Wolves wrestling coach Jack Carney had a fantastic feeling heading into the Tom Sims Invitational tournament over the weekend. That good feeling turned out to be completely right.

Throughout Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6, the Wolves absolutely dominated their home mat. They swept every single category at the event. The team finished with an incredible 11 separate champions. They also pinned their opponents 51 times.

In the end, the boys crushed the second-place team Juneau-Douglas by more than 90 points. The Wrangell girls squad placed second in a tight finish with Ketchikan.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had such a dominant showing,” Carney said. “Especially this late in the season, right before regionals. I fully anticipate the team doing really well at both regionals and state.”

More than 200 wrestlers came to the tournament from Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Metlakatla, Craig, Southeast Island School District, Petersburg, Hoonah, Kake and Skagway. Even against the bigger schools, Wrangell wrestlers made a huge statement from start to finish.

Freshman Jenna Meissner set the tone by getting a first-round pin in her 100-pound championship match against Brynn Linne of Ketchikan. Hailey Cook, Curtis Harriger, Ben Houser, Cooper Powers, Ian Nelson, Everett Meissner, William Massin, Cody Barnes, Jackson Carney, Kourtney Barnes and Arabella Nore all won their weight classes as well.

It was a special weekend for the seniors. Houser, Nelson, Barnes, Massin and Gavin Hunt competed for the Wolves. All but Hunt won their division titles in the finals. Hunt competes in the same weight class as Massin.

“It was really nice for them to do that,” Carney said. “They got to win one last time in front of the home crowd.”

Defending state champion Jackson Carney not only won the 145-pound division, but he hit a major milestone. He officially earned his 100th career win. Coaches voted Jackson and teammate Barnes as Outstanding Wrestlers of the tournament.

“Jackson got into a little bit of trouble in his final match,” his coach admitted. “But it was great to see him handle that adversity so well. He was trying some new things in that match. He won't be trying anything new when he’s wrestling at regionals or state, though!”

The coach was just as impressed with the other standouts. “Kourtney is always an absolute pleasure to watch. She never disappoints. Jenna (Meissner) is always so focused and unshakeable when she’s competing,” he added. “I’m just impressed with all of these kids.”

The coach was also thrilled to see his wrestlers earn victories against opponents who had beaten them earlier in the season. He said it’s a big sign of their growth.

“Cooper Powers redeemed himself against Tank Tyler,” Carney recalled. “Tank happens to be a kid with amazing grip strength. Once he gets a hold of you, you can’t get out.”

The coach thinks the home-mat advantage helped a lot. The team could sleep in their own beds. That allowed them to get more comfortable rest than they would on the road. “That is always an advantage.”

This tournament felt especially good, according to Carney. It came just two weeks after their last tournament in Ketchikan. The coach noted that the timing is perfect right before regionals begin.

“I have no doubt that everyone is hitting their peak at the right time,” he said. “We are just going to stay focused on keeping that momentum. We want to carry it into regionals and state.”

The coach is setting high goals. “I think it’s reasonable to anticipate maybe another dozen titles at regions and state. That's what we’re going to be shooting for.”

Next on the list for the team is Southeast regional championships at Mount Edgecumbe High School in Sitka Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13. State competition will follow the next weekend in Anchorage.