Houston's Wagner repeats as state champion

NIKISKI — It was déjà vu for Houston's Luke Wagner Saturday in a rematch of last year's First National Bank/123A State Wrestling Championships 220-pound finals.

After capping an undefeated sophomore season in 2012 with a win over Paul Johanson of Mt. Edgecumbe, the Hawk junior topped Johanson again Saturday with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the powerhouse sophomore.

The title capped a strong state tournament for Wagner, who pinned his way into the finals. The win over Johanson also avenged his only loss of the last two years, as Johanson beat Wagner at a tournament at the beginning of the season. Wagner beat Johanson 4-2 in overtime to win the 220-pound title in 2011.

The title caps a 31-1 season for Wagner, and a 58-1 run over the past two seasons.

“I was really hoping to meet up with that kid again,” Wagner said by cellphone from Nikiski High School. “I prepared a lot harder after I lost to him.”

That early season definitely made an impact, Houston coach Brian Cook said.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in that match when it started,” he said. “I knew Luke wanted it pretty bad, but (the loss) was dominated by Johanson.”

The difference Saturday was conditioning and on-the-mat guile, Cook said.

“Johanson’s very strong and very quick, but Luke out-wrestled him,” Cook said. “Luke’s been working hard since that loss. He doesn’t like to lose, that’s for sure. What it did was push him to work on moves that are high quality, high percentage moves.”

The rematch lived up to its billing as two of the state’s more powerful grapplers showed off their strength and skill. It was Johanson who drew first blood in the first period with a takedown to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. He would struggle to keep Wagner in the down position, earning a stalling warning from the official, an innocuous call that would loom large later in the match.

With time winding down in the first period, Wagner showed his quickness, executing a quick granby roll to record an escape as the first period was whistled with Johanson holding a slim 2-1 lead.

The granby was one of those high-quality moves Cook said Wagner has been working on. “That, and his mental attitude is what really changed,” he said.

The first minute of the second period had the wrestlers in a stalemate, with Wagner on the top position trying to ride Johanson. But with Wagner’s penchant for pinning, the Houston athlete used Johanson’s momentum against him and nearly pinning the Edgecumbe wrestler. The near-pin was only good enough for a pair of back points, though, putting Wagner in the lead 3-2 — a lead he would hold for less than a minute before Johanson scored a reversal to regain the lead 4-3 going into the final period.

Unlike techniques that are perfected and honed by hours of practice, what caught Johanson off guard and nearly had him pinned was what Cook called “Wagner funk.”

“It was funk, and that’s Luke’s style,” he said. “It’s hard to wrestle against a guy who wrestles fun. He takes what’s there for him and capitalizes, and that’s what he did.”

Wagner said he just saw an opportunity to score and possibly get a pin and didn’t hesitate.

“He’s super strong and he’s an awesome wrestler and a good opponent,” Wagner said. “When you go to the tournament, you just want it so bad you can push through.”

In the third with Wagner in the down position, the Hawk continued to work, trying sit-outs and stand-ups to get a match-tying escape. With about a minute to go, Johanson received his second warning for stalling, this time an automatic point for Wagner. Tied 4-4 with 17 seconds left, Wagner’s quickness caught Johanson off guard for a takedown and the 6-4 lead. With the clock winding down, Wagner allowed Johanson to escape in the final seconds to avoid giving up a last-second reversal for the 6-5 final.

The finals win capped an impressing state tournament for Wagner, who never had a match go past the first period until the finals.

He opened competition with a first-round pin of King Cove’s Levi Larson in 1:02. That was followed by a 46-second pin of Josh Stearns from Haines in the quarterfinals. He advanced to the finals with a 1:22 pin of Aniak’s Austin Sjong in the semifinals.

As a returning state champion, Wagner said he wrestled with a target on his back all season.

“I think I had to work a lot harder this year than I did last year,” he said. “Johanson was really gunning for me and a lot of people were gunning for me.”

Wagner v. Johanson II was exciting, Cook said, and he’s looking forward to a potential trilogy next season. Wagner will be a returning senior and Johanson a junior.

“It’s fun coaching him,” Cook said. “I’ve enjoyed this year more because he’s had to push himself. There’s nothing like coaching a state champ, and we’ve got another whole year left.”

The difference between finishing the finals a champion or second place is will, Wagner said.

“It’s pushing way harder. When it gets to the state finals and it’s a close match, the one who wins it isn’t the one who’s most technical,” he said. “It’s the one who wants it the most.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.