Is Utah prep wrestling ready to enter a second golden age?

From the looks of the talent in the freshman and sophomore classes, some of it wrestling right here in Utah County, it seems like Utah is poised for another era where Utah prep wrestling might be producing more NCAA All-Americans, national team performers, and perhaps even Olympic champions.

Utah’s golden age for prep wrestling was a period between 1993 and 2008 where a slew of prep wrestlers from the Beehive State made their mark at the national and international level.

It wasn’t that great wrestlers haven’t existed before or since, but in the 1993-94 season Utah produced two participants in the Dapper Dan Dual, which pits the best Pennsylvania wrestlers against the best wrestlers from all across the United States.

One of those wrestlers was Wasatch’s Cody Sanderson, who actually became Utah’s first prep wrestler to make the NCAA championship finals, maybe an hour or so before his more famous younger brother Cael would punch his ticket.

The other Dapper Dan participant, Jeff Holtry from West High School, was the first Utah prep wrestler to win in this event. Holtry, a heavyweight wrestler, chose to concentrate on football in college and actually played on Michigan’s national championship team in 1997.

The Sanderson brothers (Cody, Cole and Cael) made a big splash on the Utah wrestling scene winning 11 state titles in the 1990’s, while youngest brother Cyler would win three state titles himself prepping at both Timpanogos and Wasatch in the early 2000’s.

Cael is arguably the greatest college wrestler ever with an unblemished 159-0 record and four NCAA titles. Then add in a 2004 Olympic gold medal for this legend. But as incredible as his accomplishments are as a competitor, his resume as a head coach at Penn State is beyond mind boggling with 10 NCAA team titles in 14 seasons, 39 NCAA champions and 83 total All-Americans. And he isn’t done yet as the Nittany Lion dynasty seems indomitable.

Older brother Cody is an assistant at Penn State and was actually Utah Valley’s first head coach. Meanwhile, brothers Cole and Cyler have made their mark coaching club programs along the Wasatch front that continually develop youth wrestling talent.

The 1997-98 season is undoubtedly the greatest season in Utah prep wrestling history and it actually came after Cael Sanderson graduated the year before. But at the Senior Nationals, Utah had three champions, four finalists, seven place winners, and placed third of all the states.

One of those national champions was Orem’s Aaron Holker, who won four state titles in the Tiger program and was BYU’s last All-American before the program was dropped. Then he won a NCAA title at Iowa State where he was a teammate of Cael Sanderson. The other champions were future 2-time NCAA finalist at Minnesta Ryan Lewis (Uintah), and Justin Ruiz (Taylorsville), who became a NCAA All-American at Nebraska but is better known for his success in Greco-Roman wrestling as a 2-time alternate for the Olympic team and a participant on many national teams.

Cael Sanderson went 127-3 in his high school career and at the end of this 15 year epoch came Springville’s Jason Chamberlain, who went 191-2. Both of those losses Chamberlain suffered, he avenged, one time in the same tournament. Chamberlain won at the Dapper Dan and the Senior Nationals and was a 2-time All-American and one-time NCAA finalist at Boise State.

It should also be noted that the 2008 class produced future Penn State NCAA Champion Matt Brown (Cyprus) and Blake Mangum, who prepped at both Lone Peak and Wasatch and won a state title with Wasatch. Mangum was also a high school All-American before wrestling in college at Oklahoma. He also was the head coach of Salem Hills and currently an assistant coach at Westlake.

But the story doesn’t start and end with the Sanderson brothers or Chamberlain. And Utah County, along with Wasatch County, has been the epicenter of great wrestling talent in Utah.

Some other examples are Cheney Haight of Timpanogos, who focused more on Greco-Roman and wrestled on many national teams, nearly making two Olympic teams.

While his college career was short circuited by a neck injury, Nathaniel Holt, who prepped at Provo winning two state titles while finishing second at the Senior Nationals, also was the youngest freestyle competitor at the 2008 Olympic Trials at age 19. Other area wrestlers like Rocky Smart and Colin Robertson of Pleasant Grove, Wasatch’s Mitch Morgan, Colton Salazar and brothers Steve and Ritchie Cordova, along with Payson’s Seth Wright and Lehi’s Rodney Sager and Tyson Thompson are among the very talented wrestlers that competed in this era.

And while he won three state titles at Viewmont, Ben Kjar became Utah Valley’s first NCAA All-American. Other wrestlers like brothers Ethen and Luke Lofthouse (Mountain Crest) and Andrew Hochstrasser (Tooele) were high school and NCAA All-Americans and have coached in Utah County either at the university or youth level.

Jeff Newby, who won four state titles at Box Elder at the turn of the millennium, has been a huge factor in this recent rise of youth success as the Executive Director of USA Wrestling Utah, the head of one of the largest youth programs in the United States in Eagle Mountain/Saratoga Springs, while also being the head coach of Westlake High School.

Under Newby’s leadership at USA Wrestling Utah, the opportunities for some of the state’s most elite wrestlers to compete in prestigious competitions and on national teams has exploded.

Taylor LaMont (Maple Mountain) and Brock Hardy (Box Elder) have earned NCAA All-American status in recent years, but the overall excellence of Utah prep wrestling has tapered off. However, things might be changing as the efforts of USA Wrestling Utah at the youth level seem to be bearing fruit. The freshman and sophomore classes in Utah this year seem especially loaded.

Westlake’s freshman sensation Israel Borge (126 pounds) and his older brother Curtis Borge (132/138), a sophomore, are just two examples. Both are currently undefeated.

Israel Borge has been dominant. At the Rockwell Rumble this past weekend, Israel Borge won his weight class and defeated Layton 2-time state champion Geronimo Rivera. And Rivera is no ordinary multi-state champion as he’s placed in both the Reno Tournament of Champions and Doc Buchanan this season, considered the two toughest tourneys west of the Mississippi River. Israel Borge won his bout with Rivera comfortably, 8-4.

Meanwhile, Curtis Borge came into the tournament as the fifth seed and beat Altamont 2-time state champ Dillon Ivie by injury default, downed a top-seeded and multiple-time state champion from Idaho in the semifinals, and then topped another freshman sensation Austin Ellis of Davis in sudden victory. Ellis placed in the Doc Buchanan and was unbeaten against Utah competition.

Three young superstar sophomores outside of Utah County showed their mettle this past weekend at the Rockwell Rumble as Grand County’s Austin Paris won the 138-pound class, while Layton’s Noah Bull (144) and South Summit’s Travyn Boger (285) placed second. Syracuse sophomore Mason Carlson (120) didn’t compete this past weekend because of injury, but the returning 6A state champion has impressive credentials including placing sixth at the Doc Buchanan. Corner Canyon freshman Tanner Telford (106) is another stalwart grappler.

Boys wrestling

Pleasant Grove and Westlake placed fourth and fifth at the Rockwell Rumble respectively out of 66 teams that sent representatives. Spanish Fork was eighth. Layton won the tournament while Bishop Kelly Idaho placed second and Juab was third.

Pleasant Grove also had three champions with Bradlee Farrer (165), Trevyn Gates (190) and Cayaen Smith (215). Israel (126) and Curtis (132) Borge, along with Brayden Robison (150), won titles for the Thunder. Spanish Fork’s Karson Shelley (120) climbed to the top of the podium, while Maple Mountain’s Caleb Jackson won the 113-pound title with two great wins in sudden victory in the semifinals and finals to claim gold.

Pleasant Grove’s Hixon Canto (157) finished second while Payson’s Landen Shurtleff (190) was defeated by Gates 5-3 in the championship finals.

By the way, Westlake sent a team to the Battle at the Mine tourney hosted by Tintic and came away with the gold trophy. And on another side note, Ben Vombaur’s son Drake, a freshman, won the 106-pound title wrestling for Severance High School, Colorado at the Rockwell Rumble. Ben Vombaur led Wasatch to a state title in between two head coaching stints of Steve Sanderson and Wade Discher.

Big Time Performance of the Week: Not only did Smith win the tournament, he beat Woods Cross All-American Cash Henderson by riding him out in the ultimate tiebreaker.

The match ended up tied 4-4 in regulation. Henderson held a 3-0 lead at one point but two stalling points and a Smith escape in the third round ended up tying the match. No points were scored in the sudden victory portion. Henderson went down in the first tiebreaker session and scored an escape to go ahead 4-3. Smith then chose down, reversed Henderson, but then was penalized for stalling which then tied the match up at 6-6. Henderson, who scored first, got his choice in the ultimate tiebreaker and chose down, but Smith got the ride out and victory.

Smith also won three other bouts by pin and another by major decision en route to the title.

Match of the Week: The Rockwell Rumble provided some great competition and the 120-pound final where Spanish Fork’s Karson Shelley defeated Anthony Lopez of Volcano Vista, New Mexico had plenty of thrilling action.

The first round saw 13 points scored as both wrestlers put the other on their back with Lopez finishing the period with a 7-6 lead. After a scoreless second round, the Volcano Vista wrestler reversed Shelley to go ahead 9-6. But then the Don 2-time state champ turned the tables, reversing Lopez with 42 seconds left and then putting him on his back to earn two more points and the 10-9 win.

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

Girls wrestling

The girls Rockwell Rumble had just short of 500 competitors with 51 teams sending representatives. Cedar Valley was the lone Utah County program that finished in the top ten as the Aviators finished fourth. Grand Junction Central, Colorado won the tourney while Uintah was second with Chatfield, Colorado in third.

Utah County did have some outstanding individual performances as Springville crowned two champions with Emeri Mortimer (100) and Hotai Valeti (170). Westlake had two individual titleists as well with Celeste Detoles (135) and Keilikki Nau Rarick (235). Mountain View’s Isla Baeza (130) and Maple Mountain’s Aurelia Ramos (190) both won gold medals while Skyridge’s Nadia Thomas finished second at 120 pounds.

Big Time Performance of the Week: Springville’s Mortimer stormed through the 100-pound bracket winning all five of her bouts with a first round pin. Mortimer, a junior, is a 2-time 5A finalist.

Match of the Week: For the second time in five days and third time on the season, Westlake’s Rarick and Murray’s Cheyenne Ruiz, did battle. Both are returning All-Americans with five 6A state titles between them, and in the two previous bouts Rarick overcame deficits to pin Ruiz.

The third meeting had a bit of a different tenor. The first period ended scoreless but Ruiz did pick up an important stall warning on Rarick. Ruiz scored the first points with a reversal and earned a stalling point to go ahead 3-0 after the second round.

In the third round, Rarick earned a takedown to trim Ruiz’s lead to 3-2 and then picked up a point as the Spartan wrestler was penalized for stalling to tie up the match 3-3. But with the momentum shift, Rarick secured the takedown in sudden victory to remain unbeaten.

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

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