Stormy nights in Juneau may as well be enjoyed inside, and tonight\u2019s Brandon Pilot Invitational will still have all the thunder and lightning, minus the wet chill, as over 100 wrestlers gather at Thunder Mountain High School.<\/p>\n
With action starting at 5 p.m. and continuing through Saturday night, this may be local grappling fans\u2019 only opportunity to get a taste of this season\u2019s Region V competitors who are conditioning for December\u2019s championships in Wrangell.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big advantage is to put more matches under their belt,\u201d TMHS coach Jason Boyer said. \u201cBecause when they get to Anchorage, whether they are small school or 4A, they have got to prepare. Those kids up north are getting 40-60 matches a year. Our kids are probably getting in the 30s, so we have to work twice as hard to get the same experience. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast weekend\u2019s tournament was kind of an indicator to us as to were our kids would be,\u201d Boyer continued. \u201cIt is a stormy weekend, so it is a good time to come sit in the gym and watch wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday night will also feature the Falcons\u2019 senior night before the 7 p.m. championship rounds begin.<\/p>\n
The tournament is named in honor of Brandon Pilot, a Crimson Bears freshman who died in a car accident on Fish Creek Road on Nov. 18, 2000. A week later, the wrestling team went on with the scheduled Thanksgiving Classic wrestling meet, dedicating it to Pilot\u2019s memory and won the team title. The following year the tournament was renamed in his honor, and each year since it has showcased the wrestling talent from across Southeast.<\/p>\n
One of this weekend\u2019s feature matches could be 152-pound TMHS senior Hunter Boyer getting a second crack at Craig\u2019s Wyatt Patten. Patten defeated Boyer in the championship at Wrangell last weekend. In the closing seconds of the bout, Boyer tried a takedown to break a tie and in the roll-a-round Patten ended up on top.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hoping that Hunter and Wyatt will meet in the finals again,\u201d said the elder Boyer, who is also Hunter\u2019s father. \u201cI think we have a different game plan for that one. We won\u2019t throw anything in the last five seconds and we\u2019ll take it to overtime and set something up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyer said Falcons 220-pounder Carl Tupou could have a solid first tournament. Tupou is wrestling up from his normal 196-pound weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hoping he has enough in his arsenal that he can make it to the podium,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cI think his athletic ability is going to take him there. I told him not to worry about losing weight and he was pretty happy about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 195-pound class will have returning small school state champion and BPI titleholder Nate Fousel, a Ketchikan senior, looking to regain his composure from last weekend\u2019s loss to JDHS junior Cody Weldon.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore likely it will be a rematch of that championship at 195 pounds,\u201d JDHS coach John Joeright said. \u201cThat might be a highlight of the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joeright is looking for JDHS junior Ethan Goebel and senior Taylor Sutak to make noise at 160 and 182 pounds, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am expecting our guys to go out and give 115 percent,\u201d Joeright said. \u201cWe will just have to see about the others. We have to apply some of the things we have been practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ketchikan\u2019s Max Collins, at 138 pounds, will be one to watch as he takes on the Falcons\u2019 Deven Mason or Craig\u2019s Bryan Castle. TMHS\u2019 Sam Nolan is looking to get out of the third-place rut at 145 pounds and will have a weight class of 15 grapplers to contend with, including Thorne Bay\u2019s Tell Tripple. The Panther\u2019s will also feature Titus Tripple at 160 pounds, a key opponent for JDHS\u2019 Goebel. TMHS\u2019 Tyler Cole will get some challenges from JDHS\u2019 Seth Machakos, Lance Fenumiai and Jaiden Kohler at 170-pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is nice is that this brings the sport to Juneau,\u201d Joeright said of the tournament. \u201cIt showcases the sport and shows what a challenging sport it is and gives the athletes a chance to get some recognition for all the work they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local wrestlers will head to Colony on Nov. 6 and to the Lancer Smith Invitational on Nov. 20. The Lancer Smith features 32-man brackets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is going to be the first time we see who are going to be the competitors this year at state,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cBoth of those tournaments are really well attended. It will be the biggest tournament these kids see all year, and maybe in their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following are weight classes to be expected this weekend:<\/p>\n
\u2022 98 pounds \u2014 Jonathon Barratt, Jonathon (WRG), Payton Stewart (KTN), Connor Norman (TMHS), Rianon Padro (JDHS), Connor McCormick (KTN), Matthew Rodriguez (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 106 pounds \u2014 Curt Bartlett (SIT), Nelson Jackson (MtE), Brayden Linne (KTN), Patrick Rauwolf (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 113 pounds \u2014 Paul Amendinger (KTN), Nathan Andrew (MtE), Brandal Arnold (MtE), Juan Fisher (TMHS), Jacob Gagner (SIT), Royale Lowe (MtE), Adam Murphy (JDHS), Vince Tenebro (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 120 pounds \u2014 Alexandriana Andrews (MtE), Cameron Bauer (HNS), Charlie Bower (HNS), Caleb Deer (TMHS), Laura Ekada (MtE), Orion Heller (WRG), Ketch Jacobson (HNS), Seth Packer (CRG), Daniel Peters (JDHS), Jacob Tapia (TMHS), Sean Tavares (KTN), Luke Reynolds (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 126 pounds \u2014 Troy Harris (KTN), Harry Hartzog (SIT), Mori Hays (HNS), Mark Jasper (KTN), Isaiah Records (CRG), Wayne Young (SIT).<\/p>\n
\u2022 132 pounds \u2014 Hayley Akerelrea (MtE), Trevor Cox (HNS), Kadin Hodges (KTN), Jacob Jametski (MET), Ian Jenson (WRG), Tucker Joeright (JDHS), Elizabeth Johnson (WRG), Joey Karlik (KTN), Festus LaChester (JDHS), Drew Marker (CRG), DJ Scott (TMHS), Mikel Smith (WRG), Caleb Suarez (SIT).<\/p>\n
\u2022 138 pounds \u2014 Trevor Akelkok (MtE), Justin Albecker (KTN), Bryan Castle (CRG), Max Collins (KTN), Merrick Dundas (MET), Orlin Gologergen (MtE), Theron Grant (TMHS), Deven Mason (TMHS), Guy Sanderson (HYD), Robert (Warren-Edenshaw HYD).<\/p>\n
\u2022 145 pounds \u2014 Sam Armstrong (WRG), Maverick Ballard (CRG), Drake Carabajal (TMHS), Grant Collins (KTN), Sig Decker (WRG), Nate Eisenhower (KTN), Dawson Entwit (KTN), Zane Durr (HNS), Stephen Guy (MtE), Erick Heaggans (SIT), Steven Ireland Haight (JDHS), Samuel McCarty (MET), Sam Nolan (TMHS), Dillon Rooney (WRG), Tell Tripple (TB), Royce Whitehead (JDHS).<\/p>\n
\u2022 152 pounds \u2014 Hunter Boyer (TMHS), Kai Hays (HNS), Aiden Hildebrand (TMHS), Travis Kemp-Davis (TMHS), Sydnee Kimber (MtE), Nolan Meyer (KTN), Roger Miller (WRG), Alex Ocana (TMHS), Wyatt Patten (CRG), Caden Peterson (MtE), Tim Rodriguez (KTN), Kyler Samauang (SIT), Reilly Sutak (JDHS), Robert Tolson (HYD), Eric Ulery (TB).<\/p>\n
\u2022 160 pounds \u2014 Ulric Aloysius (MtE), Abraham Booth (MET), Noah Castle (CRG), Ethan Goebel (JDHS), Johnathon Schmitz (JDHS), Darren Shilts (WRG), Titus Tripple (TB), Damion Wallace (KTN), Brandon Wieber (KTN), John Williams (JDHS), Joshua Young (SIT), Zack Zenge (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 170 pounds \u2014 Agatha Andrews (MtE), Micah Eichner (KTN), Tyler Cole (TMHS), Lance Fenumiai (JDHS), Jaiden Kohler (JDHS), Seth Machakos (JDHS), Victor Quintana (SIT), Makenzie Reeves (SIT), Gerik Sherrill (KTN).<\/p>\n
\u2022 182 pounds \u2014 Chet Armstrong (WRG), Arthur `Colin` Freitas (MtE), Joshua Goeden (SIT), Zavier Ghormley (MET), Cameron Harris (KTN), Alonzo Leisholmn (MET), Derek Mason (TMHS), Tyler Murphy (HNS), Josh Quinto (TMHS), Wesley Scott (WRG), Taylor Sutak (JDHS).<\/p>\n
\u2022 195 pounds \u2014 Nate Fousel (KTN), Devin Locke (TMHS), Brayden Schwab (TB), Cody Weldon (JDHS).<\/p>\n
\u2022 220 pounds \u2014 Conrad Hudson (MET), Kamakana Kanahele (HNS), Gabriel Nathan (MET), Sean Orsborn (MtE), Kobe Rutherford (MtE), Chris Seddon (WRG), Carl Tupou (TMHS).<\/p>\n
\u2022 285 pounds \u2014 Brayden Blandov (MET), Chris Coulson (JDHS), Jared Huntington (MtE), August Leask (MET), Brian McClennan (KTN), Liam Price (CRG), Timothy Williams (MET).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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