Youth Sports

By JIM STEARNS

Three Homer wrestlers went down to the Western Regional Competition in Pocatello, Idaho, last week with the following results.

1. Eight-year-old Gigi Leonetti and 11-year-old Brooke Shafer race each other to the finish line of the Spit Run 10K.

Twenty-four swimmers from the Kachemak Swim Club (KSC) converged upon the Bartlett High School pool last weekend in Anchorage for the Alaska Swimming Junior Olympics championship meet.

There is a movement happening in Anchor Point involving the sport of wrestling. With strong wrestling roots, the Anchor Kings Wrestling Club reestablished itself three years ago in a grass roots effort to be an all-inclusive, kid focused, program where wrestling is secondary to providing a healthy, character-building activity for anyone who wants to put in the time. In a community where names like Poindexter, Neland, and Roderick are synonymous with wrestling excellence, they are quickly being accompanied by names like Newman, Wells, and Nyvall. The result of the effort to reestablish wrestling in Anchor Point? A state championship at this past weekend’s USA Wrestling State Championship in Wasilla.

By Storm Cavasos

Community Recreation Schedule

All-NSC hockey team released

Homer Winter Carnival

The Kachemak Swim Club Kings hosted their annual End of the Road invite at the Kate Kuhns Aquatic Center Feb. 10-11. Notching first place finishes for the Kings were Luke Nelson (4), Madison Story (4), Carly Nelson (3), Lauren Kuhns (3), Elsa Milne (3), Hazel Pearson (3), Abigail George (3), Kate Moseley (3), Timmy Cissney (3), Clayton Arndt (2), Kira Milne (2), Ella Blanton-Yourkowski (2), Jai Badajos (2), Lia Jacobsen (2), Wynne Reed (2), Brady Coppo (2), Makayla Sarsfield (2), and one each for Adeline Berry, Luke Nollar, Kaylin Anderson, Faith Overson, Nathan Overson, Skyler Rodriguez and Hartley Miller.

Morris News Service - Alaska

The Kachemak Swim Club (KSC) Kings sent 54 swimmers to Kenai to participate in the Snowball Invitational swim meet hosted by the Peninsula Piranha’s swim team on Jan. 13-14.

The Homer wrestling team took ninth place Saturday at The Gut Check in Washington. The tournament, in its fourth year, features teams from Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Homer was ninth with 111.5 points, while Toppenish (Washington) won with 173 points.

Jared Brant led Homer by making it all the way to the finals at 138 pounds before losing 6-2 to Josh Franich of Puyallup, Wash.

Timmy Woo picked up a third place at 160 pounds by defeating Izaiah Duran of Battle Ground, Wash, 3-1.

Wayne Newman, Luciano Fasulo and Tristen Cook took fifth place for Homer.

Homer’s U12 Pee Wee hockey team’s hard work has been paying off, as the team is currently 8-0-1 and has won three tournaments during the 2016-17 season. The Pee Wee team took first place at the Peninsula Power Play tournament in Kenai, Turkey Shootout in Anchorage, and Big Lake Hard Ice Classic in Wasilla.

Coach Steve Nevak and assistant coach Matt Stineff credit the group of highly skilled players and the excellent coaching staff at all levels of Homer youth hockey, whose home base is Kevin Bell Arena on the Spit.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS RESULTS

Upcoming events

Homer High School

Cross-country ski’s next meet is the Valley Invite in Palmer on Jan. 13-14.

Girls and boys basketball will play at home against Houston on Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and against Joe Redington Jr./Sr. High on Jan. 14 at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Hockey plays a block of home games on Jan. 12-14. The Mariners will play Palmer on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m., Colony on Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. and Wasilla on Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.

Homer Middle School’s boys and girls teams swept the borough championships for the first time in Husky history over the Dec. 17 weekend in Seward.

The win for the girls came after a five or six year wait — the last time they picked up a borough championship was when 2016 Homer High School graduate Kayla Stafford was on the team, said HMS girls basketball head coach Zach Kudla. The school does not know if the boys have ever won a borough championship.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS RESULTS

Upcoming events

Homer High School

Cross-country ski’s next meet is the Valley Invite in Palmer on Jan. 13-14.

Girls and boys basketball travels to Seward on Dec. 22. Girls varsity plays at 4 p.m. and boys varsity plays at 5:30 p.m. After winter break, the girls and boys will play at home against Houston on Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and against Joe Redington Jr./Sr. High on Jan. 14 at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

As soon as Homer High School sophomore Luciano Fasulo walked off the mat following his 126-pound state championship victory at the Class 1-2-3A wrestling championships, he beelined for one place. The stands.

It was at the front row of the bleachers of the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage that Fasulo embraced his family — his parents and sister — in an emotional hug. He had just won his first state wrestling title, which capped off a perfect 45-0 season, and the moment was too much for him to hold in the tears.

Upcoming events

Homer High School

Cross-country ski travels to Soldotna for the Sohi Invite at Tsalteshi Trails Dec. 16 at 2 p.m.

Girls basketball starts the season off at the Kenai River Classic Dec. 15-17.

Boys basketball starts the season off at the Sohi Tip Off Dec. 15-17.

Hockey plays Kenai Central High at Kevin Bell Arena Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

Though official practice for the Mariner boys and girls basketball season began about two weeks ago, both teams haven’t spent much time off the court this year. Both teams play their first games of the season Dec. 15-17. The boys will play at the Soldotna High Tip Off while the girls compete at the Kenai Classic Tournament.