VHS Wrestling @ ASAA State Wrestling Championships
Photo courtesy of Keristyn Weber
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – This past weekend Buccaneer wrestling brought 10 people to the ASAA state championships. Qualifying for this year’s state tournament was: Rylen Case, Jarrett Gage, Tristen Mayer, Eli Critchlow, Dalen Beck, Romen Weber, Warren Blood, Mckennan Mayer, AJ Tudela, and Carlie Vanbuskirk.
Leading the way for the Bucs were Sophomores Dalen Beck (152 lbs),Carlie Vanbuskirk (138lbs), and Junior Mckennan Mayer (171 lbs), all placing 4th. Carlie worked her way to semi finals where she would face Soldotna’s Daisy Hannevold, but dropped a back and forth battle via 2nd period pin. Mckennan also worked his way to the semis where he faced Wrangell’s Ethan Blatchley in an exciting bout, but lost in overtime during sudden victory. Dalen Beck had a long route to battle back and place, losing 1st round to Nome’s Duke McGuffey, Dalen was able to pick up a series of wins to come back and place.
Another notable mention was Freshman Tristen Mayer. During the first round Tristen faced #1 seed Russel Nyvall from Homer. Down by points in the 3rd, Tristen was able to hit the “twister” to put Nyvall on his back, almost securing the pin, this by far Nyvall’s toughest match of the tournament. Tristen then narrowly lost in the “blood round”, just falling short of placing as a Freshman.
This weekend’s wraps up our high school season this year, and I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the kids, parents, coaches, fans, teachers, and administration for supporting our program. It would not be possible for us to have the success we’ve had without you, thanks again and go Bucs! See you next year.
See below for all results.
103
Rylen Case (10-12) place is unknown and scored 4.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Rylen Case (Valdez High School) 10-12 won by fall over Tommy Jarnig (Seward High School) 16-14 (Fall 0:39)
- Quarterfinal – Young Erikson (Nome High School) 21-7 won by fall over Rylen Case (Valdez High School) 10-12 (Fall 2:59)
- Cons. Round 2 – Clay Martin (Dillingham High School) 8-7 won by fall over Rylen Case (Valdez High School) 10-12 (Fall 1:58)
125
Jarrett Gage (8-9) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Payton Metcalf (Redington Sr. Jr/Sr High School) 7-2 won by fall over Jarrett Gage (Valdez High School) 8-9 (Fall 0:58)
- Cons. Round 1 – Hayden Kearney (Redington Sr. Jr/Sr High School) 17-13 won by decision over Jarrett Gage (Valdez High School) 8-9 (Dec 4-3)
140
Tristen Mayer (5-2) place is unknown and scored 6.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Russell Nyvall (Homer High School Mariners) 24-4 won by major decision over Tristen Mayer (Valdez High School) 5-2 (MD 16-7)
- Cons. Round 1 – Tristen Mayer (Valdez High School) 5-2 won by fall over Ian Chayalkun (Chevak) 3-6 (Fall 1:38)
- Cons. Round 2 – Tristen Mayer (Valdez High School) 5-2 won by fall over Elias Decker (Wrangell Wolves) 10-11 (Fall 2:07)
- Cons. Round 3 – Jayden Stone (Glennallen High School) 17-9 won by decision over Tristen Mayer (Valdez High School) 5-2 (Dec 9-5)
140
Eli Critchlow (8-15) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Patricio Vasquez (Bethel High School) 23-16 won by fall over Eli Critchlow (Valdez High School) 8-15 (Fall 1:14)
- Cons. Round 1 – Shawn McIntyre (Bethel High School) 8-17 won by fall over Eli Critchlow (Valdez High School) 8-15 (Fall 3:42)
152
Dalen Beck (17-10) placed 4th and scored 17.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Duke McGuffey (Nome High School) 14-3 won by major decision over Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 (MD 10-1)
- Cons. Round 1 – Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 won by fall over Markus Anderson (Petersburg) 15-9 (Fall 2:53)
- Cons. Round 2 – Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 won by forfeit over Ty Newman (Susitna Valley Jr/Sr High School) 13-8 (For.)
- Cons. Round 3 – Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 won by decision over Ellis Johnson (Bethel High School) 24-15 (Dec 9-6)
- Cons. Semi – Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 won by injury default over Duke McGuffey (Nome High School) 14-3 (Inj. 0:00)
- 3rd Place Match – Wyatt Litster (Petersburg) 24-9 won by fall over Dalen Beck (Valdez High School) 17-10 (Fall 2:34)
152
Romen Weber (13-13) place is unknown and scored 1.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Leo Wald (Haines High School) 14-3 won by major decision over Romen Weber (Valdez High School) 13-13 (MD 16-6)
- Cons. Round 1 – Romen Weber (Valdez High School) 13-13 won in tie breaker – 1 over Pete Hill (Bristol Bay ) 11-10 (TB-1 5-4)
- Cons. Round 2 – Ellis Johnson (Bethel High School) 24-15 won by decision over Romen Weber (Valdez High School) 13-13 (Dec 3-1)
160
Warren Blood (9-12) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Adrien Kopanuk (Scammon Bay High School) 19-8 won by tech fall over Warren Blood (Valdez High School) 9-12 (TF-1.5 4:20 (22-7))
- Cons. Round 1 – Andy Peterson (Nome High School) 11-6 won by major decision over Warren Blood (Valdez High School) 9-12 (MD 15-2)
171
Mckennan Mayer (24-10) placed 4th and scored 17.5 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Mckennan Mayer (Valdez High School) 24-10 won by fall over Jaden Jorgensen (Nome High School) 19-10 (Fall 4:00)
- Quarterfinal – Mckennan Mayer (Valdez High School) 24-10 won by fall over Greg Larson (Napaskiak) 11-5 (Fall 2:52)
- Semifinal – Ethan Blatchley (Wrangell Wolves) 29-0 won in sudden victory – 1 over Mckennan Mayer (Valdez High School) 24-10 (SV-1 7-5)
- Cons. Semi – Mckennan Mayer (Valdez High School) 24-10 won by tech fall over Silas Ferguson (Sitka High School) 18-17 (TF-1.5 4:23 (19-3))
- 3rd Place Match – Donovan Koba (Delta) 25-5 won by decision over Mckennan Mayer (Valdez High School) 24-10 (Dec 8-5)
189
AJ Tudela (10-14) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Landon Burke (Bethel High School) 8-6 won by fall over AJ Tudela (Valdez High School) 10-14 (Fall 5:13)
- Cons. Round 1 – AJ Tudela (Valdez High School) 10-14 won by fall over Jacob Carmichael (Napaskiak) 6-7 (Fall 0:32)
- Cons. Round 2 – Gavin Stoddard (Grace Christian School) 17-17 won by decision over AJ Tudela (Valdez High School) 10-14 (Dec 13-11)
138G
Carlie VanBuskirk (24-8) placed 4th and scored 18.0 team points.
- Champ. Round 1 – Carlie VanBuskirk (Valdez High School) 24-8 won by fall over Rebecca Schmidt (Delta) 8-16 (Fall 3:07)
- Quarterfinal – Carlie VanBuskirk (Valdez High School) 24-8 won by fall over Nena Trout (Palmer High School) 23-15 (Fall 4:29)
- Semifinal – Daisy Hannevold (Soldotna) 29-3 won by fall over Carlie VanBuskirk (Valdez High School) 24-8 (Fall 3:11)
- Cons. Semi – Carlie VanBuskirk (Valdez High School) 24-8 won by fall over Bianca` Hart (Lathrop Wrestling) 32-17 (Fall 4:36)
- 3rd Place Match – Kiann Williams (Lathrop Wrestling) 19-3 won by tech fall over Carlie VanBuskirk (Valdez High School) 24-8 (TF-1.5 5:00 (15-0))
Girls Varsity Basketball
Valdez vs Cordova
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – As school let out for Christmas Break, the Valdez basketball teams got on the ferry Thursday night and headed to Cordova! The Valdez – Cordova basketball rivalry is back!
The Valdez girls have an experienced group of seniors in Carsyn Hinkle, Mya Christoffersen, Lily Brown, and Masen Holmes. They have been doing a great job in helping the 7 freshmen on the team to develop into their roles and adjust to the physical play of High School basketball.
Cordova fans were treated to 4 games Friday night as both schools had their first games of the season. The Girls Varsity team got out to a quick start in the first quarter by scoring 14 points and defensively holding Cordova to only 1 free throw. The girls did not let up in the second quarter outscoring Cordova 13 to 2. Defensive pressure made it tough for Cordova to run their offense in the second half, and the Valdez bench kept up the intensity on defense. The final score was 39-12. Valdez had very balanced scoring with Carsyn Hinkle with 8 points, Masen Holmes with 8 points, Lily Brown with 7 points, Destiny Day with 6 points, Mya Christoffersen with 4 points, Izzy Kizer with 4 points, and Lola Compehos with 2 points. It was a good first game for the girls and allowed them to get of the court and see what they could do this year.
On Saturday, the team goal was to run the offense more efficiently and maintain good defensive pressure on the ball. With first game jitter out of their system, the girls took control on the court. The final score was 48-9.
Mason Holmes had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Carsyn Hinkle had 14 points and 3 rebound, , Lily Brown had 7 points and 5 rebounds, Rylee Wade had 6 points and 2 rebounds, Destiny Day had 5 points, and Mya Christoffersen had 2 points.
Defense was a key for the girls this weekend. Masen Holmes completed the weekend with 13 steals, Mya Christoffersen with 12 steals, and Carsyn Hinkle with 11 steals. Freshman Destiny Day has stepped into the point guard role and had 9 assists for the weekend. This was a great way to start the 2022-23 season. Cordova is always a great place to play basketball! The hospitality of the community is the best in the State and it is nice to get back on the Cordova court for some High School basketball.
The girls next games will be home games on January 6 & 7 against a league opponent, Eielson!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all the Buc Fans.
Boys Varsity Basketball
VHS Varsity Boys Basketball Wrap-Up [December 16 & 17]
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – The 2022 – 2023 Buccaneer basketball season tipped off this past weekend as the Bucs took the hardwood against the cross-Sound foe Cordova Wolverines. Once a prominent in-conference rivalry, reclassification and conference realignments has dulled some of that luster since Cordova’s move to 2A prior to the 2015-2016 season.
No longer guaranteed to see their squads square off multiple times a season, the fan bases tend to turn out when the occasion does arise. Regardless of where the games are played. The last two games of the 2022 calendar year were no different, as Valdez supporters were plentiful. And they were not disappointed, as the Bucs absolutely dominated the weekend contests.
Friday, December 16th: Valdez 63, Cordova 25
The Bucs return 10 of 12 Varsity players from the 2021-2022 season that culminated in a 3rd place finish at the State Tournament. Expectations are high for the current season, both to build upon last year’s success and to play each game at a high caliber.
The Bucs did not start Friday’s game crisply, as they committed a few turnovers, missed some layup attempts, and allowed an easy basket to the Wolverines. After falling behind 2-0 early, however, the Bucs settled in and delivered an absolute thrashing the remainder of the half by going on a 45-4 run to enter the intermission with a 39-point advantage. The margin widened in the second half and resulted in a running clock for the remainder of the game as the Bucs cruised to a 63-25 win.
All 10 players that suited up for the Buccaneers logged playing time. Dillon Fowler and Tino Tucker led in the scoring column, with 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Saturday, December 17th: Valdez 63, Cordova 22
The game script on Saturday was eerily similar, as the Bucs again missed multiple scoring opportunities to open the game and then yielded a layup to the Wolverines to fall behind 2-0. Again the Bucs responded – scoring the next 25 points of the quarter and going on a first-half run of 38-4. The second half was abbreviated once more due to a running clock, as the Bucs salted away a 63-22 victory.
All 10 players again logged minutes for the Buccaneers. Bryce Tucker and Payton Gage led the team in scoring and were the only ones to score in double figures, netting 15 apiece.
Upcoming games:
The Bucs open Aurora Conference action on January 6th and 7th as they host the Eielson Ravens for a two-game homestand.
Girls JV Basketball
Valdez JV Girls vs. Cordova JV Girls
The JV Lady Buccaneers kicked off the start of their season with back-to-back wins against
Cordova!
We came out aggressive and ready to play. The girls are working hard and pushing themselves. ASAA limits athletes to 6 quarters a day, and with low program numbers of sub rotations are limited. The JV girls are playing full quarters, back-to-back and that takes a lot of mental toughness, and conditioning. We are a young team and this weekend I saw some really great things on the court. I look forward to their growth as individuals and as a team on and off the court this season!
Friday Night: 18 to 29
Saturday Night: 24 to 30