The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team took their show on the road to the Alaska 1A-3A tournament at Nikiski over the Dec. 9-10 weekend – and came away with a 5th place win for two of the squad’s wrestlers.
Of the 12 wrestlers on the Wolves squad, five of them – Kurt Dingwall, Tanner Thomassen, Jeff Rooney, Jr., Devon Miller and Lorenzo Silva – earned their right to attend the state tournament.
According to head coach Jeff Rooney, the team battled hard through the tournament that saw 16-man brackets for each weight class and a total of 224 wrestlers competing.
“Of the 82 teams and five regions competing for placement at the state tournament, the Wolves had the opportunity to compete with 46 teams from around the state,” Rooney said. “Our wrestlers received 15th place out of the 47 teams as a school score, and our boys competed very well. As we end the season this year, and look to next year, I am very optimistic that we will have a great team next season and am looking forward to more championships and high team placements.”
The top placing wrestlers for Wrangell, Dingwall and Thomassen, each had their own unique path to their final matches of 2011, Rooney added.
Kurt Dingwall
“Kurt was our champion at regions and entered the state tournament with a 21-3 record and the No. 5 spot in the tournament bracket this year,” Rooney said of his 138-pound junior. “Kurt’s first match against John Oulton of Bethel was an impressive 32-second victory. His second match was against the 4th place seed, Doug O’Hara of Kotzebue, which ended in Kurt’s first loss for the tournament.”
Dingwall’s third match against Gus Nelson of Kotzebue ended late in the 1st period with another pin. He then matched up with Carsen Trumblee of Cordova, which resulted in a 3rd period pin. Next up was Noah Roetman of Kotzebue – and the second loss for Dingwall in a very close 9-8 decision.
“The second loss put him in position for a 5th place match with the No. 2 seed, Dennis Wilson of Dillingham,” Rooney said. “Kurt wrestled very well and defeated Wilson for a No. 5 spot for the tournament. Kurt is a fine competitor and he has had a great season this year. I’m very happy and proud of Kurt for all his accomplishments.”
Tanner Thomassen
Wrangell’s other top placer, junior Tanner Thomassen, entered the tournament in the 6th seed after coming off a Region V victory earlier this month.
“Tanner earned the 1st place at regions and entered the state tournament with a 33-6 record and the sixth seed in the tournament bracket this year,” Rooney said. “Tanner’s first match up with Brian Allen of Valdez ended middle of the second period with a pin. His second match up against the No. 3 seed, Tyler Anelon of Newhalen, ended early in the first with a loss for Tanner. His third match against seasoned rival Jake Licari of Sitka ended with a 10-3 victory.
The victories for Thomassen kept coming, Rooney added, up to the very end of the tournament.
“(Tanner’s) fourth match against another southeast rival, Joshua Kerstein of Haines, ended with a pin victory in the second period. Tanner then met the No. 5 seed, Michael Ace of Nikiski, where he suffered his second loss. Tanner then defeated Sam Atkinson of Kotzebue for the 5th place finish for the state tournament. Tanner had a tremendous season and I’m very happy with his results.”
Miller walked away with a 6th place finish for the tournament, while Silva and Jeff Rooney, Jr., failed to win in their final matches.
“All of the boys competed very well for the Wolves this season,” Rooney added. “Each and every one of the boys on the team represented themselves, their school and our community with honor and respect all season long. Coach Miller and I are very honored to having had the opportunity to work with them and look forward to another great season next year.”
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