Warriors win NLC wrestling title

KENAI — The Wasilla Warriors placed 10 grapplers in the finals and crowned three individual champions en route to cruising to the team title of the Northern Lights Conference Championships wrestling tournament at Kenai Central High School on Saturday.

Abe Fox, Tyler Adams and Jake Johnson each won their respective weight classes to help Wasilla claim its first conference championship since 2005. Fox edged teammate Nate McKimson 5-3 during the 119-pound final. Adams pinned Soldotna’s Taylor Hanley during the third period of the 130-pound final. Johnson also pinned his way to a title, posting a third-round pin of Palmer’s Cole Frohling in the 215-pound final.

McKimson, Ryker Steiner (1112), Jed Diederich (125), Derek Johnsen (145), Yuriy Makitrin (171), Jeremy White (189) and Ryan Pomrenke (275) also advanced to the finals and placed second.

Colony, which entered the tournament as the four-time defending champs, finished third. But the Knights did have a tournament-high five champions. Luke Faulkner (135), Kyle Boss (152), Nate Wolfe (160), Quace Wright (189) and Renn Wright (275) each won titles for the Knights.

LJ Leppenan (135) and Frohling (215) led fourth-place Palmer with second-place finishes.

The top six wrestlers from each NLC weight class now move on to compete in the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Championships, which start Friday at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla.

— Jeremiah Bartz

Team scores:

1. Wasilla 386; 2. Kodiak 272.5; 3. Colony 250; 4. Palmer 159.5; 5. Skyview 124; 6. Soldotna 121.5; 7. Homer 80; 8. Kenai 60.

Championship finals:

103 pounds — H. Steffensen, Ken won by dflt H. Hutchinson, Sky; 112 — E. Burris, Kod d. R. Steiner, Was 2-0; 119 — A. Fox, Was d. N. McKimson, Was 5-3; 125 — S. Janorshke, Sky d. J. Diederich, Was 7-5; 130 — T. Admas, Was p. T. Hanley, Sol 4:48; 135 — L. Faulkner, Col p. L. Leppenan, Pal 5:31; 140 — P. Brodie, Kod won by dflt K. Lepola, Kod; 145 — A. Tennis, Sol d. D. Johnsen, Was 2-0; 152 — K. Boss, Col d. J. Fujimoto, Col 4-1; 160 — N. Wolfe, Col d. D. Castonguay, Kod 9-4; 171 — M. Wyatt, Hom p. Y. Makitrin, Was 1:29; 189 — Q. Wright, Col d. J. White, Was 9-2; 215 — J. Johnson, Was p. C. Frohling, Pal 4:54; 275 — R. Wright, Col d. R. Pomrenke, Was 6-2.

Third-place matches:

103 — A. Cabella, Kod p. S. Carpenter, Was 2:51; 112 — C. Minnick, Was d. B. Clifford, Pal 7-1; 119 — F. Liorente, Kod d. N. Pempek, Pal 4-2; 125 — C. Miller, Was p. A. Cunningham, Sky 4:52; 130 — L. Huen, Pal m.d. C. Boatman, Was 11-1; 135 — I. Fields, Kod d. B. Serna, Was 6-4; 140 — D. Poole, Sol d. J. Diederich, Was 5-3; 145 — B. Canete, Kod d. A. Gentz, Pal 6-1; 152 — R. Ivanoff, Kod m.d. S. Gherman, Hom 13-5; 160 — L. Patrick, Sol d. D. Rozak, Sky 5-3; 171 — S. Rench, Col d. J. Hawkins, Sky 7-1; 189 — A. Akelkok, Was p. C. Johnson, Kod 3:24; 215 — J. Alexander, Sky d. A. Gonzalez, Was 5-2; 275 — L. Stega, Kod p. D. MeEwen, Col 3:40.

Fifth-place matches:

103 — M. Cochran, Pal won by dft W. Booth, Col; 112 — A. Molesky, Pal. p. B. Bracker, Col 3:50; 119 — E. Fields, Kod p. T. Price, Sol 0:42; 125 — D. Marsengill, Hom d. W. Cruz, Kod 11-8; 130 — T. Checketts, Sky d. J. Goff, Kod 10-3; 135 — M. Wilson, Kod d. D. Carter, Ken 15-13; 140 — A. Agosti, Ken d. A. Smith, Col 7-5; 145 — M. McGregor, Hom p. C. Williams, Sky 2:34; 152 — D. Jacobsen, Was p. K. Heusser, Kod 2:26; 160 — P. Martin, Col d. K. Foust, Sol 5-2; 171 — A. Fuller, Was d. C. Warfield, Sol; 189 — D. Elsey, Sol p. A. Rodriguez, Sky 2:32; 215 — T. Farber, Col d. L. Croft, Hom 7-1; 275 — J. Morris, Was p. K. Hunter, Ken.