Five Chilkat Valley students joined a field of more than 200 grapplers at the 2014 Southeast Middle School Wrestling Tournament in Juneau last month.
Floyd Dryden Middle School hosted the Feb. 21-22 event that drew entrants from more than a dozen Southeast schools.
“It gives them an idea of what they’ll be getting into in high school,” said coach Dennis Durr.
Wrestlers competed in nearly 20 weight classes, ranging from 75 to 265 pounds.
Eighth-grader Cameron Merklin-Bauer (115 pounds) led the Haines squad, posting a 4-1 record for third place. His only loss was to the eventual champion, Durr said.
The team had a cluster of wrestlers at 115 pounds, with eighth-grader Parker Blair going 2-2 at the tournament and classmate Marty Fowler wrestling up a division, at 121 pounds, and picking up one win.
Seventh-grader Logan Hotch (105 pounds) of Klukwan tallied a 2-3 record, and eighth-grader Hudson Sage (174 pounds) was 1-2.
Durr noted eighth-grader Dylan Swinton, who “was at every practice,” missed the season-concluding tournament due to illness.
Overall, the team finished in the middle of the pack, trailing some schools that brought dozens of wrestlers.
“We’re a small team, but we did really well,” Durr said.
He said the event gave young athletes valuable mat time and “warmed them up to the level of competition.” Wrestling also provided “a little break from basketball,” as many students participated in that sport this winter, as well.
The team practiced two days a week since January, while other wrestlers were able to grapple every weekday and attend several tournaments, Durr said.
The youth program has been under the direction of Durr and Andrew Cardella, who also coach the Haines High School wrestling team.
Buoyed by the recent launch of the middle school program, the high school squad has qualified a freshman for the state wrestling tournament each of the past two years, with Zane Durr advancing two seasons ago and Charlie Bower last season.
“I think we’ve got a good group of eighth-graders,” coach Durr said. “They’re going to really fill the team up next year.”