Just under 30 Thunder Mountain High School Falcons wrestled in this weekend’s Brandon Pilot Invitational in Juneau.
Chase Foster, Jahrease Mays, Connor Norman, Steven Ireland-Haight, Derek Mason, Carl Tupou and Bobby Cox all made the finals in their respective brackets.
Aside from the all-TMHS final in the 113-pound bracket between Mays and Norman, the visitor came out on top in every finals match.
Ketchikan won the invitational with 204 points. Mt. Edgecumbe took second with 115 points and Wrangell third by 85 points. TMHS, who was in third place until the very end, finished 0.5 points behind Wrangell to claim fourth.
The second finals of the evening between Norman and Mays had Mays winning in a 6-4 tiebreaker.
“They’ve wrestled each other for years,” TMHS coach Jason Boyer said. “And for years, I think Jahrease has generally come out on top but Connor’s there, and it’s going to go the other way at some point this year so I’m excited to watch. Both of them have really matured, you can see their poise when they get out there and their confidence. It’s going to change, or it’s going to be a darn good match every time.”
Tupou was the closest to winning in his finals match out of all of his teammates. Tupou, wrestling as a 220 pounder, lost by a 3-1 decision in a high-intensity scrum with Mt. Edgecumbe’s Arthur Freitas.
The Kings assistant coach Greg Karlik, whose team hosts the next meet of the season, acknowledged the Falcons have gotten stronger this year.
“Juneau absolutely has improved,” Ketchikan assistant coach Greg Karlik said. “It’s going to be tighter than previous years and they got a lot of good kids. It looks like a lot of good freshmen we haven’t seen before.”
Brandon Pilot Invitational
Oct. 21-22, 2017
Bracket Finals
106 — Jonathan Barratt (Wrangell) p. Jonah Comstock (Wrangell), 3:25.
113 — Jahrease Mays (Thunder Mountain) t.b. Connor Norman (Thunder Mountain), 6-4.
120 — Patrick Rauwolf (Ketchikan) p. Charlie Blair (Ketchikan), 5:20.
126 — Mark Jasper (Ketchikan) p. Andy Collins (Ketchikan), 3:03.
132 — Brayden Linne (Ketchikan) t.f. Chase Foster (Thunder Mountain), 20-5.
138 — Leon Evon (Mt. Edgecumbe High School) d. Paul Amendinger (Ketchikan), 6-0.
145 Girls —Brystel Charlie (Mt. Edgecumbe High School) d. Andrea Prince (Mt. Edgecumbe High), 7-2.
145 — Ian Jenson (Wrangell) d. Troy Harris (Ketchikan), 5-2.
152 — Max Collins (Ketchikan) m.d. Hunter Wiederspohn (Wrangell), 16-3.
160 – 1st Place Match – Kyler Sumauang (Sitka High School) won by fall over Nate Eisenhower (Ketchikan High School) (Fall 3:23)
170 — Dawson Entwit (Ketchikan) p. Steven Ireland-Haight (Thunder Mountain), 1:50.
182 Girls — Sydnee Kimber (Mt. Edgecumbe) p. Alaina Pete (Mt. Edgecumbe), 0:17.
182 — Cameron Harris (Ketchikan) t.f. Derek Mason (Thunder Mountain), 16-0.
195 — Kamakana Kanahele (Haines) d. Sean Orsborn (Mt. Edgecumbe), 4-2.
220 — Arthur Freitas (Mt. Edgecumbe) d. Carl Tupou (Thunder Mountain), 3-1.
285 — Haley Osborne (Mt. Edgecumbe) d. Robert Cox (Thunder Mountain), 9-4.
Key terms
pin (p.) — When a wrestler holds his or her opponent’s shoulders on the wrestling mat for a prescribed amount of time.
technical fall (t.f.) — Getting ahead of one’s opponent by 15 points or more to win the match.
major decision (m.d.) — Getting ahead of one’s opponent by 8-14 points to win the match.
decision (d.) — Winning the match by fewer than 8 points.
tiebreaker (t.b.) — A match that is tied after three rounds and a sudden victory period. The wrestler who scores the most points in this period wins that match.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated close to 30 Thunder Mountain High Schoolers wrestled in the Brandon Pilot Invitational. There were close to 30 Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain High Schoolers combined in the tournament. The article has been updated to reflect the change.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Ketchikan’s Cameron Harris wrestles against Thunder Mountain’s Derek Mason in the 182-pound bracket finals during the Brandon Pilot Invitational, Saturday, 21, 2017, at Thunder Mountain High School. Harris won by technical fall, 16-0. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain’s Chase Foster tries to escape a hold by Ketchikan’s Brayden Linne in the 132-pound bracket finals during the Brandon Pilot Invitational. Linne won by technical fall, 16-4.