By KLAS STOLPE
Sitka Sentinel Writer
The Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka wrestling teams placed second and third, respectively in the Pilot Invitational at Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School over the weekend.
Ketchikan won with 217.5 team points, Mt. Edgecumbe 140, Sitka 134.5, Wrangell 126, Thunder Mountain 112, Metlakatla 28, Haines 20, and Thorne Bay 16.
“We fought really hard,” Sitka assistant coach Cliff Chandler said. “I saw a lot of improvement this weekend. Some kids who have never wrestled before went 4-4, which is amazing to see. We had guys that fought hard and won matches they were not supposed to, so we are really happy with that. We have a lot to work on still but it was a great tournament. The biggest thing we need to work on is explosiveness, but I think every team has to work on that, it is the biggest part of wrestling. It is still early in the season for sure.”
Sitka senior Wayne Young closes in on a pin against Thorne Bay’s Ethan Brigham during the Pilot Invitational, Friday, at Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Sitka senior Jacob Gagner won the 140-pound title. Mt. Edgecumbe winners were senior Brystel Charlie (Kwethluk) girls 135; sophomore Anya Pingayak (Chevak) girls 160; sophomore Alaina Pete (Brevig Mission) girls 189; and junior Haley Osborne boys 285.
“We just want to grow from this weekend,” Mt. Edgecumbe coach Mike Kimber said. “Leon Evon (Bethel) took a loss I was not expecting and I thought that we were not having a great day, but then I realized how many kids we have in the finals, so it was a pretty good tournament for us.
“We need to build on that. Kids need to work on some stuff. I thought Josh Deasis and Lloydy Ayojiak, even though they lost, had super tough opponents and they wrestled just out of their minds in those matches. They both had opportunities to win, they both scored points against kids who were state finalists. They have never been in those situations before and they did great jobs. Brystal Charlie is getting more mat time, and Haley Osborne was dominant.”
Kimber is trying to find ways to keep Osborne, the defending state champion, on the mat as opponents usually succumb to a pin in the first round. It is a scenario Kimber also experienced when he wrestled at Mt. Edgecumbe and when he finally did meet an evenly matched opponent the bout went three rounds and his cardio was maxed out.
Mt. Edgecumbe Lady Braves sophomore Anya Pingayak tries to control Ketchikan’s Hyley Gilson during their 160-pound championship in the Pilot Invitational on Saturday at Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School. Pingayak won by 7-3 decision. Mt. Edgecumbe wrestles in a dual meet at Sitka High School tonight, beginning at 5:30 p.m. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
“When I got to a match that wasn’t over in seconds I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Kimber said. “So we want Haley to get some longer match times. We want him to be mentally prepared for those kinds of matches.”
Osborne controlled his 285-pound championship match over Haines’ Wesley Verhamme, letting his opponent out of near pin situations to gain more time, and cardio, on the mat, while also giving said opponent experience against a top wrestler. Osborne totaled less minutes on the weekend in three matches, than a normal one-match outing.
“I respect every one of my opponents,” Osborne said. “I need to work more on my technique and longer matches help with that.”
Sitka’s Reilly Holden grapples with Wrangell’s Hunter Wiederspohn during the Pilot Invitational at Juneau (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Braves runner-up finishes were junior Lloydy Ayojiak (Togiak) at 130, and senior Josh DeAsis (Juneau) at 152.
Lady Braves runner-up finishes were junior Maliyah Moultrie (Bethel) at 125, and sophomore Natasha Merlino (Koliganek) at 189.
Wolves second place finishers were senior Kyle England at 135, senior Gavin Hammock at 145, junior Sidney Fleming at 160, and junior Maximus Johnson at 215.
Johnson faced a top state ranked opponent in Thunder Mountain’s Derek Mason in the final, losing 6-0 but leaving his opponent spent.
“You just have to keep going,” Johnson said. “You just have to push through it. It’s all mental. If you tell yourself you can do it, you can do it.”
Johnson also upset the region’s number one seed in the semifinals.
“It made me feel really happy,” Johnson said. “I worked really hard. I felt lucky, to be honest… I felt like I just came out there and wrestled the best match that I could and it paid off for me. I definitely need to work on keeping my head up and my hand control. I am going to have to get stronger on bottom and better on my shots.”
As happy as Johnson was with his match, Mt. Edgecumbe’s Ayojiak was beaming from ear to ear. His smile is something that follows him to every match.
“I am just thinking to do better every day, every match,” Ayojiak said. “Do better and keep a positive attitude.”
When the finalists lined up to be introduced, bout by bout, Ayojiak shook hands with the state’s defending champion from Ketchikan Matthew Rodriguez, and was ecstatic with the exchange.
Ayojiak went the full three rounds against Rodriguez and had a good shot and ankle pick for a take down that could have won him the match. In the end Rodriguez scored the 8-2 decision.
“Either win or lose I knew I was going to get on the mat and then off the mat and learn something,” he said. “I learned that sometimes there are going to be wrestlers that are better than you and faster than you and stronger than you. But then you have to just keep going and learn in the next match. Next time I will move around faster and take more shots.”
Ketchikan’s Matthew Rodriguez shoots in against Mt. Edgecumbe’s Lloydy Ayojiak during the 130-pound championship of the Pilot Invitational at Juneau. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Sitka will host Mt. Edgecumbe tonight at 5:30 p.m. for a dual meet.
Championship Finals
Boys 103 - KTN’s Degan Linne pinned TMHS’ Kadin Messmer (TMHS) with 49 seconds remaining in the third round.
Boys 112 - WRG’s Ryan Rooney won by 13-12 decision over WRG’s Jonah Comstock. Wolves freshman Colton Ewers placed third here, Braves sophomore Dayton Hoblet (False Pass) fifth, and Wolves freshman Chatham Clark eighth.
Boys 119 - KTN’s Brock Thomas pinned KTN’s Kolin Houthoofd with 10 seconds remaining in the third round.
Boys 125 - TMHS’ Jahrease Mays pinned KTN’s Patrick Rauwolf with 50 seconds remaining in the first round.
Girls 125 - WRG’s Liana Carney pinned MEHS’ Moultrie with 1:09 remaining in the second round. Lady Braves junior Adeline Dyment (Bethel) placed fourth here, and sophomore Cheyenne Murphy (Bethel) fifth.
Boys 130 - KTN’s Matthew Rodriguez won by 11-2 major decision over MEHS’ Ayojiak. Wolves sophomore Hunter Johnson placed sixth here.
Boys 135 - WRG’s Fenton Jim won by 12-10 decision over SHS’ England.
Girls 135 - MEHS’ Charlie pinned MET’s Ewa Booth with 16 seconds remaining in the first round.
Boys 140 - SHS’ Gagner pinned KTN’s Andy Collins with two seconds remaining in the second round.
Boys 145 - KTN’s Brayden Linne won by 13-3 major decision over SHS’ Hammock. MEHS’ Evon placed third here and senior teammate Trevor Akelkok (Dillingham) fourth, and junior Lucas Arnold (Sitka) fifth.
Boys 152 - KTN’s Richard Stuart pinned MEHS’ DeAsis with 1:10 remaining in the third round. SHS senior Wayne Young placed third here, and MEHS freshman Thomas Tinker (Dillingham) fifth.
Boys 160 - WRG’s Hunter Wiederspohn won by 14-10 decision over SHS’ Fleming. Wolves senior Reilly Holden placed third here and Wolves juniors Trenton Hammock and Thomas Bailey placed fourth and sixth, respectively.
Girls 160 - MEHS’ Pingayak won by 7-3 decision over KTN’s Hayley Gilson. Lady Braves senior Jaclyn Kernak (Bethel) placed fifth and freshman Hailee Wallace (Kodiak) sixth.
Boys 171 - TMHS’ Nick Tipton won by 13-2 major decision over KTN’s Wyatt Glen.
Boys 189 - KTN’s Brandon Wieber won by 6-2 decision over TMHS’ Camden Erickson. Wolves junior John Welsh placed third here.
Girls 189 - MEHS’ Pete won by 8-1 decision over MEHS’ Merlino..
Boys 215 - TMHS’ Derek Mason won by a 6-0 decision over SHS’ Johnson. Wolves junior Gabe VanVeen placed fourth here and Braves sophomore Jeffery Adams (Mentasta Lake) fifth.
Boys 285 - MEHS’ Osborne pinned HNS’ Wesley Verhamme with nine seconds left in the first round. Wolves freshman Alex Johnson placed fifth here.
In a 130 exhibition SHS’ H. Johnson major decisioned WRG’s Larson 18-4; in a 112 exhibition SHS’ Clark topped Thorne Bay’s Raymond Wooten 10-1; and in a 140 exhibition SHS’ Gagner pinned teammate England.
