Led by a three-time champ, North Pole girls claim state wrestling championship

Led by Elizabeth Schumaker’s third straight individual championship, the North Pole Patriots captured the girls team title Saturday at the state wrestling championships.

Schumaker, a junior, won the 112-pound weight class during the championship round at the Alaska Airlines Center by defeating Ashley Andrew of Eagle River, 9-4.

Schumaker is on track to become the third Alaska girl to win four state titles -- she won the 119-pound state title a year ago and was the 113-pound state champ in the 2017-18 season.

She helped North Pole pile up 112 points to hold off Lathrop, which finished second with 98 points and a champion at 135 pounds in Danielle Johnson. Homer was third with 76 points.

The Patriots are the first girls team other than Mt. Edgecumbe to take home a state wrestling championship in the three years that Alaska has crowned a girls team champion. Mt. Edgecumbe placed seventh this year.

[Team of the decade? Consider the Bethel Warriors wrestling squad]

[Hayden Lieb becomes 14th Alaska boy to win 4 state titles]

Schumaker was one of two wrestlers to repeat as an individual champion. Debranna Bealer, an Eielson sophomore, won her second straight title at 235 pounds.

Homer and Soldotna each celebrated two individual champs – Sadie Blake (125 pounds) and Rayana Vigil (189 pounds) for Homer, and Trinity Donovan (145 pounds) and Amanda Wylie (160 pounds) for Soldotna. Donovan secured her title with a 3-2 decision over Emily Bellant, the only other North Pole girl who made the finals.

The Patriots boasted one third-place finisher, Janice Dykes at 125, and one fourth-place finisher, Dakota Darby at 130.

[A good night for Knights and South’s Aedyn Concepcion at Division I wrestling meet]

Other girls to take home individual crowns were Colony’s Thresa Savo (103), Wrangell’s Liana Carney (119), Ketchikan’s Hayley Gilson (130) and Lathrop’s Danielle Johnson (135).

This story was updated to correct the spelling of Elizabeth Schumaker’s name.

ASAA/First National Bank state wrestling championships

Team scores

1) North Pole 112, 2) Lathrop 98, 3) Homer 76, 4) Bethel 67.5, 5) Kodiak 67, 6) Ketchikan 61, 7) Mt. Edgecumbe 57, 8) Soldotna 55.5, 9) East 51.5, 10) Dillingham 51, 11) Wrangell 45, 12) Colony 34, 13) Petersburg 33, 14) tie, Scammon Bay, West and Palmer 31, 17) Eagle River 29, 18) South 25, 19) tie, Newhalen, Nome and Eielson 24, 22) Brevig Mission 23, 23) Chevak 22.5, 24) Cordova 21.5, 25) Unalakleet 18, 26) tie, Redington and Valdez, 17, 28) Unalaska 14, 29) Bartlett 12, 30) Hutchinson 11, 31) Kotzebue 10, 32) Wasilla 8, 33) tie, West Valley and Metlakatla 7, 35) Alakanuk 6, 36) tie, Service, Seward and Barrow 4, 39) tie, Nunapitchuk, Stebbins and Bristol Bay 3, 42) Selawik 2.

1st-place matches

103 -- Thresa Savo (Colony) s.v. Jamiezon Garcia (East), 6-4.

112 -- Elizabeth Schumaker (North Pole) d. Ashley Andrews (Eagle River), 9-4.

119 -- Liana Carney (Wrangell) p. Autumn Poland (Lathrop), 2:52.

125 -- Sadie Blake (Homer) d. Ada Odden (Ketchikan), 8-3.

130 -- Hayley Gilson (Ketchikan) d. Aileen Lester (Newhalen), 4-3.

135 -- Danielle Johnson (Lathrop) d. Emily Lorring (Kodiak), 5-3.

145 -- Trinity Donovan (Soldotna) d. Emily Bellant (North Pole), 3-2.

160 -- Amanda Wylie (Soldotna) p. Alaina Pete (Brevig Mission), 5:27.

189 -- Rayana Vigil (Homer) p. Kiley Clouse (Dillingham), 3:22.

235 -- Debranna Bealer (Eielson) d. Maggie Miller (Mt. Edgecumbe), 1-0.

3rd-place matches

103 - Kaylana Keith (Lathrop) p. Michelle Atcherian (Chevak) 2:59.

112 -- Trinity Pendergrass (Palmer) s.v. Natallie Tobuk (Nome) 7-5.

119 -- Olivia Troxell (Kodiak) p. Tatiana Green (East) 2:48.

125 -- Janice Dykes (North Pole ) d. Ruby Massin (Petersburg) 14-7.

130 -- Maysa Brown (Mt. Edgecumbe) d. Dakota Darby (North Pole) 7-6.

135 -- Lindsey Beans-Polk (Bethel) p. Jamie Early (Wrangell) 2:06.

145 -- Rebecca Samuelson (Bethel) s.v. Desarae Matheny (Lathrop) 5-3.

160 -- Hanna Finley (Kodiak) d. Dakota Magnuson (Mt. Edgecumbe) 7-4.

189 -- Jayleen Sekona (South) p. Lexi Ivanoff (Unalakleet) 2:57.

235 -- Jana Allen (Valdez) d. Megan Parrish (North Pole) 4-1 (tiebreaker).

5th-place matches

103 -- Deirdre Toyomura (Petersburg) p. Cadence Cedars (Bethel) 1:55.

112 -- Carson Adams (West) d. Jean Krause (Dillingham) 14-7.

119 -- Macara Kobernuss (North Pole) p. Ruby McCue (Ketchikan) 4:37.

125 -- Anika Witsoe (Cordova) p. Kaitlynne Rice (Hutchinson) 3:41.

130 -- Theresa Meatas (East) s.v. Jaron Mute (Bethel) 3-1.

135 -- Reagan Finkenbinder (Dillingham) won by forfeit over Rachel Kaganek (Scammon Bay).

145 -- Jakira Starks (Bartlett) d. Trinity Hopkins (Wasilla) 3-1.

160 -- Halle Savage (Unalaska) d. Twyla Anderstrom (Redington) 7-5.

189 -- Thereisa Vaafuti (West) 8-4 won by forfeit over Shyanne Kopanuk (Scammon Bay) 6-5.

235 -- Alizae Brown (Palmer) d. Jacquelune DeMers (Eagle River) 6-5.