Strength in numbers: Valley programs boast big squads in NLC tourney

WASILLA —The final round of the 2015 Northern Lights Conference Championships could have been dubbed the Valley Tri Meet.

Of the 15 matches in the finals, 14 featured at least one Valley wrestler and 11 weight classes had an all-Valley final. Of the 30 grapplers in the finals, 25 hailed from either Colony, Wasilla or Palmer.

Eighteen of the Valley wrestlers who competed in the region finals are back this year, setting up the potential for another Valley-heavy final in the 2016 NLC Championships, which start Friday at Kenai Central High School.

Three-time defending NLC champion Colony has the largest Valley contingent in the tournament, with 28 wrestlers spread across the 15 weight classes.

“I think we’re ready to go,” Colony head coach Todd Hopkins said earlier this week. “Hopefully we’re wrestling at our best. Hopefully that’s enough.”

The Knights had eight wrestlers in the region finals last season. Three of those athletes — Rush Fannon, Levi Hopkins and Robert Hann — have returned. Fannon is the defending region champ at 98 pounds, and has been wrestling at 113 this season. Hopkins, defending champion at 120, is at 138. Haan finished first at 170 last year, and is now at 195.

Hopkins, Hann and Dawson Nash are all defending state champions. Nash finished third in regions at 182, but rebounded the following week to win his first state title. Nash is back at 182 last season.

Eric Christy, Caleb Hopkins and Isaiah Christy have also returned after finishing second in regions last year.

“I think we’re going to do well,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins said he also feels good about the number of wrestlers Colony can get through to the state tournament.

“I expect most of them to get through,” Hopkins said.

The top 5 from each weight class in the NLC advance to the state tournament, slated for Dec. 16-17 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

Seventeen Knights qualified for state last year.

The Knights also have four girls competing in the girls’ event this weekend.

Wasilla, which finished second in regions last year, will have its most complete squad of the season when the Warriors hit the Kenai Central mats this weekend, longtime head coach Shawn Hayes said earlier this week.

“We’ve never had them all on the mat at the same time (this season). I have no idea what they can do,” Hayes said of his team’s potential.

Wasilla will have 27 wrestlers in the region tournament. Hayes said he’s excited to see how Wasilla can do with that many wrestlers in a tournament in which two athletes from the same school can score points for the team in the same weight class. Typically during the regular season, only one wrestler per school can factor into the team scores per weight class.

Wasilla placed nine wrestlers in the region finals last season, and five are back the season. The group includes two-time NLC and two-time defending state champion Micah Mathis, who is wrestling at 120 pounds this year after winning past times at 98 and 113.

Defending NLC region and state champion Samuel Wolff is also back, after winning titles at 138 last year. Wolff is wrestling at 145 this season. The Warriors also have defending region champions Berit Sturgeon, Andrue Shepersky and Chase Minnick. Sturgeon won at 132 last year and is at 138 this year. Shepersky is wrestling at 160 after winning an NLC crown at 152 last season. Minnick returned to defend his 220-pound title.

Isaiah Elvsaas also advanced to the region finals last season and placed second. The Warriors also have Dillon Simpson, who won a region title two seasons ago.

Palmer, which finished third in the NLC team standings last year, will have 21 wrestlers for the region tourney.

“We’re looking really good. We’re peaking at the right time,” Palmer head coach Daniel Graham said earlier this week.

Graham said the Moose did loose three key pieces to the squad, Nathan Reeves, and both of the team’s heavyweights, Keith Anderson and Lucas Santana. There’s disappointment there, Graham said, Anderson and Santana were ranked among the top 5 in their weight class in the state. But other than that, Graham said the Moose are feeling pretty good about things.

“Overall, we’re pretty happy,” Graham said.

The Moose featured a half-dozen wrestlers in the region finals last year, and four are back. The group includes two-time region champion Austin Farris, who was a state runner-up two years ago. Farris captured both of his titles at 195, and is at 285 this weekend. Christian Kurka, who won at 160 pounds last year, is at 170 this year.

Levi Farris and Jeff Glynn also wrestled in the finals last year, and finished second.

Palmer pushed 16 wrestlers into the state tournament last season. Graham his goal is to see 19 Palmer wrestlers qualify for state, and is confident the Moose can hit that number. The school record for Moose in the state tournament is 18.

Hawks, Huskies ready for conference championships

Houston and Redington will compete in the Kachamak Conference Championships, which start Friday at Anchorage Christian School.

Houston, which finished as the conference runner-up last year, is led by a pair of defending conference champions.

Robert Ritter (182 pounds) and Malaki Barrett (195) each won their weight class at regions last season. Each has bumped up a weight class. Ritter is at 195 and Barrett is wrestling at 220.

The Hawks also have heavyweight Dylan Jackson, who was third in the region last year.

“We are confident our team is peaking at the right time for regionals this weekend,” Houston assistant coach Danny Moffitt said in an email. “I would look to see many of these wrestlers advance to the state tournament if their performance continues.”

Among the Huskies headed to regions is Jordan Morganflash, who became one of the first two Huskies in school history last season to qualify for the state tournament.

The top 4 wrestlers in each weight class in the Kachemak Conference advance to the 123A state tournament.

Rams head north

The Susitna Valley Rams will be in Fairbanks this weekend to compete in the Denali Conference Championships at Lathrop High School.

The Rams are led by senior heavyweight Marshall Pinard, the three-time defending region champion at heavyweight.

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