ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Lathrop Malemutes round out the three-time championship, winning the ASAA girls’ state wrestling team title for the third straight year on Saturday, while both the South Anchorage Wolverines and Redington Huskies were runners-up for the last time. year to team champions in Division I and Division II for boys.
The Alaska Airlines Center went from eight mats to just three as the women’s final matches began to take place in the middle of the gym and the men’s DI and DII finals on either side. With three mats constantly moving that means a lot of action, and in a sport like wrestling where anything can happen, the spectators saw many memorable moments.
One of the most notable moments came from Soldotna senior and former Athlete of the Week, Trinity Donovan. The Soldotna star shone not only because of the name of her school mascot, but she became a star by winning her fourth straight state wrestling title in high school. Donovan accomplished the rare feat with a first-round knockdown. While he has won state titles before, he said this time was different.
“I had a full field, I had no byes, that really says something, it shows that everyone in the region is fighting and definitely enough people, so it’s crazy,” said four-time state champion Donovan.
Donovan says she’s talked to a few colleges, but she’s not sure yet, and she could stay in Soldotna for a year to help out with the girls’ wrestling program.
On the DI mat, there was drama in almost every game. However, South Anchorage’s Dylan Shaw provided one of the highlights of the tournament by completing an undefeated season and winning back-to-back state championships with an overtime victory in his final game. His South Anchorage teammate was also looking to come back with his back, and nearly did, but the Colony’s undefeated Elijah Larsen managed to flip the script and complete his undefeated season while winning his second straight title for the Knights.
On the DII mat, Kenai’s head wrestling trainer Jason Chavarria was training Andrew Gaethle, while on the DII mat his son Issac Chavarria, who wrestles for Soldotna, was busy winning state. Issac Chavarria pinned his opponent in the high difficulty “Saturday night ride” move during a break in the DII title match, giving his father the perfect moment to watch his son become in champion.
“That was the excitement, the joy and just the gratitude, and I wanted to be there with my son, but he was having that moment with his coaches and that’s his moment, right, so I knew I would have my dad moment with him so As soon as possible. this match was done.” Jason Chavarria said. “I just gave him a bunch of hugs and kisses and told him how much I love him and how proud I am of him.”
For more of the action, check out this edition of 907 Sports where Austin Sjong breaks down some of the action.
| Women’s Team Top 5 |
|---|
| 1.Lathrop 179.5 |
| 2. North Pole 149 |
| 3. Soldotna 113 |
| 4. Bethel 81 |
| 5. Cologne and Service tied at 79 |
| Top 5 teams in Division 1 |
|---|
| 1. South Anchorage 275 |
| 2. Soldotna 261.5 |
| 3.Lathrop 180.5 |
| 4.Wasilal 176 |
| 5. Cologne 174 |
| Division 2 Team Top 5 |
|---|
| 1.Redington 172.5 |
| 2. Downtown Kenai 118.5 |
| 3. Bethel 100 |
| 4. Petersburg 90 |
| 5.Delta 86 |
To see all the final supports and placements, you can do it here.
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