Valley teams seek numbers for state

MAT-SU — Conference championships are great. It’s nice to have another banner to hang in the gymnasium. Colony head coach Dave Booth knows that. He also knows if teams have any hope of grabbing the ultimate prize — a state championship — teams need to use the conference events to qualify as many athletes for state as possible.

And that’s exactly what Colony, Palmer and Wasilla will try to do during the Northern Lights Conference Championships, which starts today at Kenai Central High School.

“The goal here, in all honestly, is to see how many kids we can enter into the state tournament,” Booth said. “Winning that title is fantastic, but that’s really what you’re looking at.”

The top six grapplers from each weight class of the two-day NLC Championships advance to the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Championships, which start Dec. 10 at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla.

Colony, the four-time defending NLC and state champions, pushed a conference-high 22 athletes into the state tourney last year. This year, Booth said, the Knights are not fixated on a certain number. The Knights just want to produce as many top-six grapplers as possible.

Colony currently has eight wrestlers ranked in the top six in the state, according to the latest rankings released by the wrestling website akmat.org. At least half of those athletes are expected to be top seeds in the NLC tourney when wrestling starts this morning.

Thursday morning, as his team was preparing to leave for Kenai, Booth said he expected Nathan Faulkner (135 pounds), Kyle Boss (152), Quace Wright (189) and Renn Wright (285) to earn top seeds in the conference tourney. Wade Booth (103) and Nate Wolfe (160) are among those who should be in the running for No. 2 seeds, Booth said.

The official seeding was not available prior to press time.

Wasilla, which qualified 15 for the state meet last season, has 11 wrestlers currently ranked in the top six in the state, according to akmat.org. The Warriors should also have a handful of top-seeded grapplers at this weekend’s tourney. Abe Fox (119), Tyler Adams (130) and Jake Johnson (215) are currently ranked first in the state in their respective weight classes. Jed Diederich, sixth at 125, is the top-ranked wrestler from the NLC in his class.

Nate McKimson (119), Jentry Diederich (140), Derek Johnsen (145), Jeremy White (189) and Ryan Pomrenke (285) are among the Warriors who could be seeded second.

Colony and Wasilla have combined for the last eight NLC titles. Wasilla won four straight titles before Colony started its four-peat. Most are expecting either Wasilla or Colony to claim the 2010 crown.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Booth said.

Palmer had five state qualifiers last year. This year, the Moose would like to double that number, Palmer head coach Dale Ewart said.

“We’ve got some good kids, some kids doing really well,” Ewart said. “I really am hoping to get 10 through.”

Palmer currently has a pair of wrestlers ranked in the state’s top six. Cole Frohling is ranked second in the state at 215 and should be the second seed in the NLC. LJ Leppanen, Palmer’s lone senior and a state qualifier, is ranked fourth in the state at 135 and should also be a No. 2 seed in the conference.

Hawks head to Fairbanks

The Houston Hawks will hit the mat at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks this weekend for the Mid-Alaska Conference championships.

The top three grapplers from each weight class of the tourney, which also includes North Pole and West Valley, will advance to next week’s state meet.

The Hawks currently boast two wrestlers ranked in the top six in the state, according to akmat.org, and both could be seeded first in the MAC tourney. Luke Wagner is third at 215 and Aaron Reese is third at 171.

Northern Lights Conference ranked wrestlers

(according to akmat.org)

103 pounds — 2. Wade Booth, Colony; 3. Hope Steffensen, Kenai.

112 — 3. Eddie Burris, Kodiak.

119 — 1. Abe Fox, Wasilla; 4. Nate McKimson, Wasilla; 5. Frances Liorente, Kodiak.

125 — 6. Jed Diederich, Wasilla.

130 — 1. Tyler Adams, Wasilla; 6. Taylor Hanley, Soldotna.

135 — 2. Luke Faulkner, Colony; 4. LJ Leppanen, Palmer; 5. Cody Carroll, Soldotna; 6. Bryce Serna, Wasilla.

140 — 1. Pearson Brodie, Kodiak; 5. Jentry Diederich, Wasilla.

145 — 1. Auston Tennis, Soldotna; 3. Derek Johnsen, Wasilla.

152 — 1. Kyle Boss, Colony.

160 — 2. David Castonguay, Kodiak 4. Nate Wolfe, Colony.

171 — 1. Mitch Wyatt, Homer; 5. Skye Rench, Colony; 6. Yuriyi Makitrin, Wasilla.

189 — 3. Quace Wright, Colony; 4. Jeremy White, Wasilla.

215 — 1. Jake Johnson, Wasilla; 2. Cole Frohling, Palmer; 5. Ty Farber, Colony.

285 — 1. Renn Wright, Colony; 5. Ryan Pomrenke, Wasilla.