Sister-to-sister coaching connection among top storylines for Alaska girls state wrestling championship

Jahzara and Nyah O’Neil fell in love with wrestling six years ago after trying it on a whim that wasn’t really much of a choice.

“The coach of the (wrestling) club, we were staying at his house for awhile because our parents were out of town and he was like ‘Oh I have to be at wrestling so y’all are coming with me,’ so we started doing it,” Nyah said.

Neither could recall when they actually developed a passion for wrestling but they weren’t allowed to quit something they started so they stuck with it and grew to love it.

“We just kept going and kept going and then kept going and then were like ‘Oh we love this and we’re going to keep going,’ ” Jahzara said.

This time last year, Jahzara O’Neil capped off her senior season at Dimond High School by claiming her lone career individual state title at 152-pounds.

With the 2024 ASAA state wrestling tournament set to start Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center and wrap up on Saturday night, Jahzara O’Neil will be trying to help her younger sister achieve the same accomplishment after rejoining the Lynx post-graduation as a member of the coaching staff this season.

“I did kind of tell her to stay away from me in the (wrestling room) a little bit,” Nyah said. “She can say some stuff but she is not always in my corner.”

Jahzara laughingly said that while she might not always be in her sister’s corner of the wrestling room giving her instruction during practice, she reiterated that she is always in her corner from a supportive point of view.

“I’m really glad that I can watch her and not have to be wrestling,” she said.

Even though they’re siblings and started the sport together, they don’t like sparring with each other in the wrestling room. When asked if they were drilling partners, they both exclaimed “No!”

“We try to stay away from each other,” Jahzara said. “I stay away from her because she has a hard head.”

Another reason they don’t wrestle against each other is the weight difference between them with Nyah weighing over 30 pounds less than the weight her sister won state at last year.

Last weekend, Nyah won the Region IV title at 120 pounds.

Nyah, a junior, finished sixth at last year’s state tournament and third as a freshman in 2022. She is motivated to make the third time a charm after watching her big sister reach the top of the podium as a senior last year.

“It was so awesome and it motivates me a lot because I took third my freshman year and she didn’t place (her) freshman year so it’s kind of a little competition,” she said.

Jahzara interjected to correct her and say that she actually came in sixth place as a freshman which she admitted was still low and nothing to brag about.

“I have to equal her this year and I have to equal her next year so I got to be first (place) next year at least,” Nyah said.

Even though her older sister placed second as a junior, Nyah is gunning for the top spot this year.

“I’ve got to make it all the way (to the finals),” she said.

Her mindset heading into state after dominating at the Region IV tournament is to “keep it simple, just do what I do best, do what I know and fight the whole time.”

“I really hope that this is the year,” Jahzara said about her little sister potentially becoming the next champion in the family. “I most likely won’t be in town for the next season so this is a big season.”

She had one of the more compelling and arduous journeys to a state title last year after shoulder surgery put her out of commission until regions and then she went on to win a title there and repeat the feat in the state championship tournament by upsetting a previously undefeated opponent as an unseeded contender.

“Coming into state (with) no matches and then winning them all was definitely inspiring,” Nyah said about her big sister’s gutsy accomplishment. “Even if you’re injured, you can still do great things.”

[Dominant performances, heartwarming storylines highlight 2023 Alaska state wrestling tournament]

Top contenders aim to uphold high standards and make history

After being the only member of the South High girls team to win a state title last year, senior Jessailah Thammavongsa was the only returning individual champion on either boys or girls team for the Wolverines this year.

Fresh off claiming her fourth straight region title over the weekend and leading her team to a second straight girls team title, Thammavongsa looks to continue to lead by example in her pursuit of a second straight title and undefeated season.

“It’s kind of tough,” Thammavongsa said. “(I’m) just trying to push them to do more, do extra and try to push them to their limits so they can get better and be at a high standard as I am.”

Her mindset heading into her final state tournament is to just “push through” and go out on top of the podium again.

“The pressure is there so I just have to push through it,” Thammavongsa said.

Having coached her for the past four years, South’s Randy Hanson is proud of how she has both represented and helped grow the program on the girls side.

“This is our biggest girls team yet, and it’s because some of our senior leadership, Jessailah and Sage (Morris), put in their time and now they’re getting girls to come out and try it,” he said. “We had 12 girls on our team this year…They’re setting the example and the (other) girls are following it.”

After watching her older brother, Spencer Johnson, come out on top of one the most exciting matches of last year’s finals in the Division I boys 215-pound weight class to win his first state title, Chugiak senior Annika Johnson wants to make the most of her last shot as well.

The two-time Region IV champion at 138 pounds was 2023 state runner-up at the same class and is fiercely determined to add to the family legacy heading into this weekend.

“I have been super motivated, especially seeing my brother winning first last year,” she said. “It’s really given me a lot of confidence and I’ve learned a lot under him. I feel like I’ve really improved since last season and I’m super excited.”

To follow in her brother’s footsteps would “mean the world” to her because she would be the first ever female state champion in Chugiak’s program history.

“I do definitely feel the pressure but that’s OK, same as always, same as last year” Johnson said. “It’d be awesome to win but at the end of the day, I’ve really just had a fun time with this sport and this community so I’ve already kind of won.”

The state wrestling action gets going at the same time on both days at 9 a.m. starting with the preliminary rounds Friday morning and consolation rounds on Saturday morning with finals slated to take place later in the evening at 4 p.m.