Upsets rule first day of Lancer Smith Memorial

PALMER — Earlier this week while explaining the seeding criteria, Palmer High activities director Dale Ewart predicted that defending state champions will fall at some point during the Lancer Smith Memorial.

Alaska’s toughest regular season prep wrestling tournament didn’t disappoint.

Seven defending state champions fell during the opening day of the annual tournament at Palmer High School.

Two of those upsets came courtesy of a pair of Colony grapplers in the same weight class. Moments after Colony’s Robert Haan pinned Kotzebue’s Spencer Woods in one 170-pound semifinal, Colony’s Jordan Nero outlasted Nikiski’s Nathan Carstens 6-4 in the other. Woods was the 123A state champion at 152 pounds last season, and Cartstens won the small-schools title at 160.

Colony’s Chace Booth also upset a defending state champion in the semifinals Friday, holding on to beat North Pole’s Dew Rogers 9-5 in the 145-pound class. Rogers was the 4A state champion at 138 pounds last season.

Bethel’s Tristan Evan and Gage Hoffman, Holy Rosary Academy’s Michael Lucas and Ketchikan’s Nate Fousel, all state champions last season, each suffered losses on Friday. South’s David Lincoln pinned Evan, the top seed at 113, in the semifinals. Hoffman was forced to forfeit his 126-pound quarterfinal match in the second period due to an injury. South’s Noah Ottum edged Lucas 1-0 at 145 pounds in the semifinals. In a battle of defending state champions at 195, South’s Abraham Correa-Medina, a 4A champ last year, edged Fousel 5-2 in a 195-pound semifinal.

Colony and Wasilla, separated by only 1 ½ points in the team standings after the first day, each pushed four wrestlers into the championship finals. Haan and Nero will make up the all-Colony 170-pound final. Booth will face Ottum in the finals at 145. Levi Hopkins will face Kotzebue’s Gavin Maslen, a defending state champion, in the 120-pound final.

Micah Mathis, a defending state champ, Dillon Simpson, Berit Sturgeon and Samuel Wolff each qualified for the finals for the Warriors. Mathis will meet South’s David Lincon at 113 pounds. Simpson squares off against defending state champion Seth Hutchison of Soldotna at 126. Sturgeon meets South’s Greg Shack at 132. Wolff will wrestle Grace Christian’s Evan Bockman in the 138-pound finals.

Susitna Valley’s Marshall Pinard will also wrestle in the finals. The Rams heavyweight pinned West Valley’s Jake Foshee in the 285-pound semifinals.

South led the team standings after the first day with 179.5 points. Lathrop stood in second with 130.5 points. Wasilla (121.5) was third, just ahead of rival Colony (121.5).

Wrestling continues Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at Palmer High. Championship finals are slated for Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Lancer Smith Memorial

Friday, Palmer High School

Day 1 team scores (top 20)

1. South 179.5; 2. Lathrop 130.5; 3. Wasilla 121.5; 4. Colony 120.5; 5. Soldotna 79.5; 6. Chugiak 66; 7. Kotzebue 63; 8. North Pole 60; 9. Bethel 58.5; 10. Palmer 53; 11. Homer 52; 12. East 49; 13. Glennallen 49; 14. Grace 42; 15. Ketchikan 41.5; 16. Dimond 40; 17. Houston 39.5; 18. West Valley 36; 19. Eagle River 32; 20. Nikiski 24.

Championship semifinals:

98 pounds — M. Ee, Lat d. O. Andersen, Pal 5-0; T. Dyment, Bet d. R. Fannon, Col 8-0; 106 — J. Spencer, Lat d. G. Hutchison, Sol 12-4; S. Martin, Sou m.d. B. Blunka, NS 14-8; 113 — D. Lincoln, Sou p. T. Evan, Bet 2:32; M. Mathis, Was p. A. Kraft, ER 3:56; 120 — G. Maslen, Kotz won by med. Fft; L. Hopkins, Col d. J. Shack, Sou 5-4; 126 — S. Hutchison, Sol m.d. I. Elvsaas, Was 10-0; D. Simpson, Was d. S. LeMay, ACS 7-5 OT; 132 — G. Shack, Sou d. B. Powell, East 6-0; B. Sturgeon, Was d. A. Olsen, Bet 6-4; 138 — S. Wolff, Was p. T. Newland, Was 3:58; E. Bockman, Gra d. W. Martin, Sou 8-6; 145 — C. Booth, Col d. D. Rogers, NP 9-5; N. Ottum, Sou d. M. Lucas, HRA 1-0; 152 — T. Woo, Hom m.d. N. Juliussen, Gra 13-4; E. Schumaker, NP p. H. Boyer, TM 5:45; 160 — R. Pellumbi, Sou p. C. Kurka, Pal 4:32; D. Budke, won by inj fft; 170 — J. Nero, Col d. N. Carstens, Nik 6-4; R. Haan, Col p. S. Woods, Kot 0:53; 182 — J. Dickinson, Lat d. M. Herrera, East 4-2; J. White, Glen d. M. Bonar, WV 5-1; 195 — A. Correa-Medina, Sou d. N. Fousel, Ket 5-2; A. Gold, East d. D. Nash, Col 8-4; 220 — J. Miller, Lat p. R. Atos, Bar 1:26; B. Johnston, Chu d. E. Lincecum, Hou 11-5; 285 ¬ — M. Pinard, SV p. J. Foshee, WV 3:09; B. Pili, Dim p. D. Best, Sol 5:10