Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

One of the many lessons to be learned from the sport of wrestling is how to handle a one-on-one challenge.

It’s just you and your opponent on the mat.

Pleasant Grove’s Brad Farrer is a two-time Utah state wrestling champ at 175 pounds and finished sixth in the nation this year. He also plays baseball for the Vikings and approaches the one-on-one challenge of a batter vs. a pitcher like a champion wrestler.

Farrer went 3 for 4 at the plate on Tuesday in Pleasant Grove’s dominating 9-2 victory against American Fork, a battle of not only the top two teams in Region 3 but the No. 1 and No. 2 RPI programs, respectively, in Class 6A.

“It’s kind of that bulldog, that hard-nosed mentality of just like, ‘Nobody is better,'” Farrer said. “You should go out there and be you and just attack everything. You don’t leave it up to anyone but you. Just take charge, that’s the biggest thing.”

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

Farrer has signed to wrestle at the University of Wyoming and said he’ll miss playing baseball, facing off against the opponent’s best pitcher and winning the duel.

“It’s one-on-one, just me versus him,” Farrer said. “So I go out there like just like in a wrestling match, whatever’s going to work, I’m going to go out there and do it. Just beat the guy. I never step up to the plate thinking someone is going to beat me. I get that confidence from wrestling, for sure.”

Farrer is not alone in his aggressive approach at the plate. The Vikings, who are 16-1 overall and have won 15 straight games, never seem to have a bad approach at the plate. Against American Fork, PG pounded out 13 hits and put seven other batters on base with walks or getting hit by a pitch.

“We work on a good approach at the plate all the time,” Pleasant Grove coach Darin Henry said. “And that’s all we work on. A lot of people think we work on the big ball. We don’t. We just try to say, ‘OK, we’re going to grind and grind and grind until we can find a way to pop through.’ Our guys do a good job of that, from No. 1 all the way through No. 9. It’s the key to our team right now.”

On Tuesday, Pleasant Grove got all the runs it would need with a seven-run second inning, sending 12 batters to the plate. The Vikings got RBI singles from Brad Farrer – who had two hits in the inning – Nash Clement and Noah Brady.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

C.J. Anderson was 3 for 3 and Clement was 2 for 3 with three RBI for Pleasant Grove.

That big inning proved to be plenty for starter Keaton Nordick, who improved his record to 6-1 by scattering six hits and striking out 10 while walking only one batter.

“Keaton is a really tough kid and he’s willing to go out there do it however he can,” Henry said. “He’s not afraid to throw any pitch in any count. That’s the sign of a good pitcher than can do that.”

Nordick had to overcome an arm injury that sidelined him for the 2023 season. Last year, he worked out the bullpen but vowed to become a starter as a junior.

“I just kept working throughout the summer,” Nordick said. “I was in the weight room pretty much all the time and gained like 10 or 15 pounds. I played a lot of summer ball on a competitive team and just kept getting better. All that work has started to pay off.”

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

Although the battle of the top two teams in 6A was one-sided on Tuesday, the two rivals will face each other twice more this week and both expect those games to be more competitive. The Cavemen recently won state titles in 2021 and 2023. The Vikings last state championship came in 2019.

Pleasant Grove students spent some extra time before the game using tape to cross out the ‘A’s’ in the signage around the baseball field preparing for the rivalry. On Wednesday, American Fork got its revenge, earning a 9-2 home victory to set up a rubber match in the third game of the series.

“These two programs are so close to each other,” Henry said. “We know each other so well that we’re always trying to outwork each other. American Fork is such a great program and they are such a good team. We know that for us to be competing where we want to be, we’ve got to be crazy workers to make sure we’re just staying on top of our region and our whole region is that way.

“Some of these guys are next door neighbors and grew up playing with each other. Who is going to outwork who? Some of the time they get us and sometimes we get them.”

Farrer said, “It just adds a little bit of fire to the flame and it’s just fun. We know we’re going to be the best team in the state and teams have got to come and beat us. That makes a statement right there. Nobody comes to our field and beats us.”

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

Pleasant Grove's Nash Clement slides in safely at home against American Fork in a Region 3 baseball game on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

American Fork's Max Miller throws a pitch in a Region 3 baseball game against Pleasant Grove on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Pleasant Grove's CJ Anderson, left, greets Noah Brady after Brady scored a run in a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

American Fork's Cooper Jones dives back to first base as Pleasant Grove's Mason Hawk Henry waits for the throw in a Region 3 baseball game on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Pleasant Grove's Noah Brady throw from third to first in a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Pleasant Grove senior Bradlee Farrer celebrates winning the state title at the 6A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.

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