Staff report

When the Homer High School Mariner wrestling team invited the community to Saturday’s “Fiesta Night,” the community showed up. Held at the Elks Lodge, the fundraiser featured a Mexican menu with all-you-can-eat tacos and a full assortment of desserts served by — and some of them made by — members of the wrestling team.

“The community came out strong and we are very grateful for the support,” said Head Coach Chris Perk.

A silent and call-out auction helped raise additional funds in addition to the dinner, and kept the action going. Games, baskets containing items from local businesses and homemade treasures were among the offerings. 

“Each team member was responsible for obtaining an item to auction,” said Perk. “We raised enough money to cover our travel expenses for the season.”

The combined efforts of the Elks Lodge, parents volunteering as cooks, parents and team members keeping tables clean, and the sponsorship of Apache also helped make the night a success.

“Highlights were Timmy Woo and Julian Richburg going for a very high price for two hours of manual labor, purchased by the girls volleyball team,” said Perk.

This weekend the wrestlers heads to Seward for a Team Dual Tourney.

“(We’re) expecting to get five matches in over the weekend,” said Perk. “We will be missing a couple of weight classes, but look solid from 120-182.”

Wrestling begins at 2:30 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.