Daily Sitka Sentinel

Mt. Edgecumbe Wrestlers Prepare for Mat Opener

By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Mt. Edgecumbe High Braves and Lady Braves wrestling teams have rolled out the mats for another season of grappling across Alaska.
    A lot of mats.
    The team has more than 80 wrestlers in the gym, more than 40 boys and nearly as many girls.
    “There’s a lot of them,” Mt. Edgecumbe head coach Mike Kimber said. “That’s always a bonus. We have a really interesting mixture of older kids and younger kids. Over half the team are sophomores, so in a couple years both the men’s and women’s teams will be tough again. When you graduate 12 state wrestlers it’s hard to have a powerhouse team.

The Mt. Edgecumbe Braves and Lady Braves wrestling teams pose with coaches for a photo during practice at B.J. McGillis Gym. (Sentinel Photo)

    Last season the boys saw their streak of region titles stopped, but placed eighth at State. The girls won the State championship behind the skills of four-time state champ Sydnee Kimber and three-time state champ Agatha Andrews, both of whom graduated.
    “We’re going to be competitive at the Region and State level,” Kimber said. “But we are going to have to earn it this year.”
    Mt. Edgecumbe returns 14 State qualifiers this season.
    Among the team captains is junior Haley Osborne.
    The Nome summer king crab fisherman took the ASAA State championship at 285 pounds after winning the Southeast Region V title.
    “I’ve been wrestling here since I was a freshman,” Osborne said. “I love how big the team is and how the intensity gets better each week throughout the season.”
   He prepared for the season by king crabbing near Nome and hitting the mats hard during preseason. He sees himself in a lot of the freshmen class.
    “I was a heavyweight that didn’t know how to do any of the warm-ups,” he said. “So I see a lot of that in some of these freshmen.”

Mt. Edgecumbe returning state champion junior Haley Osborn keeps a drill moving during Braves wrestling practice on Wednesday in the B.J. McGillis Gymnasium. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    Many of them are trying to learn Osborne’s favorite move, the Blast Double. It’s a move that only the strongest, fastest and more athletic wrestlers master as it involves the dynamic action of shooting in, grabbing both opponent’s legs, and in that same motion propelling into the air and down on the mat.
    “Basically you get both their legs at the same time and just take them down,” he said.
    While the freshmen struggle, Osborne does a handstand flip over a practice partner. It’s not a wrestling move, but it shows what three seasons of wrestling, and a mixture of crab fishing, have produced on the Braves’ mats.
   Senior Brystel Charlie (Kwethluk) won Regions at 132 pounds and placed second at State, losing in a last round move to South Anchorage’s Shelby Autumn.
    “That has been on my mind since last season,” she said. “I had one wrong move and I lost the match. She will be back. I’m ready to wrestle her again… I’m just trying to be in the same weight class she’s in. I just have to be intense, like I usually am, and be at my best for the younger teammates that look up to me.”
     Senior Leon Evon (Bethel) won Regions at 135 pounds and placed third at State. He will be wrestling at 145 this season.
    “My goal is to start the season off strong,” he said. “I’m already working hard for our upcoming trip and tournaments. Basically I want to get a good record and earn state.”
    Anya Pingayak (Chevak) placed second at Regions in the 145-pound division and seventh at State.
    “I love how competitive it is,” she said. “I like how physical it is, I like getting down and dirty. I love how hardworking and dedicated the team is. I like how everyone puts so much effort into it. My goal is to finish the season and place at State.”
     Sophomores Leroy Bradley (Elim) and Ethan Cooke (Bethel) took Region titles at 132 and 119 pounds, respectively and sophomore Alaina Pete (Brevig Mission) was Region runner-up at 160 and third at State.
    Junior Celeste Katcheak was a Region champion at 106 pounds and placed fourth at State while wrestling for Stebbins last season, and sophomore Natasha Merlino qualified for State at 160 pounds wrestling for Koliginek.
    Junior 130-pounder Lloydy Ayojiak (Togiak) broke his collar bone before the Region tournament.
    “It made me want to improve more,” he said. “It made me want to have a lot more fun on the mats this year. Our team has a mindset to work hard every day when we come out on the mats.”
    Also qualifying for State were senior Ethan Sergie at 132 pounds, and sophomores Dayton Hoblet (False Pass) 106, Arthur Heckman 285, Zane Mahoney 130, and Roman Lowe 132.
    Kimber is also pleased to have talented wrestler Trevor Akelkok (Dillingham) back on the mat. Akelkok suffered a severe concussion in the Region finals two years ago when an opponent slammed him to the mat in an illegal move, and he spent last season away from the sport.
    “We never judge our season by wins and losses,” Kimber said. “There are some kids that won state championships. But if a kid comes here, and comes to our practices, they complete a season, they stay eligible, get healthy, learn some skills about life and how to discipline themselves… how to do their homework, budget their time, get along with people and take constructive criticism, how to be a good team member… that is a successful season. We have had some kids who have never won a match. I would never look back and think that they didn’t have a successful high school career. For some of our kids, just getting a take down is a big deal.”
    Kimber said sophomore Hayden Hunt and the Braves’ first exchange student, China’s Chuxiao Li, are examples of perseverance.
    “Hayden’s a Sitka kid and comes out every practice and works super hard,” he said. “And Li comes up and says ‘coach, I’ve been to every preseason practice…’ and he is excited about that, so we are taking him to Petersburg.”
    Mt. Edgecumbe will travel to Petersburg this weekend, taking Osborne, Evon, Ayojiak, Pete, Pingayak, Cooke, Merlino, Akelkok, Adam Bean (Sitka), Alex Andrews (Saint Michael), Leroy Bradley (Elim), Ajey Moses (Chevak), Chuxiao Li (Kunming, China), Katcheak, Dakota Magnuson (McGrath), Alliyah Nay (Wasilla), Dahlia Berns (Old Harbor) and Regan Hoblet (False Pass).
    Kimber said the challenge of coaching such a large group of wrestlers is not possible without assistant girls coach Tyler Holmlund and assistant boys coach Justin Albee.
    The Braves wrestling team are seniors Evon 145, Li 119, Akelkok 140, Sergie 125, A. Andrews 152, Jay Dihn 171, Joshua Deasis 145, Nelson Jackson 145, and Leland Andrews 152; juniors Moses 119, Ayojiak 130, Osborne 285, Lucas Arnold 145, and Yaska Simeonof 112; sophomores Bradley 135, Cooke 119, Bean 189, Hunt 160, Mahoney 130, D. Hoblet 112, Heckman 215, Kahliel Martin 130, Jeffery Adams 189, Patrick Polty 119, Robert Deason 112, David Bahnke 125, Jimmy Alford 152, Jared Arlirkar 140, Trey Dock 125, Ian Chase-Ivanoff 135, Noah Andrews 125, Roman Lowe 135, and Reece Lowe 135; freshmen Dean Paniptchuk 103, Luke Peterson 119, Svenson Pukan 171, Thomas Tinker 145, Morgan Allen 145, Mikey Casey 160, Dylan Jackson 135, and Jarad Savo 189.
    The Lady Braves wrestlers are seniors Charlie 135 and Jaclyn Kernak 145; juniors Katcheak 106, Adeline Dyment 119, Alisha Jones 140, Heather Kozloff 119, Amaiah Kroto 171, Ying Lu 103, Crystal Moses 112, Maliyah Moultrie 119, Arnette Shavings 103, and Melissa Steven 135; sophomores Pete 189, Pingayak 145, Atseriak 119, Merlino 171, Berns 112, R. Hoblet 125, Nay 125, Chiara Chase 130, Alice Douglas 145, Alexis Evon 135, Raquel George 125, Tatyana Hillhouse 152, Shelaya Hoffman 145, John Bernadette 125, Celeste Katcheak 112, Krine Lonewolf 135, Tryston Macar 215, Cheyenne Murphy 119, Kayleen Nicolai 119, and Marita Tunutmoak 112; freshmen Magnuson 152, Maysa Brown 125, Jayden Madros 140, Alyssa Mute 119, Lindsey Schuerch 103, and Hailee Wallace 152.