The Soldotna High School wrestling team capped off a successful season during the state championship tournament in Anchorage last weekend. The girls team won their third state title in a row, securing the program’s first ever three-peat victory. The boys, who have lost several wrestlers to injuries in the past few weeks, finished the Division I tournament in second place, losing by less than 30 points to the Student Wrestler Development Program, an independent private school in Fairbanks.
Out of the 21 girls who competed in the tournament, seven won state titles. Naomi Keller and Mia Hannevold were state champs, Valerie McAnelley was a runner-up, Rowan Peck placed fourth and Carissa Heitstuman, Katara Lepule and Infinity Asiata-Higa all placed third in their weight classes.
“Standing on the podium, I felt very accomplished and satisfied,” Hannevold, a junior, wrote in a text to the Clarion. “It made me feel as if my goals were fulfilled. I also couldn’t stop thinking of what I was going to have for dinner.”
Head coach Pete Dickinson said it’s only the third time the Stars have won a state title. Chuckling, he added that the first time the Stars wrestling team won state was three years ago, and the second was last season.
On the boys team, Michael Dickinson, Hudson Morris, Sam Henry, Mason Bock and Carson Cobb were all state champions. Harley Hyatt and Titus Watts were runners-up and Rodney McNeel, Coleman LeClair and Kaiser DesOrmeaux placed third. Laramie Gibson and Corbin Ebenezer took home fourth place medals.
Morris, a freshman, defeated the defending state champion Max Francisco from East Anchorage High School during the semifinals. Francisco, a senior, was the number one seed in the final.
“When I was getting ready for my final match, I was trying to make myself understand that what I had done in the semifinals wasn’t enough and how I needed to win the title for my grandpa who passed recently,” Morris wrote in a text to the Clarion. “I had his name and day of passing written on my wrestling shoes.”
Michael Dickinson was named Most Outstanding Wrestler, a title reminiscent of his selection as Region III Wrestler of the Year during the Northern Lights Conference earlier this month. According to Alaska Sport Report, his victory over Shane Ostermiller of South Anchorage made him 48-0 this year and 91-0 across the last two years.
“I felt very confident going into the final match,” Dickinson said. “I knew all I had to do was just go out there and wrestle like this was my last high school wrestling match — which it was. There was nothing to do besides that.”
Dickinson said he plans to wrestle in college and credits his dad, head coach Pete Dickinson, with helping him reach this point in his athletic career.
“He has always been a huge mentor of mine and has pushed me hard to reach my goals,” he wrote in a text to the Clarion. “It’s great having him as a coach.”
Coach Dickinson said he was very happy with the team’s performance, adding that SoHi had never beaten South Anchorage in a state tournament.
We’re definitely happy with our performance, and we’re happy with the kids,” he said. “I think everybody, for the most part, stepped up when we needed them.”
For now, the Stars will enjoy some well-deserved time off from practices, tournaments and cutting weight. Soon, many of the wrestlers will step back onto mats in SoHi, various clubs, high schools and colleges all over the country, ready to continue their legacies.
Photo courtesy of Andie Bock/Andie’s Alaskan Adventures Photography The Soldotna High School boys wrestling team stands on the podium after placing second in the ASAA Division I state championships in Anchorage on Dec. 20. The Student Wrestler Development Program in Fairbanks beat the Stars by 29.5 points.
Photo courtesy of Andie Bock/Andie’s Alaskan Adventures Photography Senior Mason Bock celebrates after winning the state title during the ASAA Division I state championships in Anchorage on Dec. 20. Bock beat No. 2 seed Isaiah Schultz of Colony High School in the final, securing his victory in the 135-pound title as the No. 4 seed. Bock said standing on the podium was the best moment of his life, telling the Clarion that since he had lost to Schultz once earlier in the season, he was “focused and determined to have a different outcome” during the final match.
