Weight shifts a winner for Wolverines

VAN WILLIAMS

November 05, 2008 at 12:19PM AKST

Weight classes in wrestling are designed to even the playing field, pitting two competitors that are roughly the same size. But all that changes when a wrestler moves to a different class.

Wrestle up and you’re likely to give up some strength. Move down and you’ll likely lose an edge in quickness. It’s tough either way.

Unless, that is, you are Jared Miller, Chuck Smeaton and J.J. Larson.

All three Dillingham High School wrestlers proved unbeatable wherever head coach John Johnson put them during last weekend’s annual Wolverine Classic. They highlighted a strong home showing by Dillingham as a whole.

“I hate singling anybody out because a lot of them did quite well,” Johnson said. “Jared Miller pretty much dominated at 103. And I moved him up and he wrestled at 112 and he just handled everyone there also.”

Miller wasn’t alone.

“J.J. Larson wrestled against Service’s top kids anywhere from 145, 152 to 160 and he beat them all. Chuck Smeaton also did the same,” Johnson said. “Those two stood right out.”

The same could be said for many other Dillingham wrestlers. The Wolverines flexed their muscles before the home crowd and showed why they have placed first or second at every Alaska Class 1-2-3A state tournament since 2004.  

It seems like the Wolverines are always hovering around the winner’s circle – this was no different.

“Our boys stepped right up and performed quite well. I was very happy with the turnout and how they performed,” said Johnson, who has coached at Dillingham on and off since 1992. “We obviously have a lot to do to put us in any kind of contention, but I’m pleased with the way it turned out.”

The Wolverine Classic isn’t a typical tournament with a double-elimination format featuring a championship bracket and consolation bracket. Instead, Johnson and Co. threw all 150 wrestlers into groups and mixed and matched weight classes to set up unconventional matchups.

“We don’t really keep team scores. One of the reasons why I don’t do that is because there are so many small villages that come,” Johnson said. “I try not to wrestle our own boys against each other – that’s one of the reasons I don’t use a (traditional) tournament.

“We put ‘em all in and moved ‘em up and down depending on (talent and experience), trying to get them good matches or somebody a win. There’s no real winner or loser … hopefully.”

The two-day tournament featured teams from all over Alaska, stretching from Hooper Bay to Anchorage. Alaska’s largest city was represented by Class 4A power Service, which recently won the large-school state football championship. The wrestling program is one of most successful in the history of Alaska.

But the big-city Cougars didn’t stand a chance against the hometown Wolverines.

“We did excellent against them. We probably beat them 70 percent of the time,” Johnson said proudly.

Overall, Johnson said this year’s Wolverine Classic was one of the best ever. The Wolverines did well, most of the wrestlers had a good time and everybody (except Hooper Bay) got out of town Saturday night.  

“It went off exceptionally well. We had a good crowd (Friday) even though it was Halloween,” Johnson said. “The big thing is we can’t do it without the support of our parents, which has been a big factor in this program. They were right there and doing everything again and supporting everything we do.”

Here is a list of other Dillingham wrestlers Coach Johnson said stood out at the Wolverine Classic:

103 – Dennis Wilson. “He did well. He won quite a few matches.”

119 – Alvin Petla. “He won most of his matches. He did well.”

125 -- Cody Miller. “He has been having health problems. We just got him back out there and he wrestled real well.”

140 -- Reed Tennyson. “He won all his matches and looked exceptionally well.”

145 -- Mike Bennett. “He’s probably wrestled more already this senior year than he has the last three years.”

189 -- Quinton Backford. “He’s been a standout.”

Van Williams can be reached at 907-348-2452 or 800-770-9830, ext. 452.