<\/a>The Thunder Mountain Middle School wrestling team pose as champions of the Stikine Wrestling Tournament on Saturday in Wrangell. (Photo courtesy TMMS)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Eighth grade grappler Hendrik Van Kirk used his vast wrestling experience to take the 133-pound title.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“In the finals I tried to stay in control as much as possible,” Van Kirk said. “After a little bit I felt that he was starting to get tired from being on bottom. I started to slowly break him down and then got four near fall points from an arm bar. This set up a nearside cradle that I used to get the pin.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Van Kirk pinned Blake White (Schoenbar) at 4:51 for the 133-pound title. Classmate Max Montalbo placed sixth in this bracket.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I enjoyed being with my team and my coaches,” Van Kirk said. “Coach Brown and coach Hass have been awesome. They are great coaches that always give above and beyond to all wrestlers.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Eighth grader Carter Day continues to be a team leader for the Falcons. Day used his third-place finish at last season’s Tanana State Championships to learn and grow. Day had pinned his way into the Tanana quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual champion Shane Ostemiller of Colony. On Saturday Day won the 141-pound championship in Wrangell.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I took my loss in the quarterfinals last year against Shane as motivation to get stronger and I ended up bulking up a couple brackets,” Day said. “That loss motivated me because that was my only loss of the season, and motivated me to go back and try to win at Tanana later this year.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
At 141 pounds Day won by 18-3 tech fall in Wrangell over Zander Bartlett (Stikine). Classmate Camden Huff placed fourth here and classmate John Croasman fifth.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It was a great feeling, especially because it is a heavier bracket,” Day said. “The most I have been in the past is 127. So knowing I can compete every year against better competition feels really good.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Day noted he scored with takedowns and near falls.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I would say my offense is pretty good,” he said. “I haven’t been really much of a shooter in the past, but I started practicing a lot of my shots this year so I could score easier. I have learned to never get cocky and to stay focused on the next match.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Thunder Mountain Middle School seventh grader Logan Sivertsen uses a Peterson roll during his tournament win at Wrangell on Saturday. (Photo courtesy TMMS)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Day said the trip to Wrangell, “was a long boat ride so mostly just slept through it, but I could also think of game plans and just get mentally ready and prepared for the tournament…It feels really good knowing that people look at me as a leader and can take away from the stuff that I do.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the 92-pound “A” bracket — some weights had another division due to the large number of wrestlers — TMMS seventh grader Logan Sivertsen won by 18-0 tech fall over Schoenbar’s Molloy Hoffman. TMMS seventh grader Tanner Freebury, a first-year wrestler, also grappled here and placed seventh.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Coach Brown said the quote of the tourney came from Freebury who, “Got beat rather quickly in his first match and came back to me smiling. He asked ‘Coach, do I have another match?’ I said ‘Yes, at least three more.’ He responded with ‘Three more chances to try!’ That quote sums up the philosophy of our program…just try your best.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
At 92 pounds Karl Lindley (Craig) pinned Wesley Paulson (Schoenbar) at 4:17. TMMS eighth grader Avery Nichols placed fifth here, winning by 22-7 tech fall over Cameron Caskey (Schoenbar), and Murphy Sheehan placed eighth.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the 115-pound A bracket TMMS seventh grader Andrew Erickson won by 8-1 decision over Rylan Jones (Schoenbar). TMMS seventh-grader Gavin Tobacco also wrestled here and placed eighth.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
At 115 pounds TMMS eighth grader Jack Pegues won by disqualification over classmate Matthew Shockley for the title. TMMS classmate William Hullson also wrestled here placing fifth by pinning Quinton Davies (Stikine) at 2:40.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
At 119 pounds TMMS eighth grader Landon Hill pinned Tristan Dolan (SISD) at 2:00. Classmate Andrew Koverdon placed fourth in this bracket.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the girls 127-pound division TMMS seventh grader Ngai Kivalu won by 16-1 tech fall over Juliana Ashcraft (Schoenbar). TMMS’ Roxy Vetrano placed seventh here.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the 149-pound division TMMS seventh grader Cole Whiting pinned Aiden Jones (Schoenbar) at 0:28 for the title. TMMS eighth grader Byron Jack placed fifth, pinning Emmett Sallenback (Mitkof) at 4:12, and TMMS’ Aaro Eckeron seventh by pinning Christopher Bremner (Schoenbar) at 0:51.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Thunder Mountain Middle School seventh grader Ngai Kivalu grapples during the Stikine Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Wrangell. (Photo courtesy TMMS)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
First-year wrestler Barron Marexo made it to the heavyweight 276-pound finals where he lost by fall to teammate Braedon Lee Antrim in the second period. Seventh grader Tyson Foster placed fourth here.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“It was hard wrestling my teammate in the final and nerve wracking,” Marexo said. “During practice me and him always partner up so I was used to wrestling him. I tried to take him down, but he did first and from there I couldn’t get up until after first period. During second period I was on top and tried to break him down, but he got up and got me down, then pinned me. A lesson I learned is to lift more weights because he is stronger. This is my first tournament so everything was a fun experience and I am looking forward to future tournaments. The trip was fun overall — on the boat I had a fun time with friends and coaches.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the 99-pound girls bracket TMMS seventh grader Leighton Hall pinned Jenna Meissner (Stikine) at 2:45 for the title. Eighth grader Fiona McFarlin pinned Saylor Welch (Stikine) at 0:13 for third place.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the girls-115 pound bracket TMMS eighth grader Adriana Blanton pinned Kenon Williams (Metlakatla) at 1:37 for the title. TMMS seventh grader Amelia Ryder won by 3-0 decision over Claire Rooney (Stikine) for third place.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
In the girls 149-pound division TMMS swept the top three spots. Seventh grader Hailey Ondreyka pinned eighth grader Aurora Lee at 2:48 for the title. Eighth grader Kaydence Osburne pinned Kylie Wilte (Ketchikan Charter School) at 4:31 for third place.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Lee, another first-year wrestler, said, “During the the final match against my teammate I knew it was gonna be a tuff but memorable match knowing she had more experience and was more in the know of what to do. I worked hard on trying to use a snap down to get out of our tie up and take the first shot…The biggest lesson I learned on the trip was it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about knowing how hard you fought and what you put into it determines your win or loss. I will be trying to keep up that mentality moving forward…The most enjoyable thing for me about this trip was the connections I made with my coaches and teammates knowing they where always cheering me on and supporting me no matter the outcome.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t