Colony, Wasilla aim to be in mix for state championship

WASILLA — Less than five points separated the top two teams in the team standings of the 4A state championships last year. Most expect to see something similar when the 2014 champ is crowned at Bartlett High School Saturday.

Defending state champion South Anchorage, 2014 runner-up Wasilla and reigning Northern Lights Conference champ Colony are among the teams in the hunt for the team title.

“It’s so close. South’s in it. Colony’s got a shot. We’re in it,” Wasilla head coach Shawn Hayes said recently.

Each team has at least 18 wrestlers in the state tournament. South and Wasilla each pushed through 19 wrestlers to state, and Colony has 18 qualifiers. North Pole could also be in the mix with a meet-high 20 wrestlers in the state event.

Colony won the NLC team title with 321.5 total points, about 17 ahead of runner-up Wasilla. Of the 18 Knights who placed in the top 5 of their weight class to earn an automatic bid to the state tournament, nine wrestled in the semifinals. Four won titles. Wasilla had seven wrestlers in the NLC finals and four won championships.

Before the NLC championships, Hayes said the Warriors hoped to send 18 to 22 wrestlers to state.

“Eighteen to 22, just so we have a chance,” Hayes said.

Colony head coach Todd Hopkins said the Knights didn’t have a specific number in mind, but simply wanted to get as many wrestlers qualified as possible.

“Our goal was just to wrestle good, and ideally everybody makes it,” Hopkins said.

Regardless, Hopkins said he expects a battle for the state team title.

“There are a handful of teams that are going to be really close, I think,” Hopkins said.

Palmer qualified 11 wrestlers for state, including four individual champions.

The Valley boasts three defending state champions in the tournament. Palmer’s Mason Cochran won the 120-pound title as junior and will compete at 132 this year. Wasilla’s Nate McKimson is the defending state champion at 145, and is the top seed at 152 this year. Wasilla’s Quace Wright is looking for his second straight state championship at 220 pounds.

Wasilla Logan Albrecht, Colony’s Ian MacKenzie and Palmer’s Brian Thompson are returning state finalists. All three finished second last year.

Wrestling begins Friday at 10 a.m. with the first-round matches. Championship quarterfinals and the first round of consolation matches will follow during the first session.

Championship semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m.

The second day of wrestling begins Saturday at 9 a.m. with three rounds of consolation action. The consolation finals, which include the third-place and fifth-place matches, start at 2:30 pm. The state finals are set to begin at 5:15 p.m.

State Wrestling Championships

Valley state qualifers:

Wasilla (19):

98 pounds — Dillon Simpson (2nd in NLC), Bruce Hill (5th); 106 — Brandon Abbott (1st), Berit Sturgeon (2nd); 113 — Anthony Torres (5th); 120 — Bryan McKimson (3rd), Logan Albrecht (5th); 126 — Justin Gentz (4th), Samuel Wolff (5th); 132 — Troy Newland (3rd); 138 — Weston Wall (2nd); 152 — Nate McKimson (1st); 160 — DJ Morrow (3rd), Blake Marks (5th); 170 — Chance Boatman (1st); 195 — Billy Schultz (3rd), Brady Ingersoll (5th); 220 — Quace Wright (1st), Zech Rockstand (5th).

Colony (18):

98 pounds — Bryce Adams (1st in NLC); 106 — Soren Simpson (3rd); 113 — Chace Booth (1st); 120 — Matthew Bracker (4th); 132 — Dawson Nash (2nd); 138 — Robert Haan (1st), Isaiah Kolendo (4th); 145 — Spencer Adams (2nd), Tyler Loutzenhiser (4th); 152 — Kamber Lucas (2nd), Wade Booth (3rd); 160 — Kody Nash (2nd); 170 — Logan Conway (2nd), Christopher Ray (3rd); 182 — Riley Fredrickson (1st), Zach Doan (4th); 220 — Ian MacKenzie (4th); 285 — Mitchell Daigle (3rd).

Palmer (11):

98 — Odin Andersen (4th in NLC); 126 — Aaron Molesky (3rd); 132 — Mason Cochran (1st); 138 — Dillon McKibbon (3rd); 145 — Wyatt McGann (3rd), Karl Berg (5th); 160 — Hunter Molesky (1st); 170 — Graydon Powell (5th); 195 — Caleb Deemer (1st); 220 — Ben Button (2nd); 285 — Brian Thompson (1st).