Slap me some skin!
Kodiak wrestlers off to state tourney after loose week of practice
Article published on Friday, February 4th, 2005
By JEFF BENZAK
Sports Writer
The Kodiak High School wrestling team utilized unorthodox training strategies in its last three practices prior to the state tournament at Chugiak, which begins today and runs through Saturday.
Dodgeball, for one. And the lesser-known, unique-to-Kodiak game of Russian Slap Tag, which the Bears played on Wednesday.
“What is Russian Slap Tag?” you ask. Good question.
Picture a shirtless (for the boys) and sadistic version of Duck, Duck, Goose, but the price of losing is considerably steeper ” a stinging red welt in the shape of a burly teenager’s hand set squarely into the middle of your back.
“I hate that game,” said KHS coach Pat Costello, who didn’t participate but is nonetheless obliged to perpetuate a tradition that was conceived before his dozen-year tenure at the helm of the Bears began.
Some things are sacred, and with the charged atmosphere of a state tournament bearing down on the team, the looser-than-normal practices were a way to relax and celebrate the end of more than three months of training.
But the real business begins today.
“At the state tournament, a lot of funny things happen,” Costello said. “Some guys choke and some guys wrestle out of their minds.”
One Kodiak grappler itching to get on the mat is Clifton Ivanoff, who, by the way, is one heck of Russian Slap Tag player. The senior spent the bulk of the season ranked No. 1 in the state in the 130-pound weight class. But he stumbled last weekend at the Region III tournament, finishing third after losing in a semifinal.
An injured ankle has slightly hindered Ivanoff, a three-time state place-winner who Costello said is wrestling at about 95 percent.
“Clifton’s probably our best chance (for an individual title),” Costello said. “He’s solid. He’s been to state for three years. He knows how to wrestle in big tournaments.”
The same can be said of senior Steve O’Brien, the Region III runner-up at 171. O’Brien lost to Wasilla’s Jake Wade by a 7-4 decision in the championship match.
Wade is undefeated this season in Alaska (he lost a few in Nevada), and he should help lead a Wasilla team that’s expected to cruise to its second consecutive state championship.
Still, O’Brien, who placed fourth at state in 2004 and is desperately trying to shake a cold, remains confident.
“He’s a tough kid, but I overestimated him,” O’Brien said, alluding to the meeting with Wade at regions. “I thought he was better than he was. He’s beatable.”
But Wasilla probably isn’t. Costello expects the Warriors to take first by “150 points, maybe more.”
The Warriors trumped runner-up Skyview in ’04 by 52 points, and at regions in ’05 they piled up 404, beating second-plcae Kodiak by 199.5.
Other formidable teams in the statewide picture include South Anchorage and Juneau-Douglas. Last weekend, South captured the first Region IV title in the history of the newly chartered school in any sport.
Kodiak’s finish at regions was a bit of a surprise. And with Skyview and Colony boasting some can’t-miss state champs (the Panthers’ Eli Hutcheson, for example), the tables might be turned on the Bears, who despite qualifying 15 wrestlers are fighting an uphill numbers game. (Sixteen points are awarded for a first-place individual, 12 for second, nine for third, and so on.)
Naturally, the stakes are higher at state, and O’Brien has honed some tactics that are effective in any weight class, not just his own 171.
“You can’t pull out any fancy moves on the top guys,” he said. “You’ve got to wrestle smart and stay in good position and capitalize on their mistakes. If they make a mistake, you’ve got to catch them on it.”
Kodiak sophomore Steven Gauna (119) knocked off Wasilla’s Danny Lyles last weekend by an 8-4 decision. Gauna is ranked third in the state in his weight class, and along with fellow underclassmen Jimmy Eggemeyer (103, freshman) and Lukas Fried (112, sophomore), he could find himself standing on a podium step come Saturday night.
“We hope that some of the young kids who go to state really get their eyes opened to what they might accomplish two, three years from now,” Costello said. “Sometimes they turn their juices on and surprise people.”
One KHS wrestler gaining momentum is junior Jared Sundberg, who at a lean 145 pounds, hopes to return to the form that vaulted him to a top-six finish at 112 in the 2003 tournament.
“If he has a really good day, he could place,” Costello said. “That would be phenomenal.”
Sundberg spent most of the season rehabilitating an injured shoulder.
The Watkins brothers, Ben (189) and Nick (215), have their own visions of a state medal, as does Malachi Peterson (160), who ended up fourth at regions.
Although the final team and individual places won’t be decided until Saturday, this much is certain: After this weekend, Ivanoff, O’Brien and Kenneth Hochmuth will never again compete in a high school wrestling tournament.
All three have been on the team since they were freshmen.
“The seniors who stayed with us for all four years are the ones who were good enough and hard-nosed enough to last,” Costello said. “It isn’t even about winning anymore. It’s that they’ve made it to this spot.”
Mirror writer Jeff Benzak can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].
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