Wrangell’s high school wrestlers took 10th overall at the Anchorage Christian Schools Tournament over the weekend. Drawing teams from all over the state, Wolves coach Jeff Rooney explained the ACS is a good forerunner to State.
“It was a phenomenal tournament,” he recalled. “Of course you know we met some head-on competition there. We had some tough wrestling going on.”
Of the 350 or so wrestlers participating in the tournament, three of Wrangell’s nine students ended up taking third placements.
J.D. Barratt took third place for the 98-pound weight class, winning five of six match-ups. After pinning Glenn Balanza of Barrow High School in 0:45, he was bested by fall by Homer’s Wayne Newman after 5:21. In the consolation bracket, he went on to beat Maxim Kusnetsov of Voznesenka High School by 4-0 decision.
In the Varsity 138, Sam Armstrong wrestled third place, winning five for six matches. Three pins were made in quick succession, at 1:14, 1:19, and 0:54, before heading to the consolation bracket. There, he bested Bethel’s Mian Alexie-Leonard by a 16-3 major decision, and won the bracket after pinning Martin Gardiner of Dillingham in 3:35.
For the 170-pound bracket, Chet Armstrong won six of his seven matches. His first two wins ended in quick pins, at 0:22 and 0:32. He was sent to the consolation bracket by Mt. Edgecumbe’s Arthur ‘Co Freitas in a 10-4 decision, where he finished his next three matches in pins. He won his fourth against Freitas in a rematch, earning third place after a pin in 5:06.
Orion Heller won two of four matches in the Varsity 120. He bested Simon Estes of Seward High School by 8-2 decision in the first round, pinning Dillon Chaney of Dillingham after 5:50. He then met his match in Nikiski’s T.J. Cox and was knocked out from the consolation bracket in the following match.
In the 126-pound class, Ian Jenson won two for four matches, ending a match against Sitka’s Harry Hartzog in a pin in just 0:47. He lost the next round by forfeiture and was beaten by major decision in the consolation.
In the 145-pound bracket, Roger Miller won four of seven matches, finishing in sixth place. Teammate Sig Decker won two of four matches. Also wrestling in the 138-pound and 160-pound brackets, teammates Dillon Rooney and Darren Shilts each went nil for two.
Coach Rooney said the team is continuing to improve, working on its footwork.
“They’re doing a fine job, I’m very proud of them,” he said.
The team competes again this weekend at Craig, and has another tournament in Sitka before Region V in Petersburg starts Dec. 11.
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