By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
With only three days to go before the Region V tournament in Ketchikan, wrestlers representing the Sitka Wolves and the Mt. Edgecumbe Braves took to the mat in the last regular season meet in Petersburg over the weekend.
Though he’s new to the sport, Sitka High sophomore Mitchell Sachsenmaier was happy for the chance to compete with some other teams.
“Since this is my first year of wrestling, it was cool to wrestle with other kids on different teams,” Sachsenmaier told the Sentinel Monday. “The most challenging (aspect) is remembering the different moves, trying to stay in shape and be on weight.”
Sitka High’s Evander Elixman competes in the wrestling tournament over the weekend in Petersburg. The team will wrestle in the Region V tournament next weekend in Ketchikan. (Chris Baslinger/ Petersburg Pilot)
He wrestles in the competitive 152-pound weight class, and at the Petersburg tourney he won by fall against two Ketchikan High wrestlers but lost to his teammate David Davis.
In the days remaining before this weekend’s regional competition he would like to make a few final adjustments.
“I’m hoping to improve on top and work on these different moves and try to stay in control, not fall on my back or get tripped,” he said.
In a typical tournament, wrestlers stick with their teams, but in Petersburg, athletes crossed over between teams and divisions in a less rigid format.
“I guess it wasn’t really a tournament,” SHS junior Kai Davis said. “I kind of liked how it was just like, ‘Oh, I’m wrestling this guy next,’ or, ‘If I win or lose, there’s no really terrible thing.’ Or just wrestling around and getting matches done before regions.”
The top two finishers in each weight class at regions advance to the state tournament. Davis finished third place at regions last year and is aiming for the state competition this season. In Petersburg, he won in all three rounds of the 130-pound weight class on the second day of the tournament, after winning one and losing one on the opening day.
Another Sitka junior, Aiden Ojala, thinks he has fair odds of doing well at the regional tourney. His chances will be helped, he noted, if one of his main adversaries drops down to a lighter weight class.
“He’ll be wrestling 189 or 171 in regions. But if he is in 171, then I have a good shot at winning regions for 189. (But) I’ll definitely do my best if he’s 189,” Ojala said.
In Petersburg, he spent time wrestling with the Juneau-Douglas team. On the first day, he won both of his matches in the 189-pound weight class, and on the second day he won by fall against his teammate Sam Johnson.
The Region V matchup will demonstrate a season’s worth of preparation, Wolves coach Mike Callahan said.
“That’s what we go to our matches on the weekends for, and it’s time to put it all on the table and see how we do, and work our way to state,” Callahan said.
His mid-weight wrestlers – those who fall between 130 and 189 pounds – will face difficult competition from other athletes in the region, he said. In the final days before regionals, Callahan wants his team to work on technique and cardio.
“We’re looking a little more to get a couple moves in on top. Keep on working on our conditioning and just kind of honing in on what we’ve already placed in the status quo. It’s been working for us, we’re improving every week and there’s no reason to change what’s not broken,” the coach said.
Many members of the Mt. Edgecumbe squad weren’t at the Petersburg meet, but some of the teams’ less experienced athletes were there.
“Going into the regional tournament, every wrestler has to have at least one match in the season. And so for a few of our wrestlers, because they were injured throughout the season, they were finally cleared this week to get their first match,” said assistant coach Deedee Creed.
In a follow up text, Creed cited some of her team’s highlights at Petersburg: “Last year’s region placers, Paraaq “Bobo” Nelson (189 pounds) Alan Borbridge (160 pounds) and R.J. Didrickson (171 pounds) came back to the tournament looking strong after early season injuries. Didrickson ended Edgecumbe’s last match of the tournament with a solid win over Craig after fighting off his back in the first round. Evan Andrew bumped up to 125 (pounds) for the weekend and was surprised he was able to lift a kid in the air for a takedown.”
Though he wasn’t in Petersburg, Edgecumbe senior Tyson Olsen feels prepared for Region V this weekend.
“I think I’m doing pretty good. I think I’ve got regions pretty under control. And, well, my goal is to go to state and try to just have fun,” Olsen said at practice Monday.
Over the next four days, he hopes to get “all my techniques down, all my new techniques, hitting some of my old ones too. And I’m a three year region champ already. Time to go for a fourth!”
Thinking toward the state competition, he foresees serious competition a week and a half from now in Anchorage.
“It’s looking really tough this year. There’s really lots of good wrestlers. There’s some that are getting better – and better than me at a recent tournament – but I think I could take them if I could just practice a little bit more,” Olsen said.
With his four-year tenure as a high school wrestler ending soon, Olsen said he’ll miss the sport.
“It feels sad, but doesn’t feel too bad at the same time, because now I can eat as much as I want. But still sad because I love wrestling as a sport,” Olsen said. “It’s so competitive and yet so cooperative, everybody’s nice to each other.”
He plans to attend college, but isn’t yet sure what he’d like to study. He expects to miss the atmosphere at MEHS.
“I’m going to miss how it provides a home-like atmosphere. In two months, everybody knows each other. Everybody’s got friends, everybody can hang out with each other. We’re never really alone. We can always go talk to anybody. And this feels like home now,” he said.
Another Edgecumbe senior, McKayla Kazingnuk, is looking forward to regions for a different reason. It’s a chance to engage in some sibling rivalry.
“I’m really excited to go and wrestle and tell my sister all about it… I think I’m better,” Kazingnuk said.
After a third place regional finish last season, Kazingnuk has her eyes on the first place spot this year.
“It’s kind of scary, but at the same time, it’s really great this season since my last meet, I only lost two and won two. So I feel confident of winning regionals,” she said.
Kazingnuk’s teammate Elston Dock feels well prepared for regions.
“The intensity has gone really up. I’m excited. I’m ready for regionals. Ready to wrestle,” Dock said. “For me, it’s a lot of technique. And how I can compete with the people that are at the top of our weight class,” he said.
He is a senior and after graduation he plans to study welding at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward.
“I’ll really miss the wrestling team the most because this is my favorite sport. And hopefully I get to come back up here to teach some more people,” Dock said.
Assistant coach Creed thinks the Braves and Lady Braves will have fair odds in Ketchikan this weekend.
“Both our boys and girls are competitive for a region title as a team,” Creed said. “And I think right now we have, on our girls side, 12 out of the 14 girls are new to our team this year.”
The Region V tournament will take place Friday and Saturday in Ketchikan.
