.

Pittera, who pinned Plymouth’s Dan Dow in the final, makes his second trip, and Decker, who lost a 4-3 decision to Alvirne’s Evan Carter, competes at New Englands for the first time.

“Wrestling at big tournaments is nothing new for them,” said Salem’s coach, Ryan Carr. “If they wrestle the way they have been the last couple weeks, they have a great shot.”

Stanton, who placed fifth with an overtime pin of Franklin’s Matt Kaplan, was the lone senior to make MOCs and miss New Englands.

“I really wanted that third spot, but it was a great senior year,” said Stanton. “I’m bummed it’s over, but I’ll never forget the good times I had here.”

Overall, Carr said he was pleased with his squad’s third-place finish with 96 points, behind D-I powerhouse Timberlane’s 218 points and Concord’s 178. But he said next season he looks to improve on that.

“With a team like this, being as young as we are, we were mainly looking to get ahead of Pinkerton, and we did that,” he said. “They had us in the dual meet earlier this year, but we thought we were a better tournament team and down the stretch we proved that.”

The Blue Devils lost to Pinkerton, 60-15, in December, but Carr said his younger grapplers, including Dearden and Welch, showed marked improvement by minimizing mistakes and capitalizing on opponents’ gaffes.

“Typically, in February, if we’re healthy, we’re in pretty good shape,” said Carr. ”We weren’t bringing anyone to MOCs we weren’t expecting to place.”

Welch took sixth, losing an 8-6 decision to John Stark’s Rob McCardell.

“Welch almost pulled off a couple upsets and made New Englands,” said Carr. “Earlier in the year, he wasn’t catching many breaks and losing by one or two points. By the end of the season, he was the one winning those matches.”

While the younger Dearden, who placed sixth at the MOC, losing a 10-3 decision to Nashua South’s Pat Terrian, isn’t at his brother’s level yet, Carr said he’s shown great promise and constant improvement.

Comtois, who fell in a 4-3 decision to Londonderry’s Joel Cotton in the fifth-place match, was the surprise of the post season, said his coach, reaching the Meet of Champions and placing after entering the D-I tournament unseeded.

“We’re in pretty good shape for next year,” said an excited Carr of his blooming group of youngsters. “We need to find some bigger guys, but outside of that, we’ll be pretty scary.”