Wolves wrestlers grapple through Anchorage tournament

Half of the dozen Wrangell wrestlers who traveled to Anchorage for a meet last weekend placed in the top six in their respective weight classes.

The Wolves competed in a tournament at Mountain City Christian Academy (formerly Anchorage Christian Schools) on Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4.

According to coach Jack Carney, senior Keegan Hanson won second place in the 152-pound weight class, freshman Jackson Carney at 130 came in third, junior Della Churchill at 120 took fourth place, freshman Hailey Cook at 107 and junior Vanessa Johnson at 165 both took fifth, while sophomore Ian Nelson at 140 came in sixth.

Eleven of the wrestlers won at least one match.

"Many were in 32-man brackets," the coach said.

"We're happy overall," Carney said on the Wrangell Wolves Wrestling Facebook page. "The Wolves got 38 wins, 23 losses and 24 pins. We brought 12 and half of them placed top six."

Carney added that there were a couple of wrestlers who lost out in consolation matches, otherwise known as "blood rounds."

"This is the biggest tournament that we go to," he said. "It's even bigger than state. It's pretty high stakes."

Carney also said their performance at this tournament gave them all a good idea of what they need to work on over the next six weeks to prepare for state. "I predict we do much better as we work to peak at the right time, especially after getting three weeks at home before regionals," he said.

Carney admitted that all the traveling to tournaments across the state sometimes cuts into their training but they continue to rally. "This fourth week of travel has been a grind. Proud of how our team handled themselves," he said.

The Wolves are next scheduled to attend the Bill Weiss Tournament on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11, in Ketchikan.

The Southeast wrestling championships are set for Dec. 8-9 in Juneau, with the state meet Dec. 15-16 in Anchorage.