Bears hit mats in Juneau
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TweetThe Glacier Bears wrestling team had several absences but notched a number of individual wins in a Juneau competition this weekend.
Sophomore Hayden Jimenez pinned two opponents but lost in the final.
Wrestlers from Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Mt Edgecumbe, Craig, Klawock, Juneau, Ketchikan and Haines gathered on the mats. It was the team’s second meet this season.
“This weekend was great. Almost everybody showed up in Southeast,” head coach Cosmo Fudge said. “(Haines) didn't have too strong of a showing, but the kids we brought did really well. We got a good look at all the competition around.”
Half of Fudge’s team missed out on the meet to participate in a trapshooting competition in Juneau. The remaining members used the opportunity to scope out the competition and strategize for the season.
Junior Leo Wald is currently second in the state in his weight class. Randy Churchill from Wrangell leads.
Jimenez, who weighs 103 pounds, wrestled the majority of his matches in the 112-pound weight class. He made it into the finals, winning all of his matches but one.
“In my first two matches I pinned the people and then my third match went the distance,” Jimenez said. “It was my first match that went all the way this year. It was tiring, but I needed that.”
Jimenez lost to Colton Cummins, a lifelong friend and opponent from Juneau. Jimenez has been trying to beat Cummins since fourth grade. Fudge said the fight is “far from over.”
“He doesn't have anything on him, he's just bigger than him and is highly skilled,” Fudge said. “It's hard to overcome.”
The Glacier Bears will be back in full force this weekend at a competition in Sitka. The team is “going in the right direction,” Fudge said.
“I wish we could report more success but we didn't have all of the team there,” Fudge said. “It was still really good to go down there and get a good look at everybody.”
