By Jasz Garrett
Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – On Saturday, Juneau won the District 1 title at The Alaska School Activities Association Region V Wrestling Championships. This weekend they’ll be competing at the State Championships.
Juneau came out on top with 236.5 points followed by Ketchikan High School (KHS) at 186.5 points. Ketchikan has held the regional team title since 2007.
Thunder Mountain High School (TMHS) opened in 2008, making this the first-ever TMHS championship win. The team combines Juneau Douglas High School and TMHS wrestlers.
TMHS wrestlers and Juneau coaches cited their strong bond as the reason they were able to push through.
TMHS junior and team captain, Hayden Aube, (weight class 145) said they’ve been trying to get here for a long time.
“We haven’t had a strong bond with our team until now which I think is the reason why we won most of our matches,” he said. “Our great teamwork and great chemistry.”
Juneau coach Gideon Monet said it’s been a process to get to this point.
“For years, us coaches have had a desired kind of culture we want to build. Positivity, hard wrestling, tough wrestling, but also building a kind of a family atmosphere. And it’s always been hard,” he said. “But this year, I think the junior class did a great job of just having fun.”
The Juneau team has more kids than ever before this year, and they’re getting along better than ever.
TMHS junior and team captain, Justus Darbonne, (weight class 152) added that their new wrestling center has also allowed them more time to practice.
“I think we’ve grown substantially, just being able to use our own space, and not be restricted by time zones and different restrictions throughout the school,” he said.
Wrestling coach Jason Hass said that the new wrestling center allows the high schoolers to leave the stress of school behind.
“You come to practice, and you can leave your coat at the door, and this is where we all get along,” he said.
Darbonne said they’ll keep moving forward.
“I think tonight is a big standpoint for us,” he said on Saturday. “This year’s the final breaking point. I think all we can do is grow and get better from here.”
TMHS junior and team captain, Carvin Hass, (weight class 160) said that even when losing, they thought of their team.
“Everyone on our team has done great, even if they’re losing. Making sure they don’t get pinned and give up points to Ketchikan,” he said. “That’s been the biggest help in our team season so far.”
All four team captains, including junior Colton Cummins, said their work ethic and dedication will get them far. They take pride in setting an example for the underclassmen to follow.
Along with strengthening their teamwork, the coaches said they’ve seen noticeable improvement since the ‘Southeast Showdowns’ tournament in October.
Coach Hass said in the past couple of weeks, they’ve run every move with intention and purpose.
“Just keeping the intensity up the whole match. It’s something that seems like maybe in years past has been a little bit difficult,” he said. “We get to this point in the season and we’ve wrestled some of these kids multiple times. Sometimes you start to wrestle them a little more timid because you know what to expect.”
Monet said he’s particularly seen junior Owen Woodruff (weight class 140) and junior Denali Schijvens (weight class 215) improve over this season.
“Owen Woodruff has really struggled this year to finish his single shots and so really working on finishing outside single shots. He really did a lot better, especially later in this season,” he said. “And then Denali comes to mind too. Working on finding some offense in neutral and sticking with it and he did that well in the finals match for sure.”
Monet added that they had trouble defending the half nelson all year, and at the regional tournament, they overcame that obstacle.
The half nelson is a hold in which a wrestler, from behind the opponent, passes one arm under the corresponding arm of the opponent and locks the hand on the back of the opponent’s neck.
Head coach Adam Messmer said every kid has weaknesses and strengths. He said he’s seen the wrestlers take their advice to heart.
“We try and work on everything with all the kids, but then, you know, pulling kids aside and trying to work on their weaknesses. I always tell them, you work on the little things and it leads to big things,” TMHS Head Coach Adam Messmer said. “For me, going to Wrangell the weekend before last and watching Liam Hart get pinned by a guy from Ketchikan that we hadn’t seen in a cradle. And then going over the defense to the cradle for 20 minutes before the final started and then him pinning that kid in a cradle was pretty gratifying to see.”
Messmer said the state seats the top six wrestlers in each weight class.
“These are the best of the best kids around the state,” Head coach Messmer said. “Getting seated means you should have easier matches, at least right off the bat.”
Freshman Camden Messmer (weight class 112) was seated 2nd, freshman Landyn Dunn (weight class 112) was seated 5th, freshman Jed Davis (weight class 125) was seated 5th, and junior Schijvens (weight class 215) was seated 6th.
Although Davis is a JDHS freshman and new to the high school team, he has been wrestling since he was 4 years old.
“I’m wrestling pretty good. The team as a whole is a lot better than it’s been in the last 5 or 6 years. Our freshman class coming in is also better than it’s been in over a decade,” he said. “Some of our best wrestlers are now juniors and seniors and are pushing our freshmen to be the best they can be.”
Davis added that he loves the intensity and the rush of the sport. On Saturday, he said it looked like they were going to take the regional win, and he was right.
Coach Hass said even their freshmen who have only been wrestling for the past year are doing amazing. He said not to feel intimidated and more wrestlers are always welcome to join the team.
Online registration for the Juneau Youth Wrestling Club will be open from Dec. 23 to Jan. 12. The youth season begins Jan. 8.
All of the coaches, including coach Dan Ondrejka, are looking forward to the state championships this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to being busy coaching on the mat,” Coach Hass said. “I think we’re taking 15 guys to state. I looked back at 2017 and I think 11 guys was the most we took. So, should have a big team up there. Looking forward to some potentially good rematches.”
“Wrestling is a sport that we put in, you get out,” Monet said. “I’m just excited for these guys to get their due. To win matches, have fun. I enjoy watching them wrestle. Looking forward to a weekend of great wrestling. Having these guys hopefully achieve their dreams.”
“I think this is just the beginning. My goal when I first started taking over the head coach position was, you know, I want to get in the top five at state,” he said. “There’s some really tough competition up there. We’ve been seeing it because we go up and face those kids in club and watch them grow. So, we know the talent that’s up there. I want us to be on that level.”
They thanked everyone in the community who helped the club, middle school, and high school teams. Volunteers help set up the concession stands and hospitality for visiting teams. It takes a community to organize the regional tournament, with table workers, club coaches, referees, and tournament directors. Most of the people involved are volunteers.
Head coach Messmer thanked the assistant coaches for their drive to make the team better.
Monet thanked the coaches who came before them for starting to instill these skills.
After returning to Juneau, the coaches plan to host a grand opening of the Juneau Wrestling Center on Jan. 20, 2024. There will be information about registration as well as wrestling demonstrations and hotdogs.
Every school in Southeast attended the regional tournament on Friday and Saturday at TMHS.
