Bitter end to 2009 season fueling Wasilla grappler’s desire to win

HOUSTON — Last year, heading into the Northern Lights Conference Championships, Wasilla sophomore Abe Fox was the state’s top-ranked grappler in the 103-pound class. Fox was the defending NLC champion and the 4A state runner-up as a freshman at 103.

Fox was prime for a return to those championship matches, but on the morning of the first day of the NLC tourney, Fox’ sophomore season came to an abrupt end.

Fox failed to make weight during the tournament weigh-ins and was eliminated from the conference and state competitions.

Now a junior, Fox is even more motivated to return to the championship stage. On Saturday, Fox began that quest with a 5-2 win over teammate Jed Diederich in the 125-pound match of the championship round during the Houston Invitational at Houston High School.

“I’m working a lot harder this year,” Fox said after the match.

Fox missed weight by 1.7 pounds on that morning early last December. He said he’s thought about that moment about every day since.

“I don’t know what happened,” Fox said.

But it’s fueling his drive this season, and this weekend Fox cruised to an individual title during the season-opening Houston Invite.

Fox opened his season on Friday by pinning Grace Christian School’s Ernest Sanford at the 1:13 mark. He followed with a 16-1 win by technical fall over Palmer’s Nathan Pempek and scored a first-round pin of Houston’s Calen Wilbur during the semifinals.

Fox capped his weekend with the three-point victory over Diederich.

“He was the toughest match I had,” Fox said.

Fox was one of three to win Houston Invite titles for a Wasilla squad that easily won the team title with 217.5 total points.

Jake Johnson and Ryan Pomrenke also posted wins during the championship round for Wasilla. Johnson pinned McKyer Trumblee of Cordova in the second round during the 215-pound final. Pomrenke pinned East Anchorage’s Leandro Peralta in the second-round of the heavyweight final.

Nine Warriors wrestled in the finals Saturday. Flint Warner (103), Ryker Steiner (119), Diederich (125), Blake Cullip (130), Derek Johnsen (152) and Dillin Wiggins (189) also advanced to the final round and place second.

Wade Booth and Luke Faulkner posted wins in the finals to lead the four-time defending state champion Colony Knights to a fourth-place finish in the tournament. Booth pinned Warner in the third round at 103. Faulkner pinned East’s Nick Hoffer in the third round at 140.

Colony finished with 103 total points, six shy of third-place Cordova and one ahead of fourth-place West Valley.

Host Houston finished sixth with 86 points. Andy Gocke (145) and Garrett Elder (160) led the Hawks with second-place finishes.

Palmer finished seventh with 75 points. Mason Cochran (103), Aaron Molesky (112) and Collin Bendixen (135) each led the Moose with third-place finishes.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Follow him at Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Houston Invitational

Friday-Saturday, Houston High School

Team scores (top 5):

1. Wasilla 217.5; 2. East Anchorage 150.5; 3. Cordova 109; 4. Colony 103; 5. West Valley 102.

Championship finals:

103 — W. Booth, Col p. F. Warner, Was 5:38; 112 — N. Marquez, East d. K. Groeneveld, Val 3-0; 119 — A. Walsh, Grace p. R. Steiner, Was 1:58; 125 — A. Fox, Was d. J. Diederich, Was 5-2; 130 — D. Agnew, WV m.d. B. Cullip, Was 14-3; 135 — D. Scerbak, Hut p. B. Hursh, Val 4:41; 140 — L. Faulkner, Col p. N. Hoffer, East 4:36; 145 — M. Malnoske, East p. A. Gocke, Hou 5:17; 152 — S. Balint, Cor p. D. Johnsen, Was 5:05; 160 — J. Wiggins, East p. G. Elder, Hou 4:35; 171 — C. Nuttall, WV p. M. Adams, Cor 2:17; 189 — B. Carrillo, Cor m.d. D. Wiggins, Was 11-0; 215 — J. Johnson, Was p. M. Trumblee, Cor 2:58; 285 — R. Pomrenke, Was p. L. Peralta, East 2:51;

Consolation finals:

103 — M. Cochran, Pal p. B. Girard, East 3:36; 112 — A. Molesky, Pal p. B. Clifford, Pal 1:26; 119 — J. Campbell, Dim p. D. Elsburry, Hut 4:03; 125 — A. Tamblyn, Grace p. C. Wilbur, Hou 1:29; 130 — C. Miller, Was p. C. Boatman, Was 3:26; 135 — C. Bendixen, Pal p. W. Reed, WV 0:57; 140 — C. Lowe, Was d. M. Ace, Val 11-8; 152 — J. Diederich, Was m.d. A. Smith, Col 11-1; 152 — P. Corbett, East t.f. J. Jones, WV 16-0; 160 — V. Pricilone, WV d. D. Jacobsen, WV 9-4; 171 — N. Such, Col p. A. Reese, Hou 1:59; 189 — A. Akelkok, Was w.b.f; 189 — L. Wagner, Hou p. S. Garland, Pal 2:41; 285 — S. Pinau, Grace w.b.f.