Senior wrestler Caleb Groshong looks to throw Craig High School student Kayden Bird, during their bracket's final round in Wrangell on Saturday. Groshong was one of four teammates to take first place that evening.
The 2017 Tom Sims Invitational last weekend saw six of seven Wrangell wrestlers make the finals, with four of them taking first placements in their weight brackets.
"It was a great tournament," said coach Jeff Rooney. "A lot of positive remarks."
The hosting team's first tournament of the season followed its big fundraiser dinner the previous weekend, where players served around 180 people.
"We appreciate all the support from the community for that," said assistant coach Jack Carney. The funds raised from the dinner will go to support the team's travel budget.
There were a few hiccups to the weekend, starting with some problems with the software to upload stats. A few schools were also unable to attend, with Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain High schools notable absences along with Sitka. Teams made do with round-robin play on Friday instead of the planned bracketed competition.
"We made a day of it," Rooney said. Wrangell's wrestlers went 9-0 in the friendly tournament.
The next day it was back to the brackets, with some consolidation to fill gaps in the rosters.
Dillon Rooney took first place in his 182-pound bracket, after a bye-round facing Ketchikan's Nikolai Bolshakoff in the semifinals. He won the match by fall in 4:42, and proceeded to win over Brandon Wieber of Ketchikan in the finals. The competition took a tumbling pace in the closing seconds as Wieber attempted to catch Rooney in points, but the Wrangell junior prevailed by 6-4 decision.
Senior Caleb Groshong also placed first for his bracket, the 220. After finishing in 1:12 and 1:14 pins over opponents Blaise Boor from Ketchikan and Wesley Verhamme of Haines, Groshong faced off against Craig's Kayden Bird. The two tossed each other around the mat during the final match, but Groshong finished with a clear lead of 12-5.
Sophomore student Jonah Comstock took first in the combined varsity 98/106-pound bracket. After pinning Mt. Edgecumbe freshman Dayton Hoblet in 1:07, Comstock faced Cassandra Stout of Ketchikan. He prevailed after 5:47, winning the match by fall.
Senior J.D. Barratt placed first in the 113 weight bracket. Facing Petersburg student Jolyn Toyomura at the start, Barratt won by fall in 50 seconds. He proceeded to pin Petersburg junior Josh Coonrad in 2:27 in the semi-final round, before finishing the final with Ethan Cooke of Mt. Edgecumbe with another pin in 1:11.
In the varsity 145, Wrangell's Hannah Brown and Ian Jenson both competed in the crowded bracket. Brown was quickly sent to the consolation bracket after a 20-second pin, but won her next two matches, against Emma Gillham of Haines with a quick pin of her own, and Mt. Edgecumbe's Norval Nelson IV in an 8-3 decision. Petersburg's Kole Sperl bested her by fall before placing fourth overall.
Jenson began the tournament with a pair of pins, first against Justin Albecker from Ketchikan in 3:43, then against Gillham in 30 seconds. He won the semi-final round over Troy Harris from Ketchikan by 4-0 decision, before coming in second behind Drew Marker from Craig, with a pin at the 1:34 mark.
For the 160 bracket, Hunter Wiederspohn bested Garrett Mulder from Ketchikan in the semi-finals after a bye, finishing with a pin after 2:39. In the bracket finals he faced Klawock's Jonas Heppe, who after a full match won by 6-1 decision.
"A lot of great wrestling, a lot of good matches," said Rooney.
The action had been good, he noted, and there were only a few injuries, none requiring trips to the hospital. He thought his wrestlers had performed well, and was looking forward to seeing their performance this coming weekend. The team leaves today for the Brandon Pilot Invitational at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau.
"They're doing a great job. A lot of heart, a lot of determination," he said.
Being the sole home tournament for the season, time was taken before Saturday's finale to highlight three outgoing seniors.
"Great group of young men," Rooney said.
Barratt has been with the program since middle school, and through high school has devoted much time to the pee-wee program.
"Just an asset to the team," Rooney remarked.
"Caleb Groshong, same thing." For his senior class project, Groshong will be focused on assisting the peewee program, making it a positive experience.
Jenson has been on board with the team since his family moved to Wrangell from Prince of Wales Island in his freshman year. His parents participated in the senior celebration remotely, projected on the big screen.
"His drive and his heart are rivaled by few," Jenson's coach said. "We're expecting great things from him."
Overall, Rooney felt the weekend had gone well, and he expressed his thanks for the support of referees, officials, family members and other residents that had made it possible.
"Thank you for everything, just the whole town," he said.
Reader Comments(0)