Rough and tumble: Springville’s Valeti family dreaming big on first day of 5A state wrestling
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- Springville’s Hotaia Valeti drives Bountiful’s Maeli Howard to the ground during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Springville’s Tevita Valeti (right) throws Lehi’s Daniel Hoyal to the mat during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Springville’s Tevita Valeti (right) tries to pin Lehi’s Daniel Hoyal to the mat during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Springville’s Lisiate Valeti gets taken down by Payson’s Trevor Frank during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Mountain View’s Makenzi McCoy (right) attempts to pin Wasatch’s Marabelle Brown during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Orem’s Marck Pacher (left) grapples with Wasatch’s Ryder Christensen during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley’s Stephanie Schmolke (top) grapples with Jordan’s Geraldyne Fernandez during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Payson’s Jonah Shaw attemps to pin Uintah’s Trevor Angus during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Spanish Fork’s Porter Olson (right) takes down Payson’s William Dixon during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Wasatch’s Miles Kohler (right) grapples with Spanish Fork’s Edward Sears during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Mountain View’s Samuel Burr takes down Spanish Fork’s Ryker Olson during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
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- Cedar Valley’s Madison Mayes (right) tries to take down Wasatch’s Kate Bird during their quarterfinal match on the first day of the 5A state wrestling championships at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.
Valeti. That name is giving Hansen, Johnson and Smith a run for its money as the most common name at the 5A state wrestling tournaments.
It’s because there are three Valeti brothers/cousins wrestling on the boys team for Springville and another on the girls wrestling team. But it doesn’t stop there, David Valeti is the head coach for both the boys and girls teams and his nephews Tevita, Lisiate, and Tua (Fedler), along with son Tuiono make up four of the six wrestlers the Red Devils qualified for the 5A boys tourney. Meanwhile, his niece Hotaia battles for Springville on the girls team.
The Red Devil girls team qualified 11 wrestlers and Springville is in fourth place after day one of the state tourney. One of their team leaders is junior Hotaia Valeti, and she’s going for her third state title for the Red Devils. Hotaia Valeti made quick work of her opponents with two pins.
In the quarterfinal she defeated Bountiful’s Malei Howard with a second-period pin to run her record to 32-4 on the season.
“It went pretty good. I was able to work my moves this time,” Hotaia Valeti said.
Meanwhile older brother Tevita Valeti won both of his matches by pin to move to the quarterfinals.
Many might be more acquainted with Tevita Valeti in football as he was one of the state’s best players. He was second in the entire state in rushing yards but most yards per game, while leading the entire state in touchdown scores. His physical running style punished the opposition late in games and Tevita gave a lot of credit to wrestling for his gridiron success.
“It (wrestling) gets you well-conditioned,” said Tevita Valeti. All you’re doing in wrestling practice is conditioning basically.”
But there’s also some technical aspects of wrestling that Tevita Valeti sees as beneficial.
“Taking shots, like double legs, is helping your tackling technique,” he added.
Tevita Valeti improved his record to 28-4 but he has a tough task in the semifinals as he faces Woods Cross returning state champion Cash Henderson, who is 40-2 on the season. Like Tevita, Henderson was an All-State football player.
Tevita Valeti was able to convince one of his football teammates and friends Tyson Naufahu (285) to join the team late in the season, and the senior has found success. Naufahu, who was an All-State football player as well, lost to another All-State football player and returning state wrestling champion in Isaac Terrell of Lehi in the quarterfinals and was eliminated in the next consolation round. Naufahu still contributed four points to the Red Devil total with a win by pin in the first round of competition.
Five of the six wrestlers Springville qualified for state are of Tongan descent.
“Everyone from Tonga is basically related,” said Tevita Valeti, though he said if he and Naufahu are actually related, it’s very distant.
Tevita’s younger brother Lisiate Valeti (157 pounds) won his first match before running into Payson’s Trevor Frank, the top-ranked grappler in the weight. Lisiate Valeti bounced back beating Frank’s teammate Mathew Linville 13-7 and will meet Hillcrest’s Wyatt Manning with the winner of the match assured of placing in the top six.
Tevita, Hotaia, and Lisiate Valeti’s first cousin Tua Fedler went 2-1 Friday and will also have a chance to place in state with a victory in today’s action. Their other first cousin Tuiono Valeti (144), son of head coach David Valeti, was eliminated from the tournament. Patrick Clay (175), not related to anyone else on the team, also went 2-1 on Friday with a chance to win and place in state today. So with just six wrestlers, the Red Devils still find themselves in the top ten tied in ninth place with Maple Mountain with 31.5 points.
“Our girls are doing pretty well and our boys are wrestling tough,” said Red Devil head coach David Valeti.
Another brother-sister combo had a good day one in the state tournament. Salem Hills’ Breyton Banks (106) ran his record to 42-1 and will face Uintah’s Raleigh Thompson while his sister Kelseigh Banks (110) will battle Uintah’s Chanley Green, who is one of three undefeated girl wrestlers in 5A with a 43-0 record.
5A Boys Wrestling: Uintah (155) vaulted out to a lead on day one of the 5A boys tournament with Payson (116) in second and Wasatch (114) just two points behind the Lions in third. Spanish Fork is a strong fourth with 90 points while Lehi (62) and Mountain View (50.5) engaged in a reasonably tight battle for places fifth and sixth.
Uintah pushed 13 wrestlers to the semifinals while Payson and Wasatch countered with nine and seven wrestlers respectively.
Uintah’s numerical advantage of wrestlers over Payson increased due to a Payson wrestler being disqualified for a skin condition, while Uintah was able to enter an alternate wrestler when another grappler was injured before the state competition. That meant Uintah had 22 wrestlers in the tournament while Payson had 18, and it will be interesting as things go forward in the tournament how much of a factor this will be.
Some Uintah vs. Payson, Payson vs. Wasatch and Uintah vs. Wasatch semifinal match-ups loom.
At 113 pounds Uintah’s Rykan Hacking will battle Wasatch’s Ryder Christensen. At 138 pounds Payson’s Cole Carter will take on Uintah’s Brody Rhodes. Payson’s Kelton Smith and Uintah’s Casen Wopsock will meet in a semifinal at 150 pounds while at 190 pounds two returning state champions will vie in Uintah’s Austin Richens and Payson’s Landen Shurtleff. Richens has a 45-0 record with 45 first round pins on the year while Shurtleff comes in with a sparkling 42-9 mark.
5A Girls Wrestling: After round one of wrestling Cedar Valley held the lead but after the quarterfinals and second consolation wrestle-backs, tournament favorite Uintah had taken the lead. The Utes pointed 111 while Cedar Valley scored 100. Northridge (87.5), Springville (82.5) and Stansbury (80) were battling for positions inside the top five hoping to make a trophy run of their own.
Cedar Valley put seven wrestlers through to the semifinals and are assured at least one finalist as teammates Alexia Woods and Kennedy Fowler will meet in a semifinal at 130 pounds. Other Aviator semifinalists include Stephanie Schmolke (110), Arisna Stott (115), AnnaLee Wright (130), Rhya Balmvorth (140) and Natalie Milligan (170). Milligan will battle Maple Mountain’s Aurelia Ramos, who remains undefeated with a 26-0 record.
Emeri Mortimer (105), Valery Ethington (120), Karalie Harris (140), and Hayley Harris (155) will join Hotai Valeti (155) as semifinalists for the Red Devils who will hope their star power can move them in the standings.
Complete team and individual results can be found at http://trackwrestling.com.
