Prep wrestling rewind: Utah Valley grapplers shine at early-season tournaments
-
- Westlake wrestlers pose for a photo after winning the Mid America Nationals tournament in Oklahoma on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
-
- Westlake wrestler Brayden Robison (157 pounds) poses for a photo after winning his weight class and being named the outstanding wrestler at the Mid America Nationals tournament in Oklahoma on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
-
- Provo 1998 team members pose for photo (from left): Provo assistant coach Shawn Porter, Provo head coach and former state placer Gerrit Greer, West Jordan assistant coach and 1998 state champion Coby Jones and 1998 state champion and Provo assistant coach Trent Beesley. Greer has a son (Axel) and daughter (Lacy) wrestling for Provo, Jones a son (Zach) at West Jordan and Beesley two sons (Christian and Briton) at Provo.
It was a big week for Utah County wrestling programs, especially in boys wrestling.
Spanish Fork won the Wasatch Intermountain Duals and Westlake went to Oklahoma to wrestle in the Mid America Nationals and came away with the team trophy with four individual wrestlers climbing to the top of the podium.
On top of that, three Pleasant Grove wrestlers went to perhaps the toughest high school wrestling tournament in the United States, the Walsh Ironman, to test their wares.
Westlake and Wasatch also pinned down titles in girls action last weekend.
Here’s a look at some of the top storylines from last week:
Boys Wrestling
The Mid America Nationals brought together some top programs from Kansas, Texas and host state Oklahoma, but it was the lone representative from Utah that brought home the gold trophy as Westlake with its 597.5 points easily topped second place Tuttle, Oklahoma (541.5) and Maize, Kansas (411.5). There were 37 total teams in the field.
“The team to beat was Tuttle from Oklahoma and I think we shocked everyone out there by beating them,” said Westlake head coach Jeff Newby. “The boys wrestled great from start to finish.”
Thunder freshman Israel Bjorge (126 pounds) made a big splash going undefeated in nine matches to win the tourney while his older brother Curtis, just a sophomore himself, pinned down the competition to win the 138-pound division. Josh Fish (150) and Brayden Robison (157) also took home the gold with Robison being voted as the meet’s most outstanding wrestler.
Parker Ballantyne (132) placed second for the Thunder and Korbin Chuchran (144) was third as both went 7-1 in the event. Trey Thompson (120) upset an Oklahoma state champion in the quarterfinals and finished fourth.
“This event is probably the favorite event for the boys,” Newby added. “They were excited to get on the mat and had a lot of fun this weekend on and off the mat.”
Pleasant Grove’s Brad Farrer (157), Trevyn Gates (190) and Cayean Smith (215) competed at the Walsh Ironman in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. This tournament attracts the best teams and individual wrestlers across the country. Though none of these Viking wrestlers placed, all won multiple matches with Gates and Smith losing in the “blood round” or the bout just one match short of medaling in the top eight. Most brackets had over 50 competing grapplers.
With missing its three top wrestlers, along with Hixon Canto, the Vikings were a bit hampered at the Wasatch Intermountain Duals hosted by Wasatch High School. Pleasant Grove had beaten Spanish Fork in a dual 40-25 when its team was at full strength last Wednesday, but at the Wasatch Intermountain Duals the Vikings went 2-6 in their matches. Meanwhile, Spanish Fork went 8-0 and took home the gold trophy in dramatic fashion.
The Dons topped Payson 37-36 in a spirited dual that went right down to the last match.
Spanish Fork was trailing 36-34, but this is where Junior Wetzel upset Payson 2-time state champion Colton Theobald at 144 pounds, 8-6. The difference maker was a takedown and three-point nearfall Wetzel earned in the second round. This gave Wetzel a 6-3 lead going into the third round and Theobald, despite getting a late takedown with 37 seconds left, couldn’t get the tying one to extend the match into overtime. Incidentally, at 5A state last season, Theobald won this weight class and Wetzel placed third.
But to earn the gold trophy, the Dons still had to deal with Wasatch. After Wasatch’s Daxton Bonner decisioned Porter Olson 10-8 at 138 pounds to give the Wasps a 33-30 lead, Wetzel and Edward Sears (150) both secured pins to give the Dons another comeback victory, 42-33. Sears, Wetzel and Karson Shelley (113) went undefeated winning all eight of their bouts over the weekend.
Payson went 7-1 and Zayden Cook (285) pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when he pinned Wasatch’s Austin McNaughton with just four seconds left in the match. McNaughton placed second in state last year while Cook didn’t compete in the state tournament last season but went 2-2 at the 2022 state meet where McNaugton placed fifth. Payson defeated Wasatch, 50-23. Cook, Quayde Beck (175) and Kael Theobald (132) went undefeated for the Lions while Bonner, Ben Kohler (126) and Henry Hannsen (165/175) went unscathed in their duals for host Wasatch.
West Jordan vs. Provo Dual brings together former Bulldog State Champions: When West Jordan wrestled at Provo last Thursday night, four members of the 1998 Provo team were reunited.
Trent Beesley won the 4A 130-pound state title in 1998 and his sons Christian and Briton wrestle for Provo. And Coby Jones’ son Zach wrestles 175 pounds for West Jordan. Coby Jones won the 4A 1998 state title at 171 pounds. Christian and Zach won their matches by pin while both fathers are assistant coaches for their sons’ respective schools.
Gerrit Greer, also a member of the 1998 team and a former state placer, is the head coach at Provo High School and his son Axel and daughter Lacy both compete in the Bulldog program. Shawn Porter, also a 1998 team member, also assists at Provo.
The 1998 Provo teams finished seventh in 4A, but the Bulldogs and Payson had the most individual state 4A champions with three each as Scott Hofheins also took state for Provo at 215 pounds. Much like the basketball program has done, the Provo High administration has looked to some former alumni to rebuild these programs that have struggled in recent years.
West Jordan won the dual by the way, 54-30.
What did we learn in the second big weekend in Utah prep wrestling?: Well, Layton is very, very good. The Lancers had three wrestlers also compete in the Walsh Iron Man but still put two complete varsity level teams in the Corner Canyon Cup. It’s “B” team actually won the tournament and the “A” team finished fourth out of 18 schools.
Spanish Fork has established itself as the team to beat in 5A though Wasatch can’t be counted out, while Uintah, which easily won the Juab Winter Classic, is the clear-cut favorite in 4A.
Also, Wyoming Seminary out of Kingston, Pennsylvania might be the best high school team that ever existed. The prep school, which was founded in 1842, has won the last five Pennsylvania state titles and put seven wrestlers in the finals with three champions at the Walsh Ironman. To do that in a tournament of this caliber is mind boggling, and they were nearly 100 points clear of runner-up Blair Academy out of New Jersey, a top national program year in and year out.
Girls Wrestling
Westlake won the girls version of the Corner Canyon Cup. The tournament didn’t use the sanctioned weight classes but pooled the girls based on weight distribution and by experience. The Thunder crowned three champions with Celeste Detoles, Odessa Laititi and Keilikki Rarick. Martha and Rachel Camacho won titles for ALA.
At the Evans Memorial Duals hosted by Grantsville, Salem Hills won its pool of duals, while Grantsville won the other. Then the top four individual wrestlers were pulled from each weight class in the two pools. Grantsville was the overall winner while Salem Hills placed second. Several local girl wrestlers did well in the event. Local champions were Payson’s January Langston (105), Salem Hill’s Paisley Nelson (125) and Avery Winterton (145), along with Maple Mountain’s Elle Jensen (130) and Aurelia Ramos (190).
Much like the Corner Canyon Cup, the girls version of the Wasatch Intermountain Duals used weight groupings. Wasatch bested Canyon View for the team title as Regan Heywood, and Kate Bird won titles for the Wasps. Elle Jensen and Sage Eggleston placed first for Maple Mountain as did Madison Sherman of Skyridge.
Preece Power Poll Boys Teams: 1. Layton (6A) 2. Uintah (4A) 3. Millard (2A) 4. Pleasant Grove (6A) 5. Westlake (6A) 6. Corner Canyon (6A) 7. Spanish Fork (5A) 8.Payson (4A) 9. Wasatch (5A) 10. Juab (3A).
Preece Power Poll Girls Teams: 1. Grantsville (3A) 2. Salem Hills (5A) 3. Cedar Valley (5A) 4. Uintah (4A) 5. Mountain Crest (4A) 6. Westlake (6A) 7. Canyon View (3A) 8. Bear River (4A) 9. Springville (5A) 10. Wasatch (5A).
