Three Petersburg High School wrestlers are competing at the state tournament this weekend after a successful regional competition in Sitka on Dec. 12–13.
At regions, 145-pound junior Tanner Caulum placed second in his weight class. 189-pound sophomore Edgar Olsen and 171-pound junior Eli Anderson each placed third in their respective weight classes. Those performances were strong enough to send all three boys to state.
Head Coach James Valentine said he’s happy with how the regional tournament ended for the wrestling team.
“Over the whole season, we’ve had to work on both physical and mental hurdles, and I think that we did a really good job,” Valentine said. “We had a decent showing for this year.”
This year’s team members were young and new to wrestling. While the season started with less confidence on the mat, the team has seen consistent growth with each tournament.
“I felt like all the hard work we’ve been putting in has really come full circle,” Valentine said.
He said the short turnaround between regions and state didn’t give the wrestlers much time to prepare physically, so they prepared mentally instead.
“Now we’re on the main stage, and up here you have to be as flawless as you can be,” Valentine said. “You want to compete at a high level, and you want to flow as best you can.”
The high school wrestling state championship takes place in Anchorage on Dec. 19–20.
