The Floyd Dryden Middle School boys A basketball team poses with the Icebreaker Tournament championship trophy at FDMS on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. Back row (L to R): Lance Nierra, Antone Araujo, Alwen Carrillo, Thomas Baxter, Jonathan Sleppy, Sean Oliver, Levi Traxler, Joren Gasga, Kasen Ludeman. Front row: TJ Guevarra, Brandon Casperson, Jace Ribao, Primo Nauer. (Courtesy photo | John Sleppy)

The Floyd Dryden Middle School boys A basketball team poses with the Icebreaker Tournament championship trophy at FDMS on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. Back row (L to R): Lance Nierra, Antone Araujo, Alwen Carrillo, Thomas Baxter, Jonathan Sleppy, Sean Oliver, Levi Traxler, Joren Gasga, Kasen Ludeman. Front row: TJ Guevarra, Brandon Casperson, Jace Ribao, Primo Nauer. (Courtesy photo | John Sleppy)

Dryden boys reign at Icebreaker, TMHS wrestlers host invite and more

Local sports news in brief.

Dryden boys reign at Icebreaker

The Floyd Dryden Middle School boys A basketball team capped off a 14-0 season on their home floor on Saturday.

The Eagles defeated the Schoenbar Middle School Knights of Ketchikan 52-30 in the Icebreaker Tournament championship game at FDMS. It was FDMS’ fifth victory of the weekend, having posted earlier tourney wins against Blatchley Middle School (Sitka), Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School and Schoenbar.

In other tournament action, the DHMS boys B team placed first, and FDMS girls A and DHMS girls B teams placed second.

The tournament brought together over 30 teams from middle schools in Ketchikan, Sitka, Yakutat and Gustavus.

Falcon champs abound at Pilot Invite

A host of Thunder Mountain High School wrestlers placed first in their respective brackets Brandon Pilot Invitational on Saturday at TMHS.

Falcons who won in the finals included Carson Cummins (103), Kadin Messmer (112), Jahrease Mays (125), Nate Houston (130), Jamal Johnson (145), Sage Richards (171), Josh Quintal (171B), Nick Tipton (171) and Camden Erickson (285).

Erickson needed to win four matches to get the finals. He was most dominant in his second-round match, securing a pin in just 32 seconds.

The Falcons head to the Region V Wrestling Championships this weekend in Craig. The state wrestling championships are Dec. 20-21 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

JDHS hockey swept by Homer

The Juneau-Douglas: Yadaat.at Kalé hockey team was swept by conference rival Homer High School last weekend at Kevin Bell Arena in Homer. JDHS (2-5) lost 8-0 on Friday and 7-0 on Saturday.

The Mariners (9-0-1) outshot the Crimson Bears by wide margins both nights, 40-10 on Friday and 32-11 on Saturday.

“Our message was, we come out hard,” Homer coach Steve Nevak told the Homer News after Friday’s win. “Dump the puck, get the puck below their goal line, and go to work. And they did absolutely everything we asked them to do.”

Last season, JDHS finished just ahead of Homer in the Railbelt Conference standings. JDHS claimed second place with an 8-2 conference mark and Homer claimed third with a 7-3 conference record.

JDHS doesn’t play in its next game until next month. The Crimson Bears host the Eagle River Wolves Jan. 10-11 at Treadwell Arena. The Jan. 10 puck drop is at 7:45 p.m., with the following night’s game at 7:30 p.m.

Juneau-Douglas: Yadaat.at Kalé goaltender Cody Mitchell turns to see the puck sliding into the net during a Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, hockey game against Homer High School at the Kevin Bell Arena in Homer. (Megan Pacer | Homer News)

Juneau-Douglas: Yadaat.at Kalé goaltender Cody Mitchell turns to see the puck sliding into the net during a Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, hockey game against Homer High School at the Kevin Bell Arena in Homer. (Megan Pacer | Homer News)

More in Sports

La Perouse Glacier in Southeast Alaska retreats from a campsite in summer 2021. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: Number of Alaska glaciers is everchanging

A glaciologist once wrote that the number of glaciers in Alaska “is… Continue reading

An outdoor basketball hoop is seen in Bethel in October 2022. Alaskans will be able to play only on sports teams that match their gender at birth through college if a new bill becomes law. (Photo by Claire Stremple)
Alaska House committee advances, expands proposal to bar trans girls from girls sports

Bill adds elementary, middle school and collegiate sports to limits in place for high school.

Utah’s Alissa Pili, right, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected eighth overall by the Minnesota Lynx during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft on Monday in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Alaska’s Alissa Pili selected by Minnesota Lynx as eighth pick in WNBA Draft

Two-time All-American is fifth Alaskan to be drafted, third to go in the top 10.

Pseudoscorpions are very small predators of springtails and mites. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: Intertidal explorations

A bit of exploration of the rocky intertidal zone near Shaman Island… Continue reading

The author’s wife fights a steelhead while the author contemplates fly selection. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
I Went to the Woods: The fear of missing fish

Student: “You know, FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out” Me: “I know… Continue reading

Astrophysicists Lindsay Glesener, left, and Sabrina Savage enjoy the sunshine on an observation deck at the Neil Davis Science Center on a hilltop at Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: Waiting for the sun at Poker Flat

POKER FLAT RESEARCH RANGE — Under a bluebird sky and perched above… Continue reading

Maddy Fortunato, a Chickaloon middle school student, sets to attempt the one-hand reach by touching a suspended ball while remaining balanced on the other hand during the Traditional Games on Sunday at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Striving for the perfect balance of competition, camaraderie at seventh annual Traditional Games

More than 250 participants pursue personal goals while helping others during Indigenous events.

Purple mountain saxifrage blooms on cliffs along Perseverance Trail in early April. (Photo by Pam Bergeson)
On the Trails: Flowers and their visitors

Flowers influence their visitors in several ways. Visitors may be attracted by… Continue reading

Elias Lowell, 15, balances his way to the end of the pond during the annual Slush Cup at Eaglecrest Ski Area on Sunday, the last day of what officials called and up-and-down season. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Up-and-down season at Eaglecrest ends on splashy note with Slush Cup

Ski area’s annual beach party features ice-filled water, snowy shores and showboating skimmers.

Aren Gunderson of the UA Museum of the North inspects the back paw of a Siberian tiger donated recently by officials of the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage after the tiger died at age 19. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: Siberian tiger takes final rest at museum

It’s a safe bet that Aren Gunderson’s Toyota Tundra is the only… Continue reading

A rainbow connects with Kajson Cunningham (30) as he connects with the ball for Thunder Mountain High School during Tuesday’s game against Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé at JDHS, the opening match of the season for both teams. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
High school soccer season starts with a spectrum of goals and milestones

JDHS boys begin state title defense with 4-0 victory over TMHS, which is playing its final season.

A male rusty blackbird in breeding dress. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: A hungry goshawk and some early spring observations

Every late afternoon, a bunch of mallards is in the habit of… Continue reading