Warriors win Houston Invitational

HOUSTON — The Wasilla Warriors used six individual champions to score 138 total points and cruise to the team title of the Houston Invitational at Houston High School on Saturday.

Abe Fox (103), Jentry Diederich (119), Josh Brown (130), Pat Chafin (140), Caleb Pempek (152) and Casey Katchinska (171) each won their respective weight classes for the Warriors, who easily surpassed the runner-up Colony Knights, who finished with 62 total points.

Fox, Diederich and Katchinska each captured wins in all-Wasilla finals.

Fox scored a 3-0 win over teammate Cole Miller to finish first at 103, Diederich pinned fellow Warrior John Haley 54 seconds into the first round to win at 119,  and Katchinska posted a first-round pin over Wasilla’s Jeremy White in the 171-pound final.

Ryan Knudson the Knights with a win over Wasilla’s Jacob Marshall in the 160-pound final. Colony, the two-time defending 4A state champions, didn’t send a full squad to Houston. The Knights also hosted an informal quad meet Saturday afternoon at CHS.

The Palmer Moose and host Houston Hawks finished in a tie for fifth in the team standings with 36 total points.

Nick Stahler and Sam Heindel each won their weight classes for Palmer.

Stahler posted a 7-2 decision over Cordova’s Kyle Mundy in the 145-pound final, while Heindel scored a technical fall over Thomas Alley, of Grace Christian, in the finals at 189.

At 215 pounds, Houston senior Justin Crowley finished first in the weight class for the second straight year.

Crowley, the 2007 Mid-Alaska Conference runner-up at 215, pinned four opponents en route to the final.

Houston Invitational

Saturday, Houston High School

Team standings:

1. Wasilla 138, 2. Colony 62, 3. East Anchorage 56, 4. Cordova 39, 5. Houston 36, 5. (tie) Palmer 36, 7. Grace Christian 27, 8. Valdez 21, 9. New Halen 7, 10. Tok 4.

Individual results:

Final round:

103 pounds — A. Fox, Was d. C. Miller, Was 3-0; 112 — M. Malnoske, East m.d. M. Spano, Was 15-3; 119 — J. Diederich, Was p. J. Haley, Was 0:54; 125 — S. Moore, East p. J. George, Was 1:47; 130 — J. Brown, Was t.f. B. Sutter, Grace 16-1; 135 — N. Hoffer, East m.d. D. Johnson, Was 14-3; 140 — P. Chafin, Was d. C. Foster, Col 5-0; 145 — N. Stahler, Pal d. K. Mundy, Cord 7-2; 152 — C. Pempek, Was d. M, Trask, Col 5-1; 160 — R. Knudson, Col d. J. Marshall, Was 10-8; 171 — C. Katchinska, Was p. J. White, Was 1:53; 189 — S. Heindel, Pal t.f. T. Alley, Grace 16-1; 215 — J. Crowley, Hou p. M. Trumbee, Cord; 285 — R. Gingras, East p. T. Muetz, Col 4:54.

Consolation finals:

103 pounds — K. Groenveld, Val d. A. Miles, Was 7-0; 112 — T. Adams, Was p. D. Villasenor, East 2:25; 119 — A. Adams, Col p. N. Johnson, Cord 1:32;  125 — M. Vukich, Col m.d. J. Shannon, Hou 8-0; 130 — M. Downing, Val d. J. Kemp, Pal 7-6; 135 — M. Ace, Val p. D. Gilman, Cord 4:17; 140 — J. Fishback, Grace wbf; 145 — G. Elder, Hou d. N. Such, Col 4-3; T. Anelon, NH m.d. I. Minturn, Pal 15-4; 160 — A. Reese, Hou d. J. Cope, 160; 171 — G. Schikora, Cord p. T. Barron, Hou 1:44; M. Birky, Grace p. M. Grace, Grace 2:39; 215 — R. Pomrenke, Was p. D. York, Tok 1:54; J. Johnson, Wsa p. K. Jones, Cord 4:12.