Juneau’s grapplers left it all on the mat as a combined squad this weekend, scrapping with nine teams from Southeast and Anchorage in the annual Brandon Pilot Invitational Tournament at Thunder Mountain High School. Juneau placed six wrestlers in the top three for 105 team points, trailing only Wrangell (141), Ketchikan (156) and Colony (268.5).
Cody Weldon, a judo junior national champion and Juneau-Douglas High School senior, led the pack for Juneau by besting teammate Carl Tupou for the title at 220 pounds. Tupou, a junior, and freshman Jahrease Mays took home runner-up titles for the combined Juneau squad.
Weldon and Tupou, practice partners on the Juneau squad, were friendly and cordial in the runup to the title match, but they were all business when they hit the mat. Tupou, considered the underdog to Weldon, who was last year’s state runner-up at 195 and is a favorite to win at 220 this year, took the match to his elder teammate, scoring on a takedown a minute into the match to put Weldon on the defensive.
Weldon score an escape with 35 seconds left in the first round to close the score to 2-1 before felling Tupou at 1:22 in the second round for the win.
Juneau has four away meets before the Region V tournament in Sitka Dec. 9-10.
Juneau at the Brandon Pilot Invitational Tournament
106 LBS
2nd: Jahrease Mays (JUN)
113 LBS
4th: Connor Norman (JUN)
152 LBS
3rd: Deven Mason (JUN)
182 LBS
3rd: Stone Gaylor (JUN)
195 LBS
3rd: Louie Rubenstein (JUN)
220 LBS
1st place: Cody Weldon (JUN)
2nd place: Carl Tupou (JUN)
FINALS
106: Mathew Rodriguez (KET) DEC Jahrease Mays (JUN), 4-0
220: Cody Weldon (JUN) F Carl Tupou (JUN)
CONSOLATION FINALS
152: Deven Mason (JUN) MD Sig Decker (WRA), 13-4
182: Stone Gaylor (JUN) DEC Gerik Sherrill (KET), 5-3
195: Louie Rubenstein (JUN) F Cameron Harris (KET)
SEMIFINALS
106: Jahrease Mays (JUN) TF Connor McCormick (KET), 17-2
113: Vince Tenebro (KET) DEC Connor Norman (JUN), 8-4
120: Curt Bartlett (SIT) F Juan Fisher (JUN)
138: Levi Hopkins (COL) F Austin Jackson (JUN)
152: Eric Christy (COL) F Deven Mason (JUN)
182: Chase Eby (COL) F Stone Gaylor (JUN)
195: Robert Haan (COL) F Devin Locke (JUN)
220: Cody Weldon (JUN) F Sean Orsborn (MEHS)
220: Carl Tupou (JUN) MD Caleb Groshong (WRA), 10-1
QUARTERFINALS
113: Connor Norman (JUN) SV-1 Patrick Rauwolf (KET), 6-4
145: Max Collins (KET) DEC Sam Nolan (JUN), 7-5
152: Deven Mason (JUN) F Hunter Weiderspohn (WRA)
160: Dawson Entwit (KET) DEC Alex Ocana (JUN), 12-5
160: Brennan Easley (COL) F Steven Ireland-Haight (JUN)
OTHER CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES
113: Rush Fannon (COL) F Vince Tenebro (KET)
120: Curt Bartlett (SIT) DEC Trace Severson (COL), 2-0
126: Sam Sisco (COL) DEC Paul Amendinger (KET), 8-1
132: Ian Jensen (WRA) DEC Daniel Colley (COL), 12-2
132G: Andrea Prince (MEHS) DEC Laura Ekada (MEHS), 7-4
138: Levi Hopkins (COL) F Joey Karlik (KET)
145: Max Collins (KET) DEC Sam Armstrong (WRA), 14-8
152: Kyler Sumauang (SIT) SV-1 Eric Christy (COL), 7-5
160: Caleb Hopkins (COL) FORFEIT over Brennan Easley (COL)
170: Dawson Miller (WRA) DEC Simon Glanchenko (COL)
182: Chayse Eby (COL) DEC Darren Shilts (WRA), 8-4
195: Robert Haan (COL) F Joshua Goeden (SIT)
285: Klancey Doyle (COL) F Jared Huntington (MEHS)
