Junior leads Colony to Mat-Su NYO team title

WASILLA — The number of total athletes fell short of the 2017 event, but organizers did not see a difference during the 2018 Mat-Su Native Youth Olympics Regional Event April 13-14 at Houston Middle School.

“It went awesome. Great tournament,” Mat-Su NYO coordinator Jared Barrett said by phone earlier this week. “We were a little down. But you couldn’t tell. The spirit was just there. The kids were awesome. It was a fun tournament to be at this weekend.”

Colony High junior Kaiden Jimenez won a pair of events to help the Knights earn the Mat-Su NYO team title with 33 total points. Jimenez finished first in both the boys’ one foot high kick and two foot high kick. Barrett said Jimenez would have vied for the title in a third event, the boys’ scissor jump, but had to bow out of the event due to a slight injury. Jimenez was the top boys’ athlete at the NYO state games last spring after winning a pair of state titles.

Jimenez was one of five Colony athletes to win an event. Russell Carlson (boys’ Alaskan high kick), Suzanna Beaty (girls’ one foot high kick) and Anthony Wikheim (boys seal hop) also finished first.

The Knights finished three points ahead of runner-up Palmer in the standings. Palmer NYO veteran Tim Meyer led the Moose with a win in the boys’ kneel jump. Jesse Monroe (boys Indian stick pull), Tre Davis (boys wrist carry), Erin Staricha (girls wrist carry) and Ruby Clark (girls seal hop) also finished first.

Four Warriors finished first for the third-place Warriors. Hana Miles (girls two foot high kick), Tezlyn Kerrone (girls knee jump), Sean Sikvayugak (boys one arm reach) and Jessica Lindsey (girls one arm reach) won their events.

Fourth-place Houston had five champs. Dylan Jackson and Ashley Hogland swept the Eskimo stick pull events. Elaina Anawrok (girls Alaskan high kick), Patrick Wilson (boys scissor broad jump) and Kailey Whipple (girls scissor broad jump) also won events.

Sixty Mat-Su athletes qualified for the NYO state games, slated for April 26-28 in Anchorage. The winner of each of the 20 region events will make up the Mat-Su A team. The 20 runners-up will be on the Mat-Su B squad. Each athlete who finished third will be part of the Knik Tribal Council team.

Barrett said the Knik Tribal Council and the Federal Programs have helped NYO continue to grow and thrive in the Valley.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Mat-Su Native Youth Olympics Region Meet

April 13-14, Houston Middle School

Team scores:

1. Colony 33; 2. Palmer 30; 3. Wasilla 24; 4. Houston 23; 5. Susitna Valley 3; 5. (tie) ANSEP 3; 7. Redington 2; 7. (tie) Teeland Middle 2.

Individual results:

Boys’ kneel jump — 1. Tim Meyer, Palmer 62.5 inches; 2. Kozmo Roehl, Houston 53.75; 3. Tre Davis 49; Girls kneel jump — 1. Tezlyn Kerrone, Wasilla 39; 2. Casmille Bernard, Colony 37.75; 3. Jasmine Nichols, Houston 33.25; Boys Eskimo stick pull — 1. Dylan Jackson, Houston; 2. Blake Drover, Susitna Valley; 3. Briar Hahn, Wasilla; Girls’ Eskimo stick pull — 1. Ashley Hogland, Houston; 2. Madison Ortega, Colony; 3. Larissa Smith, Palmer; Boys one arm reach — 1. Sean Sikvayugak, Wasilla 62; 2. Russell Carlson, Colony 54; 3. Tim Meyer, Palmer 54; Girls one arm reach —1. Jessica Lindsey, Wasilla 54; 2. Ruby Clark, PJMS 48; 3. Alona Theising, Palmer 46; Boys Indian stick pull — 1. Jesse Monroe, Palmer; 2. Nika Demientieff, Palmer; 3. Illire Demientieff, Palmer; Girls Indian stick pull — 1. Antoinette Brown, ANSEP; 2. Susanna Beat, Colony; 3. Kelci Don, Palmer; Boys Alaskan high kick — 1. Elaina Anawrok, Houston 66; 2. Camille Bernard, Colony 65; 3. Tierra McGovern, Redington 60; Boys one foot high kick — 1. Kaiden Jimenez, Colony 104; 2. Briar Hahn, Wasilla 96; 3. Tim Meyer, Palmer 96; Boys wrist carry — 1. Tre Davis, Palmer 401-4.5; 2. Trevor Soile, Wasilla 389-7.5; 3. Jaxon Berryman, Wasilla 226-5; Girls wrist carry — 1. Erin Staricha, Palmer 192; 2. Victoria Probst, Teeland 192-6; 3. Hana Miles, Wasilla 102-8.75; Boys seal hop — 1. Anthony Wikheim, Colony 84; 2. Illire Demntierff, Palmer 83; 3. Sean Sikavayuk, Wasilla 72; Boys scissor jump — 1. Patrick Wilson, Houston 32-4 7/8; 2. Russell Carslson Zivica, Colony 32-1.25; 3. Blake Drover, Susitna Vally 31-2; Girls scissor broad jump — 1. Kailey Whipple, Houston 26-3.75; 2. Suzanne Beaty, Colony 25-9.25; 3. Kiley Hall, Colony 25-6; Boys two foot high kick — 1. Kaiden Jimenez, Colony 86; 2. Tim Meyer, Palmer 84; 3. Travis Castle, Redington 82; Girls two foot high kick — 1. Hana Miles, Wasilla 64; 2. Andrea Apthorp, Houston 62; 3. Camille Bernard, Colony 62.