<\/a>Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Camden Messmer tries to shake Soldotna’s Ryan Buchanan in their 119-pound third-place match during the 2024 ASAA\/First National Bank Alaska Wrestling State Championships on Saturday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS qualified 24 for state, sixth among teams attending, and put three onto the medal podium.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS 119-pound sophomore Camden Messmer (25-3) was seeded third. He pinned his first two opponents then lost a close decision to fall into the consolations. There, he pinned to reach the third-place match only to lose by a 6-5 decision to Soldotna’s Ryan Buchanan (33-6).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I came here just trying to do my best,” he said. “Trying to place higher than I did last year, didn’t do that I placed the same. We brought a lot of people up this year so I think we did good in our region and we had a fun time up here at state so that is really all that counts. We tried our best and had fun. No regrets. I think I put it all on the mat. I think the rest of the team could say that, too. I think we all tried our hardest today.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS 152-pound senior Justus Darbonne (26-4) was emotional after his first-period pin over Soldotna’s Ryatt Weed (22-8) to reach the podium in fifth place. He had been seeded fourth and expected even better after placing sixth last year. He opened the tournament with a pin but lost in the quarterfinals and had to collect three pins in the consolations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I feel pretty good,” he said through tears. “I had some close matches. I was expecting to get top three but, you know, stuff happens. Definitely proved myself senior year. I’m happy with what God gave me and it was a fun year wrestling…A lot of people don’t understand going into state you get a lot of guys you don’t normally wrestle, a lot of ranked guys and either you do good or you get beat, but I think I proved myself. Just, this was my senior year so it is definitely emotional…I’m glad our team had some placers this year. Definitely looking to place higher but I think next year they’ll produce a lot more state placers. I guarantee that…Just our wrestling community is amazing. Everyone treats each other so kind and supports each other, win or lose. I’m pretty sure that’s the reason I am still here.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Darbonne said he is looking into the Marines.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I know they have a pretty good wrestling team so that might happen,” he said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Mt. Edgecumbe senior Richard Didrickson and Haines senior James Stickler wrestle for the 215-pound DII title during the 2024 ASAA\/First National Bank Alaska Wrestling State Championships on Saturday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS 112-pound freshman Joshua Beedle (19-10) rebounded from an opening loss to earn his first state win and a couple more to place sixth, losing a 5-4 decision to Coloney’s Gabriel Crockett (24-10).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It feels pretty good, if I’m being honest,” Beedle said. “State was awesome. I really like this. I’m going to watch back my matches, I’m going to study what I did wrong, I’m going to fix that. I am thinking positively. I think I did pretty well. I placed as a freshman. I feel good. Watching the seniors run their moves I feel like I am getting better just watching them and listening to what they have been telling me.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
JDHS senior Colton Cummins (28-5) was seeded sixth at 135 pounds, and expected to place higher than last year when he reached the semifinals and finished fourth. He opened the weekend with a pin, but then suffered two close decision losses.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Sometimes the answer is not always yes,” Cummins said. “I’ve prayed a lot about it, but I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to wrestle in front of my family one last time and to just be with my team one last time and I’m just going to take it in and take it as a life lesson. You don’t always get what you want and that’s okay. I’m just going to move forward with God’s plan and see what happens in the future.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Cummins said he might try college.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“For now I’m just going to keep training in the gym,” he said. “Probably wrestle club and see where life takes me.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Ketchikan senior Titan Linne pins Soldotna’s Titus Watts in front of the Soldotna coaches in the 125-pound Division I championship match of the 2024 ASAA\/First National Bank Alaska Wrestling State Championships on Saturday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
He had advice for younger wrestlers, saying “Keep working towards your goals. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it and that’s one thing I got from this tournament, just because I lost doesn’t mean I can’t help out my team, help them get to what they want. I think my reputation is pretty good. It feels pretty good. I would rather be known as someone who didn’t place at state, but helped their team get there and helped encourage people, than rather be a state champion and be known as a cocky brat.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It was kind of sad really to be honest,” JDHS 171-pound senior Carvin Hass (10-12) said of his last tournament. “Bittersweet. The last state tournament and tournament we will ever go to as seniors, it’s like, man, I grew up with these kids literally through the sport…Colton, Aube (Hayden Aube), Justus, all of us we grew up together. So many different memories. For better or worse it is all kind of coming to a close, but I think the big thing is to take the lessons from it and not just feel sad about it…This is the biggest team we have ever brought up to state and I think that is kind of cool, like a Juneau marker milestone to bring so many kids up here to this cool event.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Student Wrestler Development Program (36 athletes), Colony (32), South (31), Soldotna (27) and Wasilla (26) had more numbers but Ketchikan senior Titan Linne had more heart.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Linne took the 125-pound DI championship, pinning Soldotna’s Titus Watts in the third period, and in the process broke the family curse.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It definitely means a lot because both my brothers made the state finals,” Linne said. “Degan made it twice, Brayden made it once, so it really was just, like, broke the curse for us. It was a big thing.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Ketchikan senior Titan Linne, Hoonah senior Krista Howland and Mt. Edgecumbe junior Elden Andrew were selected the Outstanding Wrestlers for the DI, Girls and DII divisions during the 2024 ASAA\/First National Bank Alaska Wrestling State Championships on Saturday at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Degan Linne graduated from Kayhi in 2022 and wrestles at the University of Jamestown, Brayden graduated in 2019.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“They told me if I won in the semifinals they would fly up that night and they got here 30 minutes before I wrestled and I made their trip worth it,” Linne said. “So it was really a big moment for me. I didn’t place all three of my years before that and I won it so it was definitely something really huge. You have four years to wrestle and it doesn’t matter how good you do the first three years. You’ve just got to keep training, keep going hard and just want to win.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Linne also received the DI Outstanding Wrestler Award for the tournament.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the Division II brackets, 42% of the champions were from Southeast and 28.5% of all the finalists were from Southeast.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Among them was Haines’ 171-pound senior Dalton Henry.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It feels good,” he said. “The second time but definitely more special. Senior year. It just feels better.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Henry said the win was for Haines.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“They are all watching, most of them are up there watching,” he said pointing to the fan deck of seating. “All of our parents are here and everything. I dreamed of this.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Henry said he first started wrestling at age 10.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“Just camps and screwing around,” he said. “Then I did it most of middle school and all of high school. Probably last year I really realized I could be a state champion. Then it happened last year…you just got to want it. If you want it you can usually get it. Just working harder than your opponent…We did that, three people in the finals.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t