It was a tale of two matches at B.J. McGillis Gymnasium Tuesday night as Sitka High and Mt. Edgecumbe faced off for the first time this season.
Through seven matches, Sitka looked dominant, building a 27-3 lead on the strength of pins by Darin Davis (112), Chris Clement (125) and William Patrick (130).
But the tide began to turn for Mt. Edgecumbe when senior Terry Rogers, a three-time state placer from Dillingham, pinned Max Hanson at 145.
The Braves lost only one match the rest of the way, and used three pins in the final four matches to seal a 33-30 comeback win over the visiting Wolves.
``I knew we would have a run at it, but (at 27-3) I thought it was out of control,'' MEHS coach Mike Kimber said.
With the Braves trailing 30-27, Jaylin Prince, a sophomore from Kotlik, put Sitka's Robert Pountney on his back in the first period of the heavyweight match. When the referee slapped his palm against the mat, Prince had a pin and Edgecumbe took the victory.
``Those guys wrestled like they wanted to win,'' Kimber said, when asked about his final four wrestlers.
Even with wins at 145 and 152, Edgecumbe was down 30-12 after Sitka's Derek Jones beat Levi Kvasnikoff (King Salmon) 7-0 at 160.
There were four matches to go and some quick math indicated that Edgecumbe, while still alive, had a lot of work to do, with little margin for error.
The crowd, split between Edgecumbe students and Sitka supporters, had grown a bit listless, but things started to perk up in gym as the Braves closed the gap on Sitka.
Stefan Weingarth (St. Mary's) got things started with a pin of Alex Cagle at 171.
And after Adam Iyapana (Nome) held on to beat Alex Schwantes 13-11 at 189, the score was 30-21.
Wrestlers get three points for a win and six for a pin, so Donovan Phillip (Anchorage) and Prince went to work.
Phillip pinned freshman Elliot Anderson at 215, and Prince followed suit for Edgecumbe with the win over Pountney.
It was a good win for Mt. Edgecumbe, but Kimber took the long view.
``Overall, I'm pleased,'' Kimber said. ``But it's with reserve. This is a long season. We need to make sure we don't peak too soon.''
For his part, Sitka High coach John Hedden said he was disappointed with the loss. But he agreed that it was an exciting match that featured quality wrestling on both sides.
``I've lost matches and been pretty angry,'' Hedden said. ``This one I can't say I am. I thought the kids did a good job overall as a team.''
Sitka and Edgecumbe will face off three more times this season. Edgecumbe will host Sitka again later this month, with two matches set for Sitka High in November.
Hedden said Tuesday's match could have turned at various points in the action, and it's hard to argue. If one of his wrestlers had avoided being pinned, the match could have been tied. And a match or two came down to the wire. At the end of the day, Sitka and Edgecumbe wrestlers each won seven matches and Hedden said it was a good way to start the 2009 season.
``We were pretty evenly matched,'' Hedden said. ``It's disappointing. On the other hand, I can't say I'm displeased with the wrestling that occurred.''
Edgecumbe took an early lead Tuesday, with Fritz Guy beating Melvin Villanueva 13-6 at 103 pounds
Sitka then proceeded to win the next six matches, reeling off 27 straight points.
Darin Davis, a freshman who had success as a wrestler at Blatchley Middle School, came out aggressively in his 112-pound match against Kory Joe and gave Sitka a 6-3 lead with a second-period pin.
Cameron O'Neill, wrestling up at 119, added to Sitka's lead with a 13-6 win over Daniel Villasenor.
Pins by Chris Clement (vs. David Olin at 125) and William Patrick (vs. Jordan Johnson at 130) put Sitka up 21-3.
V.J. Carlos added to Sitka's tally with a 16-10 win over Ian Sia at 135, and after Alex Kernin beat Henry Horner at 140 Sitka was up 27-3.
But Kimber gave a hint that he didn't think the match was over: when Sia scored a late takedown to narrow Carlos' lead from 16-8 to 16-10, Kimber, whose team was down 24-3, pumped his fist, realizing that Sia had saved Edgecumbe a point.
Wins by 8 to 14 points earn a wrestler four team points, as opposed to three, and Kimber appreciated Sia's effort.
Rogers followed with a pin for Edgecumbe at 145, and Zach Ivanoff beat Sitka's David Erickson at 152 to pull the Braves within 18 points at 30-12.
After Jones stopped the bleeding for Sitka at 160, Edgecumbe took the final four matches to earn a comeback victory.
Both local squads will be in Metlakatla this weekend for a regional tournament. Hedden will travel with 20 wresters, while Kimber will take 12 grapplers south.
Match Results