Daily Sitka Sentinel

Mt. Edgecumbe Wins Region V Wrestling Titles, Sitka’s Gagner Gets Wolves Individual Crown

By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Mt. Edgecumbe High won the boys Division II team championship and the girls All-Southeast championship title at the Region V Wrestling Tournament in Juneau over the weekend.
    It was the fifth straight region title for the girls and the fourth straight for the boys.
    “What makes it successful is that your kids reach their potential,” Mt. Edgecumbe coach Mike Kimber said. “We want the kids to wrestle their best at the end of the year. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose for me, what matters is they reach their potential.”
    Sitka coach Will Patrick, whose Wolves placed second, said it was also about fun.
    “If they have fun and enjoy the experience and everyone makes each other better,” Patrick said. “Ultimately, we work toward that goal of State, but to just love the sport and improve where we are at.”
    The top two girls and top three boys also qualify for the state championships next weekend at Anchorage.
    Winning region titles for the Lady Braves were 189-pound sophomore Alaina Pete (Brevig Mission - pinned soph. teammate Natasha Merlino, Koliganek), 235-pound junior Maggie Miller (Nome, 5-4 decision over soph. teammate Tryston Macar, Crooked Creek), 130-pound freshman Maysa Brown (Chevak), 145-pound  soph. Anya Pingayak (Chevak - pinned  soph. teammate Alexis Evon, Bethel), 135-pound senior Brystel Charlie (Kwethluk), and 160-pound fresh. Dakota Magnuson (McGrath).  Soph. Celeste Katcheak (Stebbins) placed second at 119-pounds, losing 5-0 to Petersburg’s Jolyn Toyomura.
    Charlie repeated her region title with a 4-0 decision against Ketchikan’s Hayley Gilson and now gets to improve on her second place state finish from a year ago.
    “This is what I have wanted all season,” Charlie said. “A team title for Mt. Edgecumbe and a chance to get back to state.”
    Magnuson pinned Metlakatla’s Haley Lynch with 32 seconds remaining in the match.
    “It felt pretty good,” she said. “It was a little bit of a challenge but that’s always good. I wrestled her three other times before this. I just wanted to win. It is really awesome that I can be part of a family so big but so together and connected and just supportive.”
    The Braves’ first region title of the meet came from undefeated, defending region and state champion 285-pound junior Haley Osborne (Nome), who pinned Haines’ Wesley Verhamme with 51 seconds remaining in the first period.
    Osborne’s size was dwarfed this season only by coach Kimber, who pulled him aside after the match.
    “He told me I was too far out on my shot,” Osborne said, “to wait until I was a little bit closer and to be more patient – that’s about it. There’s always going to be something wrong but you just have to notice it. This is just one more step toward state, I guess. I feel great we have a team title. I feel accomplished with that. It was our goal.’
    Osborne thanked his opponents and offered advice to future wrestlers.
    “Stay true to yourself and just work hard,” he said.

Mt. Edgecumbe junior Haley Osborne breaks down Haines’ Wesley Verhenne in the Division II 285-pound title match during the Southeast Region V Championships in Juneau over the weekend. Osborne won by pin to remain undefeated. Both wrestlers qualified for state. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    Sitka’s first and only individual title came from 140-pound senior Jacob Gagner with a 5-1 decision over Craig’s Timber Patton.
    Gagner said the match was far from his best.
    “I should have done better on my feet. I need to work on my feet and hammer the head. That’s another set-up I should have been using, pushing on his head a little bit more. I’m happy getting a region title, though.”

Sitka senior Jacob Gagner reverses against Craig’s Timber Patton in the Division II 140-pound title match during the Southeast Region V Championships in Juneau over the weekend. Gagner won the match 5-1. Both wrestlers qualified for state. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    Last season, Gagner suffered a concussion before regions and earned a state berth via injury default. He then lost in the early rounds.
    “I was able to pull it off freshman year. Then I had some bad sophomore and junior seasons, but I got them back here,” he said. “I would like to say thanks to Troy Thain, the Craig coach. I got to wrestle one of his kids every year and it has always been fun. It has always been a good match. They have always been pushing me and gave me something that I have to keep in my mind when I am training.”
    Wolves joining Gagner for State are second place 189-pound junior John Welsh (lost 9-4 to Wrangell’s Dillon Rooney), second place 215-pound junior Max Johnson (lost 5-4 to Metlakatla’s Conrad Hudson), second place 160-pound senior Reilly Holden (lost via injury to Petersburg’s Kole Sperl), second place 103-pound freshman Colton Ewers (lost 4-3 to Wrangell’s Ryan Rooney), and second place 145-pound senior Gavin Hammock.
    Hammock and Mt. Edgecumbe senior Leon Evon (Bethel) tussled in another fan favorite match with Evon defending his region title and earning the 5-2 win and a chance to improve on last year’s third-place state finish.

Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka wrestlers and fans line the edge of the Division II 145-pound title match between Braves senior Leon Evon and Wolves senior Gavin Hammock during the Southeast Region V Championships in Juneau over the weekend. Evon won the match 5-2. Both wrestlers qualified for the State Championshiips in Anchorage this weekend. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    Mt. Egecumbe’s trail to the top podium was well-traveled.
    The Braves’ 119-pound sophomore teammate Ethan Cooke (Bethel) defeated junior Ajey Moses (Chevak) 6-3.
    “I was about to lose but I knew I could get a reversal and a near fall,” Cooke said. “I just kept fighting until the end. There was about 30 seconds left. I feel pretty awesome. I feel relieved that we both are going to state and that we are also teammates.”
    Braves 130-pound junior Lloydy Ayojiak (Togiak) topped Wrangell’s Fenton Jim 7-2.
    “Every time he was head tapping and reaching, that was when I had to shoot, every time,” Ayojiak said. “Everything gets dizzy after he hits you in the eye a couple of times. This means a lot after not making it to regions last year from a broken collarbone. Togiak doesn’t really have a high school wrestling team, they’re only running a middle school team. Over the years if those kids stick to wrestling I think most will make it to state. All my family that live in Anchorage are going to be coming to watch me at State. I would like to say thank you to all the competitors for teaching me and learning with me.”
    Braves’ second place finishes went to 112-pound sophomore Dayton Hoblet (False Pass / lost 12-1 to Wrangell’s Jonah Comstock), 135-pound sophomore Zane Mahoney (Sitka / lost 17-6 to Petersburg’s Kayden Geelan), and 152-pound senior Josh DeAsis (Juneau / pinned by Wrangell’s Hunter Wiederspohn).
    Braves’ third place finishes included Dean Paniptchuk, Ethan Cooke, Zane Mahoney, Jeffery Adams, Robert Deason, Noah Andrew, Ethan Sergie, and Leroy Bradley. At large state berths were awarded to Nelson Jackson, Maliyah Moultrie, Raquel George and Amiah Kroto.
    In all, 228 matches were wrestled in the region tourney.
    At the conclusion of 228, tournament officials voted to give Mt. Edgecumbe for the Sportsmanship Award for boys and girls.

The Mt. Edgecumbe High School wrestling teams won the Division II Boys and Girls Championships and Sportsmanship Awards at the Southeast Region V Championships in Juneau over the weekend. This was the fifth consecutive Southeast Region V title for the Lady Braves and fourth consecutive Southeast Region V title for the Braves. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    The team crowded in a corner for their “arigaa.” It is a chant brought from Barrow by former student Perry Nageak. It means “I feel good.” The chant is in honor of Nageak who lost his life under suspicious circumstances a few years after graduation. The team added “I ain’t afraid of nothin’ cuz I went to boardin’ school,” a lyric from a Vincent Craig song that another former student, Luki Akelkok, played for the team.
    “We are a close team,” Mt. Edgecumbe’s Osborne said. “It’s a close region. We all get to know each other over time.”
    Added Sitka’s Gagner, “It’s a lot of fun just being here. Everyone knows everyone else and is really close.”
    Ketchikan won the Division I team title with Thunder Mountain second.
    The highlight DI match of the tourney featured TMHS senior Jahrease Mayes and KTN senior Matthew Rodriguez. The two had battled through middle school but never met in high school until this year, and Rodriguez dropped down to 125-pounds to win the bout.
    The tournament’s most uplifting match, however, was not for a trip to state or a region title. It was match of true competitive spirit.
    During the third place matches earlier in the day, senior Brandon Wieber, a defending State placer, went against teammate Gabe Tabb, a special needs student with the sports biggest heart.
    “It’s not really just for me,” Wieber said. “I like being able to wrestle him because I know him, we are friends. Just letting him do things makes me feel good knowing that he is feeling good being able to do stuff that usually he can’t. He’s always trying hard. He’s really funny. He gets along with everyone and he’s just a good kid. He’s learned to be more communicative with people doing this, and in practice we talk to him and he gets the feel for it.”
    The two exchanged reversals and takedowns. They sweated. They applied arm bars. They tried to pin each other. In the end Wieber’s arm was raised but it came down in an embrace around his friend.
    “I love wrestling because it’s a fun sport and you get to move people against their will,” Tabb said. “And also I just enjoy hanging out, you know, just with people and getting out of town. So if people are looking for a good sport I highly recommend wrestling. Also you don’t have to try out, which is good.”
    When told that his opponent, and teammate, Wieber, said he was fun to wrestle against, Tabb said, “That is true. I have some interesting techniques. I like him. He’s a cool guy. Yeah, he’s pretty fun to wrestle. I have learned a few moves from him, like when he took me down or like when he shoots on me. I can do better now on the front headlocks. Yeah, that’s why I love wrestling.”
    DII Team Scores:
    1. MEHS 158; 2. CRG 120; 3. WRG 110; 4. SIT 107.5; 5. PSG 93; 6. MET 34; 7. HNS 27; 8. HYD 17.5; 9. TB 13; 10. Kake, KLWK 0.
    Southeast Girls Team Scores:
    MEHS 140; 2. KTN 60; 3. PSG 46; 4. MET 41; 5. WRG 37; 6. TMHS; 7. CRG, HYD, Kake, KLWK 0.
    DI Team Scores:
    KTN 200; 2. TMHS 123.
    DII Individual Placings:
    103 - 1. Ryan Rooney (Wrg); 2. Ewers (SIT); 3. Paniptchuk (MEHS).
    112 - 1. Comstock (WRG); 2. Hoblet (MEHS); 3. Deason (MEHS); 4. Chatham Clark (SIT).
    119 - 1. Cooke (MEHS); 2. Moses (MEHS); 3. Josh Coonrad (PSG).
    125 - 1. Zach Giron (CRG); 2. Reed Anderson (PSG); 2. Brady Eaton-Milne (MET); 4. Trey Dock (MEHS, Anchorage).
    130 - 1. Ayojiak (MEHS); 2. Jim (WRG); 3. Andrew (MEHS); 4. Hunter Johnson (SIT).
    135 - 1. Kayden Geelan (PSG); 2. Mahoney (MEHS); 3. Sergie (MEHS); 4. John Bisset (PSG).
    140 - 1. Gagner (SIT); 2. Patton (CRG); 3. Bradley (MEHS); 4. Dylan Jackson (MEHS, Kwethluk).
    145 - 1. Evon (MEHS); 2. Hammock (SIT); 3. Ruben Hoppe (CRG); 4. Nelson Jackson (MEHS, Kwethluk).
    152 - 1. Wiederspohn (WRG); 2. DeAsis (MEHS); 3. Orion Ensign (CRG); 4. Alex Andrews (MEHS, St. Michael).
    160 - 1. Kole Sperl (PSG); 2. Holden (SIT); 3. Luke Wegend (CRG); 4. James Shilts (WRG).
    171 - 1. Wayland Patton (CRG); 2. Koren Sperl (PSG); 3. Guy Sanderson (HYD); 4. Jake Eastaugh (WRG).
    189 - 1. Rooney (WRG); 2. Welsh (SIT); 3. Kamakana Kanahele (HNS); 4. Sawyer Bryner (PSG).
    215 - 1. Hudson (MET); 2. Johnson (SIT); 3. Adams (MEHS, Mentasta Lake).
    285 - 1. Osborne (MEHS); 2. Verhamme (HNS); 3. Ulric Lehman (CRG); 4. Ethan Harvey (TB).
    SE Girls Individual Placings:
    103 - 1. Louisse Beuno (KTN).
    112 - 1. Liana Carney (WRG).
    119 - 1. Toyomura (PSG); 2. Katcheak (MEHS); 3. Ruby McCue (KTN); 4. Dahlia Berns (MEHS, Old Harbor).
    125 - 1. Ruby Massin (PSG); 2. Ada Odden (KTN); 3. Moultrie (MEHS, Bethel); 4. Adeline Dyment (MEHS, Bethel).
    130 - 1. Brown (MEHS); 2. Orion Denny (TMHS); 3. Regan Hoblet (MEHS, False Pass).
    135 - 1. Charlie (MEHS); 2. Gilson (KTN); 3. Elizabeth Johnson (WRG); 4. Ewa Booth (MET).
    145 - 1. Pingayak (MEHS); 2. Evon (MEHS); 3. Sophia Ely (WRG); 4. Jaden Perry (PSG).
    160 - 1. Magnuson (MEHS); 2. Lynch (MET); 3. Alyvia Askren (MET); 4. Jaclyn Kernak (MEHS, Bethel).
    189 - 1. Pete (MEHS); 2. Merlino (MEHS); 3. Amaiah Kroto (MEHS, Glennallen).
    235 - 1. Miller (MEHS); 2. Macar (MEHS).
    DI Individual Placings:
    103 - 1. Degan Linne (KTN); 2. Kadin Messmer (TMHS).
    112 - Kai Biagi (KTN); 2. Ricky Ramirez (TMHS).
    119 - 1. Patrick Rauwolf (KTN); 2. Kolin Houthoofd (KTN).
    125 - 1. Rodriguez (KTN). 2. Mays (TMHS).
    130 - 1. Charlie Blair (KTN); 2. Brock Thomas (KTN); 3. Mauricio Herndandez (TMHS).
    135 - 1. Nate Houston (TMHS); 2. Ben Tabb (KTN); 3. Blaze Darbonne (TMHS).
    140 - 1. Andy Collins (KTN); 2. Kaleb Paddock (TMHS).
    145 - 1. Brayden Linne (KTN); 2. Owen Campbell (KTN).
    152 - 1. Richard Stuart (KTN); 2. Ezra Ellisof (TMHS).
    160 - 1. Carson Cowan (KTN); 2. Connor Ray (KTN).
    171 - 1. Nick Tipton (TMHS); 2. Steven Ireland-Haight (TMHS); 3. Sully Schulz (KTN).
    189 - 1. Brandon Wieber (KTN); 2. Camden Erickson (TMHS); 3. Waren Balluta (KTN); 4. Gabe Tabb.
    215 - 1. Derek Mason (TMHS); 2. Jacob Ferster (TMHS); 3. Jaret Warstler (KTN).