Last year, Haines Glacier Bear wrestler Wesley Verhamme won the Alaska Division II Boy’s State Wrestling Championship in the 215lb weight class as a junior. In his senior year, Wesley wanted to one-up himself, so he moved into the heavyweight division that tops out at 285lbs. And he brought home another championship.
On Sunday, Haines celebrated the champ. Wesley Verhamme rode atop a fire truck with sirens wailing through the picturesque coastal Alaskan community of Haines on Sunday. Throngs of onlookers cheered, drivers honked their horns. Verhamme had just returned from the State Tournament in Anchorage and brought his second state championship in two years home to Haines.
Verhamme says it was a comment his coach made to him just before his final match that helped inspire the victory.
“He came up to me and pointed at my singlet, and my singlet says Haines Glacier Bears. And he said ‘Wesley, this the last time you’re gonna wear that singlet. This is the last time you’re going to represent Haines. Go make it count,'” said Verhamme.
And Wesley did. He was the second seed in this year’s tournament, even after winning last year. And that ranking didn’t sit well with him.
“That already had made me mad going into the tournament, because I knew I deserved the first seed, but I didn’t win State in this weight class last year, I won it in the 215 (lb division),” said Verhamme.
Wesley bulked up to 254 lbs for this season, but his championship match saw him pitted against an opponent from Barrow who weighed in at 280 lbs.
“He’s one heck of a wrestler, and he’s up and coming as a freshman. Really strong. I’m really looking forward to keeping my eye on him,” said the champ.
As Verhamme tells the story of the championship match, he was all set to come out aggressive at the starting whistle. The two wrestlers got into position and… They had to wait. There was a timing error. So when the wrestlers finally got back into the starting position, his mojo was off. But he was determined to overcome the hiccup.
Wesley came out strong and outscored the big man from Barrow in the first two rounds. Each match in the tournament featured three two-minute rounds, and in the third, Verhamme saw his chance to pin his opponent.
I watched that guy in all of his other matches because I knew it was gonna be me and him in finals. I knew he was gonna upset the first seed. I was watching him and I saw him roll a guy through because they got too excited and over-adjusted. So in the third round, I could have pinned him but I didn’t want to get rolled through, so I played it safe. I pulled back and I won with a majority of 9 over 2,” said Verhamme.
And that sort of intelligence is what separates the good competitors from the greats. Wesley Verhamme is hoping to attend technical school next year and eventually earn a degree in construction management. He’s also excited to wrestle at the next level.
“There’s nothing better than coming in as a freshman and being humbled by those seniors. Those guys are gonna be stronger than me, bigger than me and they’re gonna fight harder than me. But I have no doubt by the time I’m a senior, I’ll be helping the next freshmen come along,” said Verhamme.
When asked if he had any final comments, the humble champ from Haines responded with this.
“I really wanted to say thank you to the school, to the SEARHC Clinic for keeping me updated on my testing, and for the community supporting me from my first ever basketball meet when I was in fourth grade, all the way up into being a two-time state champion in wrestling.”
Congratulations to Wesley and the entire Haines High School Wrestling team for another championship season.
