Knights notch 4-peat; Valley dominates NLC finals

WASILLA — Fifteen individual champions, three athletes named most outstanding wrestler and the top three spots in the team standings.

It all adds up to a day of domination for the Valley in the Northern Lights Conference Championships wrestling tournament.

Eight Colony grapplers earned individual titles and helped the Knights use 438 total points in the team standings to win their third straight team title. Five Wasilla wrestlers won their weight class, and the Warriors finished as the runner-up with 374.5 points. Palmer rounded out the Valley sweep in the final round, with a pair of individual champs and a third-place finish with 254.5 total points.

Colony’s Rush Fannon and Eric Christy, and Wasilla’s Berit Sturgeon took home top honors, with each being named an NLC Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler. Palmer mentors Daniel Graham and Don Malone shared NLC Coach of the Year honors.

Fannon, Christy and Sturgeon each upset the top-seed in their respective weight class in the final round. Christy and Sturgeon beat a defending state champion in the final.

At 113 points, a week after suffering a 9-7 defeat in sudden victory to Gideon Hutchison in the North/South finals at Wasilla High, Fannon pinned Hutchison, a Soldotna sophomore, at the 1-minute mark of the NLC championship match.

Also last week in the North/South finals, Sturgeon went to extra time against Colony’s Levi Hopkins, and Hopkins won the match in the ultimate tiebreaker round. Saturday in the NLC finals, Sturgeon edged Hopkins 2-0 to win the 138-pound title.

At 145 pounds, Christy slipped past Wasilla senior Samuel Wolff 7-6 in the finals. Wolff beat Christy in the North/South finals last week.

Both Hopkins and Wolff are defending state champions.

Fannon and Christy were joined by a half-dozen other Knights who also stood at the top of the podium during the NLC award ceremony. Austin Edwards (98 pounds), Vincent Cramer (106), Caleb Hopkins (160), Dawson Nash (182), Robert Haan (195) and Isaiah Christy (220). Fannon and Haan each captured their second straight region title for the Knights.

In addition to Sturgeon, Wasilla junior Micah Mathis, a two-time defending state champion, earned his third straight NLC title. Isaiah Elvsaas (126), Dillon Simpson (132) and Andrue Shepersky (152) also won their respective weight class. Shepersky earned his second straight title, and Simpson won a region crown for the second time in his career.

Palmer senior Austin Farris also became a three-time NLC champion, winning the 285-pound class. Christian Kurka won at 170 to grab his second straight NLC title.

Colony, Wasilla and Palmer combined to win every weight class. The three Valley teams placed 26 of the possible 30 wrestlers in the finals. Colony and Wasilla each had 11 representatives in the finals, and Palmer had four. Soldotna was also represented by four wrestlers in the finals.

In the NLC girls tournament, Wasilla’s Bessie Twitchell earned the title at 106 pounds. Colony’s Danielle Stotler was first at 160.

For more on the NLC Championships, see the Wednesday edition of the Frontiersman.

Northern Lights Conference championships

At Kenai Central High School

Team scores — 1. Colony, 438 points; 2. Wasilla, 374.5; 3. Palmer, 254.5; 4. Soldotna, 148.5; 5. Kodiak, 112; 6. Kenai, 53.

Championship matches

98 — Austin Edwards, Col, pin Logan Craig, Sol, 6:29; 106 — Vincent Cramer, Col, md. Alexander Logsdon, Was, 14-4; 113 — Rush Fannon, Col, pin Gideon Hutchison, Sol, 1:00; 120 — Micah Mathis, Was, md. Trace Severson, Col, 8-0; 126 — Isaiah Elvsaas, Was, tech. Isaac Rodman, Was, 16-0; 132 — Dillon Simpson, Was, inj. def. Christion Alexander, Was, 3:15; 138 — Berit Sturgeon, Was, dec. Levi Hopkins, Col, 2-0; 145 — Eric Christy, Col, dec. Samuel Wolff, Was, 7-6; 152 — Andrue Shepersky, Was, dec. Bechler Metcalf, Sol, 3-2; 160 – Caleb Hopkins, Col, pin Jeffrey Glynn, Pal, 4:28; 170 — Christian Kurka, Pal, dec. Zion Rogers, Pal, 5-2; 182 — Dawson Nash, Col, pin Brenner Furlong, Sol, 1:12; 195 — Robert Haan, Col, pin Chayse Eby, Col, :34; 220 — Isaiah Christy, Col, dec. Chase Minnick, Was, 8-4; 285 — Austin Farris, Pal, med. fft. Ezra Lincecum, Was.

3rd-place matches

98 — Jacob Harvey, Col, pin Jack Fuller, Was, :48; 106 — Odin Anderson, Pal, dec. Bryan Gonzalez, Kod, 12-5; 113 — Hunter Sasser, Col, bye; 120 — Tyler Vaughn, Ken, fft. Riley Birbilas, Kod; 126 — Kolby Torres, Col, dec. Gabe Whisman, Col, 8-4; 132 — Russel Dela Cruz, Kod, dec. Daniel Colley, Col, 6-1; 138 — Jacob Anderson, Ken, dec. Matthew Agoney, Was, 4-2; 145 — Hayden Steiner, Was, dec. Josh Nummer, Kod, 8-3; 152 — Levi Farris, Pal, dec. Keyshawn McEnerney, Ken, 3-2; 160 — Jason Watkins, Pal, md. Frank Urbano, Col, 9-0; 170 — Simon Ganchenko, Col, pin Abraham VanHout, Sol, 2:31; 182 — Hunter Hongslo, Was, pin Coa Gamble, Col, :55; 195 — Blake Tomlinson, Pal, dec. Jeffrey Palmer, Was, 9-8; 220 — Travis Wheeler, Pal, pin Aaron Faletoi, Sol, 2:26; 285 — Klancey Doyle, Col, pin Josh Smith, Kod, :42.

5th-place matches

98 — Charles Jones, Was, md. Ben Booth, Sol, 15-2; 106 — Marcus Riedlinger, Col, tech. Payton Portney, Pal, 16-1; 120 — Felino Macatuno, Kod, bye; 126 — Jayden Christianson, Pal, pin Troy Gilbert, Ken, :59; 132 — Travis Howell, Sol, dec. Sidney Watchus, Pal, 6-2; 138 — Asa Barnes, Pal, pin Macarius Floresta, Col, 4:54; 145 — Scott Larionoff, Kod, dec. Hunter Bleakney, Pal, 3-1; 152 — Gabe Nummer, Kod, dec. Brennan Easley, Col, 3-1; 160 — Cole George, Was, dec. Brennan Werner, Sol, 4-2; 170 — Austin Schrader, Sol, pin Jacob Anderson, Was, 3:26; 182 — Frankie Guevara, Kod, pin Aaron Zitnik, Pal, 2:05; 195 — Truxton Troxell, Kod, pin Elbren Montuya, Kod, 2:18; 220 — Maximus Stokes, Was, pin Tuker Eby, Col, :53; 285 – Austin Reeves, Sol, dec. Stormy Vandermartin, Was, 5-2.

Girls championship matches

106 — Bessie Twitchell, Was, pin Robyn Holbrook, Col, :39; 120 — Krystal Fabricante, Kod, tech. Kayley Farwell, Col, 18-2; 132 — Vydell Baker, Sol, pin Allison Garcia, Col, 4:25; 145 — Amanda Wylie, Sol, pin Teeana Nicholai, Was, 4:54; 160 — Danielle Stotler, Col, pin Sade Middleton, Kod, :43.

Girls 3rd-place matches

120 — Josephine Amaktoolik, Was, bye; 145 — Zhanelle Tuquib, Kod, pin Elizabeth Lisenby, Sol, 3:00.

Girls 5th-place matches

145 — Hanna Wilson, Ken, bye.