Wrangell Wolves snare first-ever state wrestling team championship
- Klas Stolpe
- Dec 21, 2025
- 14 min read
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
JDHS’ Schooler places second in girls’ state, Crimson Bears boys team takes fifth
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
With just one match remaining Saturday in the 2025 ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Wrestling State Championships, Wrangell and Kenai Central were tied for the Division II team title with 140 points and the Wolves’ 145-pound junior Jackson Carney was putting his 31-0 record up against the 24-4 mark of Kardinals senior Conner Cook.
Roughly three minutes and five seconds later, inside Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines center, Carney pinned Cook and pointed toward his teammates as he gave southeast Alaska another individual state wrestling champion and Wrangell its first-ever wrestling team championship.
“We just won Wrangell’s first-ever wrestling team title,” Carney exclaimed after embracing his father, and coach, Jack Carney and speaking to media. “We were tied with Kenai…me and a Kenai guy in the finals…Everyone took the whole thing home,” he said as he pointed to the stands.
“This means so much. I have such amazing teammates. We have been working in the room as hard as you can imagine, putting in every second of work we can. I am talking morning practices, weightlifting sessions, wrestling…We are doing three-a-days,” he said. “I’ve got some amazing teammates. They have helped me the whole way.”
That way, that path includes his 100-plus career wins to date, a state title at 140 pounds last year and the Wolves’ earning the Sportsmanship Award, an honor they repeated again this year.
“They mean more than you can imagine,” Carney said of his teammates. “I have been so blessed in my life. Just the Lord has helped me to get the things I need to be successful, and I know He is in control through it all, and being able to be in a room with all of those guys (points to the stands again), they are my favorites, every single one of them means something to me and every single one of them is a state champion now.”
Carney was voted the Division II Outstanding Wrestler. Soldotna’s 152-pound state champion Michael Dickenson (44-0) was voted the DI Outstanding Wrestler, and Student Wrestling Development Program’s 107-pound senior state champion Jade Sherry (35-4) was voted the Girls’ Outstanding Wrestler.
Sherry earned the honor by defeating Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Nixie Schooler, who had beaten Sherry twice this season. Sherry won the 107-pound state title last season as well, defeating Schooler in the semifinals.
“It feels incredible,” Sherry said. “I knew I could get it again if I worked hard enough and learned from our earlier matches.”
Schooler was the favorite going into the state tournament, outwrestling her opponents through the season to earn a 23-0 record, and she continued her pinning ways in her first three state matches by stopping Lathrop junior Cynara Kock (20-15) at 0:45, Kotzebue sophomore Hazel Nanouk (13-15) at 1:32 and Bethel sophomore Claire Dyment (21-9) at 1:58. Sherry (35-4) earned a 5-1 decision, despite Schooler having more riding time and controlling most of the match.
“I reached my goal of being a finalist and did better than last year,” Schooler said. “That made me so very happy, but losing hurt me a bit. But there are no tears. The season is over and it was a great one. Now on to the next.”
Schooler’s JDHS freshman teammate Madelyn Dale (15-9) earned the state podium with a sixth-place finish at 114 pounds. She went 3-3 at state and lost by 11-7 decision in the fifth-place match to Dimond senior Iris Haas (20-16).
“Overall, I think I’ve had a lot of growth throughout my season, and I was able to show that at this tournament,” Dale said. “I had matches against girls I’ve wrestled before and lost to earlier in the season, and I was able to beat them. I also definitely had some hard matches. However, I feel that I wrestled some of my best matches at this tournament. I also am super thankful for all of my coaches and teammates support throughout this season. Especially my practice partner Nixie, she pushes me in practice everyday and makes me a better wrestler. Definitely room for improvement, but I’m proud of my freshman season.”
JDHS freshman Fiona McFarlin (3-18) lost to Sherry in the tournament and classmate Ciara Dutton (6-13) went 2-1 at 138 pounds, including a loss to the state runner-up, Mt. Edgecumbe High School senior Halena Slats (19-8).
Soldotna won the girls’ team title — among 41 girls teams — with 160 points and Wasilla was runner-up with 115.5. Mt. Edgecumbe was the top Southeast placer in 11th with 55 points, Ketchikan 15th with 41 and JDHS 16th with 37.5.
The JDHS boys placed fifth out of 19 DI teams with 100 points. Fairbanks’ Student Wrestling Development Program won the DI team title with 356 points while runner-up Soldotna had 326.5. Ketchikan placed 12th with 44 points.
“I couldn't be prouder of our team,” JDHS coach Adam Messmer said. “We placed higher than Juneau has in a long time. When I took over as the high school coach years ago my goal was to place fifth or higher, since with the number of qualifiers we can bring from Southeast it is impossible for us to place in the top three. The new goal is fourth and with this team we will be there a year from now… It is bittersweet for us coaches realizing that was the last matches we will be sitting in the corner of the mat for our seniors, but they know we will be in their corner for life…My coaching staff (Dan Ondrejka, Jason Hass and Alonzo Leisholmn) and many volunteers are the pillars from which our team stands and without them we wouldn't be where we are. Our booster club and supportive parents have made it possible for us to focus more on the mat, and for that I am extremely grateful. And Wrangell has definitely helped push us this year. Wrangell has a great coaching staff and I wouldn't be surprised if they win it all again next year.”
Crimson Bears senior captain Alex Marx-Beierly (30-10) finished his high school career with a fourth-place finish, going 4-2 in one of the state’s toughest divisions.
“I think that every weight bracket has its own challenges and studs that you have to get past, so there’s no definitive hardest bracket,” Marx-Beierly said. “You just have to take who’s in front of you and worry about the next guy later. For me, the hardest part of the tournament was getting into the right mindset. I went into the first day nervous and not at my best, worrying too much about seeding and records and just putting too much pressure on myself to perform. That is not the way I like to wrestle. My coaches talked some sense into me before the second day and got my head in the right space, reminding me why I do this sport in the first place, because it’s fun and I love it. If I was only going to wrestling one more time I wanted to have fun…As a team I think we did pretty well. Last year we only had four placers and this year we walked away with seven, including a few great matches and major upsets, even those who didn’t place had some amazing close matches. I see a very bright future for this team and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”
JDHS junior Jed Davis (27-7) went 4-2, including a loss to Soldotna state champ Michael Dickinson (44-0), and placed fourth.
“It was an extremely competitive tournament at an extremely competitive weight class,” Davis said. “I had some hard matches and hard losses, but that’s all just part of the sport, you need to have thick skin. I came just short of my goals for the seaso,n but I am still happy with the team’s performance and attitude throughout the year. I am also very thankful for all the help from our coaches and wrestling parents this season as well. Without their help none of these tournaments would be possible to compete in. The last few months have been highly educational for everyone on the team, and by next year hopefully me and a few others will walk away with the championship we came short of this year.”
Said assistant coach Ondrejka, “Our goal this season was to change things up, challenge the team in ways they haven’t been challenged before. Their nonstop resiliency throughout the season and tournament proves they can go head-to-head with anyone in the state. We cannot be more proud of this team rising to every occasion thrown at them. All season long Coach Hass has been pushing the mantra, ‘Always proud never satisfied,’ and we will carry that into next season and beyond.”
JDHS 119-pound freshman Landon Hill (26-2) went 4-1, the loss in the semifinals to West Valley junior Hayden May (43-3), the state runner-up. JDHS 112-pound freshman Matthew Shockley (30-9) placed fifth, going 3-2 with losses to junior state champ Canyon May (42-3) of West Valley and freshman third placer Coleman LeClair (38-6) of Soldotna.
Other JDHS wrestlers finishing their season at the state tournament with losses to podium placers but not placing were 103-pound freshman Jayden Frickey (10-16) going 1-2; 119-pound freshman William Hulson (19-4) 0-2; 130-pound junior Felix Hesson (20-14) 2-2; 130-pound Joshua Beedle (17-11) 1-2; 135-pound junior Joseph Webster (21-11) 1-2; 135-pound junior Hendrik Van Kirk (14-10) 0-2; 140-pound Olive Abel (12-7) 0-2; 145-pound Marlin Cox (19-11) 1-2; 189-pound junior Jaxin Jim (5-5) 1-2; 189-pound sophomore Hugo Rank (11-8) 1-2; 215-pound senior Kyle Carter (15-11) 0-2; and 285-pound sophomore Sean Fairchild (14-11) 0-2.
Added assistant coach Hass, “We reminded the wrestlers that despite the very personal nature of our sport and this tournament in particular, the goal is having fun and making long-lasting memories…We are reaching higher and higher levels of wrestling each season. And this state tournament is a perfect measuring stick for that progress as this is the best finish that we have had it recent history. For the past half dozen years, we have only gotten better. But the best news is there is not end in sight…I can confidently say that every one of our wrestlers tried their absolute best, 100% of the time, every single match. For some this resulted in podium pictures and a medal. For others this resulted in a lesson and a future goal.”
JDHS junior Camden Messmer (31-6) went 4-2 with his losses to East senior Max Francisco (27-3) and SWDP junior Lincoln Werner (31-5), and won the fifth/sixth place match over Eagle River freshman Jacob Driscoll (28-15) by 21-6 technical fall.
“I think I had a good year this year, definitely not the outcome I wanted, getting fifth at state,” C. Messmer said. “But I had a really hard bracket with a lot of studs, one of the hardest brackets in Alaska this year. I can't be too mad about the outcome because I put it all out on the mat. I have one more year and I am definitely going to make it count… With Juneau being D1 wrestling these D2 schools like Wrangell every weekend I think it really just pushes them to be better. And seeing a team that you see every weekend, go up to state and win the state title, it is pretty awesome for them to represent Southeast like that.”
As fans and grapplers, some from JDHS, swarmed to congratulate Wrangell’s Jackson Carney, one said a street should be named after the Wolves’ wrestling team.
“Yeah, let’s get one,” Carney said. “Let’s get one. Call it Wolf’s Street, I like it...Wrestling has grown so much in Wrangell since Jack Carney, our coach, my dad, took over and it’s a winning program. You’ve got kids coming in who want it. They go through middle school they learn to be able to do it and in high school we refine. We had three Wolves in the finals tonight. I can’t even tell you how many placers we had, but every single win worked up to it. It is just a winning program and it is a culture that loves the sport…Every kid on the team, win or lose, they are all there. Without them, I mean I would have a state title and I am happy about that, but I have a team that has my back and they helped us win the whole thing.”
Wrangell head coach Jack Carney was awarded the DII Coach of the Year and Valdez’ Austin Rake the Assistant Coach of the Year. The DI Coach of the Year honor went to Soldotna’s Pete Dickinson and the assistant’s honor to Wasilla’s Jamie Chafin. The girls’ Coach of the Year honor also went to Soldotna’s Dickinson and the assistant’s award to Mt. Edgecumbe’s Courtney Howard.
“To take an overall championship is just… I can’t even imagine,” coach Carney said. “Wrangell has six state titles ever. Two for basketball, three for cross-country, maybe that’s it, we had five, now we have six state titles. We only have 75 kids in the school. A third of the kids wrestle. This means a lot. We don’t get this too often. This is a very special group of kids. Some of these kids are state champs for cross-country, this year our girls won state for cross-country and our boys took second, so most of them run. This is a championship culture that we are building in Wrangell and it is just fun to be a part of it. We have great coaches that love the kids and the kids work hard."
"My son’s biggest fear from winning state last year was that we might become complacent. People said, ‘Oh, the second is harder than the first.’ It is about not being arrogant, going up to the extra camps, the 6 a.m. practices, he worked harder for this one than the first one…It is hard, when you have a bunch of teenagers, but we focus on routine, repetition and doing the same thing. So the variable is how they wrestle. It’s not, ‘Oh I didn’t warm up properly today’ or ‘Oh, I didn’t get enough water today.’ It is, we know exactly what we are doing so when it is time to show our personality it is not a new T-shirt, we are wearing our uniform, we’re not going to think about that. The variable is, ‘What moves am I going to do out there? I’m never going to quit. I’m going to wrestle 100%. I’m not going to let my team down.’ It is staying with the routine, keeping the routine going.”
Carney said, “The strength of Southeast wrestling keeps growing with our strong competition among schools like JDHS and Ketchikan.”
WRGs 215-pound senior Cody Barnes and 126-pound sophomore sister Kourtney Barnes (29-2) followed the routine into their respective championship matches. Cody lost by 15-7 major decision to Haines senior James Stickler (25-1) and shortly after Kourtney lost to Seward junior Sobina Clendaniel (20-0) by a 7-1 decision.
“Definitely losing in the finals was tough,” K. Barnes said. “Honestly, right before my match it made me cry harder for him (Cody) than for me losing.”
When Kourtney lost her finals match Cody was one of the first to embrace her.
“Honestly, I get more nervous watching her wrestle,” C. Barnes said. “It has always been that way. I don’t get as nervous for my matches, but watching her lose hurts more for me than it does probably for her, but she has next year to get it.”
Kourtney said having a sibling on the team “feels great because even if you lose you have a good supporter right by your side, because you know they are watching you and will support you no matter what.”
Said Cody, “It is always good to know you have somebody in your corner that is always there... And we have an amazing team. Everybody worked hard, early practices, late nights, tears, blood, we’re just proud of everybody.”
The only other Southeast weight bracket champion was Sitka 103-pound freshman Jene Keith (21-1), who pinned New Stuyahok sophomore Vincent Gust (16-4) at 3:24.
“It is really important to me to win the championship,” Keith said. “It means all my work has paid off and since I have worked this hard it is finally coming out.”
Coach Carney noted that Southeast teams like JDHS, Ketchikan and Sitka are also responsible for Wrangell’s success due to in-season competitions.
Coaches and officials noted this year’s state wrestling tournament was extremely competitive with some top seeds being upset or pushed to their limits.
“It is just fun to be a part of it,” official Jim Farrington said of the state tournament. “This is my 40th season officiating and I have always enjoyed it myself…I think it has grown phenomenally, especially the girls’ wrestling. In the years from when we had the first state tournament to now, the girls are so competitive, much more than would have been imagined having girls wrestling… and the boys, it is has been great to see improvements. A lot of kids going on to wrestle in college after high school when before Alaska didn’t get a lot of recruiting, but they are now.”
The girls’ Sportsmanship Award went to the Newhalen Malamutes, the D2 Sportsmanship Award to Wrangell and the DI Sportsmanship Award to the Service Cougars.
The girls’ Academic Award went to the Student Wrestling Development Program (SWDP) Archangels with a 3.96. The DII Academic Award was a tie between the Chief Ivan Blanka Eagles (New Stuyahok) and the Grace Christian Grizzles, with a 3.60. The DI Academic Award went to SWDP with a 3.85.
The DI team title went to SWDP with 356 points, Soldotna was runner-up with 326.5, South Anchorage had 322.5, Colony 136.5 JDHS 100, West Valley 88, Chugiak 81, Eagle River 70, Palmer 63, North Pole 59.5, East Anchorage 51.5, Ketchikan 44, Wasilla 37, Dimond 34, West Anchorage 17.5, Service 10.5, Kodiak 9.5, Bartlett 8 and Lathrop 6.
The DII title went to Wrangell with 146 points, Kenai was the runner-up with 140, followed by Mountain City Christian Academy with 102.5, Dillingham 102, Seward 99, New Stuyahok 90.5, Nome 89.5, Redington 81.5, Unalaska 75, Valdez 68.5, MEHS 68, Haines 67, Sitka 65.5, Grace Christian 64.5, Bethel 62, Homer 56.5, Nikiski 55.5, Barrow 36.5, Cordova 30.5, Koliganek 30, Metlakatla 28, Kotzebue 25.5, Aniak 25, Napaskiak 24, Hutchison 20, Unalakleet 19.5, Houston 19, Southeast Island School District 19, Petersburg 18.5, Susitna Valley 18, Ninilchik 14.5, Chevak 12.5, St. Mary’s 12.5, Bristol Bay 9, Selawik 4, Craig 3, Tok High 3), Gambell 3, Hoonah 3, ‘Akiachak 2, Skagway, Savoonga, Quinhagak, Scammon Bay, Shishmaref and King Cove.
The girls’ team title went to Sohi with 160, with the runner-up Wasilla with 115.5, followed by COL with 108.5, SWDP 88, NP 87, HMR 84, SA 81, LATH 62.5, Delta 57, PAL 57, MEHS 55, SER 49.5, EA 48, Newhalen 42.5, KTN 41, JDHS 37.5, BTHL 36, WRG 32.5, DIL 31.5, SEW 31, BAR 30, RED 26, KEN 25, NOM 23, DMD 21, NIK 21, CHG 20.5, HNH 18, KOTZ 17, HUT 17, Galena 10.5, VAL 9, Bristol Bay 9, CHVK 7, ER 7, St. Mary’s 5, WA 4, WV 4, Napaskiak 3, CRG 2, Shaktoolik, BAR, Tuntutuliak, SVNGA, QNHGK, Akutan, Akutan, KOD, Elim, HSTN, Aniak, UNAKLT 0.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
