Hawks send 9 grapplers to state

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Sports Editor

ANCHORAGE -- The Houston Hawks, led by a pair of individual champions, finished fourth in the Kachemak Conference Wrestling Championships at Grace Christian High School on Saturday.

"We wrestled really well. We hoped to get second place in the team standings, but it was close," Houston head coach Chris Roggie said. "Everyone wrestled really well. We were prepared -- ready to go."

Daniel Harvey and Clinton Banzhaf each won region titles for the Hawks. Harvey defeated fellow Hawk Chris Hanson in an all-Houston 171-pound final.

Harvey is expected to be ranked third in next week's state tournament and has a good possibility of bringing a state title back to Houston. Roggie said Harvey has wrestled the top two seeds in the class this season, losing by one point to each wrestler.

"Whoever has the best day will win," Roggie said.

Roggie said Hanson wrestled well in the tournament and was able to move into the championship finals.

Banzhaf defeated Karl Coulombe, of Grace Christian, to win the 189-pound title.

Brad Erickson also placed in the 189-pound class for Houston, finishing third. Erickson defeated Anchorage Christian's Charles Howard twice in the tourney, to take the bronze. Howard had beaten Erickson earlier in the season.

"That was one of the tougher weight classes," Erickson said. "A couple of the tough 171-pounders came up a weight class."

Matt Gardner also advanced to the finals, losing to Zach Shelley in the finals.

Nine Hawks earned spots into the state tournament, hosted by Seward High School next week.

Blake Elder (130), Jeff Grey (135), Fred Young (160) and Jeremy Grube (215) also advanced for the Hawks.

Grube and Grey each finished third, while Young and Elder finished fourth.

Roggie said Grey could have wrestled the best tournament of anyone on the team. The grappler defeated a pair of wrestlers who have beaten him before.

Roggie said he thought that 10 or more Hawks could have qualified for the state meet, but is happy with the total of nine, which is four better than last season.