NLC wrestling: Valley teams hit Kodiak for tourney

WASILLA — Last season, Valley programs dominated the Northern Lights Conference Championships.

The Valley swept the top 3 spots in the team standings. Colony earned its fourth straight NLC title, and Wasilla and Palmer finished second and third. Even more impressive, the Knights, Warriors and Moose combined to go 15 for 15 during the boys ‘championship final.

While it may be difficult for the Mat-Su to claim every weight class again this year, Wasilla head coach Shawn Hayes expects the Valley programs to have continued success in the 2017 championships, which start Friday morning in Kodiak.

“We’re hoping the Valley shines,” Hayes said earlier this week. “We’re pretty tough. Colony’s tough again this year. Palmer’s numbers are coming along.”

Colony, winner of the NLC’s last four team titles, will hit the mat with four defending individual champs, a group that includes junior Rush Fannon, who has earned a region title in each of his first two season with the Knights.

Vincent Cramer, Eric Christy and Caleb Hopkins also won titles last season. Christy enters the region tournament undefeated, 31-0, at 170 pounds. Trace Severson also reached the finals for the Knights last year and finished second.

The Knights will also have senior Sam Sisco, who won a state title as a freshman, but missed the last two postseasons due to injury.

“We’re excited to have him this year. He’s going to score a lot of points,” Colony head coach Todd Hopkins said of Sisco.

Overall, the defending state champion Knights hope to continue to qualify about two-dozen wrestlers for the state tournament.

“Ever year it seems like its about 22 to 26. Somewhere in there is typically what we get,” Hopkins said. “Ideally, it’s 30.”

Teams can enter a maximum of two wrestlers in each of the 15 weight classes. The top five wrestlers in each NLC weight class advance to state.

Three-time defending NLC and state champion Micah Mathis leads Wasilla into the region meet. Isaiah Elvsaas also won a state title last year, but is looking for his first career NLC crown. He was second in the NLC as both a sophomore and junior. Junior Andrue Shepersky is a two-time defending NLC champion for the Warriors.

“We’ve got a some upperclassmen, (two) returning state champions and a bunch of underclassmen working hard,” Hayes said.

Wasilla also has Alex Logsdon, Isaac Rodman and Christion Alexander, who have been a runner-up in the NLC.

Defending state champion Levi Farris and two-time defending NLC champ Christian Kurka lead Palmer into the region tourney. Jeff Glynn and Zion Rogers also finished as a runner-up for the Moose last season.

The tournament also includes eight weight classes in the girls’ division. Palmer junior Teeana Nicholai is expected to be the top wrestler in the 132-pound class.

Wrestling begins Friday at 11:30 a.m. in Kodiak. Championship semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. Wrestling continues Saturday at 10 a.m. with the championship finals slated for 3 p.m.

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