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Kotzebue wrestlers win 11th straight region title

December 10th 1:19 am | Van Williams Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

There is no mystery to why the Kotzebue High School wrestling team enjoys success year after year.

"Hard work, do the high percentage stuff and have fun while doing it," said coach Mark Lane. "There is no secret to it. Whoever puts the time in and does it better usually comes out top."

The Huskies won their 11th straight region title at the Northern Conference Championships in Nome last week- end, implementing the same winning formula that con- tinues to pay dividends.

"It is always a good feeling to come home with a region- al title," Lane said after winning his fifth.

Kotzebue amassed 279 points to easily claim the cham- pionship over its next closest competitors, Nome [193] and Barrow [125].

The Huskies won six individual titles and qualified a total of 15 wrestlers to this week's ASAA Class 1-2-3A state championships in Nikiski, based on top-three fin- ishes at the region meet.

The parade of Kotzebue region champions started at 106 pounds, where No. 1 seed Brett Reich capped his run with a second-period pin of Nome's No. 2 Alex Gray in the final.

At 132, top-seeded Scott Hansen gave Kotzebue its sec- ond champion with a 7-0 win over Nome's No. 2 Junyor Erikson.

He started the tournament with a 17-2 technical fall and then followed that up with a first-round pin.

"Scott did a nice job this weekend," Lane said. "He dominated every opponent he wrestled at regionals. Scott has continually gotten better over the years on and off the mat. It hasn't been easy for him, but he has goals and is starting to realize no matter what the obstacle he will be better the next day."

The 138 finals featured a pair of Huskies in No. 1 Doug O'Hara and No. 2 Noah Roetman. Both had impressive semifinal victories, with O'Hara winning by pin in 66 seconds and Roetman winning by a 15-0 tech fall.

That set up an electric finals match that didn't disap- point, with O'Hara pulling out a 4-2 decision for Kotzebue's third title.

"Doug is a great kid and a great leader for this team," Lane said. "He has become a true mat warrior who leaves it all on the mat. Doug has a bright future in whatever he chooses, due to his great work ethic and sincerity."

At 145, No. 1 Landon Eck scored a 5-0 finals victory over teammate No. 2 Sam Atkinson.

"Landon loves the sport of wrestling and is just starting to realize how to enjoy the sport he loves," Lane said. "When it comes to wrestling, a wrestler can put so much pressure on themselves that they forget why they're doing it.

"When you truly start to enjoy it, it becomes easier and you look forward to practices, competition and learning." The 152 finals match was another all-Kotzebue affair, this time between No. 2 Devon Phillips and No. 1 Zach Haviland. In a rare upset, it was Phillips, a sophomore, walking away with an 8-6 decision over the freshman.

"These two are at a big weight for their age, and they are going to be forces in this sport," Lane said. "I look for both of them to do well at state."

Finally, at 182, No. 2 seed Isaac Peacock gave the Huskies their sixth title after pinning No. 1 Jordan Otten of WBB. Peacock won both matches by fall.

"This kid has a smile on his face from the moment he wakes up and until he goes to sleep," Lane said. "It's con- tagious and helps me and teammates get through some of the dramatic times during the season. All I really can say is good for Isaac for winning a regional title. He works hard, asks questions and continues to get better. He is going to surprise a few people this weekend."

Other champions from the Arctic region included Buckland's Justin Hadley and Barrow's Lisita Tuai.

At 170, Hadley scored a 57-second pin of Ryneque Dan of WBB to claim the title. Hadley will be his school's lone representative at state.

At 195, Tuai continued his remarkable rookie season by pinning his teammate Chanachi Charoonsaphonsak in 69 seconds in the final.

"Having kids in the finals gives our program direc- tion," said Barrow coach Steve Gillaspie. "To have kids in that final round allows the teammates to feel what it's like to prepare as well as wanting to work hard to get to that round."

Tuai has now qualified for state in two sports. This past fall he helped the Whalers football team reach the small- schools state title game for the first time in school history.

He will get another crack at a title at the ASAA Class 1-2-3A state championships Friday and Saturday in Nikiski.

For Gillaspie, he will return to the community where he went to four consecutive state championships with the Nikiski Bulldogs in the late 1990s.

 

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