EVENT SCHEDULE:

 

Friday, February 17

 

4:00 PM - Registration/Pits Open (make sure you have your safety glasses and your consent forms!)

 5:00 PM - Practice Rounds

6:00 PM - Inspections & Judging Sessions

10:45  PM - Pits Close

Saturday, February 18

8:00 AM - Pits Open

9:00 AM - Qualifying Rounds

12:00 PM – LUNCH (Students will go to the cafeteria, Coaches, and Tournament Crew go to the hospitality room)

12:30 PM - Qualifying Rounds continued

3:00 PM - Alliance Selections

 

 3:15 PM - Elimination Rounds

4:30 PM - Awards Ceremony

Courtesy Daily Sitka Sentinel

The Mt. Edgecumbe Braves swept a weekend series from Craig Feb. 3-4 to improve to 10-5 overall on the season and 6-1 in conference play. The Braves beat the visiting Panthers 72-42 and 70-47 at B.J. McGillis Gymnasium.

The MEHS  started their season with a series of nonconference games mostly against 4A opponents. The Braves were 4-4 when they dove into a stretch of seven conference games in 12 days that began Jan. 25.  They’ve come out on the other side with just one conference loss. They dropped a game at Sitka High, but defended their home court against Petersburg, Wrangell and Craig.

“We’re doing what we wanted to do,” coach Archie Young said, referring to the Braves’ goal of winning their conference games at home. The Braves played their final game at B.J. McGillis Gymnasium Feb. 4 and seniors Calvin Frankson, Cody Sherman, Jaylin Prince and Bryan Nick were honored before the game.

The Braves have five conference games remaining and all of those contests will be on the road. Coach Young said the Braves will look to at least split their road conference games. He said his players, some of whom are new to the varsity line-up this season,  are “getting more comfortable with  what their roles are on the floor.”

The game against Craig Feb. 3 was close after the first quarter with Edgecumbe up 17-13. But the Braves opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run and built a 32-19 halftime lead. Craig never really recovered as the Braves consistently broke down the Panthers’ zone and scored on easy buckets in the lane. Dominique Hall, showing a newfound aggressiveness on the offensive end, had 24 points to lead all scorers. Kacy Green had 23 of

his own. D.J. Almenzor led Craig with 12 points. The Braves put Craig away early Feb. 4, taking a 29-9 lead after the first quarter. The Braves got balanced scoring Saturday. Sherman had a game-high 18, with Prince adding 14. Hall and Leo Ford scored 11 each, Green had 8 and Calvin Frankson added 4. Bryan Nick and Kenny Jackson each had a bucket for the Braves. Craig got 17 from Karl Benolken. Almenzor had another 12 points and Dave Nelson scored 11.

Courtesy Daily Sitka Sentinel

After five games of the 2011-12 high school basketball season, the Mt. Edgecumbe Lady Braves are 3-2 overall. The Lady Braves went 2-1 at the Kenai River Challenge Dec. 15-17, rebounding from a 61-32 loss to Soldnota in the opening round to beat Nikiski and host Kenai Central, a 4A school.

MEHS coach Carl Blackhurst said his team played much better in the second and third games of the tournament, putting together a solid team effort Dec. 17 to knock off Kenai 42-35.

"It was good to end on a high note," Blackhurst said. "We played our best game the third night."  In the win over Kenai,  Brandi Hale, a senior from Hooper Bay, had 13 points for Edgecumbe, while Mariah Martin, a Hoonah junior, added 10. Taryn White, a freshman from Hoonah, chipped in 6. In Edgecumbe's 52-36 win over Nikiski, Brenna Johanson, a Hoonah senior, scored 14 for MEHS, Scartlett Beaver, a sophomore from Kotzebue, had 13 and Martin scored 7.

The Lady Braves opened the season by splitting two conference games in Craig. Following the games at Kenai, the Lady Braves left for the holiday break. They won't play again until Jan. 13-14, when they're set to visit Petersburg. Blackhurst is in his sixth season coaching the Lady Braves. He led MEHS to back-to-back Region V titles in 2008 and 2009, piling up a 25-game conference winning streak, then captured the school’s first state title in 2010 with an upset victory over Anchorage Christian School. It was an improbable win for MEHS, coming after Blackhurst lost five key players from a team that fell to ACS in the 2009 state finals. But graduation finally caught up with the Lady Braves last season. After losing Nicole Pingayak, Lainey Beaver and Christina Fields, the three players who were on the all-tournament team at state in 2010, the Lady Braves struggled to a 3-17 record last season, including a 2-10 mark in the conference. The young team had trouble scoring late in games and was quickly eliminated from the Region V tournament, ending a streak state tournament appearances that dated back at least 15 years.

This year's team is talented, if a bit inexperienced. Hale is the the Lady Braves’ captain. And Johanson, a star volleyball player who was a key part of the rotation last year, is the team’s only other senior. They've been joined in the starting lineup by Scarlett Beaver, Taryn White and Mariah Martin this season. Beaver is the younger sister of Lainey. Scarlett was Edgecumbe’s leading scorer most nights last season. Blackhurst has six other varsity players: Danielle Fields, Melissa Fisher, Renatta Olson, Frieda Kaleak, Venita Demoski and Francine Tikiun.

Fields is expected to be a key addition for MEHS, though she won’t play until January. Fields, a sophomore, is the younger sister of Christina, who was a junior in 2010 and stayed home to help Kotzebue reach the state championship game last season. Danielle started alongside her sister as the Huskies beat Sitka in the 2011 state semifinals before falling to the Barrow Lady Whalers. Fields is battling a nagging hip injury she suffered at a basketball camp last summer.

The Lady Braves lost the first game of the season 61-36 to Craig, but came back the next night and beat the Lady Panthers 47-40. Blackhurst wasn't happy with how the first game went, but he liked that team bounced back. And the Lady Braves showed similar resolve in bouncing back after the loss to Soldotna.

 

Blackhurst said he expects the 3A Southeast girls conference to be tough this year. Sitka High is off to a fast start, Haines is expected to be tough and there might not be any easy games against Wrangell, Petersburg and Metlakatla. Blackhurst didn't like missing the state tournament last year and he's eager to make the trip north in 2012.

"Every season you start with the goal of wanting to win regions and make it to state. That’s these girls’ goal," Blackhurst said. "At the same time, it’s going to be a tough region.”

Courtesy Daily Sitka Sentinel

 The 2011-12 Mt. Edgecumbe Braves are 3-3 as they prepare to play their first games of the season at home.  The Braves will host Thunder Mountain at B.J. McGillis Gymnasium Jan. 20-21, their final games before diving head-first in the conference schedule.  The Braves were 2-1 during a December tournament in Soldotna and went 1-2 during a recent tournament at Thunder Mountain in Juneau.

 The Braves opened the Thunder Mountain tourney with a loss 56-26 to Palmer, then beat Thunder Mountain 40-32 before falling to West Valley 47-32.

 Pointing to the low scoring total, MEHS coach Archie said the team struggled offensively.  "The only thing that saved was we played very hard defensively," Young said. "We started off playing harder than when we started but we have to be a heck of a lot smarter."

 Dominique Hall led the Braves with 10 points in the loss to Palmer, while Kacy Green and Jaylin Prince had 8 each. Hall had 13 in the win over Thunder Mountain, with Green scoring 13 and Leo Ford and Bryan Nick adding 5 apiece. Hall finished out the tournament with 13 points in the loss to West Valley.

 Hall, a junior from Nome, is the lone returning starter for the Braves this season. Seniors Jaylin Prince and Cody Sherman were also key rotation players on a team that went undefeated in conference play, won the 3A Region V title and beat Juneau-Douglas in the crossover game, but otherwise, coach Young's varsity squad is new.

 “Right now, we’re trying to learn to mesh,” Young said recently. “I feel like our starting five is very solid. We just have to work on those second-tier guys."

 After the games against Thunder Mountain Jan. 20-21, the Braves will play a string of seven conference games in 12 nights. Six of those games will be at home, with Petersburg, Wrangell and Craig visiting Japonski Island for two games each. Those teams will enter a B.J. McGillis Gymnasium that got a long awaited facelift during the Christmas break. New lights were installed at the notoriously dim fieldhouse, and new backboards and gyms also went up. The floors are freshly polished. The Braves will cross the bridge to play undefeated Sitka during their seven-game stretch, which comprises more than half of the Braves’ conference schedule. In February, the Braves will visit Metlakatla and Haines before wrapping up the regular season at SHS Feb. 22.

 Last year’s squad had a state title on its mind, but with leading scorer Travante Williams out and four-year senior Sean Melovidov under the weather, the Braves ran into a tough Anchorage Christian School team in the first round and slipped into the consolation bracket. ACS went on to upset Monroe Catholic in the state championship game. This time around, the Braves are hoping to get back to the state tournament. And they might draw inspiration from the 2010 Braves. That team lost its best player late in the season but rallied for a shocking run through the Region V brackets. After an overtime loss in the Region V title game to a Haines team that went on to win state, the Braves beat Metlakatla in the state play-in game and earned the trip to Anchorage for more March basketball. Both Hall and Green, a junior guard from Hooper Bay who has stepped into the starting lineup after seeing limited varsity time a year ago, said the Braves were focused “on the conference and regions.” hey expressed confidence that players on the current roster could step up and fill the voids left by the departure of the top four players from a year ago.

 “We kind of have a new slate,” said Green.

 And when asked how they would compete in a tough region with a re-made roster, they answered in unison: “Hustle more.”

Young echoed that message. “We have to play smarter and harder than our opponents every night,” he said.

 Leo Ford, a sophomore from Hooper Bay, has been starting for Edgecumbe, and the lefty guard scored 18 points in one of the tournament games at SoHi. Calvin Frankson, a senior from Point Hope, also figures prominently in Young’s plans this season, and is slotted as the team’s sixth man. Theodore Cantrell, Vance Gregory, Bryan Nick and Kenny Jackson round out the varsity roster for MEHS.

Last season, it was clear in the early going that the Braves were the team to beat in Southeast. And they didn’t disappoint. A 9-point loss to Sitka was the team’s closest conference game and they won two out of three against regional power JDHS. This year promises to be different, with the early attention in the conference falling on teams other than MEHS. That was the case in 2010 too.

Courtesy Daily Sitka Sentinel

    Mt. Edgecumbe's Jaylin Prince won the 10th state individual wrestling title in school history Saturday and became just the sixth 3A wrestler to win three state titles.

 

    Prince, a senior from Kotlik, pinned Bethel’s Timothy Robb early in the third period of the champion match of the 285-pound bracket. Prince finished the season 27-0 and is approximately 77-1 since bumping up to heavyweight late in the 2009 season. Prince will leave MEHS as the most accomplished wrestler, and one of the most of the accomplished athletes, in the history of the state-run boarding school. Not bad for a kid who “didn’t know what wrestling really was” when he showed up on Japonski Island. Last season, when Prince left the mat at the state tournament after winning his second straight title, he told coach Mike Kimber he wasn’t satisfied. He wanted a third trophy and he secured it Saturday.

    “That’s what I was looking for,” Prince said. “I felt really happy. I felt satisfied with my career.”

    The Bethel Warriors won the team title Saturday, racking up 188 points for their second straight 3A crown. Dillingham (151.5), Nikiski (150.5), Valdez (143) and Kotzebue (123) rounded out the top five. Mt. Edgecumbe was sixth with 116 points, while Sitka took seventh with 77. Kimber was a bit disappointed that the Braves didn’t crack the top five, but acknowledged the Braves had an outstanding season.

    Shyler Johnson (182) and Paul Johanson (220) both lost in the finals Saturday. Johnson, a junior, was pinned by Nikiski’s Lincoln Johnson in the second period, while Johanson lost 4-2 in overtime to Houston’s Luke Wagner. Kimber said Johanson, a freshman,  was hurt by a controversial stalling call. Michael Matthew, a senior, ended up third for Edgecumbe at 170 pounds. He lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion and came back through the consolation bracket to win the bronze with a major decision over Houston’s Jake Davis.

    For Prince, and MEHS coach Kimber, Saturday’s win was the culmination of a three-year  journey that began late in the 2009 season. Kimber was trying to win a Region V team title and decided to bump Prince, then a sophomore, from 215 to 285 pounds. The plan worked. Prince and the Braves both won region titles and the newly minted heavyweight took the state crown. In the last two  years, Prince was 67-1. Throw in another 10 or so wins at the end of 2009, and Prince was basically unbeatable for the better part of three seasons. He became just the second Southeast wrestler to win three state titles, joining fellow heavyweight Jon Hamilton of Ketchikan on that exclusive list. Prince may have surprised himself a bit in 2009, but said he set the bar high after winning that first state title.

    “After the first time I didn’t really think it was surprising,” Prince said. “I set a high standard.”

    He came to Edgecumbe as a raw athlete who had never wrestled before and developed into a fearsome grappler largely because of his hard work and desire to master the sport, Kimber said. “He’s the most intelligent wrestler I’ve coached, in terms of learning about the sport,” he said, adding: “He did what he set out to do. He  focused really hard.”

Team Scores

1) Bethel 188, 2) Dillingham 151.5, 3) Nikiski 150.5, 4) Valdez 143, 5) Kotzebue 123, 6) Mt. Edgecumbe 116, 7) Sitka 77.5, 8) Skyview 74, 9) Nome 73, 10) Houston 66.5, 11) Craig 61, 12) Seward 55.5, 13) Cordova 42, 14) Homer 42, 15) Wrangell 41, 16) Anchorage Christian 38.5, 17) Unalaska 31, 18) Hutchison 29, 19) Newhalen 29, 20) Eielson 28.5, 21) New Stuyahok 28, 22) tie, Glennallen and Grace Christian 26, 24) Thorne Bay 19.5, 25) Metlakatla 19, 26) Aniak 16, 27) tie, Barrow and Yakutat 14, 29) tie, Galena and King Cove 12, 31) Pelican 11, 32) Haines 8, 33) tie, Petersburg, Stebbins and Unalakleet 6, 36) tie, Chevak, Kake and Napaskiak 4; 39) Gambell 3, 40) Hoonah 2.

Championship Matches

106 -- Darin Davis (Sitka) d. Brettlyn Reich (Kotzebue), 6-5. 113 -- Tanner Thain (Craig) d. Kiefer Groeneveld (Valdez), 3-2. 120 -- Emery Booshu (Nome) d. Gabe Cabrera (Nome), 6-5. 126 -- Jared Miller (Dillingham) d. Dion Williams (Nome), 8-3. 132 -- Will Patrick (Sitka) d. Scott Hansen (Kotzebue), 4-3. 138 -- Isaac Deaton (Valdez), d. Cade Schlagel (Dillingham), 4-1. 145 -- Marjus Kuqo (Bethel) d. Tyler Anelon (Newhalen), 5-3. 152 -- Kaden Spurgeon (Nikiski) d. Brayton Lieb (Bethel), 7-3. 160 -- Trevour Chavez (Bethel) d. Corey Green (Nikiski), 8-2. 170 -- Justin Allen (Valdez) d. Matt Adams (Cordova), 9-4. 182 -- Lincoln Johnson (Nikiski) p. Shyler Johnson (Mt. Edgecumbe), 2:35). 195 -- Travis Tungiung (New Stuyahok) d. Tom Hoseth (Dillingham), 11-8). 220 -- Luke Wagner (Houston) d. Paul Johanson (Mt. Edgecumbe), 4-2 OT. 285 -- Jaylin Prince (Mt. Edgecumbe) p. Timothy Robb (Bethel), 4:53.

Mt. Edgecumbe High School senior Tessa Baldwin was recently honored at a White House ceremony. Baldwin, who founded an organization to prevent suicide in Alaska,  was recognized as a “Champion of Change” by the administration of President Obama

 

Baldwin was in Washington, D.C., attending the White House Tribal Nations Conference and was honored alongside 10 other students.

 Baldwin, who is from Kotzebue, founded “Hope4Alaska” to fight suicide in the state, and the organization recently won a $25,000 grant from the Alaska Federation of Natives. Baldwin has traveled to schools around the state telling her personal story of dealing with suicide. Last year, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell appointed her to the statewide Suicide Prevention Council. She’s also worked through the Alaska Association of Student Governments to push for mandatory suicide-prevention training for teachers.

By CRAIG GIAMMONA

Courtesy Daily Sitka Sentinel

     The Mt. Edgecumbe High Braves scored a resounding victory at the Region V wrestling tournament over the weekend, racking up 227 points in front of their home fans to capture their second 3A Southeast title in three years. Senior Jaylin Prince, a two-time defending state champion, capped off the victory for the Braves with his third straight Region V title at 285 pounds. In the first major tournament he’s wrestled at B.J. McGillis Gymnasium during his outstanding Edgecumbe wrestling career, Prince beat Yakutat’s Dakota Ekis 9-4 in the heavyweight final Saturday.  It was the last match of a tournament that began Friday morning at Mt. Edgecumbe and saw small-school wrestlers from around the region battling it out for titles in 14 weight classes. Prince and three other wrestlers won for Mt. Edgecumbe, another four Braves were second and a total of 14 MEHS grapplers qualified for the state tournament.

     It was third Southeast title in coach Mike Kimber’s 12-year career. Kimber said the Braves got off to a bit of a slow start in the early rounds Friday, but found their groove as they got their nerves in check. “Everybody just stepped it up,” Kimber said. “That was a really good win.”

     The team title was pretty much locked up for Edgecumbe Friday night at the conclusion of the semifinals. The Braves left the gym after the first day of the tournament with 181 points, compared to 118 for Craig and 110 for Sitka. Sitka ended up in second place, with Craig third.

     In addition to Prince, Edgecumbe got individual titles from Michael Matthew (170), Shyler Johnson (182) and Paul Johanson (220) as they dominated the upper weights. Melissa Fisher (113), Jaymes Kelly (120) and Gusty Akelkok (195) lost in the finals for MEHS, as did Daniel Villasenor (132). Edgecumbe got a third-place finish from Chris Journey at 195, while  Deirdre Creed (106), Franklin Hoogendorn (145), Kory Joe (126) and Carlton Hautala (170) each finished fourth. Robert Nielsen was fifth at 113, but will go to state because the fourth-place finisher doesn’t plan to attend the tournament.

     For the most part, the brackets played out as planned during the tournament, with the top seeds winning 13 of the 14 titles. The lone exception was Edgecumbe’s Matthew, who was seeded second behind Boord. The pair had met in an exhibition at Sitka High earlier in the season, with Boord winning 3-2. The match Saturday was scoreless after the first period, and Matthew took the advantage in the second, scoring an escape and a takedown to go up 3-0. Boord scored a late escape in the second and another in the third, but the buzzer sounded with Matthew holding a 3-2 advantage.

     Sitka and Edgecumbe have been the top  two teams in 3A Southeast wrestling the last three years. The Wolves won the title in 2010, with victories by Edgecumbe in 2009 and 2011. Craig has finished third in the region each of the last three years.

 

      

Team Scores

1) Mt. Edgecumbe 227; 2) Sitka 145.5; 3) Craig 138; 4) Wrangell 112.5; 5) Haines 79.5; 6) Petersburg 75; 7) Metlakatla 72; 8) Thorne Bay 68; 9) Pelican 67; 10) Hydaburg 58.5; 11) Yakutat 55; 12) Hoonah 48; 13) Kake 42; 14) Skagway 15; 15) Klawock 7; 16) Gustavus 3

Championship Matches

106 — Darin Davis (Sitka) won by tech fall Marcus Martin (Craig) 15-1

112 — Tanner Thain (Craig) pinned Melissa Fisher (Mt. Edgecumbe) 1:50

120 — Willie Brand (Craig) pinned Jaymes Kelly (Mt. Edgecumbe) 1:51

126 — Jaren Sumauang (Sitka) pinned Tucker Thain (Craig) 2:47

132 — Will Patrick (Sitka) pinned Daniel Villasenor (Mt. Edgecumbe) 1:44

138 — Kurt Dingwall (Wrangell) dec. Kenny Thomsen (Haines) 3-0

145 — Tanner Thomassen (Wrangell) dec. Jake Licari (Sitka) 13-12

152 — Jimmy Thomsen (Haines) pinned Angelo Lerma (Kake) 5:20 )

160 — Anthony Minnillo (Thorne Bay) maj. dec. Quinton Hafendorfer (Pelican) 19-5

170 — Michael Matthew (Mt. Edgecumbe) dec. Mitchell Boord (Sitka) 3-2

182 — Shyler Johnson (Mt. Edgecumbe) maj. dec. Jay Balcom (Craig) 12-1

195 — Demetrius Milne (Metlakatla) pinned Gusty Akelkok (Mt. Edgecumbe) :39

220 — Paul Johanson (Mt. Edgecumbe) dec. Tristan Alexander (Metlakatla) 11-4

285 — Jaylin Prince (Mt. Edgecumbe) dec. Dakota Ekis (Yakutat) 9-4

Top six finishers

106 — 1) Darin Davis, Sitka; 2) Marcus Martin, Craig; 3) Quin Slayton, Thorne Bay; 4) Deirdre Creed, Mt. Edgecumbe; 5) Moses Jackson, Mt. Edgecumbe; 6) DJ Toyamura, Petersburg

112 — 1) Tanner Thain, Craig; 2) Melissa Fisher, Mt. Edgecumbe; 3) Kris Thornsteinson, Petersburg; 4) Extry Collins, Craig; 5) Robert Neilsen, Mt. Edgecumbe; 6) Trevor Creed, Mt. Edgecumbe

120 — 1) Willie Brand, Craig; 2) Jaymes Kelly, Mt. Edgecumbe; 3) Francis Charles, Hydaburg; 4) Tyler Burke, Petersburg; 5) Asia Prus, Petersburg; 6) Auna Springer, Mt. Edgecumbe

126 — 1) Jaren Sumauang, Sitka; 2) Tucker Thain, Craig; 3) Logan Turcott, Petersburg; 4) Kory Joe, Mt. Edgecumbe; 5) Corby Kasyulie, Mt. Edgecumbe; 6) Marie Friday, Mt. Edgecumbe

132 — 1) Will Patrick, Sitka; 2) Daniel Villasenor, Mt. Edgecumbe; 3) John Brooks, Petersburg; 4) Bret Martinsen, Petersburg; 5) Hunter Fitch, Craig; 6) Joseph Friday, Mt. Edgecumbe

138 — 1) Kurt Dingwall, Wrangell; 2) Kenny Thomasen, Haines; 3) John Davis, Sitka; 4) Caullen Taylor, Haines; 5) Luther Jensen, Thorne Bay; 6) Trevor Hafendorfer, Pelican

145 — 1) Tanner Thomassen, Wrangell; 2) Jake Licari, Sitka; 3) Joshua Kerstein, Haines; 4) Frank Hoogendorn, Mt. Edgecumbe; 5) Grant Akaran, Mt. Edgecumbe; 6) John Smith, Hoonah

152 — 1) Jimmy Thomsen, Haines; 2) Angelo Lerma, Kake; 3) Anthony Edenshaw, Hydaburg; 4) Jacob Taylor, Yakutat; 5) Danny Moore, Skagway; 6) Alex Slayton, Thorne Bay

160 — 1) Anthony Minnillo, Thorne Bay; 2) Quinton Hafendorfer, Pelican; 3) Nick Hughes, Hoonah; 4) Jeffrey Rooney, Wrangell; 5) Vance Gregory, Mt. Edgecumbe; 6) Chris Lerma, Kake

170 — 1) Michael Matthew, Mt. Edgecumbe; 2) Mitchell Boord, Sitka; 3) Devon Miller, Wrangell; 4) Carlton Hautala, Mt. Edgecumbe; 5) Cody Seaman, Petersburg; 6) Matt Atkinson, Metlakatla

182 — 1) Shyler Johnson, Mt. Edgecumbe; 2) Jay Balcom, Craig; 3) Chris Bean, Pelican; 4) Donald Edenshaw, Hydaburg; 5) Steven Barger, Wrangell; 6) David Sanders, Hoonah

195 — 1) Demetrius Milne, Metlakatla; 2) Gusty Akelkok, Mt. Edgecumbe; 3) Chris Journey, Mt. Edgecumbe; 4) Lorenzo Silva, Wrangell; 5) Jalen Vantrease, Kake; 6) Marcus Tuaau, Gustavus

220 — 1) Paul Johanson, Mt. Edgecumbe; 2) Tristan Alexander, Metlakatla; 3) Carl Phillips, Pelican; 4) Dalton Beattie, Yakutat; 5) Tommy Wilson, Yakutat; 6) Josh Stearns, Haines

285 — 1) Jaylin Prince, Mt. Edgecumbe; 2) Dakota Ekis, Yakutat; 3) Marty Vera, Metlakatla; 4) Daniel Kennedy, Klawock; 5) Dennis Dayton, Yakutat