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FAIRBANKS — Five competitors from the Interior, including four from North Pole, advanced on Friday to today’s finals of the Class 4A State Wrestling Championships at Chugiak High School.

North Pole holds fourth place in the team standings with 116 points and will be represented in the finals by Eric Antesberger at 152 pounds, Levi Jutila (160), Taylor Lewis (189) and Jackson Collins (275).

Dillon Achman, a 103-pound entrant, reached the championship round for Lathrop, which sits in fifth with 91.5 points.

The West Valley Wolfpack ended the first day of the tournament in a 19th-place tie with the Eagle River Wolves.

The defending champion Colony Knights lead the 22-team tournament with 198.5 points and Matanuska Valley rival Wasilla Warriors finished the first day in second place with 120 points, followed by the host Mustangs with 117.

North Pole captured the team title at the Mid Alaska Conference tournament last week at West Valley.

Antesberger made it to his final by taking a 9-2 decision over Eagle River’s Levi Williams in the 152 semifinal. His bid for a state title began with a technical fall in six minutes over Colony’s Mike Trask and he followed with an 8-2 decision over Soldotna’s Jess Carlson in the quarterfinals.

Jutila experienced deja vu in the Chugiak gymnasium, as the Patriots senior edged Lathrop’s Elliot Clausen 4-3 during the 160 semifinal round. Jutila defeated Clausen in the championship match at the Mid Alaska tournament.

Jutila began the state tournament with a close decision over Kyle Kirn of South Anchorage (2-0) and advanced to the semifinal after posting an 11-1 major decision over Daniel Wilson of East Anchorage.

Lewis had an impressive run to the final round, starting with a 1-minute, 39-second pin of Kenai’s Freddie John. He made quick work of Stephen Ellis, pinning the Service wrestler at 24 seconds into their quarterfinal and Lewis won his semifinal with a 12-3 major decision over South’s Brent Reed.

Collins gained revenge in his semifinal with a 9-5 decision over Lathrop’s Jordan Lewis, who pinned Collins in their MAC final. Collins had to hold off Patriots teammate Clay Tidwell for a 4-2 win in Friday’s state quarterfinal and he began the tournament with a 3-minute, 21-second pin of Colony’s Dylan Buck.

Achman, hoping to add a state title to the MAC honor he captured last week, needed to triumph 8-7 over South’s Brent Amos to reach today’s final. He scored a 5-minute, 30-second technical fall over Colony’s Warren Mielke and he opened the tournament with a 9-4 decision over Colony’s Cole Miller.

Lathrop has six wrestlers competing for third place today —Jeremy Simmons (112), Joe Hughes (119), Brandon Wiese (145), Trent Lemons (152), Clausen (160) and Jordan Lewis (275). West Valley’s Derek Templeton (130) and North Pole’s Chris Frazier (135) are also entered in third-place matches.

None of the four Interior schools — Eielson, Hutchison, Delta Junction and Galena — placed wrestlers in the finals of the Class 1A-2A-3A Tournament at Chugiak.

Galena and Hutchison each have six competitors in consolation matches while Eielson and Delta have two each.

Contact the News-Miner sports department at 459-7581.