Palmer tourney could be biggest in state

PALMER — Athletes from 22 programs will hit the mat at Palmer High School this weekend during the seventh-annual Palmer Lions Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament.

“It’s a really big tournament,” Palmer head coach Dale Ewart said. “Probably the biggest in the state other than the state meet.”

The tourney will include each of the four 4A prep wrestling squads from the Mat-Su Valley — host Palmer, Houston, Wasilla and the three-time defending 4A state champion Colony Knights.

Large-school teams from the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage area and Southeast Alaska will also attend.

Among the 1-2-3A teams in the field is small-schools power Dillingham.

The tournament is named in honor of Lancer Smith, a longtime wrestling coach at Palmer High School.

Smith, who died in 2002, was a college All-American and an alternate on the United States Greco-Roman team during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico before he started coaching wrestling in Alaska in 1973. During his time in the Last Frontier, “Lancer the Legend,” was instrumental to the success of youth wrestling in the Mat-Su Valley as an assistant and head coach at Palmer, a coach at Colony, and the youth coach and director of the Palmer Kiwanis Junior Wrestling Program.

He also led freestyle clubs and AAU teams, and coached in the Arctic Winter Games.

The tourney is slated to start today at 9 a.m., with semifinals expected to start this evening.

Wrestling will continue Saturday at 9 a.m.

First akmat.org

rankings released

The first Alaska prep wrestling rankings have been released for the 2009 season.

According to the list complied by akmat.org, four Mat-Su Valley grapplers are ranked at the top of their weight class.

Wasilla sophomore Abe Fox is listed first at 103, while fellow Warrior 10th-grader Caleb Pempek is first at 152.

Colony senior Kenny Boykin is first at 171, while CHS senior and defending state champion Eric Fan is first at 215.

4A rankings

According to akmat.org

103 pounds — 1. Abe Fox, Wasilla; 2. Nathan Marquez, East; 3. Hope Steffenson, Kenai; 4. Eli Garvey, Homer; 5. Hannah Hutchinson, Skyview; 6. Noah Roetman, Colony.

112 — 1. Dillon Achman, Lathrop ; 2. Johnny Hogenson, South ; 3. Cole Miller, Wasilla ; 4. Francis Llorente, Kodiak ; 5. Sam Janorshke, Skyview ; 6. Warren Mielke, Colony.

119 — 1. Bryce Wilson, Skyview; 2. Joe Hughes, Lathrop; 3. Ross Sanford, Ketchikan; 4. Gabe Loggins, Colony; 5. Cody Decker; 6. Conrad Lacey, Service.

125 — 1. Matt Malnoske, East; 2. Charles Montgomery, Colony; 3. Tyler Mockta, Service; 4. Brent Amos, South; 5. Jufer Librando, Juneau; 6. LJ Leppanen, Palmer.

130 — 1. Jacob Russell, South; 2. Luke Falkner; 3. Kyle Curry; 4. Jentry Diederich, Wasilla; 5. Cody Carroll, SOHI; 6. Jered Kemp, Palmer.

135 — 1. Ben Sullivan, Chugiak; 2. Skyler Moore, East; 3. Ian Fultz, Ketchikan; 4. Josh Brown, Wasilla; 5. Taylor Osborn, Lathrop; 6. Chad Lowery, Colony

140 — 1. Nathan Hoffer, East; 2. Chris Frazier, North Pole; 3. Derek Johnson, Wasilla; 4. Ken Banning, Service; 5. Brodie Pearce, Kodiak; 6. Aaron Richardson, Houston.

145 — 1. Zach Shelly; 2. Mike Miranda, Dimond; 3. Chase Montgomery, Colony; 4. Kevin Jutila, North Pole; 5. Nick Gordon, Service; 6. Nate Wolf, Colony

152 — 1. Eric Antesberger, North Pole; 2. Caleb Pempek, Wasilla; 3. Grant Sullivan, Chugiak; 4. Trent Lemons, Lathrop; 5. David Castonguay, Kodiak; 6. Drake McGraw, Dimond.

160 — 1. Buddy Pressler, West; 2. Mitch Wyatt, Homer; 3. Fred Pollard, Skyview; 4. Jared Thomas, Skyview; 5. Jacob Marshall, Wasilla; 6. Brandon Weise, Lathrop.

171 — 1. Kenny Boykin, Colony; 2. Trent Shepersky, North Pole; 3. Kyle Kirn, South; 4. Steve Lawson, Skyview; 5. Brian Koenig, Thunder Mountain; 6. Adam Akelkok, Wasilla.

189 — 1. Dan Wilson, East; 2. Ross Morehouse, South; 3. Jeremy White, Wasilla; 4. Tyler Barron, Houston; 5. Gordon Kruger, Colony; 6. Tyler Barron, Houston.

215 — 1. Eric Fan, Colony; 2. Stephen Ellis, Service; 3. Jacob Johnson, Wasilla; 4. Nick Archuleta, South; 5. Nick Van Bruggen, Skyview; 6. Nathaniel Williams, Eagle River.

285 — 1. Nate Streiby, Soldotna; 2. Anthony Antonio, Kodiak; 3. Renn Wright, Colony; 4. Dillon Short, South; 5. Jason Jeddords, Service; 6. Ryan Pomrenke, Wasilla.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.