Wolves take top spots

Preparation and desire can be said to be the key to winning in wrestling. That said, hard work pays off in spades when you find yourself atop the dais after the finals – with a gold medal around your neck and the title “champion.”

Becoming a champion is exactly what two Wolves wrestlers did last week in Juneau during the 2011 Pilot Invitational tournament at Thunder Mountain High School.

Keeping true to form, juniors Kurt Dingwall and Tanner Thomassen returned to the top spot at the tournament by taking wins in each of their matches and leading Wrangell to victory over wrestlers from 16 other 3A/4A schools in Southeast.

Wrangell head wrestling coach Jeff Rooney said being in Juneau for the tournament would help his wrestlers as they prepare for the Region V tournament in Sitka this weekend.

“This has been a decent tournament full of good competition,” Rooney said. “It was also our second and final opportunity to meet with the 4A schools in the region this year.”

The tournament was an 8-, 16-, and 32-man bracketed event, with the top four wrestlers in each weight class taking home a win.

In his march to victory, Dingwall began on top with the No. 1 seed in his 138-pounder bracket.

Rooney said he was proud of the way Dingwall competed against a tough slate of wrestlers.

“Kurt has been competing very well, and due to his past victories, the No. 1 spot was well deserved,” Rooney said. “Kurt pinned his way to the finals where he received a 4-0 victory, anchoring him the top finish for the tournament.”

Thomassen performed equally well for Wrangell and began the tournament as a top-seed.

“Tanner anchored the No. 1 spot once again in his bracket,” Rooney added. “It was a much deserved position due to his previous tournament victories this season. Tanner also pinned his way to the top and received a second period pin in the finals, bringing home another 1st place title for the Wolves.”

In the 170-pound weight class, sophomore Devon Miller started out with a No. 2 seed and quickly made his way to the finals against the mammoth talent of Michael Mathew from Mt. Edgecumbe.

“Devon was placed in the 2nd seed position of his bracket where he advanced to the finals with a trio of quick victories under his belt,” Rooney said. “The finals match put him up against the No. 1 seed for his bracket and seasoned rival out of Mt. Edgecumbe, where he suffered a loss and acquired the No. 2 placement for the tournament.”

Freshman Jeffrey Rooney, Jr., made his first appearance at a tournament in a high school setting, taking away a 5th/6th place split position in the 160-pound class – and the proud words of his dad and coach.

“Jeffrey suffered an injury early in the season making him ineligible for competition until the Pilot Invitational,” Rooney added. “Jeffrey’s placement on the bracket matched him up with the No. 2 competitor for the region. Even though he wrestled well, Jeffrey suffered a loss and advanced to the consolation side of his bracket where he secured three victories before his second loss and removal from the tournament bracket. His matches put him in line for 5th/6th place match up for his first tournament, but unfortunately there was not enough time for those matches to take place.”

As the tournament progressed, the big guns for Wrangell came out in the form of juniors Steven Barger and Lorenzo Silva.

Barger, wrestling in the 182-pounder weight class, wrestled well according to Rooney.

“Steven puts up a good fight and is continually learning,” Rooney said. “Steven’s matches put him in line for a 5th or 6th place finish for the team, but that matchup was not allowed due to time constraints. As we approach region tournament, we are looking forward to some good competition coming from him.”

Rooney also had glowing words for Silva, his 195-pound heavyweight.

“Silva earned two victories before his matchup with the No. 1 wrestler for our region, where he suffered a loss sending him to consolations,” Silva said. “Lorenzo’s first match on the consolation side of the bracket put him up against a tough young man out of Ketchikan, where he suffered his second loss. That put him in line for a 5th/6th place finish. Lorenzo has been doing well this season and I’m anticipating him finishing well at region.”

After all was said and done, the Wolves finished the tournament in 4th place overall, and in 3rd place among 3A schools.

After taking some time off for the holidays, Rooney added, it’s back to the grindstone.

“Every one of our wrestlers contributed to the team scoring for the tournament and we brought home a No. 4 overall finish and No. 3 finish for 3A Schools in Southeast,” Rooney said. “All of the Wolves did extremely well this past weekend at Thunder Mountain. Each and every one of the boys on the team has been working very hard and improving on every aspect of their style and intensity. The region is taking a weekend off for Thanksgiving then we are on to our tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe.”

Of the 12 wrestlers on the Wolves team, 9 were able to attend last week’s tournament.

The Region V tournament is set for Dec. 2-3 at Sitka’s Mt. Edgecumbe High School.