The Soldotna girls defended their Northern Lights Conference title Friday and Saturday at Colony High School, while the Knights boys took the conference crown from the Stars boys.
The Soldotna girls scored 270 points for the victory, while Colony had 183, Wasilla had 166, Palmer had 113 and Kodiak had 51.
The Colony boys scored 417 points to take the title from the Stars. SoHi was next at 390.5, while Palmer had 327.5, Wasilla had 250 and Kodiak had 54.
The Boys Most Outstanding Wrestler was Colony’s Matthew Mitchell. The Girls Most Outstanding Wrestler was Palmer’s Sarah Callender. The Coach of the Year was Colony’s Todd Hopkins.
The Soldotna girls received conference titles from Jessica LeClair at 100 pounds, Valarie McAnelly at 107, Angelina Chavarria at 114, Rowan Peck at 120, Kaytlin McAnelly at 132, Daisy Hannevold at 138, Infinity-Ann Asiata-Higa at 185 and Meg Roberts at 235.
LeClair pinned Colony’s Grace Loutzenhiser for the title, while Valarie McAnelly pinned Kodiak’s Megan Cornett.
Chavarria also won by pinning Colony’s Sophia Ellibee, while Peck notched an 8-0 major decision over Wasilla’s Taryn Wright.
Kaytlin McAnelly pinned Wasilla’s Olivia Probasco while Hannevold had a pin of Palmer’s Lillie Vansiegman. Asiata-Haga had a pin of teammate Bella Byrd while Roberts had an 8-0 major decision over Noelle Buck of Palmer.
The top two girls wrestlers at the tourney automatically qualified for state, which is Friday and Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. There also are four at-large berths across the state for the girls.
Also qualifying automatically for the Stars were Alyssa McDonald at 165 and Byrd at 185.
Also placing for SoHi were Megan Whittom in fourth at 100, Taylor Whittom in fourth at 107, Abriella Werner in fourth at 132 and Tristin Byrd in sixth at 145.
In at-large berths announced Monday, Megan Whittom at 100 and Taylor Whittom at 107 both qualified for the state tournament.
Taking conference titles for the Stars were Carson Cobb at 112, Titus Watts at 119, Jacob Strausbaugh at 125, Michael Dickinson at 140, Hunter Bras at 145, Trevor Michael at 152 and Bowen Korth at 171.
Cobb won the title by pinning Colony’s Jake Olson. Watts notched a 9-2 decision over Wasilla’s Chase Foss in the title match, while Strausbaugh notched a tech fall over Kael Salisbury-Gum of Palmer.
Dickinson pinned Wasilla’s Thailyn Reynolds for the title, while Bras had a pin of Palmer’s Cody Vansiegman. Michael also pinned in the title match, topping Palmer’s Nolan Deemer, while Korth notched an 8-3 decision over teammate Collin Peck.
The top five finishers in each weight class advance to state for the boys, with one at-large berth available.
Also moving to state for the Stars were Sam Henry in second at 103, Ryan Buchanan in fourth at 119, Tustin Keller in third at 130, Anthony Payne in fourth at 152, Jaykob Kemp in fifth at 160, Peck in second at 171, Gabe Almedia in fourth at 189 and Kenai Lepule in fourth at 285.
Placing sixth for the Stars were Jaden Carlyle at 112, Jace Gilliam at 119, Braze Cassidy at 135, Ryatt Weed at 152 and Rodney McNeel at 189.
In at-large berths announced Monday, Gilliam at 119, Zackary Kemp at 125, Cassidy at 135, Weed at 152 and Koda Lepule at 215 qualified for state.
Soldotna’s Hunter Bras works to get nearfall points against Palmer’s Cody Vansiegman during the 145-pound final of the Northern Lights Conference Championships on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Colony High School in Palmer, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
Soldotna’s Bowen Korth maintains a grasp on teammate Collin Peck during the 171-pound final of the Northern Lights Conference Championships on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, at Colony High School in Palmer, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
