Warriors win tourney title

WASILLA -- With nearly two dozen large and small schools participating, including the top wrestling programs in the state, the North-South Wrestling Tournament, gives teams a good indication where they stand among Alaska's wrestling best.

The Wasilla Warriors edged Skyview to win the North-South team title, establishing themselves as arguably the top program early on in the 2003-04 season.

"Right now we have to be in the hunt for state," Wasilla head coach Shawn Hayes said. "But there's a lot of wrestling to do."

The Warriors won individual championships in three weight classes to help the squad win their second team tournament title of the season.

Wasilla finished with 175.5 points and Skyview placed second with 169.

Wasilla won the Bob Bailey Memorial Tournament at Chugiak earlier this month.

Wasilla and Skyview traded positions in the top two spots throughout the tournament. The Panthers held a slim lead midway through the final round of matches, as Eli Hutchinson (119 pounds) and Dallas Seavey (130 pounds) won early titles.

The Warriors climbed back toward the top spot as Chris Odom the 135-pound title.

Odom defeated Homer's Monte Garroutte, the top- seeded wrestler in the class, 11-6 in the finals.

Jed Wade clinched first for the Warriors with a 19-5 technical fall over Nenana's Jeremiah Davidson. Wade's win earned the Warriors 5.5 points and gave Wasilla the title.

Wasilla's Jeramiee Meisler won the heavyweight division with a first-round pin of Eielson's Jeremy Raby.

Allan Bartelli and Jake Wade also advanced to the finals for the Warriors.

Nikiski's Lance Penhale defeated Bartelli 8-0 in the 103-pound final.

Jake Wade lost the closest match of the final round.

North Pole's Sean Ritchie scored an escape four seconds in the second overtime to defeat the Wasilla sophomore.

Ritchie and Wade traded escapes early, and the wrestlers were deadlocked at 1-1 through most of the match.

The wrestlers spent all of the first period in a neutral stance.

"We knew that (Ritchie) likes to back up," Hayes said. "(Jake) opened up a bit in the end."

Wade nearly notched a pair of takedowns late in the third period. In each case, Wade made his move and Ritchie pulled his way out of bounds before Wade could get the points. With 20 seconds left in regulation, Wade took a shot, looked as if he had got around to get the takedown, but the referee whistled the action dead before points were given.

"Jake's a competitor," Hayes said. "The match could have been different."

Colony finished seventh in the tourney with 72.5 points.

Two Knight wrestlers advanced to the finals.

Hollan Gravely continues to establish himself as one of the top freshman in the state. Gravely defeated Bartlett's Theron Apodoca 13-0 to win the title at 112.

Hutchinson defeated Dustin Killian 6-2 in the 119-pound final.

Palmer placed a pair of wrestlers in the finals and finished tied for 10th with 63 points.

Trevor Pempek edged Skyview's Jake Savely 6-2 to win at 145. Down 2-0, Pempek notched a reversal and was rewarded near-fall points near the end of the second period to help earn the win.

Jake Huen finished second for the Moose in the 215-pound class.