This story has been updated to correct the name of the wrestler in the photo caption.
With some individual weight brackets boasting over 60 athletes the Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament is one of the most challenging and grueling events across Alaska for high school grapplers.
Nearly 60 Alaska School Activities Association Division I and II teams from across the state attended last weekend’s annual tournament and more than 1,700 individual matches were run at Wasilla’s Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.
“We had a good first day team-wise with five wrestlers starting the second day in the semifinals,” Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé head coach Adam Messmer said. “Out of those five only one made it to the finals. In three of those four losses we were dominating the match and got caught toward the end, which is disappointing, but we know we can beat those wrestlers now and we just have to stay focused throughout the entire match.”
JDHS sophomore Camden Messmer, with 18 wins on the season, earned the finals at 119 pounds where he lost his first match of the season to undefeated East Anchorage junior Max Fransisco (18-0) by a 12-3 major decision.
Student Wrestling Development Program, an independent private school that sanctions some of its sports through the Alaska School Activities Association, won the varsity team title with 256 points among 50 teams, followed by DI South Anchorage with 241.5 and DII Soldotna third with 197. JDHS placed seventh with 81 points, Ketchikan ninth with 75, Mt. Edgecumbe 13th with 55 and Haines 18th with 40 points.
“There were some great high-caliber matches this weekend,” Coach A. Mesmer said. “We did well in both varsity and JV. Lancer is the biggest tournament of the year…It is the only real tournament that you get to see who is the best in the state regardless of division. The number of kids in each bracket was amazing.”
JDHS had 14 wrestlers in the varsity tournament.
The varsity tournament is extremely tough,” A. Messmer said. “Many of our wrestlers went out in the blood round — if you win that match you automatically would medal somewhere in the top 6.”
Outside of sophomore C. Messmer the Crimson Bears had just 135-pound senior Colton Cummins (25-3) survive the blood round and finish in fourth place, losing in the third-place match to SWDP freshman Gabriel Reuter (22-4) by a 7-1 decision.
Other Southeast wrestlers surviving the blood round included KTN senior Titan Linne (19-5) losing by 13-0 MD in the 125-pound championship to SOHI sophomore Titus Watts (20-0); KTN 140-pound senior Gage Massin (19-5) taking fifth by pin over SWDP sophomore Jett Knezovich (24-6); MEHS 189-pound senior Richard Didrickson (23-1) losing by 10-0 MD in the championship to Palmer senior Kaelin Vessel (13-2); HNS 215-pound junior James Stickler (23-3) losing in the finals by pin to SA senior Hayden Martin (22-0); KTN 215-pound senior Paul Thompson (15-2) taking third by 9-5 decision over SWDP junior Gage Runnels (20-4); MEHS 285-pound junior Donovan Standifer (14-3) taking third by pin over SWDP senior Damien Fiame (20-6).
In the varsity tournament setting JDHS 112-pound freshman Joshua Beedle (12-6) won his first match by pin, then lost to the eventual finals champion and was eliminated in a consolation match; JDHS 130-pound junior Oliver Abel (9-9) lost by fall, and lost by technical fall; JDHS 140-pound junior Marlin Cox (15-8) had a bye in his first match, lost by TF, won by pin, won by 8-5 decision and was eliminated by forfeit; JDHS 145-pound sophomore Jed Davis (21-3) had a bye, lost by fall, won by fall and was eliminated by fall; JDHS 145-pound senior Owen Woodruff (8-3) lost by 8-5 decision, won by 11-3 MD and was eliminated by TF; JDHS 152-pound sophomore Ethan Van Kirk (11-6) lost by TF, won by bye, won by fall, won by fall and was eliminated by TF; JDHS 160-pound senior Hayden Aube (10-3) won by 11-1 MD, won by fall, lost by fall in the quarter finals, and lost by 5-3 decision in the consolations; JDHS 160-pound junior Alexzondo Marx-Beierly (9-5) lost by 8-5 decision, won by fall in the consolations, won by 14-6 MD, won by fall and lost by 10-6 decision; JDHS 171-pound sophomore Jaxin Jim (8-8) won by 21-9 MD, won by 18-7 MD, lost by fall in the quarterfinals, and lost by fall in the consolations; JDHS 171-pound senior Carvin Hass (9-9) lost by fall in the opening round and lost by fall in the consolations; JDHS 189-pound sophomore Darren Foster (10-7) lost by 17-3 MD, had a bye and lost by fall in consolations; JDHS senior Merrick Hartman (6-6) lost by fall, had a bye and lost by fall in consolations; JDHS 215-pound junior Kyle Carter (1-6) lost by fall to eventual tournament runner-up Stickler of Haines, won by fall in the consolations and was eliminated by fall.
In the girls’ tournament JDHS had two wrestlers. Freshman 107-pound Nixie Schooler (15-3) placed fourth, winning by fall in the opener, losing by fall in the quarterfinals, winning by fall in the consolations and losing by 8-7 decision in the third-place match. JDHS freshman Toriana Johnson (5-10) lost by fall in the opening found and lost by fall in the consolations.
Other Southeast girls finishing in the top six included KTN 132-pound junior Summer Boling (24-2) placing second; and MEHS 235-pound sophomore Sophie Didrickson (3-5) sixth.
SWDP won the girls tournament with 190 points, Colony was second with 151, Ketchikan 24th with 26, JDHS 26th with 20, and MEHS 28th with 19.
JDHS had nine wrestlers in the JV tournament.
“They really stepped up their wrestling since last weekend,” A. Messmer said of the JV side. “It was great to see the younger or less experienced kids start to excel and make less mistakes.”
SWDP won the JV title with 163.5 points, Kenai second with 156, JDHS seventh with 111, and KTN 24th with 52.
Finishing in the JV top sixth were JDHS 119-pound sophomore Tristen Ridgeway placing third with a fall, a 6-0 decision, a fall, losing by fall to the champion, winning by 8-5 decision and winning by 8-5 decision; JDHS 152-pound sophomore Jaeger Hubert placed third, winning by 8-1 decision, winning by fall, winning by fall, losing by 11-5 decision in the semifinals, winning by fall in consolations, winning by 11-4 decision, winning by 3-1 decision and winning by 10-7 decision; JDHS 130-pound freshman Caleb Aube placed sixth, winning by 22-4 TF, losing by fall, winning by 17-9 MD, winning by 13-5 MD, winning by fall, winning by fall, losing by 12-5 decision and losing by fall and JDHS 135-pound sophomore Gage Keller placed sixth, winning by fall, winning by fall, losing by TF in the semifinals, losing by MD in consolations and losing by 7-3 decision.
Other JV wrestlers included JDHS 103-pound freshman Carson Kautz who won by TF, lost by 7-2 decision, and lost by fall; JDHS 112-pound freshman Michael Carson lost by TF, won by fall, won by fall and lost by fall; JDHS 125-pound sophomore Joseph Webster won by fall, won by fall, lost by fall in quarterfinals, won by fall in consolations and lost by 7-4 decision; JDHS 171-pound sophomore Tyler Oudekerk lost by fall, won by fall and lost by fall and JDHS 189-pound freshman Hugo Rank won by fall, lost by 10-7 decision, won by 9-4 decision and lost by 2-1 decision.
Other southeast wrestlers surviving the blood round included KTN 103-pound Mattoon Glover placing third and KTN 125-pound Mark Margaja fourth.
The Crimson Bears wrestle at Sitka this weekend.
“This week in practice we need to focus on the small adjustments to our technique,” Messmer said. “At this point in the season the kids have put in the work and are in great shape. We have made adjustments to our offense and defense after each tournament, and now we just need to make small tweaks to compete with the top-tier wrestlers in the state. Lancer was our first tournament up north this year and it was good to see where we matched up this year.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
