Strong finish

HOUSTON — Justin Crowley pinned his way to an individual title during the Houston Invitational on Saturday. But while winning his weight class at the first tournament of the season was a great way to start off the year, the Houston High School senior is focused on capping his career with a memorable finish at the state championships.

“This is it, everything or nothing,” Crowley said after pinning his first opponent during the Houston Duals on Friday. “I’ve worked really hard in the offseason.”

Crowley enjoyed a stellar junior season. He won his weight class at a pair of tournaments — the Houston Invite and Lancer Smith Memorial — and was the runner-up at 215 pounds in the Mid-Alaska Conference championships.

Crowley advanced to the state tourney for the second straight year, but his time in the state meet proved to be short — for the second straight year.

“I’ve been to state two out of three years and been shut out both times,” Crowley said.

Now Crowley is eager to prove he belongs on that state tournament podium while the medals are handed out.

“I’m really hungry for that state championship,” Crowley said.

Crowley was one of two Hawks to qualify for the 4A state championships in 2007, joining Cass Melin, who graduated last year.

Both Crowley and Melin failed to place at the state tournament last season, and the Hawks — who made the jump from the 1-2-3A class to the 4A level prior to last season — are still looking for their first wrestler to place at a large-schools state meet.

Houston head coach Brad Drake feels Crowley is certainly capable of making school history.

“I think he’s ready,” Drake said. “He works hard at practice. He’s always focused, he prepares well for his matches.”

Even though Crowley finished second in the Mid-Alaska — suffering a close 7-5 loss to North Pole junior Jackson Collins — the Houston grappler was unseeded in the state tournament.

“I lost to a 3A kid earlier in the year,” Crowley said. “That kind of knocked me completely out of seeding, so that was pretty bad. Then I got stuck in the top of the bracket with four of the toughest kids in the state. That really shot my chances.”

Colony sophomore Eric Fan, who would go on to finish third in the state tourney, hit Crowley with a 13-5 major decision in the first round.

In the consolation quarterfinals, Crowley suffered an 8-2 loss to Ramio Lamas of Juneau-Douglas.

Crowley said he knows earning one of the top six seeds in his weight class at the state tourney is important, but also realizes that no matter where he’s placed in the bracket, he needs to be at his best.

“Half of it’s mental,” Crowley said. “You can’t worry about who your next opponent is.”

Crowley currently stands as one of 4A’s top returning wrestlers at the 215 class. The defending state champion of the class, East Anchorage’s Andrew Wilson, has graduated.

West Anchorage senior Trevor McDonald, the 2007 state runner-up at 215 as a junior, is back. Fan, who placed third in state as a sophomore returns, as does Collins, who finished fifth in the state tourney as a junior.

Crowley was 1-1 against both McDonald and Collins during the regular season.

“There’s tough kids,” Crowley said of the 215 class. “Everybody’s coming back. But the nice thing bout this bracket is anyone could take it.”

Drake said there’s still a possibility Crowley could even give the 189 class a shot.

“It just kind of depends on what he wants to do,” Drake said.

Crowley is one of about 20 grapplers on the Houston squad, Drake said.

Drake said the a strength of the Hawks lie in the middle weights. At 160, the Hawks have a pair of wrestlers who Drake expects success from — Aaron Reece and Jon Cope.

“They’re neck and neck in wrestle-offs,” Drake said.

The pair met in the consolation finals of the Houston Invite, with Reece winning the close 6-4 victory.

Also returning are Garrett Elder at 145 and the Shannon sisters, Janae and Rachael. Janae is at 125, while Rachael is wrestling at 130.

Among the newcomers are freshman Drew Drake and Aaron Richardson, a transfer from Bethel.

Richardson placed second in the Great Alaska Conference tournament last year at 119 and qualified for the 1-2-3A championships.

Richardson will wrestle at 135 this season.

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