The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears are used to facing high-caliber competition on the Southeast mats and last weekend was no exception at Ketchikan’s Bill Weiss Invitational, except for a new addition — Palmer’s Colony High School Knights.
“Colony came down from up north,” JDHS coach Adam Messmer said. “Which has been a long time since a team of their caliber has come to Southeast…They brought some great competition on both the boys’ and girls’ sides.”
Although the scores of both genders were combined and put Colony as the tourney champion, if separated the JDHS boys would have claimed their tournament and the girls would have been in the thick of the standings with Mt. Edgecumbe.
“I’ve asked around to my knowledgable wrestler community and nobody can really remember when the last time Juneau — or if ever — has beaten Colony,” Messmer said. “The team continues to get a little better each week with the goal of peaking at the right time. It is an exciting team to be a part of because we have so many kids that are so close to breaking through to a higher level.”
Juneau Douglas’s Jed Davis (bottom) holds on to the leg of Ketchikan’s Hunter Cowan as they compete in the Men’s 145 finals during the Bill Weiss Wrestling Tournament at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium at Ketchikan High School on Saturday. Davis won the match 16-4. (Christopher Mullen / Ketchikan Daily News)
JDHS got weight class titles from senior Colton Cummins at 135 pounds, sophomore Jed Davis at 145 pounds, sophomore Camden Messmer at 119 pounds and freshman Nixie Schooler on the girls side at 107 pounds.
Cummins continues to be a highlight across Southeast as his impressive season continued with a pin over Mt. Edgecumbe junior Elden Andrew in the second period of their 135-pound championship match.
“He is just hitting all the right spots right now,” Messmer said. “He is making it look effortless out there. He is not a one-dimensional wrestler by any means. He sees what is thrown at him and goes to work with it. It is nice to see him leveling up like this his senior year and pretty much dominating everybody he goes up against. And he has gone against some pretty tough wrestlers.”
Camden Messmer had a tough grapple, but prevailed over Mt. Edgecumbe senior Evan Andrew by pin in the second period of their 119-pound championship match.
“We hadn’t seen that kid before,” coach Messmer said. “I think he dropped down a weight. He had been hanging out at the weight most of his wrestling career. We knew he was a tough wrestler and Camden was excited to have a little bit stiffer competition. The kid took him down after Camden tried an arm spin and it turned into a scramble and I think that was Camden’s first takedown he has given up this season. It was definitely good for him to face stiffer competition before we go up north.”
Juneau Douglas’s Nixie Schooler works on pinning Wrangell’s Hailey Cook to win the Women’s 107 during the Bill Weiss Wrestling Tournament at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium at Ketchikan High School on Saturday. (Christopher Mullen / Ketchikan Daily News)
Davis unleashed what his practice partners have been dealing with all season and toppled decorated Ketchikan senior Hunter Cowan twice during the tournament including their 145-pound championship final by a 16-4 major decision.
“This was huge,” Messmer said. “Jed has been wrestling forever and you can see how he has been getting better every year. Me and my other coaches have been watching Hunter the last four years as well and he is one of the most technical wrestlers in Southeast, and he is just fun to watch because he is so technical. Jed faced him twice. The first time Jed was losing by quite a bit and caught him towards the end and pinned him. But during that finals match, Jed definitely leveled up and just completely out-wrestled him, stopped everything that Hunter threw at him. That was probably my favorite match of the tournament.”
Schooler pinned Wrangell sophomore Hailey Cook in the second period of their 107-pound match, getting revenge over her finals loss in Hoonah to Cook. More recently, at Juneau’s Southeast Showdown, Cook wrestled up a weight class and placed second to Mt. Edgecumbe senior Nevaeh George while Schooler took that 107-pound championship over MEHS senior Dorothea Okitkun.
“Nixie is used to being kind of the dominant wrestler,” Messmer said. “The Wrangell girl put her in a couple tight spots when she was on bottom and she wrestled through it, and I think that is the biggest thing Nixie has overcome is wrestling off bottom, wrestling off her back when she gets put in a compromising position and she did that perfectly in the finals match and came out on top.”
In one of the tournament’s, or any tournament’s, most exciting matches, JDHS 160-pound senior Hayden Aube put Colony senior Tegan Olson to the test well past their three-period grapple with a triple overtime outing before succumbing by the ultimate tie-breaker score of 4-3.
“He is right there with the top competition in the state,” Messmer said. “I think Tegan came off and told Hayden he had never wrestled a triple-overtime match before and it was pretty dang close. All Hayden had to do was hold on to him for another six seconds and he would have won. It was a technical match. Hayden wrestled him earlier and lost to him, and took what he learned from that match and applied it to the finals match and it worked. When guys are that even, it is going to come down to something really small for the win.”
Mt. Edgecumbe’s Evan Andrew and Juneau Douglas’s Camden Messmer compete in the Men’s 119 finals during the Bill Weiss Wrestling Tournament at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium at Ketchikan High School on Saturday. Messmer won the match by pinning Andrew. (Christopher Mullen / Ketchikan Daily News)
Top Southeast-ranked senior Justus Darbonne had a solid match against last season’s state runner-up from Colony, junior Tristen Mayor, before losing by 12-4 major decision in their 152-pound championship match.
Freshman Josh Beedle placed second at 112 pounds, losing an overtime thriller to Mt. Edgecumbe senior Ben Balluta in sudden victory, a one-minute overtime period after a tie score. Both wrestlers start in the neutral position and the first to score wins.
On an unfortunate note, talented sophomore Landyn Dunn was dominating his 125-pound finals match over Ketchikan senior Titan Lynn when he suffered a season-ending injury.
“It was a heartbreaker,” Messmer said. “He is a returning state placer and I have no doubt he would have placed high this year. More importantly he is always in a good mood and only cares about getting better and wrestling as much as he can. The team definitely lost an intricate part this weekend.”
JDHS will take more than 30 grapplers to test the mats at the Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament this weekend at Wasilla’s Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.
“Well, they are going to get a good test of us,” coach Messmer said.
He noted the team’s conditioning is in a perfect spot.
“We keep getting better every tournament,” he said. “We’re not getting winded at the end of matches. We’re just fixing little things that we see every tournament and those are getting less and less as we go through the season. We’re trying to peak in about a month, which is kind of a hard thing to keep track of because if you start peaking too early you get some kids that just kind of burn out. I think we are on a perfect trajectory for regions (Dec. 13-14, Haines) and state (Dec. 20-21, Anchorage) right now.”
Juneau Douglas’s Ethan Van Kirk controls the back of Ketchikan’s Cayden Harney. Van Kirk won the match by pinning Harney during the Bill Weiss Wrestling Tournament at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium at Ketchikan High School on Friday. (Christopher Mullen / Ketchikan Daily News)
To avoid over-conditioning and burnout, but keeping the grapplers enthused about their time on the mat, the Crimson Bears will inject fun projects in practice.
“Things that maybe will work on technique a little bit more, instead of a lot of live wrestling,” Messmer said. “If it looks like kids are getting burned out, and this is the time of year we see more injuries, and if it looks like kids are sore after a big tournament like this we’ll do mostly technique days. You have to keep making it fun every day because it is a grind when you get to this part of the season.”
BILL WEISS WRESTLING INVITATIONAL
TEAM STANDINGS
1) Colony 369.5; 2) Mt. Edgecumbe 293.5; 3) Juneau-Douglas 263; 4) Kayhi 234.5; 5) Wrangell 211; 6) Metlakatla 93; 7) Haines 88.5; 8) Sitka 63; 9) Craig 43.5; 10) Hydaburg 43; 11) Skagway 26; 12) Petersburg 24; 13) Southeast Island School District 11
FINAL RESULTS
BOYS
103 pounds – 1) Gabriel Crockett (Colony); 2) Maxton Glover (Kayhi); 3) Finn Crowe (Haines); 4) Carson Kautz (JD); 5) Rhys Barry (Kayhi)
Championship match – Crockett (Colony) def. Glover (Kayhi) by dec. 15-10
Third-place match – Crowe (Haines) def. Kautz (JD) by fall 5:08
112 – 1) Ben Balluta (Mt. Edgecumbe); 2) Joshua Beedle (JD); 3) JD Keith (Sitka); 4) Zane Coughran (Skagway); 5) Michael Carson (JD); 6) Mouhamed Diouf (Kayhi); 7) Kyler Wheat (Colony)
Championship match – Balluta (ME) def. Beedle (JD) won by sudden victory
Third-place match – Keith (Sitka) def. Coughran (Skagway) by maj. dec. 13-5
119 – 1) Camden Messmer (JD); 2) Evan Andrew (ME); 3) Brernden Moncibaiz (Skagway); 4) Kade harmon (Colony); 5) Jeshua Mowers (Metlakatla); 6) RJ Cadiente (Kayhi); 7) Lennex Gurule (Wrangell); 8) Captain Jurczak (Kayhi)
Championship Match – Messmer (JD) def. Andrew (ME) by fall 3:17
Third-place match – Moncibaiz (Skagway) def. Harmon (Colony) by fall 3:01
125 – 1) Titan Linne (Kayhi); 2) Landyn Dunn (JD); 3) Ralphie Steeves (ME); 4) Justus Payne (Colony); 5) Ben Houser (Wrangell); 6) Kyan Stead (Wrangell); 7) Mark Margaja (Kayhi); 8) Joseph Webster (JD); 9) Dane Ames (Skagway), Maximos Lonewolf (ME)
Championship match – Linne (Kayhi) def. Landyn Dunn (JD) by inj. default
Third-place match – Steeves (ME) def. Justus Payne (Colony) by fall 5:58
130 – 1) Isaiah Schultz (Colony); 2) Hayden Jimenez (Haines); 3) Oliver Abel (JD); 4) Logan Lewis (Craig); 5) Caleb Aube (JD); 6) Luca Stearns (Wrangell); 7) Michael Cook (Wrangell); 8) Kaden Shaddy (Kayhi); 9) Easton Paulson (Kayhi), Donlad Olson (ME), Maddox Tracy (Skagway)
Championship match – Schultz (Colony) def. Jimenez (Haines) by fall 1:40
Third-place match – Abel (JD) def. Lewis (Craig) by dec. 6-2
135 – 1) Colton Cummins (JD); 2) Elden Andrew (ME); 3) Killan Hammock (Sitka); 4) Cooper Powers (Wrangell); 5) Arius Atwood (Colony); 6) Felix Hesson (JD); 7) Osacar Wutzke (Kayhi); 8) Quintin McCoy (JD); 9) Jack Styles (Kayhi), Aulis Nelson (Craig), Gage Keller (JD)
Championship match – Cummins (JD) def. Andrew (ME) by fall 3:06
Third-place match – Hammock (Sitka) def. Powers (Wrangell) by dec. 8-4
140 – 1) Jackson Carney (Wrangell); 2) Gage Massin (Kayhi); 3) Marlin Cox (JD); 4) Byron Reynolds (Colony); 5) Nathaniel Vincler (ME); 6) Mitchell Sachsenmaier (Sitka); 7) Calvin Bell (Haines); 8) Theodore Escalante (Kayhi); 9) Michael Jones (SISD), Michael Cropley (Sitka), Owen Begley (Kayhi), Blaine Garlick (Kayhi)
Championship match – Carney (Wrangell) def. Massin (Kayhi) by dec. 11-10
Third-place match – Cox (JD) def. Reynold (Colony) by fall 1:43
145 – 1) Jed Davis (JD); 2) Hunter Cowan (Kayhi); 3) Ian Nelson (Wrangell); 4) Mac Roderick (Colony); 5) Lennie Brandell (ME); 6) Noah Ault (JD); 7) Cooper Wyman (Sitka); 8) Xander Swanson (ME); 9) Kurt Lawson (Skagway), Orion Grimes (Haines), Franklin Jimmy (Sitka)
Championship match – Davis (JD) def. Cowan (Kayhi) by maj. dec. 16-4
Third-place match – Nelson (Wrangell) def. Roderick (Colony) by maj. dec. 21-12
152 – 1) Tristen Mayer (Colony); 2) Justus Darbonne (JD); 3) Everett Meissner (Wrangell); 4) Torian Dull (ME); 5) Ethan Van Kirk (JD); 6) Cayden Harney (Kayhi); 7) Jaeger Hubert (JD); 8) Micah Broncheau (Metlakatla); 9) Ike Pennino (Kayhi), Alex Danskin (Kayhi)
Championship match – Mayer (Colony) def. Darbonne (JD) by maj. dec. 12-4
Third-place match – Meissner (Wrangell) def. Dull (ME) by sudden-victory
160 – 1) Tegan Olson (Colony); 2) Hayden Aube (JD); 3) Alexzondro Marz-Beierly (JD); 4) Carvin Hass (JD); 5) Sebashtin Martinez (Metlakatla); 6) William Massin (Wrangell); 7) Finley Bission (Kayhi); 8) Noah Hilson (Kayhi)
Championship match – Olson (Colony) def. Aube (JD) by ultimate tie-breaker 4-3 (3OT)
Third-place match – Marx-Beierly (JD) def. hass (JD) by fall 3:28
171 – 1) Emiliano King (Colony); 2) Dalton Henry (Haines); 3) Luke Roderick (Colony); 4) Carlos Sandoval (ME); 5) Kaden Duke (Petersburg); 6) Jaxin Jim (JD); 7) Kolby Clark-Pruitt (ME); 8) Edgar Olsen (Petersburg); 9) Sawyer Rooney (Wrangell), Tyler Oudekerk (JD), Jayden Kohn (SISD), Aiden Goheen (Craig)
Championship match – King (Colony) def. Henry (Haines) by maj. dec. 16-8
Third-place match – Roderick (Colony) def. Sandoval (ME) by tech. fall 19-4
189 – 1) Richard Didrickson (ME); 2) Thor Nelson (Colony); 3) Darren Foster (JD); 4) Brody Booth (Metlakatla); 5) Merrick Hartman (JD); 6) Hugo Rank (JD); 7) Dawson Dethlefs (Kayhi); 8) Masen Mixon (Skagway); 9) Vance Milligrock (Metlakatla)
Championship match – Didrickson (ME) def. Nelson (Colony) by fall 1:05
Third-place match – Foster (JD) def. Booth (Metlakatla) by fall 0:58
215 – 1) Paul Thompson (Kayhi); 2) Cody Barnes (Wrangell); 3) James Stickler (Haines); 4) Jackson Weller (Colony); 5) brian Burns (Kayhi); 6) Rocco Piazza (Kayhi); 7) Arthur Frank (Craig); 8) Josiah Bergtold (Metlakatla); 9) Lincoln Bergtold (Craig), Quinton Quigley (SISD)
Championship match – Thompson (Kayhi) def. Barnes (Wrangell) by fall 3:12
Third-place match – Sticker (Haines) def. Weller (Colony) by maj. dec. 19-8
285 – 1) Donovan Standifer (ME); 2) Silas Ferguson (Sitka); 3) Dylan Petersen (Sitka); 4) Maikah Olap (Hydaburg); 5) Kyle Carter (JD)
Championship match – Standifer (ME) def. Ferguson (Sitka) by dec. 10-5
Third-place match – Petersen (Sitka) def. Olap (Hydaburg) by fall 2:45
FINAL RESULTS
GIRLS
100 pounds – 1) Grace Loutzenhiser (Colony); 2) Ursula Mangrobang (ME); 3) Gabrielle Bueno (Kayhi)
Championship match – Loutzenhiser (Colony) def. Mangrobang (ME) by fall 0:17
107 – 1) Nixie Schooler (JD); 2) Hailey Cook (Wrangell); 3) Francis (Colony); 4) Leask (Metlakatla); 5) Brevick (Wrangell)
Championship match – Schooler (JD) def. Cook (Wrangell) by fall 2:49
Third-place match – Francis (Colony) def. Leask (Metlakatla) by fall 1:43
114 – 1) Nevaeh George (ME); 2) Hayden Naneng (ME); 3) Bella Ritchie (Wrangell); 4) Hayden VanderPool (Colony); 5) Ella Sutton (SISD)
Championship match – George (ME) def. Naneng (ME) by fall 0:27
Third-place match – Ritchie (Wrangell) def. VanderPool (Colony) by medical forfeit
120 – 1) Braelyn Troxell (Colony); 2) Della Churchill (Wrangell); 3) Isabelle Kerr (ME); 4) Alexis Mitchell (Colony); 5) Meg Thompson (Kayhi); 6) Toriana Johnson (JD); 7) Lacie Whitehead (JD); 8) Sunny Dutton (JD); 9) Sasha Charlie (ME)
Championship match – Troxell (Colony) def. Churchill (Wrangell) by fall 2:22
Third-place match – Kerr (ME) def. Mitchell (Colony) by fall 2:51
126 – 1) Minh-Thu Vo (Kayhi); 2) Breana Nelson (ME); 3) Abigail Henson (Kayhi); 4) Shannon McCarty (Metlakatla); 5) Kelia Dacosta-Robles (Colony); 6) Fyscher Humphrey (Petersburg)
Championship match – Vo (Kayhi) def. Nelson (ME) by fall 1:44
Third-place match – Henson (Kayhi) def. McCarty (ME) by fall 1:09
132 – 1) Summer Boling (Kayhi); 2) Lexi Cook (Metlakatla); 3) Kayden Makamson (Colony); 4) Halena Slats (ME); 5) Frieda Mae Peele (Hydaburg); 6) Darby Swainson (Petersburg); 7) Jasmine Afalou (Hydaburg); 8) Ashlynn Mecham (Kayhi)
Championship match – Boling (Kayhi) def. Cook (Metlakatla) by fall 2:21
Third-place match – Makamson (Colony) def. Slats (ME) by fall 5:17
138 – 1) Abigail Patten (Craig); 2) Macy Alander (Hydaburg); 3) Sammy Sample (Colony); 4) Maelyn Westdahl (ME); 5) Alexis Gonzalez-Fawcett (Metlakatla)
Championship match – Patten (Craig) def. Alander (Hydaburg) by DQ
Third-place match – Sample (Colony) def. Westdahl (ME) by forfeit
145 – 1) Grace Cook (Colony); 2) Haylie Hendrickson (Kayhi); 3) Dannica Hayward (Metlakatla); 4) Sarah Weyhmiller (Kayhi)
Championship match – Cook (Colony) def. Hendrickson (Kayhi) by fall 1:25
165 – 1) Vanessa Barnes (Wrangell); 2) Alexia Zacharof (ME); 3) Ariana Olana (ME); 4) Jillian Ivanof (ME); 5) Haylen Hocking (Colony)
Championship match – Barnes (Wrangell) def. Zacharod (ME) by fall 3:11
Third-place match – Olana (ME) def. Ivanof (ME) by tech fall 19-3
235 – 1) Noelle Buck (Colony); 2) Clara Frank (Hydaburg); 3) Isis Canoe (ME); 4) Audri Fischer (Colony)
Championship match – Buck (Colony) def. Frank (Hydaburg) by fall 4:12
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
