The Haines High School wrestling team heads to next week’s regional meet in Craig hoping to qualify athletes for the state championship in Anchorage. Since the program was revived about five years ago, only one Glacier Bear has qualified for the final competition.
“We should be able to get three guys out of there, but it will be tough. There will be a dogfight,” coach Dennis Durr said this week. The top four wrestlers in each weight class qualify.
Since a home competition here a month ago, the Haines boys have gained valuable experience at matches in Petersburg, Anchorage and Juneau. Jimmy Thomsen, a 145-pound sophomore, has emerged as one of the best wrestlers in the region in his weight class.
At the Nov. 12 tournament at Anchorage Christian, Thomsen and senior Nygel Duffy-Webb, 130 pounds, notched 4-2 records and finished among the top eight wrestlers in their respective brackets, each of which started with 32 competitors. “I was really impressed that they got that far. They were not intimidated by the size of the competition. Jimmy beat guys who were seeded,” Durr said.
Other Haines wrestlers competing included junior Kenny Thomsen (135 pounds), sophomore Caullen Taylor (135 pounds), and senior Tyler Thomas (160 pounds). More than 300 wrestlers competed at the tourney, an important one for Haines matmen to understand the ratcheted level of competition they’ll be facing in the season finals.
The team soared to new heights at the Nov. 5 tournament in Petersburg, where Haines placed sixth of 16 squads. “We beat teams we’ve never beat before, including Juneau-Douglas. It was a week after the home local meet, and it was like the same competition, but everyone was winning their matches. Everything clicked,” Coach Durr said.
The team’s finish was the best since the wrestling program was revived, he said.
Jimmy Thomsen placed second in his weight class in Petersburg, senior Nathan Piper placed third at 175 pounds, sophomore Taylor got third at 135 pounds and Kenny Thomsen was fourth at 135 pounds.
Jimmy Thomsen was on a statewide TV broadcast of the competition, Durr said. “Jimmy is definitely one of the top wrestlers in the region and he’s among the top seeds going into the (regional) tournament,” Durr said.
Thomsen, 4-1, got third at the Juneau tournament held Nov. 19 at Thunder Mountain, the only Haines wrestler to place. Piper, 2-2, just missed the placement round, Durr said. Other competitors were sophomore Corey Piper, 1-2, at 119 pounds; freshman Walker Blair, 1-2, at 125 pounds; junior Jerry Strong, 0-2, at 103 pounds, and Taylor, 1-2.
“All were real close matches. Most of them were overtime or came right down to the wire,” coach Durr said.
The team’s eight-man lineup for regionals includes junior Jerry Strong, Corey Piper, Blair, Taylor, Duffy-Webb, Jimmy Thomsen, Thomas and Nathan Piper.
A few competitors have been lost to eligibility issues but the squad is still three wrestlers bigger than the one representing Haines at regionals last year, Durr said. Nathan Piper, he said, also has a chance of following the footsteps of brother Jesse Piper, the last Haines wrestler at state competition.
“Nathan has as good a chance as anybody to make it to state. He beat the fifth-ranked guy in state at Petersburg. He’s a natural athlete,” Durr said.