JDHS wrestlers breaking mats around the state
- Klas Stolpe
- Oct 21
- 11 min read
Updated: Oct 22
Crimson Bears earn top placings north and south
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé wrestling team placed 12 of their 20 wrestlers in high-finishing positions in two separate tournaments over the weekend, with a pair of freshmen breaking onto the high school grappling scene by joining a sophomore and junior on the title stand.
Freshmen Landon Hill and Matthew Shockley, sophomore Nixie Schooler, and junior Toriana Johnson all won their respective weight brackets — Hill at 119 pounds and Schooler at 107 pounds in Houston, and Shockley at 112 pounds and Johnson at 126 pounds in Metlakatla.
Looking to have a stronger strength of schedule, JDHS took 12 Crimson Bears — 11 boys and one girl — to Houston for matches in The Hawks Altercation among 15 boys' teams and 14 girls' teams.
“The Hawks Altercation went exceptionally well the first morning, the best I have seen our team perform,” JDHS coach Adam Messmer said. “At one point, we were 15-1, with the only loss coming from last year's state finalist. Everyone won their first match of the day. We did really well at both tournaments."
JDHS placed fourth in the boys' team standings in Houston with 142.5 points across eight weight brackets. Soldotna placed first with 225 points through 11 weight brackets, Colony second (189 pts, 10 weights) and Student Wrestling Development Program third (154.5 pts, eight weights).
Hill earned a perfect 3-0 start to the season.
“For me it felt like another tournament,” Hill said. “I’ve wrestled most of the guys in my weight class already and I knew what I was in for going into the tournament. What I took away from my matches was I know later in the season there are going to be a lot tougher matches for me. The team did pretty good. There are always things we can change and work on, but we still did pretty good for the first high school tournament.”
Hill major decisioned SWTP freshman Josiah Witcher 14-0 to open the tournament, decisioned Soldotna freshman Corbin Ebenezer 12-7 in the semifinals and pinned SWTP freshman Ryder Oatman at 1:15 for the title.
Schooler started her season with a pin over Seward freshman Lyla DeCastro in 58 seconds, won by fall over Colony freshman Danielle Sanders at 2:38 and won by 6-2 decision over SWDP senior Jade Sherry. Sherry is a three-time state placer and the defending 107-pound state champion. She defeated Schooler in the state semifinals last season.
“It was very exciting, and I was very proud of myself,” Schooler said of her win over Sherry. “I beat her by four points, and I approached it with my head right and just wanting to have fun. It felt like the fastest match of my life, but ended up being the funnest of my life so far.”
Schooler was also voted the MVP in the girls’ tournament. Colony 152-pound senior Tristen Mayer won the boys’ honor.
Junior co-captain Camden Messmer (3-1) placed second at 125 pounds. Messmer opened with a bye, then pinned SWTP freshman Lincoln Brower at 2:37 and pinned Redington sophomore Mitchell Sizemore in 31 seconds. Messmer would fall to East Anchorage senior Max Francisco by 22-6 technical fall. Francisco is a three-time state placer and defending 119-pound DI state champion. Sizemore placed third in DII at state.
“Stepping onto the mat with all these qualifiers, it's not that big of a difference for me,” C. Messmer said. “I wrestled most of them last year. And with Francisco, I wrestled a hard match and lost, but you know, it's the first tournament, and the next match I have with him, it's not going to be the same…I have some little things I will take into practice this week, but I tried my best, and I went up there and got second in the first tournament. I think the team put in an amazing effort up there…At one point on the first day, we were 14-0. And from what I could see, we all put in the effort. Even if we were a little rusty due to it being the first tournament.”
Sophomore Hugo Rank (3-1) placed second at 189 pounds. He won by fall over Hutchison junior Gabriel Harrison in 32 seconds, won by fall over Susitna Valley’s Christian Abang at 1:10, won by fall over Colony senior Donovan Crockett at 4:43 and lost by TF 17-2 to Colony sophomore Thor Nelson at 3:17. Nelson was a state tournament participant last season.
"I was happy with my performance against Thor despite losing," Rank said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he places at state this year. We went up there to put Juneau on the radar of the bigger teams and I think we managed to do that. We had some tough matches but we made people notice us."
Junior co-captain Jed Davis (4-1) placed third at 160 pounds. He opened with a bye, won by 9-1 MD over Colony sophomore Sebastian Echak, lost by fall to Soldotna senior Michael Dickinson at 3:30, won by fall over Redington sophomore Marcus Holley at 1:24 and defeated Echak by 10-2 MD. Dickinson was the 152-pound state champion last year.
Senior co-captain Marlin Cox (4-2) placed fourth at 145 pounds. He pinned East junior Ramon Armenta at 5:34, lost by fall to SWTP sophomore Jett Connolly at 5:40, won in 10 seconds by fall over Valdez sophomore Brad Wheeler, won by fall over Valdez sophomore Cirque Carter at 0:48, won by 8-7 decision over SWTP junior Bryson Schilling and lost by fall to Soldotna junior Carson Cobb at 0:30. Connolly was runner-up at 130 in the state tournament last season and Cobb was sixth.
Senior captain Alex Marx-Beierly (5-2) placed fourth at 171 pounds. After a bye, he won by 17-1 TF over Hutchison junior Joshua Barney, lost by 20-4 TF to Soldotna junior Laramie Gibson, won by 17-2 TF over Wasilla senior Kash Gagnon, won by fall over East junior Julian Ferreira at 2:30, won by fall over Wasilla sophomore Sylis Dinwiddie at 2:15 and lost by fall to Grace junior Carson Crotts at 4:44. Gibson placed third at state last year at 145.
“It was a great experience to compete against so many good wrestlers from around the state and show all the other teams what Juneau is made of,” Marx-Beierly said. “As a team I think we did very well against all the talent from up north, and most of our losses came from little things and simple fixes. Most of it came down to keeping up our intensity, but we still did very well. We had quite a few placers this tournament and I think we definitely turned a few heads. I had a large crowd watching my third-place match, people from teams neither of us were on. I’m excited to go up north again in a couple weeks and let everyone know they need to watch out for Juneau.”
Senior Wyatt Kenney went 2-2 at 171 pounds. After a bye, he won by fall over Gagnon at 5:38, lost by fall to Colony senior Luke Roderick at 2:39 and lost by fall to Barney at 4:35. Roderick placed third at state last season at this weight.
“Well, there were a lot of tough kids up there,” Kenney said. “I would say everybody did really good, even the other teams. Getting out on the mat with those three wrestlers was pretty tough. Unfortunately, the last match I had a pretty messed-up ankle. But our team did really good. We just need to keep the momentum going throughout the rest of the season.”
Senior co-captain Oliver Abel went 2-2 at 140 pounds. He won by 16-1 TF over Hutchison senior Mason Wenger at 4:16, won by fall over Colony junior Jake Olson, lost by fall to Houston senior Eli Banks at 5:34 and lost by 21-3 TF to Colony junior Mac Roderick at 4:43. Olson was sixth in state last season at 125, and Roderick a qualifier at 145.
Junior co-captain Landyn Dunn went 3-2 at 140 pounds, opened with a bye, then won by fall over Houston freshman Anthony Rhodes at 1:21, won 12-7 over Soldotna senior Jace Gilliam, lost 9-4 to SWTP junior Kendall Syble and lost 4-3 Roderick.
Junior Felix Hesson went 4-2 at 130 pounds. He opened with a bye, defeated Grace Christian junior Owen Crotts 8-1, lost to Soldotna senior Sam Henry by 18-2 technical fall, won by 13-4 major decision over Colony freshman Rowan Mayer, won by 18-3 TF over Palmer junior Frank McCormick and lost to SWTP junior Lincoln Werner by fall at 2:04. Werner was state runner-up last season at 119.
Sophomore Joshua Beedle went 2-2 at 130 pounds. He won by fall over Houston freshman Raydin Butcher at :43, won by fall over Grace sophomore Dex Smith at 1:51, lost by fall to Soldotna junior Titus Watts at 1:19 and lost by fall to O. Crotts at 4:49. Watts was runner-up at state last year at 125.
Houston Altercation Team Standings:
Boys - Soldotna 225, Colony 189, SWDP 154.5, JDHS 142.5, Wasilla 105.5, East 80.5, Valdez 80, Houston 66, Palmer 62.5, Grace 54, Redington 53, Hutchison 34, Seward 29, Kodiak 26.5, Susitna Valley 26.
Girls - Colony 161, Wasilla 94.5, Soldotna 86.5, SWDP 81, Palmer 72, Redington 65, Valdez 36, Newhalen 34, East 25.5, JDHS 24, Kodiak 22, Houston 13, Hutchison 0, Susitna Valley 0.
“This tournament had a lot of state placers from both D1 and D2, and it was good for our wrestlers to see where we stacked up against a high caliber of wrestlers,” coach Messmer said. “We ended up placing fourth in team points with some heavy-hitting teams showing up to this tournament. The main thing we all took away from this tournament is that we can hang with top kids in each weight class, we just need to work on our speed and cardio, which in the grand scheme of things is a good place to be right now.”
The Crimson Bears also took eight wrestlers, six boys and two girls, to the Metlakatla Invitational, placing sixth among boys’ teams with 92.5 points from six weight brackets (1. Wrangell 269.5 pts, 11 weights) and fourth among girls’ teams with 34 points from two weights (1. Metlakatla 79 pts, five weights).
“We took a small, younger team to Metlakatla and they all performed well,” coach Messmer said. “Toriana Johnson took first, going 5-0 for the weekend. She has been putting in the work, even in the offseason, the last couple years and it is really starting to show. Matthew Shockley had some tough matches against a tough sophomore from Haines and rose to the occasion each time.”
Johnson (5-0) placed first in the girls’ tournament, opening with a fall over Metlakatla junior Layla Booth at 1:36, winning by fall over Ketchikan sophomore Ezrah Harney in 44 seconds and pinned Petersburg junior Fyscher Humphrey in 56 seconds. In the semifinals Johnson pinned Booth in 50 seconds and in the championship she pinned Harney at 1:38.
Shockley left his middle school career behind with 5-0 undefeated start for JDHS. He opened with a pin over Craig freshman Allen Trimmer at 1:03, won by fall over Haines freshman Haydn Hunter at 1:45, won by fall over Ketchikan sophomore Lucas Teasley in 52 seconds, won by fall over Trimmer at 1:33 and won the title by a 7-1 decision over Haines freshman Finn Crowe.
“It did not feel that different, but it was fun to represent a high school team,” Shockley said. “Starting off the season undefeated is a nice start, but it will be a fight trying to keep it that way, as there are some really good wrestlers in this state. Being one of the youngest ones will definitely make it a bit more of a challenge. Things I took away from my matches this weekend are that I need to listen to my coaches. Knowing that we have some really good ones, I feel I wrestled smart with clock management and stayed composed and not too reckless. I feel I will definitely continue doing well if I work on those things.”
Junior Joseph “Max” Webster (3-2) placed second at 135 pounds. He won by fall over Ketchikan freshman Marshall Kufner at 5:38, lost by 15-0 TF to Wrangell senior Ben Houser, won 5-3 over Skagway sophomore Zane Coughran, won by fall over Sitka freshman Reece Howard in 52 seconds and lost by 12-0 MD to Houser in the title match.
“Max has been in extremely tough weight brackets his entire wrestling career and finally made it under the spotlight this weekend to wrestle in the finals,” coach Messmer said. “He keeps getting better each year. Max lost his brother earlier this month and his wrestling family have supported him through this tough time.”
Sophomore Jonah Lane (2-3) placed third at 130 pounds. He lost by fall to Craig freshman Quintin Bagby at 1:35, he won by fall over Haines freshman Jonah Wray at 3:40 and lost by fall to Ketchikan sophomore Finn Winder at 2:37. In the semifinals Lane lost by fall to Winder at 1:42 and defeated Bagby in the third-place match.
Freshman William Hulson (3-2) placed fourth at 125 pounds. He won by fall over Southeast Island School District junior Nash Lovell at 2:23, won by fall over Ketchikan freshman William Albrant in 43 seconds, lost by fall to Metlakatla sophomore Jeshua Mowers, won by fall over Metlakatla freshman Elijah Bergtold at 5:31 and lost in the title match by fall to Ketchikan sophomore Mark Margaja at 1:15. Margaja wrestled in the DI state tournament last year.
Freshman Fiona McFarlin went 2-2 at 100 pounds in the girls’ tournament. She had two byes and lost by fall to Wrangell freshman Jenna Meissner at 1:34 and by fall to Ketchikan sophomore Brynn Linne at 3:34.
Freshman Thomas McMillan went 2-2 at 140 pounds. He lost by fall to Ketchikan senior Jack Styles in 47 seconds, won via bye, lost by fall to Wrangell freshman Jacoby Hunt at 1:52, won via bye and won by forfeit over Metlakatla junior Macaidem Williams.
Sophomore Brody Vavalis went 0-2 at 171 pounds. He lost by fall to Metlakatla junior Porter Hudson in 39 seconds and lost by fall to Sitka senior Justin Kitka in 54 seconds.
Coach Messmer commented on some of the Crimson Bears' placings:
• “Landon Hill, for lack of a better word, is a beast,” he said. “He wrestles at a level that is far beyond his age. He is only a freshman and had many middle school state champs from last year in his bracket, and made light work of them. His finals match only lasted 1:15 with Landon securing the pin."
• "Camden didn't have much competition until the finals where he went up against the defending state champ. He wrestled well and we are still working on a way to beat that specific opponent."
• "Hugo Rank was feeling a bit under the weather the day prior to the tournament and we were unsure if he was actually going to wrestle. He won his first three matches by pin, sending him into the finals, where he met a hammer, but still wrestled well. I couldn't be prouder of how he persevered, beating two juniors and a senior."
• "Jed Davis had a great tournament, handily taking third. He really should have been in the finals, his only loss was to the returning state champ, he just ended up on the wrong side of the bracket.
• "Alex Marx-Beierly wrestled up a weight class and had a huge bracket. Alex wrestled a great match for third place and was winning in the third period when he made a simple mistake that lost him the match.
• "Marlin Cox also had a large bracket going 4-2 for the tournament. Marlin had the quickest pin of the tournament at 10 seconds. His third-place match was against the state runner-up from two years ago, and Marlin beat the guy who sent that wrestler to the consolation side of the bracket earlier that day."
• "Everyone else wrestled well. There is always the disappointment of missing the podium, but in the end that is what drives us to work a little harder in practice room. This is only the beginning of the season and we have a lot of time to make adjustments.”
Metlakatla Invitational Team Standings
Boys - Wrangell 269.5, Ketchikan 203.5, Haines 145, Sitka 113, Metlakatla 99, JDHS 92.5, Petersburg 78, Craig 74, SISD 51, Skagway 43.5.
Girls - Metlakatla 79, Ketchikan 66, Wrangell 63, JDHS 34, Sitka 28, Craig 20, SISD 15, Petersburg 13, Haines 9.
JDHS will wrestle at Skagway this weekend.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
