Bear wrestlers take second at regionals
Article published on Monday, January 30th, 2006
By NICK SANDIN
Special to the Mirror
As expected, the two-time defending state champs from Wasilla rolled to
victory at the Northern Light Conference regional championships and right
behind them were those Kodiak Bears.
A golden finish by junior Ben Watkins in the 215-pound class, Kodiak scored
256.5 team points beating out Colony by 19 to claim second place. Watkins
defeated Nick Hann of Skyview 12-4 in the championship match Saturday at
Palmer High School.
Kodiak's Steven Guanna walked away, literally, with the Bears other
individual champion title in a forfeit win over teammate Lucas Fried in the
125-pound division. Kodiak had four wrestlers with second-place finishes,
including Fried. Jimmy Eggemeyer lost a close battle to Wasilla's Alan
Bartelli 3-2 in the 112 title match. Mike Trudeau, also of Wasilla, won over
Kodiak senior Jared Sundberg 8-4 in their title fight at 152 and the Bears'
Aaron Nevin lost the 171 crown to Cody Dishon. Colony's Dishon was
co-awarded the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for the tournament, an honor
that he shared with 103 pound winner Michaela Hutchison of Skyview, the
first NLC/Region III female champion ever. Hutchison is the sister of
three-time state champ Eli Hutchison who won the 135 class Saturday, upping
his record to 189-0 in Alaska high school wrestling.
Kodiak also claimed five fourth-place finishers; Tuck VanMetre (103), Marlon
Branson (140), Al Cratty (160), and heavyweight Nick Watkins.
Final Team Scores: 1. Wasilla, 437; 2. Kodiak, 256.5; 3. Colony, 237.5; 4.
Skyview, 224; 5. Kenai, 107; 6. Palmer, 66.5; 7. Homer, 60; and 8. Soldotna,
56.5.
Due to volcanic ash the team was stuck on the Mainland and coach Pat
Costello was unavailable for comment.
A hush falls over the gym. All eyes are on the two of them as they stand there, staring each other down. There's a quick handshake and then they begin to dance around the mat, touching each other ever so slightly at first, circling faster and faster, looking for precisely the right instant to engage.
Suddenly, they find it. And the next thing you know they're down on the mat, grappling with all their might, one against the other, arms pushing legs pumping bodies pressing into a human tangle as they jockey for position, looking for an edge. Any edge at all.
At the moment, the one in blue, the wrestler from Somerset High, is on top. But they push and they pull and they rock and they roll and now she's on the bottom. That's right. SHE.
Meet Katie Bruce, sophomore at Somerset High. She's petite, pretty, blonde and, yes, a varsity wrestler weighing in at 103.
When Katie first mentioned trying out for the wrestling team, her mother, Vicki, didn't pay much attention. "I thought it would blow over," she says from her perch on the stands. But it didn't. "Katie's the kind of kid who once she puts her mind to something, nothing's going to stop her. Not even vomiting in the trash can at practice."
The three team co-captains confirm that practices are grueling indeed. They tell me a story about a guy who had been to boot camp and then wound up on the wrestling team. Which was harder? Definitely the practices.
I suspect I don't need to ask how they feel about having a girl on their team after watching them all yelling "GO, KATIE, GO!" from the sidelines. But what's it like to go to the mat and find that a girl is your opponent?
"Well, it's different," says Chris Bell, the only one of the co-captains who's squared off with a girl in competition. "Yeah, you're more careful how you handle her. At least, at first. But believe me, you don't want to lose."
(According to the National Federation of State High School Associations' 38 girls wrestled for Massachusetts high school teams during the 2003-2004 school year and 15 girls were on Rhode Island teams.)
Appolon Skarpos, another co-captain, says they think of the Somerset team as a family. "Katie's like a little sister. We look out for her. It's fun."
Coach Nick Peachy tells me Katie's presence has raised the level of civility on the team. He wouldn't go as far as to encourage girls to try out, but once they're there, if they can do it, he'll work with them to bring out their best.
Which I understand is precisely what he's been doing for Somerset grapplers since 1988 when he started the wrestling club which, a few years later, evolved into the team. To prepare for a sport that Peachy describes as more physically and psychologically demanding than any other, it should come as no surprise that practices are challenging. "This way, when they're in a match, their intuition and muscle memory will take over."
And right about now, I'll bet that's what Katie's dad, Keith, is hoping will happen. "My girl, the wrestler," he says with a shrug and a smile. When dad heard about Katie's plan to wrestle, he had two things to say to her: that the training would be harder than that of any other sport she's ever played; anand that the matches would be intensely personal.
From what I can see of Katie and her opponent rolling around in front of us, he was right. With a twist and a turn, she's muscling her way back in control. She's got him on his back. Pinned against the mat. One,two,and then, just as suddenly as it began, it's over.
A victory for Katie. A victory for her team. And, I'd like to think, a victory for all the girls who go to the mat for what they want, for what they believe in, for what they aspire to, despite the excruciatingly hard work, the obstacles in front of them and the odds stacked against them.
HIGHTSTOWN - Brandy Price picked up her seventh win of the season yesterday for Northern Burlington's wrestling team.
The reaction from the crowd, however, as the junior 112-pounder nearly decked John Aponte in the third period of her 11-6 win might suggest that Price's success is still a novelty to some.
Jule Dolci, the Greyhounds head coach, is pretty sure that is about to change.
"Yes, the crowd is really behind her," said Dolci after his team handed host Hightstown a 41-19 setback, "but I think that our fans are starting to expect it and think that she is going to continue to wrestle well."
Kristian Morris and Brian Perry had key decisions at 189 and 215 pounds for Times' No. 1 Northern Burlington, but it was Price's win - which came when she used a pair of reversals and took Aponte to his back twice in the third period - that clinched its ninth win in 12 matches.
Having her hand raised in the center of the mat isn't anything new for Price, who has been wrestling since she was nine years old.
Most recently, she won state girls' wrestling championships at 114 pounds in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and placed 10th at the national tournament last season.
"My dad's side of the family is all wrestlers," said Price. "I saw my cousin wrestling and I liked it. I'm the only girl that does it. I've always been a wrestler."
She is treated as one, too.
"I tell her how it is just like anyone else," said Dolci. "She's our 112-pounder and she knows she's as responsible as (Chris) McMullen, (Geoff) Bauma or (Steve) Makuka.
"But she's dealt with pressure for a while now," he added. "I feel bad for those girls she's going to face at states and nationals."
Price, who is ranked eighth among girls in the nation at 114 pounds, is hopeful to make some noise at the District 25 Tournament next month.
Yesterday's win should help with seeding for that tournament, though Price (7-10 record) already has plenty of reason to smile about the season so far.
"It's been awesome," she said. "This has been a great experience. The guys have been so supportive and I have so much respect for them and my coaches. Everyone has been great."
-- -- --
Price and Phil Bowen closed out the match with wins for the final margin, but it could have been much closer.
Greg Merritt photo
Mandy Barnes of Northampton battles against Northumberland's Dawson Stor. Barnes pinned Stor in the 119-pound class.
Girls wrestlers wrap successful tourney ; HIGH SCHOOLS -
WRESTLING; [METRO
FINAL Edition]
Melody Gutierrez Bee Staff Writer. The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, Calif.:
Jan 22, 2006. pg. C.7
The mats are folded and packed away. The winners of 14 weight divisions have
been crowned. But the lasting impact of the first CIF Girls Regional
Wrestling Tournament has been made.
"This is historical," said Marie Ishida, the executive director of the
California Interscholastic Federation, after handing out medals to the top
eight finishers in each division. "I think if things continue to go as well
as they did here, we are going to have a girls state championship in a few
years."
With about 500 girls wrestlers from throughout the state competing in two
regional tournaments, including the Northern California event at Whitney
High School in Rocklin, Ishida said she is pleased with how the first
CIF-sponsored tournament turned out.
"It went extremely well," she said. "There was a great crowd."
And there was plenty of cheering for freshman Marly Stubbs of Rocklin High,
who entered the tournament seeded No. 19. She pinned her opponent, No. 5
Krystalle Alcantara of Hogan, for the win in the 103-pound division.
"I'm thrilled, but I'm not surprised," said Stubbs' older brother Jeremy, a
junior on Rocklin's wrestling team. "I see what she does every day, and I
expected it."
Stubbs is the only girl on the Rocklin wrestling team and competes against
boys and girls, holding a 10-9 record this season. She is 8-0 against girls.
"The team rallies around Marly," said Grant Depue, an assistant wrestling
coach at Rocklin.
Stubbs started wrestling in middle school after watching her brother
compete. She said she found wrestling more challenging than other sports.
She climbed the brackets including 24 wrestlers in her weight class to
become the regional champion. It was a close match against Alcantara, who
had more points and managed to get Stubbs on her back before Stubbs
maneuvered the pin.
Sophomore Rachel Gomez of River City won the 165-pound division against
Deana Lax of Liberty High.
"This is pretty cool," Gomez said. "We've never been to a tournament this
big. They pulled it together well."
As the only girl on the River City team, Gomez said she has learned a lot
from competing against boys.
"It helps to learn to handle the brute strength the guys throw at you," she
said.
Nine of the 14 divisions had the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the championship,
with the No. 2 seed winning five times. Vallejo High had the most wrestlers
reach the finals with three, including Monica Gonzalez, who won the
154-pound division.
No. 1 seed Lauren Philipps of Napa defeated No. 2 Lauren Knight of Vallejo
in the 138-pound division, and Marina Piccolotti of Terra Nova took the
146-pound division with a win over Vallejo's Angie Miller.
"I thought this tournament was a breakthrough for girls wrestling," said
Philipps, who was ranked third in the state last year. "I'm glad I got to be
a part of it."
Kimberly Solheim hates the question. But it follows her
everywhere she goes.
In class. At home.
Everywhere.
"Why do you wrestle?"
She always has an answer ready.
"I say the same thing to anyone that asks me," said Solheim, a Newtown High
junior. "It's the same reason that any guy wrestles. I love the sport. I've
always been drawn to it. I love the competition. I love the mental aspect of
it. It's a lot of fun. I just enjoy wrestling."
It's not that unusual anymore for a girl to be on a high school wrestling
team. Female wrestlers have been popping up all over the state in recent
years. One example: Danbury High's Susie Levitt who has been a great leader
for the Hatters for the past three seasons.
Solheim, however, stands out in that she has wins on the varsity level. Her
goal coming into the season was to register "a handful" of wins. She met her
goal, winning six matches and losing 15.
Wrestling at 103 pounds, Solheim will never have the strength of a male. She
admits that. But Solheim is so competitive, so quick, and so smart that she
compensates for her lack of brute strength.
She's very technically sound and those skills have made her an important
member of the Newtown High Nighthawks attack. All of this, and she just took
up the sport last year.
"It was hard being a part of the team last year," Solheim said. "Sometimes
people gave me a hard time with it. As time went on, it got better for me.
It didn't faze people as much and they started to treat me differently. It
got a lot better. I think a lot of it had to do with me starting to win.
Last year, was horrible for me. My only wins came against other girls."
Solheim, as a teenager, has enough stories to last a lifetime.
She remembers telling her mother, Janis, that she wanted to wrestle. "She
asked me if I was crazy," Solheim said. "But my parents were always great
with it. They never forced me to do anything. I played just about every
sport growing up."
Solheim also recalls beating a male competitor in an early season
tournament. "The kid went crazy," Solheim said. "He started throwing things
and beating on the mat. He totally lost his cool. They docked his team a
point. It was a great moment for me."
Solheim is more than just a wrestler. She comes from an athletic family -
her three sisters are cheerleaders. Solheim also plays lacrosse and field
hockey.
She also ranks 22nd out of 382 Newtown High juniors academically, and she's
involved in many student groups. "I don't sleep during the week," Solheim
said. "I try to make up for it on the weekends."
-------------------------------