In another enticing clash between small-school heavyweights, Bethel and Homer topped the 33-team field at the 2017 Lime Solar/ACS Wrestling Invitational Saturday at Anchorage Christian Schools.
Bethel won the team championship with 214.5 points, better than Homer’s runner-up result of 199. Barrow took third with 136 points. Also from the peninsula, Voznesenka finished 15th with 58.5 points, Nikiski was 21st with 52 points and Seward was 24th with 35 points.
The Mariners got two individual titles from Homer’s Wayne Newman, who won the 126-pound title with a 4-2 decision over Riley Rust of Monroe, and Luciano Fasulo, who captured the 132-pound crown with a 14-4 major decision over Glennallen’s Sean Dorsey.
Bethel, meanwhile, claimed three individual titles.
In championship matches, Maxim Kusnetsov finished second for Voznesenka at 106 pounds, losing to Bethel’s Jarius Allain by an 11-10 decision.
Dia Martishev of Voznesenka took second at 138 pounds, losing an 8-5 decision to Kye Pearce of Hutchison. Homer’s Mose Hayes took third in the same class.
Homer’s Chris Cudaback was pinned 1:45 into the 170-pound title match to finish second to Caden Gerlach of Glennallen.
Tristen Cook of Homer was handed a 7-3 loss in the 182-pound title match by Evan Bockman of Grace.
In the 195-pound title match, Levi King of Homer lost a tight 7-6 decision to Barrow’s Sione Tuifua to finish second, and Nikiski’s Tyler Litke lost a 7-1 decision to Craig’s Kayden Bird to finish fourth.
At the 98-pound level, Seward’s Clay Petersen was third with an injury default win over Jonah Comstock of Wrangell.
Seth Inama of Homer took fourth at 120 pounds, losing a 5-3 sudden victory decision to Seth Smith of Bethel.
Nikiski’s Koleman McCaughey finished fourth at 152 pounds following an 8-2 decision to Wrangell’s Hunter Wiederspohn.
Kyle Wells from Homer finished third at 220 pounds with a pin on Kyler Rumfelt of Redington at the 3:31 mark.
Finally, in the 285-pound class, Nikiski’s Ethan Hack took home sixth place after being pinned by Unalaska’s Mathew Faoasau at the 1:11 mark of the fifth-place match.
Colony takes Colony Invitational
The Colony wrestling team won the Colony Invitational on Saturday, with Soldotna coming in fourth and Kenai Central taking eighth.
The Knights had 237.5 points, while runner-up Palmer had 129.5. Soldotna scored 119.5, while Kenai had 61.
The Stars were led by Gideon Hutchison’s title at 120. Hutchison won by major decision over Colony’s Vincent Cramer in the title match.
Logan Craig, Dennis Taylor and Brenner Furlong lost in title matches for Soldotna. Craig lost at 106 after getting pinned by Colony’s Jared Hopkins, Taylor lost at 138 after getting pinned by Wasilla’s Sterling Uhlenhake, and Furlong was pinned by Colony’s Caleb Hopkins at 182.
Also for the Stars, Bechler Metcalf was third at 152, Eli Floyd was third at 220 and Hudson Metcalf was fourth at 170.
The Kardinals were led by a championship from Byron Dunham at 195. Dunham notched a 17-13 decision over Ketchikan’s Cameron Harris in the title bout. Tucker Vann also was fourth for Kenai at 138, while Jacob Grant was second at 285, getting pinned by Lucas Santana of Palmer in the final.
Editor’s note: Kenai Central’s Jacob Grant taking second at 285 pounds has been added to this story.
Colony Invitational
Saturday, Colony
Team scores:
1. Colony 237.5; 2. Palmer 134.5; 3. Ketchikan 129.5; 4. Soldonta 119.5; 5. Wasilla 115; 6. Kodiak 71 7. South Anchorage 70; 8. Kenai 61; 9. Service 58.5.
First-place matches:
98 pounds — T. Clapp, Col p. C. Jasper, Was 5:21; 106 — J. Hopkins, Col p. L. Craig, Sol 2:46; 113 — A. Ehmann, Col d. P. Rauwolf, Ket 6-2; 120 —G. Hutchison, Sol m.d. V. Cramer, Col 15-3; 126 — R. Fannon, Col d. J. Perkins, Ser 8-1; 132 — B. Linne, Ket p. J. Dyer, Pal 2:39; 138 — S. Uhlenhake, Was p. D. Taylor, Sol 1:27; 145 — D. Colley, Col p. K. Finley, Kod 3:08; 152 — A. Shepersky, Was d. A. Barnes, Pal 6-3; 160 — J. Nummer, Kod m.d. J. Watkins, Pal 8-0; 170 — E. Christy, Col p. J. Thomas, Sou 5:01; 182 — C. Hopkins, Col p. B. Furlong, Sol 3:39; 195 — B. Dunham, Ken d. C. Harris, Ket 17-13; 285 — L. Santana, Pal p. J. Grant, Ken 0:55.
Third-places matches:
98 — G. Blydenburgh, Pal d. T. Gudmunson, Col 11-4; 106 — R. Gallagher, Col m.d. T. Pendergrass, Pal 14-0; 113 — M. Riedlinger, Col d. J. Harvey, Col 7-3; 120 — K. Torres, Col d. M. Rodriguez, Ket 4-2; 126 — T. Cha, Sou d. R. Allen, Sou 10-4; 132 — S. Watchus, Pal p. O. Manley, Pal 4:42; 138 — M. Agoney, Was won by fft; 145 — E. Kraus, Was d. R. Godwin, Pal 5-3; 152 — B. Metcalf, Sol d. H. Bleakney, Pal 5-0; 160 — R. Bailey, Was inj. def. Z. Rogers, Pal 2:40; 170 — D. Entwit, Ket won by fft; 182 — B. Wieber, Ket d. F. Urbano, Col 2-1; 195 — R. Sweet, Sou d. C. Kurka, Pal 8-6; 285 — J. Smith, Kod p. J. Nelson, Col 0:28.
Round-robin:
220 — 1. K. Caldarera, Ser; 2. T. Riopelle, 3. E. Floyd, Sol, 4. A. Rund, Was
