Hanson competes at national championship

Published on January 7th, 2010

By VAN WILLIAMS

Part of the reason why Randy Hanson has excelled on the wrestling mat in his Bethel Regional High School career is because of his tireless work ethic.

You don't win three ASAA state championships and advance to four state finals without sweat and sacrifice. Take the month of December for example. While most kids in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta were dreaming of Christmas, Hanson was focused on getting pins as presents.

Never mind Santa Claus, this Warrior-wonder took care of getting his own gifts.

First came his fourth consecutive Great Alaska Conference championship.

Second came his third ASAA Class 1-2-3A state title.

And then finally came a strong showing at the Reno National High School Tournament two weeks ago in Nevada, where the studly 125-pounder won three matches and dropped two.

A group of 35 Alaskans from all over the state participated in the national tournament, including 10 from the Bush. Hanson was the only representative from Bethel.

Kotzebue 171-pounder Jared Miller led the small-schools contingent with a sixth-place finish.

Hanson prevailed in his first two matches via fall (1:27, 1:33) before dropping a 4-3 decision. He rebounded to win his next match by a 4-1 score before falling 5-2 in his final outing.

Next stop: college.

Hanson is still undecided on what university he will attend, but he said at the state tournament in Anchorage that he has already received interest from schools in Minnesota.