When Haines High School junior Zane Durr entered the Region V wrestling tournament as a fifth seed, he looked like a longshot to qualify for state. Durr went on to compete at state and finished sixth in the 145-pound weight class, tallying several upsets along the way.
The 16-year-old Durr said he was “kind of surprised” by last weekend’s results in Anchorage.
“I was hoping for more, but I was glad I got where I got,” he said.
According to results posted at http://www.trackwrestling.com, Durr opened state with a 19-14 overall record. He edged Graysen Sorenson, a senior at Grace Christian with a 30-6 record, by a point, 6-5. Durr then lost a 2-1 battle to Thunder Mountain’s Hunter Boyer, who went on to place third.
Durr picked up a pin and another decision before two losses that sent him out of the tournament. One was a rematch with Sorenson for fifth place, but this time the Grace Christian wrestler took a one-point victory.
“It’s weird and crazy and everything is just really close,” Durr said.
Haines wrestling coach Dennis Durr, who cheered his son on at state, said the 145-pound matches were consistently entertaining for most in the crowd but, for a parent, “it was like a heart attack.”
“Every match was down to the last seconds,” he said.
Dennis said the 145-pound bracket might be the toughest in the state, but it made sense for Zane to cut down from 152 pounds earlier this season, since he was a bit undersized.
“Five or six pounds is a big difference, if you can believe that,” Dennis said.
Zane’s finish at state was the best for the Glacier Bears since Jimmy Thomsen placed fourth in 2012.
Dennis said Zane’s performance to land a spot on the state podium would be a motivator for next year’s squad.
“Everybody will build off that, not just him,” he said. “They’ll see that everybody can finish strong.”
Zane noted his losses at state were to seniors and a Class 4A wrestler. Ketchikan, Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain wrestled with small schools this year after being granted a one-year waiver from the Alaska School Activities Association.
Zane, though, said he might not be back at 145 pounds in 2015. He’s added several pounds since the season ended, giving him a break from his strict wrestling schedule.
“If I try to keep my weight down, I could possibly do it,” Zane said.
He said his offseason would include a weightlifting program and potential trips north to try out freestyle wrestling in tournaments. His dad again will be running a junior high wrestling program this winter.
Also of note at state wrestling, sophomore Lyric Wiggins, who attended Haines High School as a freshman, won the girls’ 182-pound state championship, besting two competitors in her class. Wiggins now attends Mount Edgecumbe High School. This was the first year Alaska offered separate brackets for girl grapplers.