Knights win 5th straight NLC crown; grapplers from across the Valley earn region titles

PALMER — Early in the week of the conference championships, Colony head coach Todd Hopkins said his program’s approach to the region tournament is always the same.

“The main thing we focus on for regions is advancing people to state. Individual wrestlers doing what they are capable of,” Hopkins said. “The team score takes care of itself.”

It’s a philosophy that appears to be working. Colony pushed 20 wrestlers into the state tournament en route to winning its fifth straight region team title during the Northern Lights Conference Championships Friday and Saturday in Kodiak.

“We just want each individual to reach their goal,” Hopkins said. “Winning a state title and being a state placer. We focus on individuals placing in the top 5 at state.”

Twenty Knights will now have that opportunity. Seven will hit the state tournament mats as individual region champions.

A pair of Knights upended defending state champions in the final round. Junior Rush Fannon earned his third NLC crown with a 9-6 win over Wasilla senior Micah Mathis, a three-time defending region and three-time defending state champ, at 126 pounds. At 170, Eric Christy stayed undefeated for the season with a 5-4 overtime win over Palmer’s Levi Farris, another defending state champion. Caleb Hopkins captured the title at 182 to win his second straight NLC title.

Juniors Marcus Riedlinger (113) and Trace Severson (145), and freshmen TJ Clapp (98) and Jared Hopkins (106) earned their first career conference titles.

Colony needed the seven victories during the 15 matches in the finals to hold off rival Wasilla, which finished second in the standings. The Knights earned their fifth straight title with 389. Wasilla, which also qualified 20 wrestlers for state, was just behind at 382.5. Palmer finished third with 279.5 points, and moved 16 into the boys’ state tournament.

The top 5 wrestlers in each weight class earned a ticket to the state tournament.

The Warriors crowned a trio of first-time region champions, sophomores Hunter Hayes (132) and Maximus Stokes (220) and senior Isaiah Elvsaas at 138. Elvsaas earned a state title last season, but finished second in the NLC as both as a sophomore and a junior.

A pair of Palmer wrestlers also won the weight class at the region tournament for the first time. Senior Jason Watkins placed first at 160 and Lucas Santana won the heavyweight class.

Valley grapplers combined to win 12 of the 15 boys’ titles. Four Valley wrestlers earned region titles in the girls’ class. Freshman Kristina Gerasimyuk (113) and Heidi Warner (120) won titles for Wasilla, junior Teeana Nicholai (132) finished first for Palmer and Colony freshman Victoria Palin placed first at 106.

A dozen Valley wrestlers also advanced to the finals and finished as the runner-up. Colony’s Rett Gallagher (106), Aidan Ehmann (113), Vincent Cramer (120) and Simon Ganchenko (195); Wasilla’s Jack Fuller (98), Micah Mathis (126), Christion Alexander (132), Sterling Uhlenhake (138), Gregory Dean (145) and Andrue Shepersky (152); and Palmer’s Levi Farris (170) and Jeff Glynn (182) each placed second.

Houston senior pins title

Houston senior Dylan Jackson continued to dominate the heavyweight class, pinning his way to his first region title.

Jackson, now 19-0 this season, needed less than a minute to win both of his matches in the 285-pound class during the Kachemak Conference Championships in Seward. Jackson pinned Homer’s Richard Brock in 59 seconds in the semifinals. In the finals, Jackson pinned Houston teammate Reed Graham in 33 seconds in the finals.

Jackson helped lead the Hawks to a runner-up finish in the Kachemak team standings for the second straight season. Jackson and Graham were also among four Houston wrestlers to advance to the finals. Dakota Bolduc (132 pounds) and Lane Guim also finished second.

Redington also had four wrestlers in the finals. James Paris (98), Jonathan Kirby (120), Eli Benson (132) and Kyler Rumfelt (220) each finished second for the Huskies.

Houston qualified seven wrestlers for the state tournament, and Redington moved a half-dozen grapplers into state.

Su Valley, Glacier View athletes win region titles

A pair of Susitna Valley grapplers earned region gold during the Denali Conference Championships Saturday in Glennallen.

Senior Aiden Jolley and sophomore David Johnston each won their weight class. Jolley pinned Hutchison’s Matthew Fagan at 182. Johnston pinned Galena’s Joshua Felarca in the 195-pound finals. Su Valley’s Dalton Pinard will also advance to state for the Rams, finishing second at 160.

Glacier View, a school located along the Glenn Highway north of Palmer, was also represented at the top of the podium at the Denali Conference Championships. Noah Lucia pinned Glennallen’s Isaiah Hoffman in the first round and won the 113-pound weight class.

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

Northern Lights Conference Championships

Friday-Saturday, Kodiak

Team scores:

1. Colony 389; 2. Wasilla 382.5; 3. Palmer 279.5; 4. Soldotna 174.5; 5. Kodiak 102.5; 6. Kenai Central 62.5.

Championship finals:

98 pounds — T. Clapp, Col m.d. J. Fuller, Was 12-0; 106 — J. Hopkins, Col d. R. Gallagher, Col 11-5; 113 — M. Riedlinger, Col d. A. Ehmann, Col 8-6; 120 — G. Hutchison, Sol p. V. Cramer, Col 1:46; 126 — R. Fannon, Col d. M. Mathis, Was 9-6; 132 — H. Hayes, Was won by fft C. Alexander, Was; 138 — I. Elvsaas, Was p. S. Uhlenhake, Was 1:31; 145 —T. Severson, Col d. G. Dean, Was 12-5; 152 — B. Metcalf, Sol won by fft A. Shepersky, Was; 160 — J. Watkins, Pal d. J. Nummer, Kod 9-2; 170 — E. Christy, Col d. L. Farris, Pal 5-4 TB; 182 — C. Hopkins, Col m.d. J. Glynn, Pal 14-0; 195 — B. Dunhum, Ken p. S. Ganchenko, Col 2:59; 220 — M. Stokes, Was p. A. Faletoi, Sol 3:05; 285 — L. Santana, Pal p. J. Smith, Kod 2:31.

Third-place matches:

98 — G. Blydenburgh, Pal d. C. Jasper, Was 4-0; 106 — L. Craig, Sol p. T. Pendergrass, Pal 0:50; 113 — W. Fraker, Was m.d. N. Blackmon, Kod 13-3; 120 — A. Logsdon, Was p. K. Torres, Col 10-1; 126 — I. Rodman, Was d. K. Payden, Col 12-7 SV; 132 — S. Sisco, Col t.f. J. Dyer, Pal 19-4; 138 — S. Walton, Kod d. Z. Burns, Sol 7-1; 145 — D. Colley, Col d. E. Kraus, Was 9-2; 152 — H. Bleakney, Pal m.d. A. Barnes, Pal 17-4; 160 — Z. Rogers, Pal d. C. Dahlberg, Was 8-3; 170 — H. Metcalf, Sol d. C. Roehl, Was 8-2; 182 — J. Acree, Pal d. C. Gamble, Col 16-11 SV; 195 — J. Palmer, Was won by inj fft E. Floyd, Sol 1:57; 220 — C. Kurka, Pal p. A. Bartlett, Was 1:25; 285 — J. Nelson, Col d. J. Grant, Ken 4-2.

Fifth-place matches:

98 — T. Gudmunson, Col p. D. Padilla, Kod 2:00; 106 — A. Prayner, Was bye; 113 — B. Booth, Sol p. P. Peterson, Ken 3:40; 120 — P. Portney, Pal bye; 126 — J. Caple, Pal m.d. W. McGann, Pal 11-1; 132 — W. Manley, Pal d. Q. Sereyko, Col 6-4 SV; 138 — B. Lestenkof-Chapman, Col d. J. Christianson, Pal 7-3; 145 — R. Godwin, Pal d. N. Reeves, Pal 9-5; 152 — G. Nummer, Kod d. C. Lindquist, Was 5-0; 160 — R. Bailey, Was d. J. Goodman, Kod 1:23; 170 — L. Wahl, Sol won by inj fft J. Anderson, Was 1:52; 182 — J. Grossl, Ken d. M. Rogers, Sol 4-1; 195 — J. Toston, Col p. B. Tomlinson, Pal 2:03; 220 — S. Kruse, Ken p. R. Westover, Col 3:00; 285 — M. Lloyd, Sol p. B. Holmes, Col 4:13.

Kachemak Conference Championships

Friday-Saturday, Seward

Team scores:

1. Homer 304.5; 2. Houston 179.5; 3. Grace Christian 159.5; 4. Redington 137.5; 5. Anchorage Christian 118; 6. Voznesenka 90; 7. Seward 78; 8. Nikiski 77.5; 9. Holy Rosary 24; 10. Cordova 8.

Championship finals:

98 pounds — C. O’Hara, ACS m.d. J. Paris, Red 11-2; 106 — J. Merriner, Gra d. L. Hofacker, ACS 3-2; 113 — M. Kusnetsov, Voz d. M. Bohlman, ACS 14-7; 120 — S. Inama, Hom t.f. J. Kirby, Red 16-1; 126 — W. Newman, Hom p. C. Dow, Gra 4:43; 132 — L. Fasulo, Hom p. E. Benson, Red 3:24; 138 — M. Hayes, Hom d. D. Martishev, Voz 6-2; 145 — C. Smith, ACS p. D. Bolduc, Hou 1:52; 152 — M. Kuentzel, Gra d. L. Guim, Hou 5-3; 160 — M. Lucas, HR d. G. Martin, Gra 6-1; 170 — C. Cudaback, Hom d. E. Merriner, Gra 4-3; 182 — E. Bockman, Gra d. T. Cook, Hom 9-2; 195 — J. King, Hom p. N. Anufriev, Voz 3:18; 220 — K. Wells, Hom p. K. Rumfelt, Red 2:00; 285 — D. Jackson, Hou p. R. Graham, Hou 0:33.

Third-place matches:

98 — C. Peterson, Sew bye; 106 — E. Tucker, Red d. K. Ryheard, Hou 14-4; 113 — O. Ford, Gra p. D. Revilak, Hou 2:36; 120 — C. Norcross, Sew d. C. Monks, ACS 7-4; 126 — J. Morganflash, Red d. D. Harris, Gra 9-3; 132 — I. Stovall, Hom d. M. Payne, Nik 5-4; 138 — D. Jessup, Hou p. R. Reed, ACS 4:00; 145 — J. Bradshaw, Hom d. D. Anufriev, Voz 3-2; 152 — J. DeVries, Gra d. S. Estes, Sew 5-3; 160 — C. Eber, Gra d. J. Haxton, Red 8-4; 170 — A. Kalugin, Voz d. D. O’Connor, Hou 5-1; 182 — J. Gericke, Hou d. O. Severance, Red 10-3; 195 — T. Litke, Nik p. R. Ritter, Hou 5:16; 220 — S. Graham, Hou bye; 285 — R. Brock, Hom p. E. Hack, Nik 1:33.