The Mariner wrestlers have their sights set on regional competition in Wasilla after a strong weekend at the Glenn Vandergram Dimond Classic in Anchorage.

The Homer matmen wound up right in the middle of their competition, placing ninth out of 18 teams.

Only six members of Homer High School's wrestling team took the trip north, but they made the most of their numbers by putting five wrestlers in the top six spots.

* At 103 pounds, Eli Garvey continued a strong season taking fourth place by upsetting the state's fourth-ranked wrestler, Noah Roatman of Colony.

* At 130 pounds, freshman Chris Franklin took sixth place, using an early forfeit match to his advantage before being pinned by Devon Carter of Kenai.

* At 152 pounds, Mitch Wyatt took first place. Wyatt secured the third place ranking in the state, continuing his 12-match winning streak and defeating the fifth- and sixth-ranked wrestlers at 152 pounds.

* At 189 pounds, Larry Croft took fourth place and posted his 21st win of the season pinning Dan Wilson.

* At 285 pounds, Ben Harville also managed a fourth-place finish, upsetting Kevin Hunter of Kenai before losing his final match to Jason Jeffords of Service.

"The majority of the region and state 4A teams were in attendance, which means the Mariners could be peaking at the right time of the season," said Coach Chris Perk.

For the wrestlers that made the trip it was a final chance to work out battle plans for the Dec. 4 regional tournament.

"Wyatt was able to control his opponents using a tight waist, tiring out his opponents and using his new move, a front headlock to score takedowns with," said Perk.

Wyatt may have a shot at tangling with the best wrestler in the state in his weight class, Caleb Pempek from Wasilla, at regionals.

The Mariners have two weeks to prepare for the regionwide tournament in Wasilla. The top six wrestlers in each weight class will go on to compete at the state competition Dec. 11-12 in Chugiak.