Alumni Ryan Rooney, in blue, tries to wrestle senior Ethan Blatchley to the mat in an exhibition match last Saturday in the Wrangell High School gym.
Wrangell High School head wrestling coach Jack Carney, left, presents the senior wrestlers with their stats during senior appreciation last Saturday at an exhibition match.
A tournament that originally pitted the Wrangell High School wrestling squad against Petersburg and Sitka ended with the Wolves grappling the Wolves.
Two rounds of wrestling, with a pause for senior appreciation and other accolades, was held last Saturday in the high school gym when competitors from the other schools decided against the trip due to scheduling, illness and other issues.
"This is really just so people can see them wrestle," head coach Jack Carney said before the matches.
Lucas Schneider took on Devlyn Campbell in the first bout, followed by Ethan Blatchley versus Steven Bales and Della Churchill against Boomchain Loucks. Campbell and Schneider battled it out for a few rounds before Campbell won. Blatchley bested Bales in their bout, and Loucks won over Churchill.
Kyan Stead and Ben Houser went head to head, with Houser winning. Vanessa Johnson and Katelynn Gillen battled several rounds with Gillen emerging triumphant over her teammate.
Blatchley returned to the mat to take on Cody Barnes and proved again why he consistently takes first in his weight class at competitions, though Barnes gave him a solid run. Schneider then took on Ian Nelson, with Nelson besting his opponent to end the first round of competition.
The senior team members were then recognized. Carney pointed out that there are no junior wrestlers this year, so next year's squad will be comprised of freshmen through juniors. Along with the seniors, former head coach Jef Rooney was honored with a plaque for his years of coaching and leadership.
After the brief ceremony, the wrestlers returned to the mat, with Blatchley taking on former classmate Ryan Rooney in an alumni matchup. Rooney is a two-time state champion, having graduated in May.
In the second round, Houser beat Schneider, Churchill beat Stead, Campbell beat Loucks, Johnson beat Gillen in their rematch, Elias Decker beat Nelson and Barnes beat Bales.
Rooney then suited up to take on Blatchley. The two showed why they're tough to beat on the mat. Though Blatchley is still fresh from training and competing, Rooney still had a solid background to rely on. The two were methodical in their approach but Blatchley eventually got the best of Rooney, emerging victorious a third time that day.
The squad will be off this weekend and is scheduled to compete in Petersburg on Dec. 2-3.
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