The Wolves put on a show at the Bill Weiss Wrestling Invitational in Ketchikan. By the time the meet had wrapped up on Nov. 9, Wrangell walked away with two champions, three runners-up and three bronze medalists. The girls team finished fourth overall while the boys team finished fifth.
Palmer’s Colony High School won the meet with 369.5 points.
Wrangell boasted the tournament’s third-highest winning percentage, with Wolves winning 68 of their 106 matches. Additionally, the boys and girls teams combined with the fifth-highest number of pins across the tournament’s three days.
Jackson Carney was the boys sole champion, beating Ketchikan’s Gage Massin to claim the 140-pound title. Vanessa Barnes claimed gold for the girls, giving the senior much to look forward to ahead of the upcoming home meet and senior night on Friday, Nov. 15.
Hailey Cook, Della Churchill and Cody Barnes all finished second in their respective weight classes. Meanwhile, Bella Ritchie, Ian Nelson and Everett Meissner each finished third after a trio of “tough matches,” according to head coach Jack Carney.
For the Wolves, there were a couple highlights across the three-day tournament Nov. 7-9. Freshman Lennex Gurule secured his first career high school wrestling victory, beating Ketchikan’s RJ Cadiente. Additionally, on the tournament’s second day, Meissner secured a buzzer-beating takedown to win his match en route to his third-place finish.
“Everett was up against a kid that beat him last year,” coach Carney said. “Someone who’s older than him and placed in states, but Everett took him to overtime and was about to get a takedown on him. It was a huge match, and Everett came ready to go.”
In the boys 125-pound bracket, Ben Houser beat teammate Kyan Stead to finish fifth, while Lucas Stearns and Michael Cook finished in sixth and seventh for the 130-pound weight class. Cooper Powers finished just off the podium in fourth place in the 135-pound bracket. In the girls 107-pound bracket, Amura Brevick finished in fifth place.
Next up, Wrangell will host its sole home meet of the year on Friday, Nov. 15. The competition will be preceded by a senior night, allowing the team’s three seniors to receive recognition for their wrestling careers.
“They are hard workers,” Carney said. “It will be nice to honor them and give them a chance to wrestle in front of their families.”
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