The Wrangell Wolves boys wrestling team reached the pinnacle of Alaska high school sports this weekend. The team secured its first-ever state championship in a performance defined by grit and record-breaking effort. This victory marks only the sixth state title in the history of Wrangell High School across all sports.

The tournament was a roller coaster of emotions for the small school over two days of competition Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20, in Anchorage. Being a school of only 75 students, they found themselves battling for the top with Kenai Central, a school with 450 students, and multiple other larger schools.

Early in the competition, the Wolves held a lead. However, a difficult second round saw them fall behind by 25 points.

“We had a great first round but not a great second round,” said Coach Jack Carney. “Suddenly we were losing. Kenai had four guys in the finals (on Saturday). We had to really do some work.”

That work came in the form of pins. The Wolves became a “pinning machine” on the backside of the bracket, according to Carney. Every wrestler fought for maximum points to claw back into the race. By the end of the second day, Wrangell had racked up 23 pins. The next closest team had only 13. Those extra points proved to be the difference.

As the Division II finals began, the score was tied perfectly at 140 points for Wrangell and 140 for Kenai. The state championship rested on the very last match of the night. It was a head-to-head battle between Wrangell’s defending state champion Jackson Carney and Kenai’s Connor Cook in the 145-pound division.

If Jackson Carney won, Wrangell won the state title. If he lost, the trophy went to Kenai. The Wrangell junior entered the match undefeated on the season.

He lived up to the pressure.

Despite a brief moment where he was put on his back, he dominated the match. When the final whistle blew, the Wrangell bench erupted.

“The team was elated,” Coach Carney said. “Jackson pointed at his teammates. They were all screaming. They knew they were all state champions.”

The final point count was 146 for Wrangell, 140 for Kenai.

While Carney was the lone gold medalist, the team victory was a total group effort. Several wrestlers fought through tough brackets to reach the podium. Sophomore Kourtney Barnes took second place in the 125-pound girls division. She faced an opponent who had trained at the Olympic Training Center.

Despite the challenge, she kept the match close and showed why she is considered a future star. Her brother, senior Cody Barnes, also took second place in the 215-pound boys division in a hard-fought match against a familiar rival.

Other wrestlers played a massive role in the win. Wrestlers like Xander Bartlett and Ryder Richie stepped up on the big stage. According to Coach Carney, Bartlett was an “at-large” addition to the tournament. He ended up pinning two opponents to provide crucial team points.

“If we didn’t have guys like Xander or Ryder, we would not have won,” he noted. “We won by only six points in the end. Every single pin mattered.”

Other notable finishes for the Wolves included Ritchie (103 pounds) taking third place, Curtis Harriger (119 pounds) in fourth place, Everett Meissner (160 pounds) in fourth place, and Ben Houser (130 pounds) in fifth.

The team also took home the Sportsmanship Award and Carney was voted the Division II Outstanding Wrestler.

According to Coach Carney, it is rare for a state champion to also win the sportsmanship award, making the honor even more special for the Wolves.

The victory is the culmination of years of “the grind.” The coach credited the success to a vision started years ago in middle school. The team traveled for extra tournaments and attended multiple summer camps. They even found ways to compete when other programs were shut down the COVID pandemic.

“It was a dream. An absolute dream,” Carney said. “Wrangell has never won a wrestling state title. To do it with 75 kids against much larger towns is a statement. These kids put in more work than most adults do in their life.

“This makes the sixth state title in school history. The last one was earned right before wrestling season with the girls cross-country team. So, one-third of our state titles have been earned in just one semester.”

The Wolves returned home to their small town, with people ready to celebrate. Already looking ahead to next season, with several young stars on the rise and a returning two-time state champion in Jackson Carney, the “powerhouse” from Wrangell may just be getting started.