Friday night, Kodiak easily defeated Nikiski by 17 points in a dual wrestling match that set up a rubber match showdown between the two schools on Saturday night. 

The Bulldogs quickly rolled out to a 24-point lead in the rubber match. The Bears staged a late rally, but couldn’t overcome the early deficit, falling 36-33 in Kodiak’s final regular season match at Kodiak High School.  

Nikiski, a powerful 3A wrestling school, won the season series against Kodiak 2-1. 

“Friday night wasn’t a good dual wrestling wise,” Kodiak coach Pat Costello said. “It wasn’t as exciting. Tonight (Saturday) was a good dual.”

Kodiak was wrestling without three varsity wrestlers — Brandon Canete, Wilber Cruz and Isaac Fields — but, even without their services, the Bears nearly pulled off the come-from-behind victory. 

“We were giving our young kids a chance,” Costello said. “We wrestled the best team we had tonight — and one more match and we would have won.”

Nikiski began the match, which started at 119 pounds, with four straight pins by Nathan Stangle, Matt Parker Josh Brown and Kovi Harbick that gave the Bulldogs a 24-0 lead. 

Kodiak then lost three of the next four matches, before the Bears rolled off four straight wins by Thomas Long, Anthony Atonio, Marie Caballa and Chloe Ivanoff.   

Long, Atonio and Caballa all won by pins.

Ivanoff nearly pinned Troi West in the third round at 112 pounds, but instead won 10-0. 

Entering the final match, Kodiak trailed by seven points. Earlier in the night Costello cost his team a point by questioning an illegal move that put his wrestler in a dangerous situation. That point could have been the deciding factor had Ivanoff earned a pin. 

“I was hoping she would pin him so we would lose by one so I could get blamed,” Costello said.

However, if the match ended in a tie, the victory would have gone Nikiski’s way because the Bulldogs won more individual matches than the Bears.

The turning point of the match was when Kodiak’s Pearson Brodie fell to Tyler Peek, the sixth-ranked 3A wrestler in the state, 18-14 in the 145-pound bout. 

“We knew it was going to be a super-tough match,” Costello said. “It’s two different styles. You have a cradler and a shooter. We caught him and he caught us at the end.”

Brodie led 7-2 after the first round, but Peek rallied back to score 11 points in the second period for a 13-12 lead.

Brodie regained the lead at 14-13 on a takedown at the 1:14 mark in the third round and held the advantage until Peek scored a takedown and a 3-point near fall with just seconds left in the match. 

“We win that one, we win the dual,” Costello said. 

That was followed by closely contested bouts that both went Nikiski’s way. 

Kaden Spurgeon, the third-ranked 3A wrestler in the state at 152 pounds, beat David Castonguay 9-4. 

Castonguay made things interesting in the third round with a reversal to cut Spurgeon’s lead to 6-4 with 59 seconds left. However, Spurgeon closed with an escape and a takedown. 

Reuben Ivanoff at 160 pounds, was ahead of Lincoln Johnson 3-2 in the third round, before Johnson earned a pin with 35 seconds remaining in the match. 

Long, at 171, then pinned Jake Tuttle at the 5:01 mark. Atonio followed with a pin of Henry Eide in 29 seconds in the heavyweight bout. Caballa, at 103 pounds, then pinned Trey Zimmerman in 30 seconds. 

“It was a fun finish for the two ladies,” Costello said. “Even Joe Floyd came down and said those girls wrestled very well.”

On Friday, Eddie Burris, Ivanoff, Fields, Brodie, Castonguay, Long and Atonio all won matches for Kodiak. 

Burris and Atonio notched the Bears’ only pins. Burris pinned Zimmerman in 48 seconds, while Atonio pinned Eide nine seconds into the second round. 

Kodiak is off this week, before heading to the Northern Lights Conference championships on Dec. 4. 

FRIDAY

BEARS 38, BULLDOGS 21

103 — Eddie Burris, Kod, p. Trey Zimmerman, Nik. 0:48; 112 — Chloe Ivanoff, Kod, maj. dec. Troi West, Nik, 11-0; 119 — Wilber Cruz, Kod, by forfeit; 125 — Matt Parker, Nik, p. Ryan Lenon, Kod, 3:52; 130 — Josh Brown, Nik, dec. Alex Lounsbury, Kod, 7-0; 135 — Isaac Fields, Kod, dec. Kovy Harbrick, Nik, 7-4; 140 — Pearson Brodie, Kod, maj. dec. Corey Green, Nik, 10-1; David Castonguay, Kod, dec. Tyler Peek, Nik, 18-11; 152 — Kaden Spurgeon, Nik, p. Michael Gilbert, Kod, 1:55; 160 — Lincoln Johnson, Nik, dec. Reuben Ivanoff, Kod, 8-5; 171 — Jake Tuttle, Nik, dec. Thomas Long, Kod, 12-9; 189 — Tucker Bigley, Kod, by forfeit. 215 — Double forfeit; 285 — Anthony Atonio, Kod, p. Henry Eide, Nik, 2:09.

SATURDAY

BULLDOGS 36, BEARS 33

103 — Marie Cabelle, Kod, p. Trey Zimmerman, Nik, :30; 112 — Chloe Ivanoff, Kod, maj. dec. Troi West, Nik, 10-0; 119 — Nathan Stangle, Nik, p. Shane Trout, Kod, 1:10; 125 — Matt Parker, Nik, p. Alex Lounsbury, Kod, 3:45; 130 — Josh Brown, Nik, p. Lee Bondurant, Kod, 2:22; 135 — Kovy Harbick, Nik, p. Kevin Gonzales, Kod, 2:47; 140 — Kevin Lepola Jr, Kod, p. Cory Green, Nik, 3:08; 145 — Tyler Peek, Nik, dec, Pearson Brodie, Kod, 18-14; 152 — Kaden Spurgeon, Nik, dec. David Castonguay, 9-4; 160 — Lincoln Johnson, Nik, p. Reuben Ivanoff, Kod, 5:25; 171 — Thomas Long, Kod, p. Jake Tuttle, Nik, 5:01; 189 — Tucker Bigley, Kod, by forfeit; 215 — Double forfeit; 285 — Anthony Atonio, Kod, p. Henry Eide, :29.