The 24th Annual Ross Brunson All-Star Dual will take place Tuesday night at the UCCU Event Center on the campus of Utah Valley University. The wrestling action is set to begin at 5:45 p.m. and proceeds of the event will go to support the university’s wrestling program. Cost for spectators is 10 dollars.

Westlake head wrestling coach and USA Wrestling Utah Executive Director Jeff Newby is excited about this year’s slew of matches.

“There are a lot of very fun matchups this year at the All-Stars,” said Newby. “We hope everyone will come out and support these boys and girls. This event is also a great opportunity to help support UVU Wrestling as it’s one of their main fundraisers on the year.”

Boys Wrestling

Westlake will have the most representation of any county boys team at the all-star dual as Israel Bjorge (126 pounds), Curtis Bjorge (138), Josh Fish (150) and Brayden Robison (157) hit the mats representing the Thunder program. The Thunder are riding high as they just won the Richardson Memorial tournament this weekend hosted by Box Elder.

Israel Borge, just a freshman but undefeated on the season, will face a huge challenge taking on Uintah’s Michael Alexander, a junior with two state titles to his credit. Borge’s brother Curtis, who is also undefeated as a sophomore, will take on another sophomore sensation in Grand County’s Austin Paris, who recently finished fourth at the prestigious Doc Buchanan tourney in California.

Fish, a junior who took second in state last year, will take on Union’s Tucker Roybal, an undefeated sophomore and returning 3A state champion. Meanwhile, Robison, undefeated so far this season and a 2-time 6A state champ and 3-time finalist, will meet Stansbury’s Brandon Ploehn, a runner-up in 5A last year.

At 120 pounds, a much anticipated matchup between Spanish Fork’s Karson Shelley and Syracuse’s Mason Carlson will take place. Shelley is a junior and a 2-time state champion, while Carlson, a sophomore, won a state title last year for the Titans. This past weekend Shelley won the Best of the West tournament in Tooele while Carlson placed sixth at the Doc Buchanan.

Utah County will have additional representation from two Payson grapplers with Quayde Beck (165) and Landen Shurtleff (190).

It will be Beck’s first time in the All-Star event while Shurtleff, a 2-time state champion, makes a return trip as a junior. Beck will battle Millard’s Morgan Tingey, while Shurtleff goes up against Andre Leota of Olympus.

Mountain View’s Glade Harman is a 2-time state runner-up in 5A who will battle undefeated Farmington’s undefeated Hudson Palmer at 126 pounds. Meanwhile, Springville’s Tevita Valeti will take on Millard’s Emilio Jackson at 190 pounds.

Other Utah County representation has Pleasant Grove returning 6A state champion Bradlee Farrer (157) battling 1A returning state champion Jacob Marshall of Panguitch, while American Fork junior Tege Kelley takes on Millard’s Sam Rasmussen at 144 pounds. Both Kelley and Rasmussen are returning state champions.

Wasatch will have two representatives in the competition. At 126 pounds, Ben Kohler squares off against Millard’s Dak Eldredge while big man Austin McNaugton will take on San Juan’s Taylor Black in a bout at 285 pounds. Kohler and McNaughton placed second in 5A last year.

Two Pleasant Grove Wrestlers Place at Doc Buchanan: Speaking of the Doc Buchanan tourney, Pleasant Grove’s Trevyn Gates (190) and Cayaen Smith (215) both placed in the event hosted at Buchanan High School in Clovis, California. The tournament is considered the toughest prep wrestling tournament west of the Mississippi River.

Gates made it to the championship finals from his ninth seed upsetting the top seed along the way. Gates ended up finishing second. Meanwhile, Smith advanced to the semifinals before being knocked to the consolation rounds where he ended up fifth.

A total of nine Utah wrestlers placed in the top eight. Layton finished ninth as a team, while Pleasant Grove was 15th. Poway, California won the event. Over 120 schools sent wrestlers to compete and most brackets had 60-80 competitors.

Big-Time Performance of the Week: Timpanogos came away with the gold trophy at the Utah Winter Classic held in Richfield. Stratton Lewis won the 144-pound weight class beating a 3A returning state placer in Richfield’s Drexton Torgerson in a thriller, 5-4.

Preece’s Top Ten Boys Teams: 1. Layton (6A) 2. Uintah (4A) 3. Westlake (6A) 4. Millard (2A) 5. Pleasant Grove (6A) 6. Corner Canyon (6A) 7. Spanish Fork (5A) 8. Payson (4A) 9. Wasatch (5A) 10. Juab (3A).

Girls Wrestling

There will be a big intra-county match-up in the girls division at 190 pounds, which also might be a preview for the 5A state title, when Maple Mountain’s Aurelia Ramos tangles with Salem Hills’ Jocelyn Hepler.

Ramos is a 2-time state finalist and returning state champion. She went undefeated last year and so far has not been challenged this season. Ramos won the 5A 170-pound weight class last year, while Hepler was the 190-pound champion. Hepler also placed second in the 1A/2A/3A state tourney in 2022 while wrestling for ALA.

Hepler will be one of two Skyhawk grapplers hitting the mats as her teammate Avery Winterton (145) takes on Rich High School’s Nya Jolley.

One of the most anticipated matches will be the rematch of Westlake’s Keilikki Nau Rarick and Murray’s Cheyenne Ruiz at 235 pounds.

These two wrestlers have five state titles between them as Ruiz won three 6A state titles at Taylorsville wrestling at 190 pounds before transferring to Murray this season. Rarick, a junior, has won the last two 6A state titles in the weight class and also won the 16-and-under nationals this past off-season.

Their first match at the Christmas Clash had plenty of excitement as Ruiz built up a 7-0 lead. But late in the second period, Rarick earned an escape then took Ruiz down to her back and earned the fall with just two seconds left in the round.

Rarick’s Thunder teammate Celeste Detoles, a 3-time state champion, will go up against Snow Canyon’s Nia Hagler at 135 pounds.

Another big-time match-up in the female competition will be Springville’s Hotai Valeti, whose brother Tevita is also competing in this event, versus Canyon View’s Meletelini Matakaiongo at 170 pounds. Valeti is a senior going for her fourth state title while Matakaiongo, a sophomore and an 16-and-under All-American, is going for her second title. This is also another rematch as the two met in the Christmas Clash with Valeti earning a win by pin.

Mountain View has two girls competing in the event. Returning state champion Isla Baeza (130) will take on Union’s Evie Davidson while her Bruin teammate Makenzie McCoy (120) will battle against returning 6A state champion Aleena Navarrete of Weber.

Skyridge has two wrestlers donning their singlets as Nadia Thomas (125) battles Rich’s Quincy Siddoway while her Falcon teammate Madison Sherman (155) squares off against Herriman’s Katie Law.

Cedar Valley’s Rhya Balmforth (140) will match up against Lucy Harris of Desert Hills.

Big-Time Performance of the Week: Salem Hills won the Utah Winter Classic held at the Sevier Event Center in Richfield, while Cedar Valley was second. Addie Brindley (100) had five pins over the weekend to pace the Skyhawk attack.

Preece’s Top Ten Girls Teams: 1. Uintah (4A) 2. Copper Hills (6A) 3. Canyon View (3A) 4. Salem Hills (5A) 6. Cedar Valley (6A) 7. Mountain Crest (4A) 8. Herriman (6A) 9. Syracuse (6A) 10. Bear River (4A).

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