Westlake boys wrestling continues to build, getting second in 6A for first time
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- Westlake wrestler Brayden Robison celebrates winning the 157-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestlers pose for a photo with the second-place trophy after the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Corbyn Robison celebrates winning the 113-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Brayden Robison (left) competes against Pleasant Grove wrestler Hixon Canto in the 157-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Brayden Robison (left) competes against Pleasant Grove wrestler Hixon Canto in the 157-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Corbyn Robison (left) competes in the 113-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Corbyn Robison (left) competes in the 113-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Curtis Borge celebrates winning the 132-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Curtis Borge (left) competes in the 132-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Josh Fish celebrates winning the 150-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Josh Fish (right) competes in the 150-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Pleasant Grove wrestler Cayaen Smith (left) competes in the 215-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Pleasant Grove wrestler Cayaen Smith (left) competes in the 215-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Westlake wrestler Israel Borges (left) competes in the 126-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- Pleasant Grove wrestler Brad Farrer (right) competes in the 165-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
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- American Fork wrestler Tege Kelley (right) competes in the 144-pound finals at the 2024 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
Westlake senior wrestler Brayden Robison and his younger brother sophomore Corbyn Robison are passionate about seeing each other succeed.
It anyone near them at Saturday’s 6A boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem likely could tell.
Both of the Robisons reached the championships in their respective weight classes but had tough competition between them and state titles.
Corbyn Robison was up first in the 113-pound finals as he battled Layton junior Aidan Bastian in a contest where every point was crucial.
“It was very tough,” Corbyn Robison said. “I went out there knowing I could beat him. I was thinking about how it was all about having the right mentality. Last time we wrestled, he beat me. I beat him last year at state, so we were 1-1. It was just great going through the match because like all the positions we were in, we were both trying to win. It was just super-tough.”
One of the loudest voices in the audience belonged to Brayden Robison, who knew this might be his only chance to see his little brother win a title.
“I might be on a mission (for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) when he competes the next couple of years,” Brayden Robison said. “So there were a lot of emotions.”
The Thunder sophomore and his Lancer opponent scrapped for every advantage they could but when the final whistle blew, it was Corbyn Robison who had secured the thrilling 6-5 victory.
“The difference was definitely determination,” Corbyn Robison said. “I’ve had practices almost every day for the last three weeks to get ready. I’ve got to thank all my coaches because they’ve always been there for me and helped me through everything.”
He also had a very proud older brother watching from the sideline, savoring the moment.
“It was freaking awesome,” Brayden Robison said. “I was probably more hyped for him than any of my other teammates because he’s family. That was the greatest match I’ve ever seen.”
Having secured his state title, a few minutes later it was Corbyn Robison’s turn to watch as Brayden Robison stepped onto the mat to face Pleasant Grove senior Hixon Canto in the 157-pound championship.
“He’s my favorite brother,” Corbyn Robison said. “He’s always been there for me. He’s just the best brother I could ask for.”
The Westlake senior went back and forth with Canto for most of the match before he got the opening he needed, pinning the Viking finalist with less than 30 seconds remaining.
“At the beginning, I was a little stressed out, a little nervous,” Brayden Robison said. “But it always goes away during the match because the adrenaline kicks in. I just kept working hard.”
He credited his teammates, coaches, family and God for helping him through everything in his life.
Corbyn Robison’s was trying to get video of his brother’s match but he admitted he got so excited that it might not have turned out the best.
“I was very tense because they kept going back and forth,” Corbyn Robison said. “He got the cradle and I freaked out. I was videoing and I could not hold the camera still. You can hear me yelling, ‘Cradle! Cradle!’ I couldn’t hold it.”
Although he was thrilled to close out his high school career by pinning his opponent in the state finals, Brayden Robison still said his brother’s win was likely going to be even more memorable.
Thunder head coach Jeff Newby said he was extremely proud of how both of the Robison brothers performed.
“For Corbyn to get that upset was phenomenal,” Newby said. “As a sophomore he’ll get the opportunity to come back and go for two or three titles. And then it was fun to see Brayden capping things off with the match he had. All of his matches with that opponent have been close. It was a fun match and Brayden was able to come out on top.”
The wins by Brayden and Corbyn Robison were two of the four individual championship that Westlake won, which was the high mark for any 6A team.
Thunder sophomore Curtis Borge and Farmington senior Hudson Palmer squared off in a defensive struggle in the 132-pound finals. It was Borge, however, who got the only point of the match to win the 1-0 decision.
The other Westlake champion was junior Josh Fish, who took the lead in the 150-pound championship and refused to let Layton sophomore Gavin Regis catch up. Fish won 9-2 to get the fourth Thunder individual crown.
Although Westlake ended up with the most individual champions, it wasn’t able to get quite enough points in the other rounds to defeat the favorites from Layton. The Lancers did enough to win the 6A crown for the second straight year by scoring 260 points, while the Thunder finished second with 219.5.
“You are always going to want to be first,” Newby said. “But in our school history, we’ve never placed second. We were third the last few years and fourth place before that, but now we’re stepping so we have one more place to get.”
He said he likes the direction of the Westlake program and believes it will continue to improve.
“We started about 10 years ago and we’re finally starting to see these kids come through and become state champions,” Newby said. “This is just the beginning for us. Every year you want to get better.”
Corbyn Robison said he’s excited to be back for the next couple of years and see what the Thunder can do.
“It’s a great feeling,” the sophomore said. “We know we are just going higher now.”
Only one other Utah Valley wrestler won an individual 6A state title. That was Pleasant Grove senior Cayaen Smith, who overwhelmed Fremont’s Ridge Lindley in the 215-pound finals on his way to a 19-4 tech fall.
Four other local wrestlers reached the finals but came up just short of winning: Westlake freshman Israel Borge (126 pounds), American Fork junior Tege Kelley (144 pounds), Pleasant Grove junior Brad Farrer (165 pounds) and Viking senior Trevyn Gates (190 pounds).
In the team competition, Pleasant Grove finished fourth with 140.5 points.
For complete details from the 6A state boys wrestling tournament, go to http://UHSAA.org.
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