Local grapplers aim for state titles

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Sports Editor

Last season, Wasilla won the 4A state wrestling championships convincingly, became the first boys' program in the history of the school to win a state title and two Warrior grapplers earned individual titles.

Hard to top?

Maybe not.

"I think we're actually a little bit deeper (this year)," Wasilla head coach Shawn Hayes said.

That depth has allowed the defending state champions and kings of the mat to continue to stay on top. Wasilla cruised to the top of the standings in a number of tournaments this season and won last weekend's Northern Lights Championships in overwhelming fashion. Now a deep Wasilla team is sending 22 grapplers to the 2005 ASAA 4A State Wrestling Championships, which starts today at Chugiak High School.

Hayes said the key this season was exposing that depth to varsity competition.

"It helped that we sent a lot of our second lineup to varsity tournaments," Hayes said. "The extra competition helped us improve - more mat time, more experience."

The Warriors also have the experience of simply being there - at the state tournament. Many of the 22 Wasilla wrestlers competing in the state tournament saw action in the championships last season and four of the wrestlers advanced to the finals. Though only one won a state title - Jake Wade - the other three - Alan Bartelli, Trevor Pempek and Chuck Carpenter -can benefit from being there before.

"That all adds to it. You are not nearly as nervous once you have been there before," Hayes said.

Wade won the 171-pound title as a sophomore and will try to repeat in the same weight class as a junior. Wade is currently 25-0 and has been ranked at the top of his weight class for the entire season. With a win, Wade would earn his family's ninth state wrestling title. Older brothers Jed (four state titles), James (two) and Jack (one) combined for seven state championships.

Bartelli is looking for another shot at the 103-pound title. This season the sophomore is a perfect 31-0 and has been ranked at the top of the weight class for the entire season.

After dropping a tight decision to two-time state champion David Wiese, of West Valley, last season, Pempek is shooting for the title at 152. Pempek is 29-0 this season and has spent the year at the top of his weight class.

Carpenter suffered a tough 5-4 loss to Jeff Herron, of Bartlett, in the 160-pound finals last year. The Wasilla senior will look to return to the final round in possibly the toughest weight class of the 2005 tourney.

"(160) is a tough weight class, but Chuck has been wrestling better than he has all year," Hayes said.

In addition to Carpenter, the bracket also includes Wiese and Wade Wilson, of South, who placed second at 152 last season.

Other Warriors who could find themselves in the finals are Clayton Schmidling (119), Duane Carpenter (130) and Cesear Barrara (135).

Though the Warriors are expected to make a lot of noise in the state tournament, Wasilla is not the only feel-good Valley story.

Colony, which has struggled in recent history just to keep a dozen wrestlers on the squad, is sending a baker's dozen to the state tournament. Northern Lights Conference champions Dustin Killian, Hollan Gravely and Dominick Bellotte lead the school-record 13 Knight grapplers in the state tourney.

And if Killian wins a state crown, his story might be the best of all. For the last two seasons Killian has been locked in the same weight class with one of the top grapplers in all of Alaska - Eli Hutchinson, of Skyview. But after defeating Killian in both the region and state championships in the 112-pound class in each of the last two seasons, Hutchinson has darted to 135, while Killian moved to just 119. And during his freshman season, Killian had to settle for second in state in the 103-pound class. This season Killian is 26-3 and the top man at 119.

But if Killian wins a state title, it won't be just because Hutchinson is in a different class. Colony head coach Fred McKinney said Killian has made improvements to his wrestling style.

"He's become a complete wrestler," McKinney said. "He's always been good on his feet, but on the top and bottom he has improved tremendously."

Gravely, a sophomore, is looking to defend his 2004 state title. Gravely, who won at 112 pounds last season, is actually wrestling heavy, according to McKinney. With both Killian and Gravely hovering around the 119-pound weight at the beginning of the season, the two mutually decided which classes to wrestle in during the season.

"They decided together. They didn't have to fight it out on the mat, didn't have a big controversy," McKinney said.

Bellotte, a two-time region champion, will compete in a tough 215-pound class. The 215 class, could battle with 160, for the toughest division in the tournament. The class not only includes defending 4A state champion, Josiah Bush of North Pole, and defending 3A state champion Bobby Dunbar of Bartlett, who won the crown at Anchorage Christian School, but Jake Ritter, of Juneau-Douglas, the top seed at 215 in the 2004 state tournament. The glut of quality wrestlers in the class even forced one of the state's top grapplers in the division to move to heavyweight. South's Mike Petrovich, the third-ranked wrestler at 215 in the latest rankings moved up. Although Bellotte will have his work cut out, McKinney said the senior is just the type of athlete to be up to the challenge.

"Dominick wanted to wrestle 215, he knew Dunbar would be there, knew Ritter would be there, knew Bush would be there," McKinney said. "He's the type of guy who looks for a challenge. Some guys run away, Dominick's just the opposite."

McKinney said he expects Andrew Van Asdall (103) and James Savage (275) to both be factors in the state tournament. Van Asdall placed third in the region tournament by beating Jimmy Eggemeyer, of Kodiak, a wrestler who beat Van Asdall twice this season. Savage finished second in the region tournament.

A Colony sleeper in the tourney, McKinney said, is Chris Walsh. The 189-pounder placed third in regions.

"With a good tournament, I will not be surprised if he was in the finals," McKinney said. "He's going to have to work for that."

Palmer, which has also struggled with numbers in recent history, is sending eight wrestlers to state. Highlighting the region tournament for the Moose was an all-Palmer final at 189. Steel Tubbs defeated teammate Lloyd Nieman 7-3.

Justin Ratcliff (152) and Tremain Benton (160) each finished third in the region tournament.

The first session of the tournament begins at 9 a.m. today and continues to 3 p.m. The second session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Wrestling action begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and the championship rounds are slated for 5 p.m. All matches are at Chugiak High School.