In a tri meet Tuesday at Kenai Central, the Soldotna wrestling team defeated Kenai 104-12 and Homer 100-15, while the Kardinals toppled the Mariners 66-30.
The Stars are one of the top teams in Division I, while the Kardinals and Mariners both wrestle at Division II.
Also, both Kenai coach Jason Chavarria and Homer coach Bubba Wells said their wrestlers that advanced the furthest in the Mountain City Wrestling Invite over the weekend all ended up sick.
“Kenai generally has some tough kids,” Soldotna coach Pete Dickinson said. “They’ve got a couple kids that are out.
“We sat out quite a few of our varsity, too, but a lot of our kids were JV, so we were just trying to get them some extra matches. It’s such a small season, we try to get what we can.”
Each dual meet combined the boys and girls lineup, and Dickinson said all his girls wrestled well.
“Daisy Hannevold’s a hammer at 138,” the coach said of the wrestler’s two pins.
Dickinson added that the meet ended on a nice highlight, with Gage Trent getting a pin at 171 pounds. The senior just started wrestling this season and was in his second-ever match.
The coach added that the season continues to go well after the Stars lost five state champions after last season.
“We got a pile of freshmen — I’ve got 20-some freshmen on the team,” Dickinson said. “Three of them are ranked in the top four of the state right now, so we’re doing good.”
Kenai honored seniors Abednego Larson, manager Nora Sonderland, Ryan Johnson, Nathan Teates, Grace Asi and Will Roberts.
Larson picked up pins in the duals against Homer and Soldotna. Chavarria said Larson wrestled in middle school but this is his first season at the high school level.
“I wish he could have been here all the years, or at least the last three seasons that I’ve been here,” Chavarria said.
The coach said Teates had to take last season off due to a muscle injury and it showed when he had to go up against a tough wrestler in SoHi’s Collin Peck. Teates was pinned in the match.
Chavarria said Asi is using wrestling “to get her voice, her independence, finding her strength, and who she is.” Asi had a pin against Homer, then was pinned by Hannevold.
Roberts just transferred to Kenai this school year from Texas. Roberts didn’t wrestle Tuesday, but Chavarria said he’s a good wrestler learning quickly.
The coach also said Johnson is just in his second year wrestling at the high school. Johnson won by forfeit against Homer and was pinned against Soldotna.
Chavarria said Tuesday was a great way for his team to get practice. He said there are two meets that matter — the conference meet and state — so he views the season as a training camp for those events.
“Everyone, mostly, is doing what we’re preaching in the room,” Chavarria said. “Everybody’s working it, and I’m seeing it.
“Some of them got their heart broken because they lost. But they lost in areas that we haven’t really been training.”
Wells said half of his Homer team was sick, but he said the team is on the right path this season. He said the Mariners have 12 freshmen that need the experience of matches like Tuesday. Homer has two seniors and both didn’t make the trip to Kenai.
“We’re a really young team, and in the next couple of years, we’ll be back up,” Wells said. “We’ll be way better than we are now.”
Tuesday
Kardinals 66, Mariners 30
160 — Atlas Ruark, Ken, p. Alexander Van Meter, Hom, 5:40; 171 — Bryce Jolicoeur, Ken, won by forfeit; 189 — Nathan Teates, Ken, won by forfeit; 215 — Brandon Blake, Ken, p. Adgel Chandler, 1:46; 285 — Luke Cole, Ken, won by forfeit; 107 girls — Heather Shae, Hom, p. Justice Stockman, 1:01; 145 girls — Isabella Asi, Ken, p. Ryan Alcorta, 0:38; 152 girls — Jenna Yeoman, Ken, won by forfeit; 112 — Maxwell Herndon, Hom, won by forfeit; 119 — Jadon Weisser, Hom, won by forfeit; 125 — Jaxson Young, Ken, won by forfeit; 130 — Ryan Johnson, Ken, won by forfeit; 135 — Abednego Larson, Ken, p. Maxwell Herndon, Hom, 1:37; 140 — Zayne Adams, Hom, p. Rusty Holmes, 0:16; 145 — Paul Minke, Hom, p. Cody Holmes, 3:04. Exhibition — Jaxson Young, Ken, p. Jadon Weisser, 1:04.
Stars 100, Mariners 15
171 — Gage Trent, Sol, won by forfeit; 189 — Collin Peck, Sol, won by forfeit; 215 — Adgel Chandler, Hom, won by forfeit; 285 — Kenai Lepule, Sol, won by forfeit; 107 girls — Heather Shae, Hom, p. Taylor Whittom, 1:40; 114 girls — Angelina Chavarria, Sol, won by forfeit; 132 girls — Kaytlin McAnelly, Sol, won by forfeit; 145 girls — Daisy Hannevold, Sol, p. Ryan Alcorta, Hom, 0:30; 165 girls — Alyssa McDonald, Sol, won by forfeit; 185 girls — Bella Byrd, Sol, won by forfeit; 103 — Sam Henry, Sol, won by forfeit; 112 — Andrew Fielden, Sol, p. Maxwell Barker, 0:23; 119 — Ryan Buchanan, Sol, p. Jadon Weisser, 0:25; 125 — Titus Watts, Sol, won by forfeit; 130 — Mason Bock, Sol, won by forfeit; 135 — Landyn Wood, Hom, dec. Tustin Keller, 12-8; 140 — Braze Cassidy, Sol, p. Zayne Adams, 1:37; 145 — Hunter Bras, Sol, p. Paul Minke, 3:09; 152 — Riley Vacek, Sol, won by forfeit; 160 — Anthony Payne, Sol, m.d. Tristan Overholt, 15-4. Exhibition — 285 — Koda Lepule, Sol, p. Adgel Changler, 2:28; 135 — Titus Watts, Sol, p. Maxwell Herndon, 2:34.
Stars 104, Kardinals 12
189 — Collin Peck, Sol, p. Nathan Teates, 2:38; 215 — William Roberts, Ken, won by forfeit; 285 — Kenai Lepule, Sol, p. Cecil Newcomb-Hammer, 1:08; 107 girls — Taylor Whittom, Sol, p. Justice Stockman, 1:30; 114 girls — Angelina Chavarria, Sol, won by forfeit; 132 girls — Kaytlin McAnelly, Sol, won by forfeit; 138 girls — Daisy Hannevold, Sol, p. Isabella Asi, 0:43; 165 girls — Alyssa McDonald, Sol, won by injury default over Jenna Yeoman; 185 girls — Bella Byrd, Sol, won by forfeit; 103 — Sam Henry, Sol, won by forfeit; 112 — Andrew Fielden, Sol, won by forfeit; 119 — Ryan Buchanan, Sol, won by forfeit; 125 — Titus Watts, Sol, t.f. Jaxson Young, 4:10; 130 — Mason Bock, Sol, p. Ryan Johnson, 1:12; 135 — Abednego Larson, Ken, p. Paxton Roach, 0:23; 140 — Braze Cassidy, Sol, p. Rusty Holmes, 1:28; 145 — Hunter Bras, Sol, p. Cody Holmes, 1:28; 152 — Nicholas Rackley, Sol, dec. Delen Byrd, 8-4; 160 — Liam Peck, Sol, p. Leighton Wilshusen, 0:52; 171 — Gage Trent, Sol, p. Bryce Jolicoeur, 1:41.
Kenai Central’s Jenna Yeoman takes Soldotna’s Alyssa McDonald to the ground at girls 165 pounds during a dual meet Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Tustin Keller wrestles Homer’s Landyn Woods at 135 pounds during a dual meet Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Homer’s Heather Shae takes Soldotna’s Taylor Whittom to the ground at girls 107 pounds at a wrestling dual meet Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Titus Watts controls Kenai Central’s Jaxson Young at 125 pounds during a dual meet Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
