The Homer wrestling team pulled off a second-place finish Saturday in the 46-team Lancer Smith Memorial at Palmer High School.
The Mariners are the defending state champs at the Class 1-2-3A level, but the Lancer Smith also included top teams from the Class 4A level.
Homer managed to beat all of them except for one. Colony scored 275 points to win the meet, while the Mariners were second with 211 points. Homer did win the Class 1-2-3A team trophy at Lancer Smith, while Joseph White of Glennallen was the Most Outstanding Wrestler.
“We had precision wrestling by all members of the team,” Homer wrestling coach Chris Perk texted after the meet.
Perk said second was the best finish for Homer in the history of the meet, and he said it was particularly special to defeat Wasilla, which was third at 166.
Also from the Kenai Peninsula, Soldotna was 12th, Kenai Central was 14th and Voznesenka was 38th.
The Mariners were led by championships from Luciano Fasulo at 126 pounds, Timmy Woo at 160, McKenzie Cook at girls 145 and Heather Harrington at girls 220.
Also making the finals for Homer, but losing, were Wayne Newman at 106 and Tristen Cook at 170.
The other placers for Homer were Seth Inama in fourth at 113, Jared Brant in third at 138, Levi King in fourth at 182, Kyle Wells in third at 195, Jadin Mann in third at 285, Alex Moseley in third at girls 113 and Mina Cavasos in sixth at girls 120.
Perk added that although Inama finished fourth, he did beat Blunka Blunka Jr. of New Stuyahok by sudden victory in the quarterfinal. Blunka Jr. is the defending Class 1-2-3A champ.
Placing for Soldotna were Logan Craig in second at 98, Gideon Hutchison in third at 113 and Bechler Metcalf in fifth at 152.
The Kardinals got a huge tournament from Keyshawn McEnerney, who took the title at 152. McEnerney beat the first, third and fourth seeds in his bracket to take the title.
Voznesenka did not have any placers at the tournament.
Lancer Smith Memorial
Overall team standings (top 20): 1. Colony 275; 2. Homer 211; 3. Wasilla 166; 4. Bethel 121.5; 5. Lathrop 118; 6. South 102.5; 7. Kethcikan 98; 8. Service 95; 9. Palmer 85; 10. North Pole 77; 11. Glennallen 71; 12. Soldotna 60; 13. Chugiak 51; 14. Kenai 44; 15. Thunder Mountain 44; 16. Eagle River 41; 17. Barrow 38; 18. Kodiak 36; 19. Dillingham 34. 20. Holy Rosary 32.
First-place matches
98 pounds — A. Concepcion, Sou p. L. Craig, Sol 1:49; 106 — T. Dyment, Bet p. W. Newman, Hom 2:40; 113 — R. Fannon, Col p. V. Tenebro, Ket 3:52; 120 — M. Mathis, Was d. B. Linne, Ket 15-12; 126 — L. Fasulo, Hom d. S. Sisco, Col 3-2; 132 — J. Opp, Lat p. B. Evans, EEK 5:36; 138 — L. Hopkins, Col d. W. Bockert, Lat 10-8 SV; 145 — S. Wolff, Was d. M. Lucas, HR 6-4; 152 — K. McEnerney, Ken d. A. Shepersky, Was 11-4; 160 — T. Woo, Hom d. C. Hopkins, Col 4-2; 170 — D. Budke, Chu d. T. Cook, Hom 5-2; 182 — J. White, Glen d. D. Nash, Col 9-6; 195 — R. Haan, Col m.d. B. Antesberger, NP 10-2; 220 — C. Weldon, TM p. A. Farris, Pal 2:56; 285 — J. Jeong, Lat d. M. Pinard, SV 3-1.
Third-place matches
98 — S. Benefield, NP p. D. Geerdts, Bet 516; 106 — M. Rodriguez, Ket d. V. Cramer, Col 4-2; 113 — G. Hutchison, Sol m.d. S. Inama, Hom 8-0; 120 — J. Shack, Sou d. T. Severson, Col 2-0; 126 — I. Rodman, Was p. J. Perkins, Ser 3:30; 132 — J. Virgin, Glen d. D. Simpson, Was 8-6 SV; 138 — J. Brant, Hom d. A. Olsen, Bet 3-2; 145 — W. Martin, Sou d. E. Christy, Col 4-2; 152 — L. Farris, Pal d. B. Easley, Col 5-2; 160 — E. Bockman, Gra d. J. Malnoske, East 3-0; 170 — T. Farless, Ser d. T. Miller-Hickerson, Kot 11-6; 182 — B. Antesberger, NP d. L. King, Hom 4-0; 195 — K. Wells, Hom m.d. C. Minnick, Was 9-1; 220 — I. Christy, Col d. K. Caldarera, Ser 3-1; 285 — J. Mann, Hom d. P. Vaafuti, West 8-2.
Fifth-place matches
98 — A. Edwards, Col d. J. Harvey, Col 8-2; 106 — B. Gonzalez, Kod d. A. Logsdon, Was 4-3; 113 — A. Kraft, ER d. B. Blunka, NS 3-2; 120 — T. Evan, Bet d. T. Savo, Dill 4-1; 126 — C. Charlie, Bet won by fft I. Elvsaas, Was; 132 — J. Divelbiss, Dim won by inj def S. LeMay, ACS; 138 — G. Burningham, ER d. M. Agoney, Was 8-5; 145 — W. Story, Lat d. E. Eakin, Kot 5-1; 152 — B. Metcalf, Sol d. Q. Lema, Ser 5-2; 160 — C. Gerlach, Glen p. I. Passi, Bar 2:25; 170 — Z. Rogers, Pal won by fft T. Henning, Una; 182 — C. Fontanta, NP d. L. Rubenstein, TM 8-3; 195 — M. Martinez, Ser d. S. Tu’ifua, Bar 5-2; 220 — B. Heather, Bar d. G. Cole, WV 5-3; 285 — D. Jackson, Hou won by inj def K. Anderson, Pal.
Homer’s Timmy Woo works the arm and neck of Colony junior Caleb Hopkins during the 160-pound final of the Lancer Smith Memorial Saturday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. Woo won the match 4-2.
Homer’s Luciano Fasulo keeps a grasp of Colony’s Sam Sisco during the 126-pound final of the Lancer Smith Memorial Saturday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. Fasulo won the match, and helped Homer with the tournament’s small-schools class.
Kenai Central’s Keyshawn McEnerney looks up as he tries to turn Wasilla’s Andrue Sheperskey during the 152-pound final of the Lancer Smith Memorial Saturday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. McEnerney won his weight class with an 11-4 victory in the final.
Homer’s Jadin Mann lifts Lathrop’s Ji Jeong into the air before bringing him to the mat during a 285-pound match in the championships semifinals of the Lancer Smith Memorial at the Menard Arena in Wasilla Friday. Jeong pinned Mann in the third round to advance to the finals.
Palmer’s Levi Farris struggles to get out of the grasp of Kenai Central’s Keyshawn McEnerney during a 152-pound match of the championship semifinals during the Lancer Smith Memorial Friday at the Menard Arena in Wasilla. McEnerney upset Farris, the top seed in the weight class. Earlier in the day, McEnerney upset the No. 3 seed, Quest Lema of Service.
