The 2015 Haines High School wrestling team features four athletes with state tournament experience.
Three of those state grapplers are seniors: Trevor Cox, Zane Durr and Kai Hays. The Glacier Bears open their season this weekend at a tournament in Wrangell.
Durr was the team’s lone state qualifier last year, placing sixth in the 145-pound weight class. His performance showed the competitiveness of the Region V wrestling tournament, where Durr barely squeaked through with a state berth after finishing fifth in Southeast.
Hays qualified for state in 2013, as did Charlie Bower, now a junior. Cox was a state qualifier for Skagway that year, but sat out last season after transferring to Haines.
“This is the most experienced team we’ve had, by far,” said coach Dennis Durr.
He said his son Zane likely will wrestle at 152 pounds this season.
The path to state should be a bit easier for the Glacier Bears, coach Durr said, as Ketchikan, Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain have finished a one-year waiver from the Alaska School Activities Association that allowed them to compete against small schools at state in 2014.
The regional tournament will be at Petersburg in December. There is no home meet on the schedule.
Other Haines wrestlers include senior Tyler Murphy, juniors Ketch Jacobson and Mori Hays, sophomore Cameron Merklin-Bauer, and freshman Kamakana Kanahele.
“Nine guys is pretty good for a small school like we have,” Durr said. “You can’t expect a lot more than that.”
He noted many of the grapplers started the sport in middle school. “The practices are good. They’ve been here before. It’s really efficient.”
Durr said another strength of this year’s squad is the nine wrestlers on the roster as of this week potentially could wrestle at nine different weight classes, instead of being “bunched up in the same weight class.” In 2014, for example, the Glacier Bears often had multiple wrestlers at 120 and 145 pounds.
The team also has benefited from the services of co-coach Andrew Cardella, assistant Andus Hale, and past Haines wrestling stars Jimmy and Kenny Thomsen to “bring the energy up” at practice, Durr said.
Senior Kai Hays said he appreciates the advanced techniques and intensity offered by the Thomsen brothers. “It’s incredible to have, not just from the coaching side, but from the wrestling side.”
Hays emphasized that even with Haines wrestlers spread among multiple weight classes, everyone will be wrestling at “comfortable weights.” Hays said he might be back at 160 pounds for his fourth consecutive high school year.