Wrangell went to Metlakatla looking to make a statement at the season opener. The Wolves shouted it with pins.

Short-handed but sharp, Wrangell brought 19 wrestlers from its 29-person roster and ran away with the boys team title while the girls placed third at the meet.

Coach Jack Carney previously said not every wrestler would go to each meet, so that all of the team members on the roster could have an opportunity to wrestle during the season.

The boys piled up 269.5 points to outpace Ketchikan (203.5) and Haines (145) at the meet Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17- 18.

On the girls side, five wrestlers combined to win the team title for Metlakatla with 79 points, followed by Ketchikan with 66 and Wrangell in third with 63 — a strong finish given only three Wolves girls were available.

“It’s safe to say we wanted to make a statement,” Carney said. “We had a fun time, and our boys beat Ketchikan by more than 60 points.”

Of the 19 Wrangell competitors, 13 reached the finals. The Wolves opened the tournament with nine straight wins, most by fall.

Wrangell’s boys collected four individual titles: Ryder Ritchie at 103 pounds, Ben Houser at 135, Cooper Powers at 145 and Jackson Carney at 152.

The girls added more podium finishes as Jenna Meissner took second at 107, Hailey Cook took first at 114 and Bella Ritchie placed fourth at 114.

“It really makes me wonder what would happen if we brought our full roster,” the coach said. “This is definitely very encouraging and is a great way to start the season.”

Carney said he felt “very confident” going in.

“We had a good idea of how things would go before it started,” he said. “The really exciting part is knowing that these kids are just going to continue to get better as the season progresses.”

He said maintaining their discipline is the primary order for his wrestlers.

“We’re going to stay focused all the way, and we’re going to continue to drill the fundamentals over and over,” Carney added. “This season is going to be a grind with training, traveling and homework. But this is a good group and I have a lot of confidence in them.”

He said the team will keep building each wrestler’s arsenal: “We didn’t even get into half of the moves that we prepared.”

Next up, the Wolves head to the Skagway Invitational, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 24-25, with 15 wrestlers and a plan to chase as many tough matches as they can. “We’re just going to maintain our focus, tweak a few things and get even better,” Carney said.