Eight wrestlers representing the Haines Glacier Bears Wrestling Team competed in their first matches of the season in Hoonah on Oct. 18-19. The boys team competed against wrestlers from Hoonah, Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Mount Edgecumbe, Petersburg and Wrangell for three days straight.
“It was a long week for us,” said head coach Andus Hale. “We left Tuesday after school, made it to Juneau Tuesday night.”
The group spent Tuesday night and Wednesday in the state capitol. “We were fortunate the Juneau [Youth] Wrestling Club allowed us to work out in their facility,” Hale said.
Although the boys’ team is seasoned and highly competitive, there have been some setbacks. Last year’s captains Leo Wald and Jackson Long graduated. One wrestler transferred to Lathrop in Fairbanks to compete on a bigger team. Another wrestler who finished fifth in the state chose to focus on basketball instead.
“So those were two big surprises and key pieces that we had,” Hale said. “But, you know, that’s how wrestling is. It’s all about moving forward.”
The future is still bright with the addition of freshmen Finn Crowe, Calvin Bell and Orion Grimes. Sophomore McConnell Robinson didn’t wrestle his freshman year. “[Robinson’s] a swimmer, but the swim team is very small this year. He’s basically the swim team,” Hale joked.
Robinson’s schedule is flexible enough to swim and wrestle since he is homeschooled. “That’s been a big boost for us. So, we’ve got four new faces in the room that have some experience.”
There’s another addition to the team.
“We actually have one girl that’s with us, which is quite unique for us,” Hale said.
Senior Camelia Bell wrestles at 100 pounds. She did not compete at the Hoonah tournament due to a lack of wrestlers in her weight class. Bell is also enrolled in several AP courses, which makes for a demanding schedule. So, she decided to skip the long trip and wait until she’ll have some competition.
“We’re gonna compete in Juneau next weekend, where everyone’s there, so she’ll be exposed to comparable talent and size, and not miss as many days of school,” Hale said.
The team’s overall results were mixed, but solid for Hale.
Among the freshmen, Crowe, who wrestled at 103 pounds, was injured on the first day of the tournament. Bell wrestled at 145 pounds and came in fifth place while Grimes also came in fifth at 152 pounds. Sophomores Robinson came in sixth place at 152 pounds while Dalton Monroe earned sixth at 125 pounds.
The newer wrestlers are the future of the team and Hale said they show promise.
“We took some lumps, but I think we also gave some back,” he said.
Senior Dalton Henry took the top spot at 171 pounds and so did junior James Stickler in the heavyweight division.
There were only a few wrestlers in the 215-pound weight class, according to Hale, so Stickler took advantage of that and tested his mettle. “He wrestled at 189 pounds last year; [Stickler] decided to compete with considerably heavier opponents. And he’s walking around 207, 208 pounds and he took first place at heavyweight.”
Senior Hayden Jimenez wrestled his way to second place at 130 pounds.
It was a disappointing loss for Jimenez, who also bumped up in weight class. “That was a bummer, but you know, that’s wrestling,” Hale said. Jimenez shook off the loss quickly and returned to cheer on his teammates.
Hale said he’s super excited to be back on the mat again. “We’re just going to go out, we’re going to have fun, we’re going to wrestle, we’re going to be loose, and if we come off with a loss, I just tell them over and again, this is not peak season.”
The team travels to Juneau this week to compete against all the Southeast teams with over 240 wrestlers.