by Tommy Wells
The Bethel Regional High School Warriors traveled to Wasilla this past weekend to wrestle at the Lancer Smith Memorial tournament, a combined tournament of large and small schools.
The Warriors, backed by a first-place performance in the 160-pound weight classification by Hayden Lieb, rolled up 97.5 points in the meet and finished as the highest-scoring Division II team in the 39-team field. Overall, Bethel’s total was good enough for fifth in the team standings, trailing only South Anchorage, Colony, Lathrop and Wasilla.
Lieb ran his season record to a sparkling 23-0 mark in the 160-pound classification by grinding out a 4-0 record in the two days of the event. The BRHS standout opened the tournament with a win over Palmer’s Preston Long. From there, he rolled to an easy 8-0 decision over Lathrop’s Nathan Kisgen in the quarterfinals. After defeating Grace Christian’s Gabe Martin by a 3-0 score in the semifinals, he finished off his title run with a thrilling overtime victory over South Anchorage’s Spencer Martin.
Landon Smith also picked up a medal for the Warriors, who competed with just eight grapplers in the varsity division. Smith wrestled his way to a 4-1 record and a third-place mark in the 103-pound division. He improved to 31-4 with a win over East Anchorage High School’s Benjamin Pope in the third-place match.
Ryan Smith and Joseph Smith held their own, as well. Ryan was fifth in the 285-pound division with a 2-2 record. Joseph placed sixth in the 112-pound ranks with a 3-3 mark.
Elijah Lindley also did well on the mat. He picked up three wins over the weekend.
Daniel Chakuchin, Jamin Crow and Jarvis Evans also notched wins.
Shaun Peter medaled for the Bethel junior varsity, taking third in the 189-pound classification. He worked his way to a 5-1 record, including a 7-5 decision over West Anchorage’s Onosai Vaafuti in the third-place contest.
Eddy Jimmy and Kyle Valadez both posted 2-2 records in their classifications.
Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament
Boys Division Final Results
1. South Anchorage 268.0; 2. Colony 219.5; 3. Lathrop 183.0; 4. Wasilla 139.0; 5. Bethel 97.5; 6. Palmer 83.0; 7. Soldotna 80.0; 8. Ketchikan 76.0; 9. Unalaska 66.5; 10. North Pole 63.5; 11. West Anchorage 57.0; 12. Dillingham 56.0; 13. Grace Christian 54.0; 14. Kodiak 53.5; 15. West Valley 50.5; 16. Glennallen 45.0; 17. Homer 42.5; 18. East Anchorage 40.5; 19. Chugiak 39.0; 20. Thunder Mountain 37.0; 21. Voznesenka 35.0; 22. Kotzebue 32.5; 23. Service 32.0; 24. Nikiski 21.0; 25. Dimond 19.0; 25. Gambell 19.0; 27. Eielson 18.0; 28. Barrow 16.0; 29. Eagle River 14.0; 30. Bartlett 11.0; 31. Valdez 10.0; 32. Galena 8.0; 32. Redington 8.0; 34. Bristol Bay 7.0; 35. Houston 6.0; 35. Susitna Valley 6.0; 37. Anchorage Christian 3.0; 37. Glacier View 3.0; 39. Cordova 0.0; 39. Hutchison 0.0; 39. Nome 0.0; 39. Stebbins 0.0; 39. Unalakleet 0.0.