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Prep Wrestling: At home on the mat
Wrestling's more than a sport for North Kitsap's well-traveled and
experienced Tara Williams.
By Steve Jones, Sun Staff
February 4, 2005
Even though she possesses a will sturdier than most teenagers, the
moves have still been hard on Tara Williams.
But for as long as her world has shifted, Tara has been thankful for
the one constant — the one friend — she's always had in her life.
Tara Williams can wrestle.
The daughter of an oft-traveled power-poll lineman, Tara lived in three
different Alaska towns by the time she was 14. Two years ago, her
family was shuffled down the West Coast, where she resided in two areas near
sprawling San Diego. Late this summer, she was shuffled back again to her current
home of Kingston, where she lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins.
Now a senior at North Kitsap High, Tara is in her fourth school in four
years, and she's once again left to find in months the social niche
that many teenagers seek for an entire childhood.
Making friends "has been one of the hardest things," Tara said. "I've
almost tried not to get attached to anyone. It's kind of natural for me not to
because it hurts every time you move away from them."
Luckily, she finds what she needs on the mat.
"It's more than a sport," she said. "It's the stable thing in my life.
"Even if I move somewhere I'll always have that to fall back on."
The aggressive, physical and stereotypically masculine sport of
wrestling doesn't at first glance seem befitting of Tara. She's an amiable,
engaging girl with a soft voice and a red streak dyed through her long, black
hair.
"People who look at me during the day would never think I'm a wrestler
because I'm pretty girly," she said.
But as most of Tara's male opponents this season can attest, looks can
be deceiving.
She's been wrestling for nearly 13 years. Through years of competition
and training in Alaska and then in California in a women's wrestling club,
Tara has become somewhat of a technical whiz on the mat.
She won three different state girls junior titles in California last
year and placed fourth for her 125-pound weight class at the junior
nationals in North Dakota.
This season against all-male competition, she's logged a 5-3 record
with three pins for the North Kitsap varsity team. She's 6-2 in jayvee
matches with all her victories coming by pin.
"There's been a couple of them this year I know who have cried," she
laughingly said of her defeated opponents. "Or I look over at them and
they'll be punching the mat or looking over at their coach, like
'What?'"
NK coach John Cooke said Tara is the most technically talented girl
wrestler he's worked with.
"When you've got her skills, you fit in really well on the boys teams,"
Cooke said. "You get a girl out here working just as hard everybody
else, she earns that respect quickly."
Tara chose wrestling for its physical as well as its mental demands.
Having had such a volatile young life, she has used the sport to build
confidence and work ethic.
"That's one of the main reasons I do it is because it's such a
challenge," she said. "I couldn't accept a situation where I was just getting by. I
have to work harder than most girls."
Tara's senior season has been sidetracked by injuries. First, a spat
with mononucleosis kept her out of action for a week last month and caused
her to lose much of her stamina. In her last match — a pin over Bellarmine
Prep's Michael Ness — she hyper-extended elbow and reinjured a strained
rotator cuff.
If the injuries subside, she'll try and defy more naysayers today and
tomorrow at the Narrows League/Sub-regional Tournament at Bremerton
High School.
She hopes to wrestle in college next year at Northern Michigan
University, which has a women's program, and study environmental conservation. Her
ultimate dream is to compete in the Olympics. Women's wrestling made
its debut as an Olympic sport in Athens, Greece, last summer.
"I don't care" if the Olympics seems like an unreachable goal, Tara
said. "I've already done a lot of things I didn't think I could do in my
life."
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Wrestling powers set for district tourneys
John Erfort 2/4/05
El Paso Times
If the status quo prevails at this year's city high school wrestling district championships, then some school or schools will be doubling their pleasure.
Last year, two schools -- Americas (District 3), Chapin (District 2) -- won both boys and girls district crowns.
That trend likely will continue, as Eastwood enters this year's District 3 tournament with both its boys and girls teams ranked No. 1 in the city.
"We've had a pretty good year," Troopers boys coach David Boatright said. "And we really haven't had our best lineup all at once because of injuries. This weekend we'll have our full group.
"Hanks is missing a couple kids and Del Valle has some quality kids, but we have a pretty good shot. If we make weight, we should be all right."
Eastwood girls coach Tony Dubeansky heads up a program in its third year. It has grown from two wrestlers that inaugural season to six last year and 18 this year.
The Troopers returned wrestlers in half of the weight classes this year, including state champion Tressa Yocum in the 165-pound division. Yocum has only been pushed to the second period once in two years.
"We'll be OK," Dubeansky said. "We'll do good. I think we'll still be No. 1 after district.
"Hanks is our main competition. We always go neck-and-neck with them. It could go either way. It's not a shoo-in for either one of us."
The District 1, 2, 3 and 4 meets all are being staged at Del Valle High School. The girls tournaments are today and begin at 6 p.m. The boys tournaments are Saturday and start at 9 a.m.
The top two wrestlers in each weight class advance to the regional meet, which is scheduled for next weekend at Bowie High School.
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Wrestlers set for final step to state meets
By PAUL BETIT Staff Writer
2/4/2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Maine high school wrestling´s second season starts Saturday with six regional tournaments at five sites.
If the results from conference tournaments and late-season dual meets are any indication, it appears all of the state´s powerhouse programs are peaking at just the right time.
"Wrestling teams do peak," Noble Coach Kip DeVoll said. "You try to make it come out just at the right time with certain kids, and we´re pretty fortunate that the last few years that has happened."
All the reigning state champions - Noble in Class A, Camden Hills in Class B and Foxcroft Academy in Class C - appear strong enough to defend their titles.
To get that opportunity, all three will have to qualify as many wrestlers as possible for the state meet Feb. 12 at the Augusta Civic Center. The top four finishers in each weight class at the regionals will advance to the state meet.
Some stiff competition looms for each defending champion.
To capture a seventh consecutive state title, Noble will have to counter a challenge from Marshwood.
Noble eked out a 36-29 victory against the visiting Hawks last week to claim its eighth consecutive Southern Maine Activities Association championship, but DeVoll knows it will be different in a multiteam event, such as a regional or state meet.
"It´s going to come down to who can score the bonus points," he said. "(Marshwood has) more kids who can win individual championships, so any points we can pick up through pins, major decisions or technical falls will be crucial."
Counted on to score big points for Noble are Jake Badger at 103 pounds, Zach Doucette at 119, Zach Hale at 125, Mike McCrillis at 135, Doug Rayworth at 160 and Brian Kraus at 275.
The top point-getters for Marshwood include Anthony Moriarty at 119, John Hussey at 125, Deanna Rix at 130, Greg Delisle at 140, Colby Lamson at 145 and Nate Webster at 215.
The return of Tad Butterfield, the reigning Class A state champion at 160 pounds who has been out all season with a shoulder injury, could provide a lift to the Hawks, who are seeking their first Class A state title.
The Western Class A regional will be highlighted by Rix continuing her drive to become the first female wrestler in the country to win a state title. Unbeaten this season in the 130-pound class, she recently became the first Maine girl to record 100 career victories.
Her toughest competition at the regional meet will come from Shane Leadbetter, a senior from Sanford, and Jarod Stiles, a sophomore from Bonny Eagle.
In Eastern Class A, Oxford Hills and Mt. Blue are expected to contend. Oxford Hills finished third and Mt. Blue was fourth in last weekend´s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference tournament.
A young Camden Hills team heads to the Eastern Class B regional after winning the 16-team KVAC tournament impressively. The Windjammers scored 183 1/2 points to finish 40 ahead of Belfast, the runner-up.
"We had a great weekend at the conference meet and we´re going to try to ride that high to the postseason, the second season," Camden Hills Coach Patrick Kelly said.
"We got the best performances from our best wrestlers and a lot of improvement from our lower-seeded kids."
A veteran Belfast team figures to be the Windjammers´ chief competition at the regional.
"I don´t count Belfast out in the region or the state," Kelly said. "Anything can happen in a tournament."
In Western Class B, Mountain Valley, despite an injury-filled season, may have enough depth to retain its regional title.
Foxcroft Academy goes into the Eastern Class C tournament on a high and a low.
Last weekend the Ponies captured their second consecutive Penobscot Valley Conference title in decisive fashion, finishing more than 82 points ahead of Dexter, the runner-up.
That victory came three days after Camden Hills, the five-time Class B state champion, visited Dover-Foxcroft and eked out a 42-36 victory in a dual meet to snap Foxcroft Academy´s four-year unbeaten streak at home.
"We were disappointed and down, but it kind of got everybody refocused again," Foxcroft Academy Coach Luis Ayala said. "I think the kids got a little complacent, but they now know they´ve got to be ready. It was like a wake-up call."
In Western Class C, Lisbon must turn back a challenge from Dirigo to claim its fourth consecutive regional title.
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Rix suffers first loss, Noble dominant again
By RACHEL LENZI Staff Writer
2/6/ 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
BIDDEFORD — Shane Leadbetter did something no one else could accomplish this season. In what was forecast as a preview of a state championship match, the Sanford wrestler handed Marshwood´s Deanna Rix her first loss in the 130-pound weight class Saturday in the Western Maine Class A regional at Biddeford High School.
The Sanford senior foiled Rix, Maine´s winningest female interscholastic wrestler, with one maneuver to win the Western A title, 1-0. Leadbetter opened the match by challenging Rix, taking several jabs at her head and shoulders and forcing her to react instead of attack.
"I wasn´t ready for that," said Rix, who still qualified for Saturday´s state championship meet in Augusta. "The grabs and whatnot. This time, it was hard to do stuff with my feet against him.
"He outmuscled me. It got me frustrated."
Leadbetter was one of 14 wrestlers to win individual regional championships, while Noble won the team title. The top four wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes qualified for the Class A state championships at the Augusta Civic Center.
Leadbetter had lost to Rix twice this season, but took a different approach into Saturday´s match.
"We´ve worked on a new technique," Leadbetter said. "I have to get her off her game and put her on my game.
"She´s a wicked defensive wrestler. She waits and waits and waits, and then she hits when someone makes a mistake."
With one week left in the season, the loss gave Rix a new perspective.
"I´m going to be working with stronger people, I´m going to go as hard as I can and hopefully I´ll do better next week," Rix said. "It was almost a good thing I lost. Now I have something to prove."
Still, Leadbetter was ready to look ahead to next week.
"I´ll say this, me and Dee Dee will be in the state finals, and I foresee it being something like 1-0 or going into double overtime."
Noble won the team title with 233 points and will pursue its seventh straight Class A championship. The Knights qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes and had four regional champions - Zach Doucette at 119, Mike McCrillis at 135, Doug Rayworth at 160 and Bryan Kraus at 275.
Doucette defeated Marshwood´s Anthony Moriarty 9-3, McCrillis beat Sanford´s Justin Wentworth 2-0 and Rayworth defeated Biddeford´s Alan Loignon 7-4. Kraus won by forfeit over Biddeford´s Jon Benson, the Class A champion at 215 last year. Benson couldn´t wrestle in the final due to a knee injury.
"We just came here ready to wrestle," Noble Coach Kip DeVoll said. "We have five sophomores this season and we´ve come along as a team, but we really didn´t expect to do this. Every kid answered the bell today."
Marshwood, which finished second with 171 points, also had four regional champions - John Hussey (125), Greg Delisle (140), Colby Lamson (145) and Nate Webster (215).
Hussey defeated Noble´s Zach Hale 12-1; Delisle pinned Noble´s Shawn Chenard in 1 minute, 11 seconds; Lamson beat Sanford´s Dan West 7-2 and Webster edged Bonny Eagle´s Josh Avery 3-2.
In other championship matches, Deering´s Allen Stein de- feated Noble´s Jake Badger 5-0 at 103; Deering´s Chris Smith pinned Bonny Eagle´s Michael Poole in 4:51 at 112; Massabesic´s Shawn Hall defeated Sanford´s Doug Williams 18-0 by technical fall at 152; Deering´s Andy Semple beat Noble´s James Best 2-0 at 171 and Bonny Eagle´s Jack McDonough defeated Noble´s Jesse Rayworth 8-2 at 189.
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FOR THE MOMENT - Girl on boys' wrestling team a good match;
RITA LUSSIER
Providence Journal 02-02-2005
A hush falls over the gym. All eyes are on the two of them as they
stand there, staring each other down. There's a quick handshake and then they
begin to dance around the mat, touching each other ever so slightly at
first, circling faster and faster, looking for precisely the right
instant to engage.
Suddenly, they find it. And the next thing you know they're down on the
mat, grappling with all their might, one against the other, arms pushing
legs pumping bodies pressing into a human tangle as they jockey for
position, looking for an edge. Any edge at all.
At the moment, the one in blue, the wrestler from Somerset High, is on
top. But they push and they pull and they rock and they roll and now she's
on the bottom. That's right. SHE.
Meet Katie Bruce, sophomore at Somerset High. She's petite, pretty,
blonde and, yes, a varsity wrestler weighing in at 103.
When Katie first mentioned trying out for the wrestling team, her
mother, Vicki, didn't pay much attention. "I thought it would blow over," she
says from her perch on the stands. But it didn't. "Katie's the kind of kid
who once she puts her mind to something, nothing's going to stop her. Not
even vomiting in the trash can at practice."
The three team co-captains confirm that practices are grueling indeed.
They tell me a story about a guy who had been to boot camp and then wound up
on the wrestling team. Which was harder? Definitely the practices.
I suspect I don't need to ask how they feel about having a girl on
their team after watching them all yelling "GO, KATIE, GO!" from the
sidelines. But what's it like to go to the mat and find that a girl is your
opponent?
"Well, it's different," says Chris Bell, the only one of the co-
captains who's squared off with a girl in competition. "Yeah, you're more
careful how you handle her. At least, at first. But believe me, you don't want to
lose."
(According to the National Federation of State High School
Associations' 38 girls wrestled for Massachusetts high school teams during the 2003-2004
school year and 15 girls were on Rhode Island teams.)
Appolon Skarpos, another co-captain, says they think of the Somerset
team as a family. "Katie's like a little sister. We look out for her. It's
fun."
Coach Nick Peachy tells me Katie's presence has raised the level of
civility on the team. He wouldn't go as far as to encourage girls to try out,
but once they're there, if they can do it, he'll work with them to bring
out their best.
Which I understand is precisely what he's been doing for Somerset
grapplers since 1988 when he started the wrestling club which, a few years later,
evolved into the team. To prepare for a sport that Peachy describes as
more physically and psychologically demanding than any other, it should come
as no surprise that practices are challenging. "This way, when they're in
a match, their intuition and muscle memory will take over."
And right about now, I'll bet that's what Katie's dad, Keith, is hoping
will happen. "My girl, the wrestler," he says with a shrug and a smile. When
dad heard about Katie's plan to wrestle, he had two things to say to her:
that the training would be harder than that of any other sport she's ever
played; anand that the matches would be intensely personal.
From what I can see of Katie and her opponent rolling around in front
of us, he was right. With a twist and a turn, she's muscling her way back in
control. She's got him on his back. Pinned against the mat. One,two,and
then, just as suddenly as it began, it's over.
A victory for Katie. A victory for her team. And, I'd like to think, a
victory for all the girls who go to the mat for what they want, for
what they believe in, for what they aspire to, despite the excruciatingly
hard work, the obstacles in front of them and the odds stacked against them.
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Clippers, chaos and smiles: Wrestling takes hold among the girls;
John Korobanik
Edmonton Journal 01-17-2005
EDMONTON -- The Hillcrest junior high school gym was chaos.
Organized chaos, but still ... the noise of a couple of hundred young
girls nearly drowned out the music from the sound system. Four wrestling mats
in the centre of the gym were all crowded with girls, some practising
their moves on teammates, others standing and talking to friends or
competitors, others sitting and watching.
Parents were mostly seated in a circle around the outside. Coaches were
walking between the groups of young wrestlers, talking, encouraging,
giving tips. The girls, all here for Edmonton's only all-girl wrestling meet,
wore a mixture of clothes, from one-piece wrestling bodysuits to sweats and
T-shirts.
Earrings were taped over. Nail clippers were passed around for
last-minute trimming of fingernails. Nervous, anxious bodies seemed to move in
waves. Until Nick Riemann, coach at Hillcrest and co- ordinator of this 13th
annual Hillcrest event, spoke into the microphone.
Instantly, the gym was silent but for his voice giving instructions on
how the meet would work. Minutes later pairs of young wrestlers, coaches
and officials were left, front and centre on the four mats. The winner of
the first match,
12-year-old Danielle Brown of Hillcrest, was a bundle of enthusiastic
joy after winning her match, being interviewed on television and having her
awestruck friends want to know every question she was asked.
"You go into this room right now while the wrestling is going on,
everyone has a smile on their face," says Riemann. "They're really enjoying
themselves."
That's one of the appeals of the sport that is attracting increasingly
larger numbers of young girls to the mats.
"It's a sport that wasn't open to them before and now it is," says
Colbie Bell, 1996 Olympian, nine-time Canadian champion and current holder of
both the Greco Roman and freestyle national championships, "They're
interested in trying out new thngs, especially at the junior high level. It's a
stage, an environment for them to try something new."
Plus it's a sport that to a large degree is gender neutral. Although
Hillcrest was an all-girls meet, most of the meets are mixed.
"You're always looking for a sport that's equal opportunity and
wrestling is definitely a sport where that's prevalent," says Bell, who coaches the
boys' and girls' teams at Ottewell junior high. "They'll go out and wrestle
just as good as the guys. You take the senior level, a lot of the girls who
are making the world team, they're not as competitive as the guys in
strength but in technique they're right there."
For the young girls themselves, wrestling is a sport that appealed to
them for a variety of reasons.
"I wanted a sport that was more challenging," says Brown. "I thought
about volleyball. Cheerleading I wasn't into at all."
"I think it's a good sport and my dad used to wrestle when he was in
Grade 9," says Tori Hudson, a 12-year-old Grade 7 student at Cloverbar. "So I
wanted to do it for my dad, kind of. I never saw him wrestle but he
gives me tips and stuff."
"I played soccer, did cheerleading and volleyball," says Nadina Smayda,
a 14-year-old Grade 9 student at Westmount. "But wrestling, it's fun,
you're moving a lot, it's a really great sport."
Once into the sport they enjoy the opportunity to compete against the
boys and love the atmosphere of tournaments like that at Hillcrest.
"At first you get really nervous, but when you go out there you get
really excited," Smayda said of the atmosphere.
Bell says the social aspect of the sport is half of the appeal for
teenage girls.
"It's kids getting out talking to other kids," he says. "If you look
around, all the kids sitting on the side waiting for their matches are talking
to their opponents. They're all worried and they're talking about how long
have you wrestled and stuff, so it's great for that."
It's a sport, says Riemann, that probably doesn't appeal to a lot of
people when they read about it. But encouragement from a friend who's into the
sport is one of the biggest factors bringing young girls to wrestling.
And while it can be a rough sport, it usually only takes a few
post-match hugs and some words of encouragement to get everyone smiling again.
"You'll see some tears," says Riemann. "Usually they'll cry because
they're having so much fun. I had a girl cry today because this is the first
time in a year and a half she hadn't been pinned."
By the time the Hillcrest meet ended about three hours after it began,
more than 170 girls had participated, nearly 40 more than last year.
"It's growing every year, leaps and bounds," Riemann says of the
tournament and girls' wrestling in general. "When I first started (six years ago)
there were maybe 100. We're going to have 200 in the next couple of years.
"Girls' wrestling is big, I hope it's going to be huge and I don't see
where it can't be on par with men's wrestling."
----------------------------------------------
Prep Report
Crusher Querin grapples well at state tourney
Friday, February 4, 2005
From Register Staff
Vintage High School's Michele Querin, a junior, had a 4-3 record and a strong sixth-place finish in a bracket of 32 wrestlers at the California Women's Wrestling State Championships last Friday and Saturday at Vallejo High School.
"Michele wrestled really well," said Nicole Mazzaferro, a Vintage assistant coach. "A lot of the tournament can be determined by where you and others end up in the brackets."
Querin entered the tournament ranked fourth in the state.
Hattie Borg, also a junior, was 2-2 but did not place. She entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in the state.
Elodia Cortez finished 1-2, and Christina Marenco also competed.
Chaundra Cox, who also qualified, was unable to wrestle due to an injury.
Querin, Borg, Cortez, Marenco and Cox all qualified by placing in the top six at the previous week's sectional qualifier held at Hogan High.
Next up for the Vintage girls is the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association National Championships, March 19-20 in Flint, Mich.
Shelby Lanterman, Melissa Phan and Stephanie Lopez of Redwood Middle School will be traveling with the Vintage team and will compete in the middle school division.
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High School Wrestling: Wrestler just about to close book
DUNBAR GOES FOR TITLE: Bartlett heavyweight also gunning for unbeaten season.
By ERIC SMITH
Anchorage Daily News
Published: February 5th, 2005
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Despite numerous accomplishments during a storied four-year career, Bobby Dunbar can pin down his favorite wrestling memory as quickly as he can pin an opponent.
Without a doubt it came last season when Dunbar's 215-pound state title -- his second straight individual crown -- gave Anchorage Christian School the points needed to win the small-school wrestling championship.
"We worked very hard last year to get that," he said.
Now a senior at Bartlett High after transferring from ACS last year, Dunbar has created new memories wrestling for a different school and against different opponents. The final chapter is being written today at the Class 4A state wrestling championships, which began Friday at Chugiak High.
If all goes as planned, it should have a storybook ending.
Though another team title is out of reach, Dunbar, ranked No. 1 in the state at 215 all season, is the favorite to win his third straight individual championship tonight. He would become just the 27th Alaska wrestler to win three, and the second three-peater to do it with two different schools. Gabe McMahan was the other, winning two titles with Glennallen and one with Palmer in the 1990s.
On Friday, Dunbar took some big steps toward joining that elite list by cruising through his first three matches. He pinned every one of his opponents and set up a championship showdown with Jake Ritter of Juneau.
As for the team race, defending champion Wasilla took an early lead with 141 points through the semifinals, but South was right on the Warriors' heels with 138. West Valley with 79 was a distant third.
Wasilla placed five wrestlers and South placed six into today's championship round. Each team also has a number of wrestlers in the consolation rounds, so today's duel for the crown should be a good one.
Meanwhile, as Dunbar wraps up his brilliant career, which spans Alaska's two classifications for the sport, he's proven that wrestlers groomed at the small-school level are just as talented as their large-school counterparts.
"It seems the same to me," said Dunbar, who wrestled at ACS from middle school through his junior high school season. "I didn't see any difference in the competition."
His numbers back that up. Dunbar has lost only once in the past two seasons, and most of his wins have come by pin. As a junior at ACS, Dunbar went 45-1 with 35 pins. His only loss, in fact, was a 7-4 decision to Wasilla's Jed Wade, one of three wrestlers in Alaska history to win four state titles.
And Dunbar is 32-0 this season with one match to go. He has posted 24 pins, three technical falls and one major decision. He also has won five matches by forfeit, often the result of an opposing coach refusing to allow his 215-pounder to wrestle Dunbar.
Sometimes an athlete would purposefully gain or drop weight to move into another class -- the "Dunbar Dodge," as one wrestler has called it.
"They want to go to a weight where they have a chance," said Bartlett coach Brian Foss.
Dunbar understands this, even if he doesn't always like it.
"I kind of got used to the forfeits," he said. "But I want to wrestle and not sit on the side."
Dunbar is very much at center stage this weekend. He has already set an Alaska career pins record with 102. And though he long ago missed his chance of winning four state titles when he dropped a close championship match his freshman season at ACS, Dunbar is still focused on taking care of two attainable goals as his senior season comes to an end.
"I decided I'll get three and go undefeated," he said.
While Dunbar's story is one of many being scripted at this year's state tournament, perhaps the biggest on Friday was written by 103-pound Skyview freshman Michaela Hutchison.
Fueled by a partisan crowd rooting her on, Hutchison beat Dante Santos of Juneau in the semifinals. She posted a thrilling 9-4 decision to send her into tonight's finals against top-ranked Alan Bartelli of Wasilla.
And since she can now place no lower than second, Hutchison has already guaranteed herself the highest finish by a girl at an Alaska state tournament. Her older sister, Melina, took third in 2000 at the 4A championships and Homer Olympian Tela O'Donnell took sixth that same year.
They were the first-ever female place winners in this state, and while Hutchison has already etched her name alongside those pioneers, she now has a chance of doing something no girl in Alaska has ever done -- win a state title.
Daily News reporter Eric Smith can be reached at esmith@adn.com or 257-4335.
ASAA/First National Bank Alaska
Class 4A State Wrestling Championships
At Chugiak High
Friday's Results
Team Scores (through semifinals) -- 1) Wasilla 141 points; 2) South 138; 3) West Valley 79; 4) Colony 75; 5) Juneau 72; 6) Skyview 70; 7) Chugiak 66; 8) Bartlett 59; 9) West 56.5; 10) Lathrop 42.5; 11) Soldotna 39; 12) Kodiak 33.5; 13) Ketchikan 33; 14) Sitka 30; 15) Homer 16.5; 16) North Pole 15; 17) Dimond 13; 18) Palmer 10; 19) East 5; 20) Service 1.
Semifinals
103 pounds -- Alan Bartelli, Was, d. Jimmy Eggemeyer, Kod, 7-0; Michaela Hutchison, Sky, d. Dante Santos, Jun, 9-4.
112 -- Theron Apodaca, Bar, d. Gerry Carrillo, Jun, 17-10; Sungie Mussara, Jun, d. Sam Miller, Was, 7-6.
119 -- Dustin Killian, Col, d. Jim Jurczak, Sit, 4-0; Clayton Schmidling, Was, d. Jordan Saceda, Jun, 10-4.
125 -- Hollan Gravley, Col, m.d. Sam Carlson, Chu, 12-0; Matt Blakeslee, South, d. Ted Nelvis, West, 6-5.
130 -- Duane Carpenter, Was, d. George Wathen, Sit, 9-7; Ira Carson, West, d. Clifton Ivanoff, Kod, 7-5.
135 -- Eli Hutchison, Sky, p. Nathan Williamson, South, 1:42; Max Rosefigura, West, d. Camron Hagen, Hom, 9-6.
140 -- Shane Manuel, Bar, d. Cayle Byers, Chu, 5-3; Brandy Goracke, Sol, d. Brandon Stoner, Lat, 4-0.
145 -- Kaylen Baxter, WV, d. Clark Buffington, Sky, 8-7; Jordan Dubuisson, South, p. Mike Trudeau, Was, 3:49.
152 -- Trevor Pempek, Was, d. Dylan Bergman, Sit, 8-1; Dustin Baxter, WV, d. Eddie Buffington, Sky, 6-3.
160 -- David Wiese, WV, m.d. James Geffe, Chu, 17-5; Wade Wilson, South, m.d. Iain Brown, Ket, 9-0.
171 -- Jake Wade, Was, p. Chris Pannone, Chu, 4:32; Marcus Lopez, South, d. Josh Carlon, Sky, 5-3.
189 -- Steve Willburn, Chu, p. Jake LaDuke, Sit, 3:07; Scott Lucas, South, d. Donald Morris, WV, 5-3.
215 -- Bobby Dunbar, Bar, p. Dominick Bellotte, Col, 2:56; Jake Ritter, Jun, d. Josiah Bush, NP, 9-2.
HWT -- Jon Hamilton, Ket, p. James Savage, Col, 3:15; Mike Petrovich, South, d. Sean Whitmore, Sol, 7-3.
Quarterfinals
103 -- Bartelli p. Aaron Boss, Col, 1:08; Eggemeyer d. Andrew Van Asdoll, Col, 6-5; Hutchison m.d. Ross Edelen, South, 15-2; Santos p. Sabastian Sandoval, Was, 3:15.
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State wrestling championships: In finals countdown, Wasilla stands tall
A REPEAT: Warriors too much for South in run for team title.
By ERIC SMITH
Anchorage Daily News Published: February 6th, 2005
Last Modified: February 6th, 2005 at 06:47 AM
Alan Bartelli stepped onto the mat Saturday night with the crowd against him. He was wrestling Michaela Hutchison of Skyview, the first girl in Alaska history to make it to the championship round.
Amid shouts of "Go, Michaela!" heard from the packed bleachers, Bartelli admitted that the pressure was intense. Not only was he trying to get himself a win, but he was trying to help Wasilla win its second straight team title.
"I was a little nervous going out," he said. "You got to get it started off."
What a way for Bartelli to start it off. He pinned Hutchison in 1:58, and the Warriors soon wrapped up their second consecutive Class 4A state wrestling championship, which ended late Saturday night at Chugiak High.
"It was a good boost for our team," Bartelli said of his victory, the first of two for Wasilla in the championship round.
Though she lost, Hutchison gave girls wrestling a boost. With her runner-up finish, she placed higher than any girl at an Alaska state tournament, and she left the gym Saturday night resolved to win a state title next season.
The Wasilla wrestlers spent all day -- through the consolation rounds and into the championship finals -- resolved to make it two straight.
Though the Warriors would win just one more individual title -- Jake Wade at 171 -- the Warriors simply had too much depth and too much experience for their nearest competitor, the South Wolverines.
Wasilla compiled 179 points, followed by South with 149. West Valley, with a tournament-high three champions, was third with 113.5, and Skyview was fourth with 107.5.
"It's pretty sweet," Bartelli.
What's also sweet for Wasilla coach Shawn Hayes is knowing that most of his wrestlers are back next season.
"We got our whole crew back," he said.
Wasilla's repeat was one of many major feats. Five wrestlers won their third state title -- Skyview's Eli Hutchison (135), West Valley's Kaylen Baxter (145), West Valley's David Wiese (160), Bartlett's Bobby Dunbar (215) and Ketchikan's Jon Hamilton (heavyweight).
Dunbar won his first two while wrestling at Anchorage Christian School, and he took his third in convincing fashion with a major decision over Jake Ritter of Juneau.
Eli Hutchison and Wiese, meanwhile, also won big, and they're both back next season with a chance to win four. They would join the list of just three wrestlers to have four-peated.
Here's what happened in the championship round:
103 pounds -- Alan Bartelli of Wasilla ended Michaela Hutchison's bid to become the first girls state champion in Alaska when he pinned the Skyview freshman at 1:58. Bartelli, the runner-up last year at this weight, was ranked No. 1 this season, and he earned the first set of championship points for Wasilla.
112 -- Juneau's Sungie Musarra overcame a quick takedown and rallied for a 6-2 decision against Theron Apodaca of Bartlett. Musarra, who didn't allow Apodaca to score after the opening seconds, was ranked No. 2 at season's end. Apodaca was ranked No. 3.
119 -- Colony's Dusty Killian, last year's runner-up at 119, met Wasilla's Clayton Schmidling in this all-Valley final. And Killian, ranked No. 1 in the state, prevailed with a 7-5 come-from-behind decision. Down 2-0 midway through first period, Killian scored a huge reversal and three-point near-fall to take command. He finished 30-0 in Alaska this season.
125 -- Top-ranked Hollan Gravley gave Colony its second championship victory in as many tries with his 6-3 decision over third-ranked Matt Blakeslee of South. Gravley, ranked No. 1 and the defending state champ at 112, finished the season 42-3 and improved to 80-4 in his career.
130 -- West's Ira Carson posted the Cook Inlet Conference's first win of the night with his 12-3 major decision over Wasilla's Duane Carpenter. Carson, ranked No. 3 in the state, controlled the match from the opening seconds to the final seconds, when he notched a three-point near fall as time expired. Carson had already beaten this class' No. 1-ranked wrestler, Clifton Ivanoff of Kodiak, in the semifinals.
135 -- Eli Hutchison did it again. With two titles to his credit -- at 112 as a freshman and 119 as a sophomore -- the Skyview junior, ranked No. 1 in the state, pinned second-ranked Max Rosefigura of West at 4:58. Hutchison held a slight lead most of the match then took over midway through the final period with a lightning-quick pin.
140 -- Bartlett's Shane Manuel put last season's disappointing runner-up finish at 130 behind him with a 9-8 decision over Soldotna's Brandy Goracke. Manuel, ranked No. 1, scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining for the one-point win. He finished the season 39-3 overall and 33-0 in Alaska. Goracke was third last year at 140
145 -- Kaylen Baxter of West Valley made it three titles out of four tries with his 15-4 major decision over Jordan Dubuisson of South. Baxter, the defending champion at 140 who also won at 103 as a freshman, proved worthy of his No. 1 ranking with a convincing win over the third-ranked Dubuisson. Baxter wrapped up a standout wrestling career with a 137-7 all-time record. Dubuisson finished the season 40-6.
152 -- Dustin Baxter, Kaylen's younger brother, earned the second title of the night for the Baxter family and for West Valley with his 5-2 decision over top-ranked Trevor Pempek of Wasilla. Baxter, ranked No. 3 in the state, beat second-ranked Eddie Buffington of Skyview in the semis. Baxter registered a crowd-pleasing takedown midway through the second period and held Pempek on the mat for the remainder, notching a three-point near fall that gave Baxter a 5-1 lead. Pempek last year wrestled for Palmer and was runner-up at 145.
160 -- How about 3 for 3? In two different ways. David Wiese completed a trifecta of West Valley wins in the championship round with a 28-13 technical fall against Wade Wilson of South. Wiese also captured his third straight individual title in three years. He won at 145 last year. Wiese finished the season 35-0 and improved to 98-7 for his career with one season left to wrestle. As a wrestler at Service last season, Wilson was runner-up at 152.
171 -- Wasilla's Jake Wade scored a 7-2 decision over Marcus Lopez of South. Wade, ranked No. 1 in the state all season, had little trouble with Lopez. "I was just trying to pick away at him a little bit at a time," Wade said. It was Wade's second straight title at 171.
189 -- Chugiak's Steve Willburn had the home crowd on his side when he took the mat. Soon he had South's Scott Lucas on his back. Willburn pinned South's Scott Lucas at 3:24 to the delight of the Mustang faithful. Willburn was ranked No. 1 in the state all season and pinned Lucas in last weekend's CIC meet.
215 -- Bartlett's Bobby Dunbar, who won back-to-back 215-pound titles at ACS as a sophomore and junior, had no trouble winning his first 4A title. He posted a 14-3 major decision over Juneau's Jake Ritter.
HWT -- Ketchikan's Jon Hamilton, the two-time defending heavyweight champion and the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his class, needed sudden death to edge South's Mike Petrovich. Hamilton won a 4-3 decision when he scored an escape near the end of the second overtime.
Daily News reporter Eric Smith can be reached at esmith@adn.com or 257-4335.
ASAA/First National Bank Alaska
Class 4A State Wrestling Championships
At Chugiak High
Saturday's Results
Final Team Scores -- 1) Wasilla 179; 2) South 149; 3) West Valley 113.5; 4) Skyview 107.5; 5) Juneau 104; 6) Chugiak 100; 7) Colony 96; 8) Lathrop 77; 9) West 74.5; 10) Kodiak 73.5; 11) Sitka 73; 12) Bartlett 68; 13) Ketchikan 52; 14) Soldotna 43; 15) Homer 36.5; 16) North Pole 24; 17) Dimond 15; 18) Palmer 11; 19) East 8; 20) Service 1.
Most Outstanding Wrestlers -- Ira Carson, West; David Wiese, West Valley.
Third-place matches
103 pounds -- Dante Santos, Jun, d. Jimmy Eggemeyer, Kod, 5-2.
112 -- Gerry Carrillo, Jun, d. Simeon Daigle, Hom, 3-1.
119 -- Jordan Saceda, Jun, d. Jim Jurczak, Sit, 4-2.
125 -- Ted Nelvis, West, d. Sam Carlson, Chu, 3-1.
130 -- Clifton Ivanoff, Kod, d. George Wathen, Sit, 4-2.
135 -- Ceasar Barrera, Was, d. Camron Hagen, Hom, 12-9.
140 -- Brandon Stoner, Lat, d. Cayle Byers, Chu, 3-2.
145 -- Clark Buffington, Sky, p. Mike Trudeau, Was, 3:26.
152 -- Dylan Bergman, Sit, d. Eddie Buffington, Sky, 8-6.
160 -- Iain Brown, Ket, d. James Geffe, Chu, 9-3.
171 -- Steve O'Brien, Kod, d. Tyler Wehrli, Sky, 6-5.
189 -- Dan Neetz, WV, d. Jake LaDuke, Sit, 7-2.
215 -- Josiah Bush, NP, d. Dominick Bellotte, Col, 3-1.
HWT -- Tyler Holmlund, Sit, d. Jaryd Anderson, South, 7-1.
Fifth-place matches
103 -- Andrew Van Asdoll, Col, p. Chris Brewster, South, :09.
112 -- Lucas Fried, Kod, won by forfeit over Sam Miller, Was.
119 -- Steven Guana, Kod, d. Brian Dennehy, South, 8-7.
125 -- Cody Wolf, Jun, d. Lucas Chambers, Sit, 9-2.
130 -- Daniel Tol, Chu, d. Dennis Achman, Lat, 6-0.
135 -- Kenneth Hockmuth, Kod, d. Nathan Williamson, South, 5-4.
140 -- Matt Barry, Jun, d. James Hughes, Lat, 5-2.
145 -- Scott Curry, Lat, m.d. Jason Koeling, Sit, 12-3.
152 -- Brad Jorgensen, Chu, d. Jeremy Fulk, WV, 5-0.
160 -- Chuck Carpenter, Was, p. Andrew Brown, Lat, 4:41.
171 -- Chris Pannone, Chu, p. Josh Carlon, Sky, 2:08.
189 -- Justin Zellweger, West, won by forfeit over Donald Morris, WV.
215 -- Nathan Graetz, Lat, d. Bo Dinstel, WV, 8-6.
HWT -- Sean Whitmore, Sol, won by forfeit over James Savage, Col.
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Tascosa boys and Caprock girls claim District 5 wrestling titles
By Jeremy Heath
jeremy.heath@amarillo.com
Amarillo Globe-News
Publication Date: 02/06/05
For the Tascosa boys, it was about turning around a season.
For the Caprock girls, it was more of the same.
The Tascosa boys squeaked out a 176-174 victory over second-place
Caprock -
in a meet that saw seven points separate first and third place - at the
District 5 Meet at Palo Duro Saturday. The Caprock girls outlasted
Amarillo High 121 to 108 to capture their fourth consecutive district crown.
"We had to have everybody win that did win," Tascosa coach Johnny Cobb
said. "I thought coming in that all the matches would be extremely close, and
that's exactly how it went down."
The Tascosa boys - hampered by ineligibility throughout January -
absorbed four dual district losses, two to AHS and two to Caprock. Cobb said his
team's ability to overcome that rough stretch and grab a district title
will make this one his most memorable seasons.
"This may be my favorite team of all time," Cobb said. "They showed me
a lot today, and they saved their season with this win.
The difference for Tascosa might have been two squeakers.
In 127, freshman Collin Brown defeated AHS's Jarrad Williams in double
overtime. The match ended tied at 4-4, but Brown won because he was
able to maintain control of Williams for the entire 30-second, second overtime
period. After Brown and Williams traded shots and position throughout
the first overtime with neither garnering a point, Williams chose the down
position to open the second overtime, banking on an escape to win 5-4.
Brown kept his weight over Williams and never let him gain a stable base to
create the escape.
In 147, senior Elliot Sierra defeated Palo Duro's Coy Grant 3-1 in a
match that looked destined for overtime. With the score locked at 1-1 with 10
seconds left in regulation, Sierra shot in and grabbed Grant below the
waist. He lifted Grant straight into the air and slammed him to the
mat. Before Grant could recover, Sierra slid around behind him and was
awarded the takedown with four seconds on the clock.
"This was the sixth time we had wrestled this year," Sierra said. "He
was 4-1 against me coming in, and they'd all been close. We've been feeling
each other out all year. I worked my tail off all week, and I knew I'd have
to get that last takedown and I was able to get it."
On the girls' side, the difference for Caprock was three pins in the
finals. Crystal Valdez (97) pinned AHS's Toni Cortez after getting her in a
cradle early in the second period. Melissa Chavez (104) pinned AHS's Erica
Stewart in the first period with an aggressive attack. Erica Martinez (187)
took a 7-2 lead into the third period against Tascosa's Marissa Schrepel
before registering the pin early in the third.
"I've only wrestled her a couple of time," Martinez said. "She really
fights. I thought I was going to have to win by points, but I was able
to get the pin."
AHS, which won a state duals title Jan. 15, kept it close in the finals
with key wins. Clarissa Dalke (167) pinned Tascosa's Jennie Ziegler with
four seconds left in the third period, and Hannah Skinner (140) scored a 9-3
decision over Caprock's Maci Alvarado.
The Palo Duro's Mercedes Ontiveros (121) qualified for the regional,
pinning AHS's Whitney White at the 1:46 mark.
Palo Duro lost two of its strongest wrestlers to injuries. Sasha Rivera
(167) suffered a broken arm in the first round, and Brittany Owens, who
won state at 119 last year, suffered a broken collarbone in the semifinals.
Tascosa's Angel Diaz (112), Stephani Hignight (140) and Tyra Taylor
qualified for the regional. Diaz pinned Caprock's Lisa Martinez, and
Taylor pinned Caprock's Krista Guzman.
"I didn't think I was going to lose, but I knew I would have to wrestle
hard to beat her." Taylor said. "She's really good. Knowing I can beat her,
I know I can beat anybody."
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