November 27th, 2025, Seward Folly by Brian Mullaly

Seward High School’s wrestling team hosted the annual King of the Mountain Tournament this past weekend, drawing athletes from Colony, Soldotna, Grace Christian, Ninilchik, and Homer. Four of the five schools brought both boys and girls teams, with only Grace Christian not fielding a girls’ squad.

Both Seahawks teams tallied solid results among the ten team placements. The boys clinched 3rd overall with 193 points, while the girls took 7th place with 50 points.

On the mats, several individual Seahawks delivered standout performances:

Boys:

• Emery Kirchner: 1st at 125 lbs
• Ridge Conant: 2nd at 130 lbs
• Quinn Humbert: 1st at 135 lbs
• Janiel Peraza: 2nd at 135 lbs
• Alejandro Sanchez: 1st at 140 lbs
• Cannon Unrein: 7th at 145 lbs
• Anthony Smith: 1st at 152 lbs
• Avery Staggs: 7th at 152 lbs
• Atlin Ryan: 6th at 160 lbs
• Luis Delgado: 2nd in the 189–215 lb division

Girls:

• Lyla deCastro: 2nd at 100–107 lbs
• Hazel Dickinson: 4th at 100–107 lbs
• Olive Jordan: 2nd at 114 lbs
• Alta Liljemark: 3rd at 132–138 lbs

Photos by Amber Humbert

This year, Seward’s girls wrestling program reached a new record, fielding 10 athletes — more than ever before at the school. The sport is booming across the country, and that surge means more college and university pathways are opening for female wrestlers after high school.

Friday night also saw the Seahawks honoring their two senior grapplers. Anthony Smith, a 12-year veteran of the sport and the 2023 State Championship and 3rd-place State finisher, plans to join AVTEC’s welding program after graduation. Alejandro Sanchez, who’s been with the team for five years and marked his 3rd-place finish at the Lancer Smith Tournament as a highlight, will pursue college outside of Alaska. Both wrestlers also compete with the Marathon Miners, Seward’s own USA Wrestling club, where they hone both Greco-Roman and freestyle skills.

With Thanksgiving in the rearview, the Seahawks are gearing up for their last regular-season outing at the Grizzly Shakedown, hosted by Grace Christian. The following weekend, the team travels to Homer for the Kachemak Conference Tournament, where state-qualifying berths are on the line. The season concludes in Anchorage with the state tournament, set for the weekend before Christmas (December 18–20).