Timpanogos boys wrestling seizes opportunity, finishes second in 4A
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- Timpanogos’s Xander Carlson celebrates winning a state title at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- The Timpanogos boys wrestling team poses for a photo after finishing second at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Timpanogos’s Fisher Jolley (left) competes against Mountain View’s Mason Grow in the 165-pound title match at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Timpanogos’s Xander Carlson (right) competes against Mountain View’s Hyrum Stafford in the 175-pound title match at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Timpanogos’s Fisher Jolley (left) competes against Mountain View’s Mason Grow in the 165-pound title match at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Mountain View’s Isaac McGee celebrates winning a state title at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Timpanogos’s Connor Knudsen competes in the 138-pound title match at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
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- Payson’s Jonah Shaw (left) competes in the 120-pound title match at the 4A finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
But the Timberwolves did see an opportunity to make their own mark.
“We talked last year about how we knew Payson (the No. 2 4A team in 2024) wasn’t returning a bunch of guys,” Timpanogos senior Xander Carlson said. “So we knew that second was possible. We were just coming back for it. They said we just needed more guns than the other guys, to have only big guns on our team.”
Timberwolf head coach Alex Nicholes, though, said that accomplishing that goal meant not focusing on it as much as locking in taking the right steps each day.
“We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it,” Nicholes said. “We spent a lot of time talking to them about the process and how we could be the best versions of ourselves. We didn’t focus on the outcomes.”
But when it came time to go get those outcomes, that was exactly what Timpanogos did.
Let by a pair of state title wins in inter-city matchups against Mountain View opponents during the finals at the UCCU Center in Orem late Wednesday night, Timpanogos held off the Bruins to finish second in 4A behind the Utes of Uintah.
“These are some phenomenal young men,” Nicholes said. “We love them. We’ve got great relationships with them. I’ve coached a lot of them since they were little kids. It’s been so fun just to spend time with them.”
Carlson made the most of his final year of high school wrestling, rolling through the competition in the early rounds to reach the finals in the 175-pound division. There he squared off against Mountain View sophomore Hyrum Stafford in a tense, thrilling match.
“It was stressful but it was fun,” Carlson said. “There was part where the worst thing happened but then you have to come back from that. You just have to keep going.”
Both Carlson and Stafford had moments where they seized control but others when they were struggling to fight free. As the final seconds ticked down, Carlson surged in front but Stafford was only one point back.
The Bruin wrestler rushed Carlson, desperate to scored and move in front, but he simply couldn’t break through the defenses of the Timpanogos star. The final whistle blew and Carlson had held on for the 7-6 win.
“You just get it done because in the moment you don’t have any choice,” Carlson said.
But then it was time to celebrate.
“I had to give my brother a hug, my coaches a hug, my mom a hug, everyone who had helped me,” Carlson said. “I didn’t think this was possible, but they did. I really wanted this state title.”
Carlson’s win came right on the heels of the success of Timpanogos junior Fisher Jolley in the 165-pound division, although he had a moment of uncertainty.
Jolley was going up against another Mountain View wrestler, Bruin senior Mason Grow, but seemed to be in control late. Grow refused to give up and battled to the end, getting a late surge of points including a four-point near fall.
The scoreboard initially showed that Grow had tied Jolley and the match was headed to extra time, but after conferring it was clarified that Jolley had held on for the 10-8 win to get a second individual title for the Timberwolves.
“Fisher Jolley was my very first young wrestler 11 years ago,” Nicholes said. “It’s been a blast.”
Mountain View did get an individual title when senior Isaac McGee pinned Hurricane’s Titan Wright in the 215-pound finals, becoming the third Utah Valley wrestler to get to the top of the podium in the 4A finals.
Payson’s Jonah Shaw (120), Timpanogos’s Connor Knudsen (138) and Mountain View’s Glade Harmon (132) and Landon Shumway (190) all reached the championships but ended up falling in their respective finals matches.
Uintah ran away with the team title as the Utes had six individual champions and tallied 362 points. The Timberwolves ended up with 191 points, while the Bruins weren’t far behind at 171 points.
4A finals results
106: Cash Christensen (Murray) 38-8 won by decision over Joshua Garcia (Uintah) 32-13 (Dec 4-1)
113: Maddax Hacking (Uintah) 33-8 won by decision over Joseph Holbrook (Ridgeline) 27-15 (Dec 8-4)
120: Ethan Sharp (Uintah) 38-4 won by major decision over Jonah Shaw (Payson) 36-11 (MD 17-7)
126: Michael Alexander (Uintah) 42-3 won by fall over Benjamin Ploehn (Stansbury) 44-12 (Fall 1:31)
132: Rykan Hacking (Uintah) 44-2 won by decision over Glade Harman (Mt View) 47-7 (Dec 10-6)
138: Kaden Guymon (Snow Canyon) 42-3 won by decision over Connor Knudsen (Timpanogos) 46-8 (Dec 5-3)
144: Brody Rhoades (Uintah) 44-1 won by major decision over Isaac Dickinson (Hurricane) 49-8 (MD 13-1)
150: Jason Worthley (West Field) 42-3 won by tech fall over Myka Love (Jordan) 38-6 (TF-1.5 2:19 (19-3))
157: Parker Streight (Uintah) 40-6 won by decision over Cason Smith (Snow Canyon) 53-6 (Dec 3-1)
165: Fisher Jolley (Timpanogos) 46-8 won by decision over Mason Grow (Mt View) 35-17 (Dec 10-8)
175: Xander Carlson (Timpanogos) 44-7 won by decision over Hyrum Stafford (Mt View) 37-13 (Dec 7-6)
190: Seth Montierth (Ridgeline) 42-12 won by decision over Landon Shumway (Mt View) 47-10 (Dec 6-3)
215: Isaac Mcgee (Mt View) 53-5 won by fall over Titan Wright (Hurricane) 43-11 (Fall 1:44)
285: Caleb Patton (Pine View) 45-1 won by decision over Caden Young (Uintah) 40-5 (Dec 2-1)
