Wrestling team prepares for Sitka tournament

The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team had an off week this past week, with no tournaments to travel to. Assistant Coach Jack Carney said that they took a purposeful week off to recuperate from the ACS tournament earlier this month. They continued to practice, of course, but Carney said the team is very fit both physically and mentally. They had the conditioning and techniques for wrestling, the week off was mainly to give the team a chance to focus on their grades and mental game.

On Saturday, to "knock the dust off," Wrangell hosted both Craig and Petersburg high schools for some wrestling matches. The Wolves performed well, Carney said, and the matches were a great way to make sure the team did not slow down any. He pointed out one particular wrestler, freshman Jake Eastaugh, for pinning a senior wrestler from Petersburg in only one round.

"We did very well, I think ... We did really well all around," he said.

The wrestling team will be travelling to Sitka for their next tournament this weekend. Carney said that he was not sure how many wrestlers he would bring, but that there would be a lot of female wrestlers at this particular tournament. All three female wrestlers on the Wrangell Wolves are expected to attend.

"It's going to be a great tournament for our girls," Carney said.

Sitka is the last tournament standing between the Wrangell Wolves and Regionals, and later the state competition. Carney had nothing but praise for the school's sports programs all around, regardless of the sport. He pointed out how well the volleyball team had done this year, as well as the cross country team. He also predicted that the high school basketball team would have a good season. He said it was good to see so many people care about their kids succeeding and growing in sports.

"I'm really proud of our sports programs," he said.