High school wrestling season will kick off for Wrangell this Friday and Saturday, as the Wolves head to Juneau for their first meet of the year.
Wrangell did not compete in any 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Assistant Coach Jack Carney said the team is eager to hit the mat once again. This year will be unique in that it will feature two wrestling seasons in 2021: One now and a second in the fall.
Team Captain Rowen Wiederspohn said he is excited by the opportunity. "If somebody were to get state this year and next (school) year, they'd be the only person ever to get state twice in one year," he said.
The wrestling team consists of 13 competitors this year, Carney said, most of them returning wrestlers. While there are no seniors on the team, Carney said they have some strong juniors, and the sophomores and freshmen are looking tough.
With several returning players, he said the team can practice at a more advanced level than with a more inexperienced team.
Liana Carney, also a team captain, said Wrangell is currently one of the largest wrestling teams in the region, as COVID-19 had forced other schools' teams to shrink. This gives the Wolves an edge she is excited to see as the season progresses.
"We're just in here trying to make our team better every day, working to our full potential," she said.
In 2019, the Wolves took the 2A regional championship, and had 11 wrestlers qualify for state. At state, six wrestlers placed. Liana Carney was the sole first place finisher at state that year, and also the first female wrestler from Wrangell to ever do so.
"We're excited to compete," Jack Carney said. "We're just trying to be as positive as we can, as flexible as we can."
He said that, as of Tuesday, he was unsure if the weekend Juneau matches would be streamed online. He said the results of the matches would be posted online at http://www.trackwrestling.com.
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