Weekly sports highlights

By Megan Pacer • May 3, 2018 1:30 pm
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Photo by Monica Anderson Members of the Kachemak Swim Club pose after their competition in Anchorage last weekend. First row left to right: Cassidy Carroll, Daisy Walker; second row: Gunnar Pinsky, Annabelle Franciscone, Hannah Overdorf, Elsa Milne, Carly Nelson and Hazel Pearson; third row: Clayton Arndt, Adeline Berry, Alia Bales, Madison Story, Kaylin Anderson, Lucas Story, Jake Nelson and Ella Blanton-Yourkowski. McKenna Carlin and Luke Nelson, not pictured, also competed.
Photo by Monica Anderson Members of the Kachemak Swim Club pose after their competition in Anchorage last weekend. First row left to right: Cassidy Carroll, Daisy Walker; second row: Gunnar Pinsky, Annabelle Franciscone, Hannah Overdorf, Elsa Milne, Carly Nelson and Hazel Pearson; third row: Clayton Arndt, Adeline Berry, Alia Bales, Madison Story, Kaylin Anderson, Lucas Story, Jake Nelson and Ella Blanton-Yourkowski. McKenna Carlin and Luke Nelson, not pictured, also competed.

Upcoming events:

Soccer: The boys varsity soccer team will play Ketchikan at home starting at 6 p.m. Friday, and will play Kenai in an away game at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The girls team will also play Ketchikan at home on Friday, starting at 4 p.m. The girls will play Kenai on their field at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Track and Field: Homer’s track and field team will spend Friday and Saturday away for the Houston Invitational.

Softball: The softball team will play Kodiak High School in two games on Friday and two games on Saturday, in Kodiak. The team will return to the peninsula to play Kenai in a home game at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Baseball: The baseball team will play Houston in an away game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and Palmer in a 3 p.m. away game on Saturday. They’ll come back to the peninsula to face off against Soldotna at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

In review:

Swimming: The following is a write up from Kachemak Swim Club coach Thad Gunther detailing how members of the club did this past weekend at the Alaska Swimming Junior Olympic Championships:

“Seventeen of Kachemak Swim Club’s finest represented Homer this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the 2018 Alaska Swimming Junior Olympic Championships at Bartlett High School Pool in Anchorage.

“Our KSC Kings boys and girls placed ninth in the state with 583.5 combined points. Northern Lights Swim Club based in Anchorage took the team title for the second strait year, narrowly besting Glacier Swim Club from Juneau.

“KSC’s 10 years old and under swimmers traveled to (the championships) for the first time. This included Gunnar Pinsky swimming the 50 freestyle and placing fifth in the 50 breaststroke, Daisy Walker who glided to a best time in the 50 breastroke and Cassidy Carroll placed sixth in the 50 backstroke. Saturday, McKenna Carlin joined in on the action swimming three events, the 200 freestyle, 100 individual medley and a seventh place finish in the 100 backstroke. Walker dropped over 5 seconds in the 100 breastroke and Carroll logged a sixth place finish in the 200 freestyle, and also swam the 100 breastroke and 100 individual medley.

“Sunday, the final day of competition, brought out the best in Carlin, finishing seventh in the 50 butterfly. Carroll shocked onlookers moving up seven spots to a second place finish in the 100 freestyle with another personal record dropping over 5 seconds.

“The 11-12 girls scored over 100 points total in four relay events placing sixth in three relays and seventh in another. Relay members included Elsa Milne, Hazel Pearson, Annabelle Franciscone, Hannah Overdorf and Carly Nelson.

“Pearson stirred up the water in the 50 and 100 breastroke events. Milne swam the 100 freestyle, and in the 50 freestyle broke the 30 second barrier for the first time. Overdorf dropped a full second in the 50 freestyle. Franciscone gained valuable experience swimming the 50 and 100 backstroke, 100 breastroke and 100 individual medley. Placing eighth overall in her age group was Nelson, who swam a full meet schedule with seven individual events, finishing no less than seventh place in all events. This was highlighted with a third place in the 100 butterfly.

“KSC fielded two swimmers in the 11-12 boys events. Luke Nelson was the only KSC swimmer to compete in the 100 freestyle, this distance event is for the toughest of competitors, Luke shaved 11 seconds off his entry time and placed fifth. Lucas Story skimmed across the water all weekend setting personal records in all seven of his events. Most notably fourth in the 100 breastroke and dipping under one minute in the 100 freestyle.

“Ella Blanton-Yourkowski sprinted into eighth in the 13-14 girls 50 freestyle. Madison Story shaved time off of her own personal records in five of seven events, finishing all seven events between second and fourth place, and placing fourth overall in the 13-14 age group. She was the only KSC swimmer to enter the 400 individual medley, a true tests of endurance. Kaylin Anderson swam in six events and placed 16th in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, in a very competitive 13-14 age group.

“Jake Nelson continued to progress in his 200 butterfly placing sixth in the 15-18 age group with a time of 2:06.62. Clayton Ardnt capped off a great season; now he has his sights set on the Homer High School team record in the 100 freestyle as he enters his senior year next fall. Alia Bales is back in the pool and recharged, placing 10th in the 50 freestyle and solid showing in the 100 butterfly. Adeline Berry had the meet of her life, dropping time in five out of six events, capped off with a 2 second drop in the 100 fly with a time of 1:03.39.

“Kachemak Swim Club members will be next compete in the Shorebird Invite in Homer at the Kate Kuhns Aquatic Center May 12th in the final meet of the school year. For more information about KSC and Summer Swim Lessons, visit kachemakswim.org.”

Wrestling: Conrad Woodhead, president of the Anchor Kings Wrestling Club, has another recap of how the team did at a tournament in Wasilla last weekend:

“Brothers Blake and Wayne Newman traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, last weekend to try their luck at the 2018 Marines Regional Wrestling Tournament. In the Novice 75-80 pound Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco Tournaments, younger brother Blake went 5-6 for the week, garnering valuable experience and wrestling some of the top wrestlers from the Western United States. Older brother Wayne went 7-6 for the week, where his efforts led him to the podium in the Folkstyle Tournament, where he received a fourth place medal in the men’s 125-135 pound division.

“Alex Shae continues his diet of Wheaties and spinach, placing in his fifth consecutive tournament of the season in the Intermediate 70-71 pound division. Shae scored technical falls over Ezra Quinto of the Anchorage Freestyle Wrestling Club and Nathan Powell of the Soldotna Whalers Wrestling Club. While he lost to Kaine Kimbrell of the Chugach Eagles Wrestling Club (Fall 3:31), he came back strong in his last match of the day, scoring a fall (0:51) over Warren Smallwood of the Anchorage Youth Wrestling Club to solidify second place. Shae looks to turn some heads at the State Tournament this week.

“Also wrestling to a second place finish was CJ Burns. Burns beat Brady Crotts of the Avalanche Wrestling Association (Fall 1:14) and Braden Rhodes of the Tri-Valley Wrestling Club in a nail biter (8-7). Burns went on to lose to Soldotna Whalers Wrestler Collin Peck (Fall 0:46).

“A notable loss to the Kings for the State Tournament is Alysha Nyvall. A powerhouse in the Novice 70-75 pound division, Nyvall suffered a season ending injury last week during a live wrestling scrimmage with Homer’s Popeye Wrestling Club, where she dislocated and broke her left elbow. Nyvall, who eats nails for breakfast, was more upset about not being able to participate in the State Tournament this week than the injury itself. May she have a speedy recovery.

“Good luck to the Anchor Kings at the Alaska USA State Wrestling Tournament in Wasilla.”

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