Jan.
10, 2005: The Salt Lake Tribune
Prep Wrestling: Box Elder Stings Delta in Final Bout
by Peter Richins
Last Wednesday's Utah All-Star Wrestling
Classic featured more wrestlers than it ever had.
Seventeen wrestlers represented each team
in the dual-meet format event at Utah Valley State
College. That meant three more bouts and six more
wrestlers faced off than normally would in a dual meet.
Wednesday's meet included two matches at
112, 135 and 152 pounds. Rondo Fehlberg, board member of
the Utah Amateur Wrestling Foundation, said some people
might not care for the extra matches.
"There are a few that I might call purists
that might call that an abomination," Fehlberg said.
Others have criticized the format for going too long on a
school night.
But on the other hand, in a celebration of
wrestling like the Classic, denying a deserving wrestler
because there is another athlete at the same weight may
seem wrong to some. Riverton's Michael Watts, a two-time
state champion who defeated Wasatch's Shayne Bonner 3-2 on
Wednesday, is a case in point.
Watts originally was left out of the
large-schools team roster, but a strongly-worded letter
from his father John was received by UAWF president Ross
Brunson the weekend before the meet demanding Michael be
included. Room was made for Watts at 119 pounds when
Wasatch's Casey Smith was brought in to represent the
small schools.
The 2005 All-Star Classic was not the
first year extra matches were scheduled. Last year, 16
bouts took place.
Fehlberg, while standing on the mat and
introducing the event Wednesday, put the question of
whether or not to include extra matches in the Classic to
the fans in attendance. By applause, a majority of fans in
attendance showed their support for the expanded format.
Attendance Down
To be sure, Wednesday's Classic had the
smallest number of fans at the McKay Events Center in it's
five-year history. The venue was virtually silent during
many matches, and Fehlberg said the weather was to blame.
"It was just because we had a blizzard,"
Fehlberg said. "You usually have big crowds from Beaver
and Delta and Fillmore."
Still, the event brought in close to
$10,000. As usual, the UAWF donated their profits to UVSC
wrestling. The Bruins ended up with a net sum of $8,000.
"Given the weather conditions, we were
satisfied with [the attendance]," Fehlberg said.
All-Star Rewind
As previously reported, Wednesday's team
score was the widest in the events' five year history. The
small schools won 37-24, a 13-point margin, larger by far
than the previous two years' three-point margins. The 2004
result was 35-32 for the small schools and the 2003 was
25-22 for the large schools. The large schools won it the
first two years: 25-18 in 2002 and 34-27 in 2001. . . .
Four wrestlers won their second straight All-Star
victories: North Sanpete's Jake Swensen, Lehi's Tyson
Thompson and Wasatch's Cyler Sanderson and Dallin Norton.
. . . All seven All-Star participants with two state
championships to their credit won: Swensen, Thompson,
Sanderson, Norton, Lehi's Rodney Sager, Riverton's Watts
and Viewmont's Shay Lawrence. . . . In all, 11 seniors,
four juniors and two sophomores won their matches.
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