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Payson wrestler Colton Theobald celebrates after winning his match during the 5A state boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Payson wrestler Jace Hooley drives Timpanogos wrestler Parker Harvey to the ground during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Westlake wrestler Kaizen Detoles competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Mountain View wrestler Hyrum Stafford (left) battles Ridgeline's Sam Rassi during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Spanish Fork wrestler Alex Koyle stands up after winning his match during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Spanish Fork wrestler Luke Mason competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lehi wrestler Cohen Mortensen (top) competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Westlake wrestler Kaizen Detoles competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Pleasant Grove wrestler Brad Farrer (top) competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Mountain View wrestler Landon Shumway celebrates winning his match during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Timpanogos wrestler Xander Carlson gets thrown during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Pleasant Grove wrestler Jake Closson (top) competes during the first day of the 2024 4A/5A/6A boys wrestling tournament at the UCCU Center in Orem on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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For Payson to have any chance to knock off Uintah in the 4A state wrestling tournament, they needed the return of one of their star wrestlers, 2-time returning state champion Colton Theobald (144 pounds).

It’s not just the wins and points that the Payson senior brings to the team, but according to Lion head coach Jeb Clark, it’s the leadership that is even more valuable.

“It’s great to have him back. We’re totally a different team,” Clark said. “He’s got the type of attitude you want. He leads by example. He doesn’t talk too much but just gets it done. And with him back the whole team has more confidence.”

Theobald’s knee literally split open during a dual meet with Millard in the second week of December and required over 300 stitches to repair. Theobald, a senior, then missed the bulk of the season returning just before the divisional tournament.

“It feels so good to be back,” Theobald said even though he had absolutely no intentions of missing the state meet. “It’s (his leg) a little tender, but it’s always going to be tender.”

Theobald is two matches away from climbing to the top of the podium for the third straight season and one of his main competitors, Jaxon McCurdy of Uintah, was upset by Bear River’s Keaton Smith, 4-0. But before the Lion grappler worries about Smith or Sky View’s Parley Thacker on the bottom side of the bracket, he has to get past Jordan’s Myka Love.

Theobald just doesn’t want to see himself win but he wants to see Payson return to the top when the Lions took state during his freshman year.

“We’ve got to win those close matches. We not only have to win for ourselves but we’ve got to win for our team,” said Theobald.

Theobald’s younger Kael (132) had a good day winning both of his matches and he will now meet up with Mountain View’s Glade Harman in one semifinal.

Both Uintah and Payson were reclassified from 5A to 4A this year but both were the top teams from last season in 5A. Uintah comes into the tournament the favorite having won three state titles in a row, two in 5A and one in 4A in 2021.

The Utes took a lead into day two of the tournament tallying 125 points, while Payson scored 109.

Uintah did win an important early head-to-head meeting when Caden Young (285) pinned Payson’s Zayden Cook in the final round.

But Payson isn’t the only Utah County team doing well. Timpanogos (88) and Mountain View (72) find themselves in a good battle for third place.

At 150 pounds, Fisher Jolley, who placed seventh at divisionals, won two matches to make the semifinals for Timpanogos. Mountain View got a big-time performance out of freshman Hyrum Stafford (157) as he reached the semifinals with a huge quarterfinal win over Ridgeline’s Sam Rassi, 7-6.

Huge bracket overhauls in 4A as state champions are disqualified: Sadly wrestlers can be disqualified for weights or a skin condition and the latter is just what happened to returning Snow Canyon state champion Kaden Guymon (132). This caused a shift in the bracket and Connor Knudsen of Timpanogos moved up to his spot as the Divisional A runner-up. This shift may have benefitted Mountain View’s Glade Harman, the Divisional B champion who before Guymon’s disqualification was on the same side of the bracket as Knudsen. The Timberwolf wrestler had beat Harman 4-0 in their dual meet. Now an easier path for two Utah County wrestlers has opened up.

Then at 120 pounds, Bear River’s returning state champion Daxston Bingham was disqualified. This caused a shift in the bracket where Mountain View’ Brigham Crookston slid into his spot as placers moved up a position. Bingham placed second in the Divisional B tournament where Crookston was third. Crookston won both of his matches to reach the semifinals, including an 8-5 decision over Provo’s Christian Beesley.

Of course, this will all have huge team implications as programs like Mountain View, Ridgeline and Timpanogos that have huge aspirations to finish in the top five or higher benefit hugely from these disqualifications, while the dreams of some top wrestlers were dashed.

5A Notes: Spanish Fork pushed 11 wrestlers out to the semifinals. The Dons are out in front with 136 points, while Box Elder (132) and Wasatch (110.5) are second and third respectively.

One of the better matches of the quarterfinals took place at 132 pounds where Cahill Simons survived a scare from Roy’s Maximo Quintana. The Royal grappler held a 7-4 lead in the third period but Simons earned a reversal and then turned Quintana to win 9-7.

Karson Shelley (120) won both of his matches with first period pins and remained on track to earn his third straight title as a junior. His Salem Hills rival Breyton Banks, a returning state champion himself, had two falls as well. Shelley will meet Wasatch’s Ryder Christensen while Banks meets up with Alta’s Johnny Orr, the Divisional B champ.

At 150 pounds, Spanish Fork’s Gatlin Call pulled off two huge upsets when he beat Cyprus’ Jacob Jensen 9-6 and then Viewmont’s Chad McKenzie 7-6. Call, who placed seventh in divisionals earned a right to take on his teammate Junior Wetzel in the semifinals.

Spanish Fork did suffer two unexpected setbacks when Edward Sears (144) and Ryker Olson (157) were upset in the quarterfinals.

Wasatch only has 13 wrestlers in the tournament (compared to 24 for Box Elder and 21 for Spanish Fork), but the Wasps had a really good day putting eight grapplers into the semifinals.

Returning state champion Henry Hanseen (157) was dominant in his two bouts winning by pin while his younger brother Wyatt, just a freshman, also won by pin and now faces Cedar Valley’s Jayce Wandell in the semifinals at 165 pounds.

At 285 pounds, Wasatch’s Austin McNaughton was on the mat for a total of 71 seconds and executed a jaw-dropping lateral drop to a pin in his second bout. Now the Wasp big man will take on Kearns’ Raymond Tongolei, one of two undefeated wrestlers in the 5A field.

Salem Hills finds itself battling for a top five spot as the Skyhawks tallied 64 points on day to stand in fourth place. Kevin Mayo (106) won both of his bouts and will square off with Spanish Fork’s Taegen Leavitt in the semifinals.

6A Notes: Layton (118.5) and Westlake (101.5) went back and forth all day before Layton’s upper weights gave the Lancers an advantage.

However, Westlake did get an important head-to-head win over the Lancers when Colton Cook won in sudden victory 4-2 over Layton’s Ethan Sweet. Cook was leading 2-1 late in the third period but a stall penalty point tied the bout. Cook kept his composure and got the winning takedown in overtime.

Cook is one of 13 Thunder wrestlers that made the semifinals and at 126 pounds, Israel Borge and teammate Jamyne Xoumphonphackdy will meet in one semifinal guaranteeing Westlake a finalist. Borge is undefeated at 30-0.

Brayden Robison moved his record to 42-0 as he made the semifinals at 157 pounds. Robinson, who has taken state twice and is a 3-time finalist, will meet Davis High’s Kayleb Murphy.

Pleasant Grove (79) sits in third place and put five in the semifinals, while American Fork has three wrestlers in the finals including returning state champion Tege Kelley (144), who will wrestle his own teammate Thomas Bartholomew in one semifinal. Lehi has two semifinalists in Lincoln Rex (126) and Ammon Cannon (150) and Westlake will hope their Pioneer rivals can help them out as both take on Layton wrestlers Geronimo Rivera and Gavin Regis respectively.

The only Layton vs. Westlake semifinal comes at 144 pounds where Westlake’s Korbin Chuchran will battle Layton’s Noah Bull.

Making History: With his two pins, Pleasant Grove’s Cayaen Smith made history as the first Utah wrestler to place at three different high schools in his career. Smith started competing at Skyridge where he placed second as a freshman. Then Smith transferred to Lone Peak where he took state in 2022 and then placed second last season. Now he is the big favorite to win the 215-pound class for the Vikings.

Brandon McBride of Olympus won four state titles at four different schools but two of those came out of state in Idaho and Illinois before he won his two titles for the Titan program.

Sons of head coaches do battle: There are plenty of sons of head and assistant coaches in the field but at 144 pounds American Fork’s Tege Kelley, son of Cole Kelley, met up with Corner Canyon’s Lincoln Eure, son of Jeff Eure to open up their tournaments. Kelley, a junior and defending state champ, pinned Eure, just a freshman in 27 seconds, but the younger Eure did bounce back to win his next match by pin.

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