BEDFORD — It’s been a long time coming for the ConVal wrestling program.

In the program’s 40 years, not once has any Cougar team been called champions — that is until Saturday.

For the first time in school history, ConVal has itself a Division II state championship in wrestling and will be able to add a banner to the walls of the Robert Maguire Gymnasium.

“I almost couldn’t believe it,” said senior tri-captain Jake Essex. “It’s like a fairy tale.”

Since the high school opened, many teams of other sports have won titles and had their legacy hung on the gym walls, and now the 2009-10 wrestling team will join them.

“It’s what I’ve always dreamed about,” said AJ Corliss, a senior captain. “I knew we couldn’t be beat if we worked our hardest.”

While the wrestling team has had a number of state champions on the individual side, the team title has been an elusive achievement.

There have always been a number of good wrestlers, just not a good team to support them.

But this year’s squad had it all.

There were enough wrestlers to fill all 14-weight classes, something that hasn’t happened for quite some time, and most of them were top-notch competitors with lots of experience.

“From the start, we all knew we had a good team,” said senior captain Craig Cook. “I’ve been wrestling for nine years and it’s great to be part of a championship team.”

ConVal senior tri-captains Essex, Corliss and Cook each won an individual Division II state title in their respective weight classes.

In all, seven ConVal wrestlers advanced to Saturday’s Meet of Champions, which includes the best Division I wrestlers as well.

ConVal finished the 12-hour tournament at Bedford High School with 188 points, enough to beat both Goffstown, 179.5, and Plymouth, 174. Plymouth had won four of the last six DII titles, including the last two and the 2009 championship over Goffstown.

“It was a long day, but with a very nice reward,” said head coach Brian Whittemore. “It’s been Plymouth and Goffstown. People were just happy that there was somebody else at the top.”

But heading into the finals for all the weight classes, the Cougars trailed the Grizzlies with seven wrestlers to go.

The deficit was 7.5 points entering the finals match-up at 140, which included Essex and Goffstown’s Mal Shea.

“I knew we were still down and I was the only one that had a head-to-head with Goffstown,” Essex said.

Shea had not allowed a point to be scored against him all season in Division II and Essex heard it loud and clear during the pre-match announcements.

“Me and Whit just looked at each other and smiled,” Essex admitted.

Going into the third round, tied 7-7, Essex took the advantage by two points and then pulled off a feat that caught everyone off guard — he pinned Shea.

Whittemore said the crowd went crazy, especially the ConVal section, as Essex brought the Cougars right back into it.

“The whole gym. Everyone was cheering for Jake,” Whittemore said.

Essex, the No. 1 seed at 140, was a unanimous choice for the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler award, voted on by the Division II coaches. Essex totaled a team best 28 points for ConVal with a perfect 4-0 day, which included four pins.

Yet even with Essex’s victory, ConVal still trailed.

But then Corliss stepped onto the mat. Corliss made it to the finals of 145 with two pins and a 7-0 decision and finished off his championship with another pin.

“After Jake beat Mal, I knew we were going to win,” Corliss said. “I was confident.”

Corliss, the top seed, got his pin in the second round to help the Cougars take a lead they would never give up.

“It was kind of fun,” said Corliss of the score watching. “But I realized how competitive it was when you have a chance of winning.”

The senior totaled 26 points for ConVal, but none bigger than the six from his pin in the finals.

The lead was slim, but with Cook remaining, the team was confident.

Cook, the No. 1 seed at 215, was a perfect 3-0 with three pins entering the finals. And while Cook didn’t finish off the tournament with a pin, he did so with a dominating 6-0 performance.

“I had already wrestled him twice and beat him both times,” said Cook of his opponent.

Cook also amassed 26 points for ConVal, as the three captains combined for 80 of the team’s 188.

“Craig winning was definitely the final nail,” said Whittemore.

Also recognized at the end of the tournament was Whittemore. After 28 years of heading the ConVal program, Whittemore was named Coach of the Year for the first time. Prior to Saturday’s championship, the previous best for any ConVal program was third.

“It just feels really good to have won both,” Whittemore said.

With Essex, Corliss and Cook earning Division II titles, they automatically advanced to this Saturday’s Meet of Champions. And four other ConVal wrestlers will make the trip as well, as the top four from each weight class moves on.

Sophomore Dan Smullen, 135, as well as freshmen Jesse Mitchell, 130, and Kyle Brissette, 103, each made it to the finals by winning their first three matches, but each fell in the championship round.

Junior Chad Brouillet, the No. 1 seed at 160, was upset in the semifinals and then lost in the consolation finals to earn fourth.

Only Essex, Corliss and Cook are seniors, so the Cougars will have a good chance at repeating, but the team will enjoy this one first.

ConVal finished the season with a 14-1 record in dual meets, only falling to Hollis/Brookline, which finished fourth on Saturday.

“As we progressed through the season, my confidence grew,” Whittemore said.

The Cougars had a good showing in all the scheduled tournaments as well. They finished in the top four in all six, but the biggest one was the Twin River Classic in Franklin on Feb. 6, where they dismantled the competition.

Through the first two rounds on Saturday, ConVal had 18 pins and 76 points.