The Wrangell Wolves wrestling team opened the season with overwhelming performances in Klawock on Friday, Oct. 16, and Craig on Saturday, Oct. 17, racking up 106 wins, 38 losses and 94 pins across two round-robin tournaments and multiple exhibition bouts. 

Wrangell was represented by 16 wrestlers, taking on competitors from Southeast Alaska schools. The weekend provided an unusual amount of early mat time, with several athletes wrestling more than 10 matches apiece.

Wrangell finished the weekend with 825 points, ahead of Ketchikan’s 709.5 points.

“The kids were ready to go. They were very disciplined,” head coach Jack Carney said. “They just went out there and took care of business.”

Five Wolves finished the weekend undefeated to capture titles in both round-robin brackets: 

Jackson Carney went 11-0 with nine pins. 

Cooper Powers finished 10-0 with nine pins. 

Ryder Ritchie recorded a 9-0 mark with nine pins. 

Everett Meissner posted a 9-0 record with six pins. 

Kourtney Barnes went 8-0 with six pins. 

Jenna Meissner added another title, finishing 5-1 with five pins. Marcus Ostrander emerged as an unexpected crowd favorite in the heavier weight divisions, going 10-2 with 10 pins to claim a bracket championship. 

Carney noted that Ostrander gave up height to several opponents while energizing spectators. “Everybody likes the bigger guys to wrestle, and everybody likes the underdogs,” he said. 

Lucas Stearns compiled a 9-2 record with eight pins to finish second in both brackets, with his only defeats coming against teammates. Curtis Harriger also secured a pair of second-place finishes, going 6-2 with five pins. 

Because several weight brackets were crowded with Wrangell athletes, many of the squad’s 38 losses came against their own practice partners. 

Freshman Michael Barnes went 7-4 with seven pins in a division filled with teammates. The coach credited the freshman’s resilience to extensive offseason preparation, noting that Michael Barnes attended four camps during the summer. 

Freshman Thomas Rohr-Wickman finished 5-5 with five pins to earn two runner-up finishes. Jacoby Hunt went 5-5 with five pins, Jayden Daugherty finished 5-5 with four pins, Hailey Cook posted a 4-4 record with four pins, and Zander Bartlett went 3-8 with two pins. 

The coach emphasized that the trip tested the squad beyond wrestling, requiring athletes to maintain focus while traveling for five days, managing off-site lodging and setting up mats. 

“All of them over performed,” he said. “It was a natural progression from where we left off last season. It was a great start.”

The Wolves travel this week to Juneau for the Southeast Showdown Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, where northern and southern schools will meet.