Wasilla heavyweight hitting stride with pin of No. 1-ranked opponent

SOLDOTNA — One meeting in three years doesn’t exactly constitute a rivalry.

However, that’s exactly how Wasilla heavyweight Jed Johnson sees his relationship with Soldotna’s Nathan Strieby.

Having beaten Strieby in their only meeting last season, Johnson hoped to keep the so-called rivalry one-sided when they met up in the Northern Lights Conference tournament championship on Saturday night at Soldotna High School.

And once again, the fourth-ranked 285-pounder in Alaska had little trouble with No. 1.

After neither hit the mat in a scoreless first period, Johnson earned two points on a reversal before flipping Strieby onto his back and holding on for the upset pin in 3:31 in earning a conference title during his senior campaign.

“I went out there today and showed you don’t overlook anybody,” Johnson said. “That’s heavyweight style right there, throwing each other around.

“It’s on now,” he added. “I’ll see him again at state. He’s going to want to defeat me then. But being a senior, my last year, I’ve got an opportunity to win the state championship, I’m really psyched about it.”

So is Strieby, the top-ranked heavyweight by akmat.org, who got caught in a front headlock and said it just sucked the life out of him.

“We talk a lot of trash to each other, keep it going, kind of like every other rivalry. But on the mat it was just business,” he explained. “That match was just a practice for next week. I’ve got to figure out what he’s going to do … learn it over the week and figure out how to defend it.

“It gives me something to strive for. When you’re on top, you’ve got nothing to strive for.”

Homer’s Mitch Wyatt Wyatt the lone champ from the Kenai Peninsula, and his victory was one of only three over Colony grapplers in their 11 championship bouts, as the Knights cruised to their third consecutive conference crown and now have their radar locked on a third state championship in as many years as well.

Colony scored 435.5 points, easily ahead of second-place Wasilla (300), Kodiak (173.5), Skyview (128.5), Soldotna (117), Homer (98.5), Kenai (89.5) and Palmer (74.5).

“Our kids wrestled extremely well … We showed good balance throughout the whole program,” said Colony coach Fred McKenney. “A great challenge ahead of us. If we could possibly take state, we’d be the first team in Colony’s history that could take three in a row in any sport.

“We’re really looking forward to that challenge, although that is a great challenge,” he added. “We have the people from North Pole High School, Lathrop High School, and of course there’s Anchorage and then of course there’s guys right in here that could do us in, too.”

Northern Lights Tournament

Saturday

At Soldotna High School

Team scores

1. Colony, 435.5; 2. Wasilla, 300; 3. Kodiak, 173.5; 4. Skyview, 128.5; 5. Soldotna, 117; 6. Homer, 98.5; 7. Kenai, 89.5; 8. Palmer, 74.5.

Championships

103 — Fox, Was, d. Loggins, Col, 3-2; 112 — I. Wilson, Col, dec. B. Wilson, Sky, 11-8; 119 — Coisman, Col, p. Fuxa-Koch, Sol, 5:06; 125 — K. Wilson, Col, m.d. Brown, Was, 11-0; 130 — Loggins, Col, won by injury default; 135 — Gross, Was, dec. N. VanMatre, Kod, 13-7; 140 — West, Col, m.d. Stahler, Pal, 15-6; 145 — Pfeiffer, Col, dec. Pempek, Was, 9-8; 152 — Wyatt, Hom, dec. Knutson, Col, 8-4; 160 — Vanness, Col, dec. Weinfurter, Hom, 9-7; 171 — Katchinska, Was, dec. Anthony, Kod, 3-1; 189 — Crane, Was, p. Bellotte, Col, 3:32; 215 — Fann, Col, p. Martin, Kod, 1:24; HVY — Je. Johnson, Was, p. Strieby, Sol, 3:31.

Third-place

103 — Miller, Was, dec. Llorente, Kod, 6-1; 112 — Ivanoff, Kod, dec. Adams, Was, 5-4; 119 — Anthony, Kod, dec. Aho, Ken, 6-2; 125 — Osbekoff, Ken, won by injury default; 130 — Maciariello, Sky, m.d. Carroll, Sol, 10-1; 135 — Tennis, Sky, m.d. Boss, Col, 8-0; 140 — Daigle, Hom, m.d. Brodie, Kod, 10-1; 145 — T. VanMatre dec. Brymer, Hom, 5-1; 152 — Carlson, Sol, dec. Link, Sol, 7-1; 160 — Boykin, Col, dec. Price, Sol, 3-0; 171 — Heindel, Pal, dec. Higgins, Was, 5-0; 189 — Mahan, Sky, p. Dormady, Ken, 4:45; 215 — Byrne, Sky, p. Pomrenke, Was, 1:15; HVY — Atonio, Kod, p. Buck, Col, :37.

Fifth-place

103 — Mielke, Col, p. Garvey, Hom, 3:42; 112 — Spano, Was, dec. M. Hutchison, Sky, 7-0; 119 — Diedrich, Was, won by forfeit; 125 — Kemp, Pal, dec. George, Was, 5-1; 130 — J. Hughes, Ken, won by injury default; 135 — Lepola, Kod, p. Hediger, Hom, 2:50; 140 — Chafin, Was, dec. McKee, Col, 10-3; 145 — Smith, Col, m.d. Duniphin, Ken, 9-0; 152 — Minturn, Pal, won by injury default; 160 — Ferderer, Sky, dec. VanVelzor, Sol, 6-4; 171 — Edwards, Col, dec. Lawson, Sky, 5-0; 189 — Kelley, Pal, m.d. John, Ken, 10-0; 215 — Wright, Col, won by default; HVY — Muetz, Col, p. Ja. Johnson, Was, 2:17.