Prep wrestling: Warriors second at North-South

SOLDOTNA - Prior to the championship matches of the North-South wrestling tournament at Soldotna High School Saturday, exactly nothing had been settled between three-time defending state champion Wasilla and perennial powerhouse Chugiak, with the Warriors and Mustangs deadlocked atop the standings.

But any doubts as to who would win were thoroughly erased by an impressive Chugiak onslaught during the middle and late stages of the final round that left the Mustangs all alone at the top. An injury-hampered Wasilla, meanwhile, had to settle for second place in the 16-team field.

&#8220We have a lot of work to do,” Wasilla head coach Shawn Hayes said following the tournament.

Having lost many of the seniors who helped propel his Warriors to three consecutive titles, Hayes said he's relying on his more inexperienced wrestlers to begin stepping up as the season moves toward regions and state next month.

&#8220As the season goes along, hopefully some of the younger kids will be coming along,” he said. &#8220That should help close the gap.”

Led by the second-place showing of Tom Eller at 135 pounds, the Palmer Moose finished in sixth place. Colony sent its junior varsity squad to Soldotna while the varsity was in Juneau. For their efforts, the JV Knights got second-place finishes from Chase Montgomery at 103 pounds and Josh West at 119 to finish in 12th place.

Wasilla took the tournament lead early in the final round behind wins from Alan Bartelli at 119 pounds and Duane Carpenter at 140. With Mike Chafin's runner-up performance thrown into the mix, Wasilla held the lead with just seven matches to go.

Bartelli - who is looking for a third state title this season - had no trouble in his finals match, soundly defeating Colony's West in the finals with a 10-2 major decision. The finals match was the only one in which Bartelli didn't pin his opponent, and he gave West credit for putting up a good fight.

&#8220The competition is getting a lot stiffer the more people get into the season,” he said.

Carpenter, last year's state runner-up at 140 pounds, also looked impressive, holding off Grace's Peter Walls for a 5-4 win.

&#8220I'm happy with how I did,” Carpenter said. &#8220I knew there would be some tough wrestlers here.”

Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Mustangs had yet to leave the stable. When the dust settled, Chugiak had rattled off five wins in six matches to cruise to victory.

Chugiak got consecutive wins from Quincy Voris at 145 pounds, Danny Tol at 152 pounds and Sam Carlson at 160. The Mustangs didn't slow down, picking up a dominant win at 189 pounds by Cayle Byers, who pinned Kenai's Michael Dormady. Rory McBride completed Chugiak's sweep through the finals with a 5-0 decision that left the Mustangs unbeaten in the championship round.

&#8220Chugiak is definitely the team to beat right now, and South will be there too,” Hayes said.

And with another big tournament win under their belts, the Mustangs are getting more and more confident as the season rolls on.

&#8220I felt really good coming into this tournament,” Danny Tol said after his win essentially clinched the team victory for Chugiak.

&#8220Wrestling with confidence is going to be an issue all the way through the season,” Tol said. &#8220We plan to win state.”

Wasilla was missing a couple of athletes due to illness and injury, and with the Thanksgiving break coming up, the Warriors have a chance to get healthy. But Hayes said he doesn't plan on taking it easy on his team over the break and has some serious workouts planned to make sure his wrestlers don't pack on too much extra holiday stuffing.

&#8220We'll have tough practices Monday through Wednesday, and we're asking them to pay attention to what they're eating,” Hayes said.

For the Warriors to get back into the state picture, Hayes said his squad needs to look to veterans like Bartelli, Carpenter and Chafin as an example of the hard work it will take to try for a fourth straight title.

&#8220If we can get the whole team working like those guys, we'll be right there,” Hayes said.