Jan.
10, 2005: The Wrestling Mall, High School News
Utah Wrestling All-Star Meet Complete: Small Schools On
Top
The fifth Annual Utah Amateur Wrestling
Foundation Utah Wrestling All-Star Classic has come and
gone. For the second consecutive year, the small schools
(1A/2A/3A) came out ahead in the all-star dual meet,
beating the 4A/5A team 37-24. The event, a fundraiser in
support of the new wrestling program at Utah Valley State
College (UVSC) in Orem, was held on the UVSC campus.
The small schools won 11 of the 17
matches, unlike last year, where it came down to the lat
match of the night.
Match results were as follows:
103 — Kolby Bradley (4A/5A: Springville)
defeated Jared Shepherd (1A/2A/3A: Delta), decision, 4-3
112 — Levi Mele (1A/2A/3A: Uintah)
defeated Shay Warren (4A/5A: Weber), decision, 9-0
112 — Casey Smith (1A/2A/3A: Wasatch)
defeated Jason Warner (4A/5A: Spanish Fork), decision, 8-7
119 — Michael Watts (4A/5A: Riverton)
defeated Shayne Bonner (1A/2A/3A: Wasatch), decision, 3-2
125 — Rodney Sager (1A/2A/3A: Lehi)
defeated Aaron Ross (4A/5A: Weber), decision, 14-5
130 — Jake Swensen (1A/2A/3A: North
Sanpete) defeated Sean Porter (4A/5A: Davis), decision,
5-4
135 — Shay Lawrence (4A/5A: Viewmont)
defeated Zack Mau (1A/2A/3A:: Ogden), decision, 3-0
135 — Cameron George (4A/5A: Bountiful)
defeated Czyz Woody (1A/2A/3A: Uintah), fall
140 — Cyler Sanderson (1A/2A/3A: Wasatch)
defeated Spencer Dinkins (4A/5A: Spanish Fork), technical
fall, 22-7
145 — Josh Wilson (1A/2A/3A: Morgan)
defeated Casey Fromm (4A/5A: Box Elder), decision, 13-10
152 — Tyson Thompson (1A/2A/3A: Lehi)
defeated Kelly Kelsey (4A/5A: Payson), decision, 10-5
152 — Colton Camp (1A/2A/3A: North Sevier)
defeated John Johnson (4A/5A: Box Elder), decision, 10-6
160 — Talan Knox (4A/5A: Brighton)
defeated Jordan Smith (1A/2A/3A: Wasatch), decision, 6-4
171 — Philip Keddy (1A/2A/3A: Uintah)
defeated Phillip Rutledge (4A/5A: Mountain Crest),
decision, 11-9
189 — Brett Boyce (4A/5A: Box Elder)
defeated Jared McCurdy (1A/2A/3A: Uintah), fall
215 — Trevor Clegg (1A/2A/3A: South
Summit) defeated Robert Takeno (4A/5A: Hillcrest),
decision, 3-2
275 — Dallin Norton (1A/2A/3A: Wasatch)
defeated Rio Stottler (4A/5A: West Jordan), decision, 5-1
Nine of the 17 small-school athletes came
from Wasatch High School (one of the top-ranked wrestling
high schools in the country) and Uintah, the school coming
in second to Wasatch at recent 3A state championships.
Nonetheless, the results were somewhat surprising,
according to an online survey conducted on
UtahWrestling.org prior to the meet.
Those surveyed predicted that five of the
matches would have turned out differently. The biggest
upset, according to the polls, was the Camp-Johnson match
at 152. More than 70 percent of those polled expected Box
Elder's Johnson to come out on top. Only slightly less
surprising was the Wilson-Fromm match at 145. Almost 70
percent of those polled expected Box Elder's Fromm to win.
Others predicted to come out differently were at 103,
where polls had more than 60 percent predicting that
Delta's Shepherd would win; 189, where 55 percent
predicted that Uintah's McCurdy would come out ahead; and
at 135, where polls had it close, but still more than half
thought Uintah's Woody would win.
One of those polled said, "[The] 2A-3A
schools should dominate this one. Can there be any
question whatsoever that the 3A competition is head and
shoulders above the rest? Excluding Wasatch, Uintah would
pound any school in the state. Last year, Kaden King (N.
Sanpete) won the All Star dual at 103 by pinning his
opponent, this year he didn't even make the cut because of
the fierce competition. To put it bluntly, 3A schools such
as Wasatch, Uintah, Delta, North Sanpete, Lehi and 2A
Millard are without a doubt the most powerful schools in
the state."
His overall prediction was correct, but
the means to that end were not. Only two of the four
Uintah wrestlers in the dual won their matches, while the
lone Delta wrestler lost his, as well.
Some highlights from the match included
Lehi's Tyson Thompson, wrestling in his third straight
Classic. He won his second straight All-Star match against
Payson's Kelly Kelsey (also a state champ). Both are also
nationally ranked by Wrestling USA Magazine. The polls had
more than 90 percent predicting a win for Thompson, who
was also a preseason pick for a Utah Senior Wrestler of
the Year by Wrestling USA Magazine's Utah editor,
Bill Kilpack.
Wasatch's Cyler Sanderson also was
predicted by more than 90 percent of those polled to win,
and he did so in commanding fashion, beating Dinkins by
technical fall, with a score of 22-7. Sanderson is ranked
no. 1 in the nation by Wrestling USA Magazine, and was the
preseason pick as the All-Division Outstanding Wrestler by
the magazine's Utah editor.
In all, of the 34 athletes in the All-Star
meet, 11 are ranked nationally or selected by the Utah
editor as outstanding athletes.
"Utah has a very high caliber of
wrestling," Kilpack said. "It shows from youth up through
high school when you go to the big tournaments and the
national tournaments. It's no surprise that Sanderson and
Norton won here, or even that they each won championships
at the Reno Tournament of Champions. They and many of the
others at this meet at top of the heap in a state that
produces many champions."
Michael Watts, a senior at Riverton who
won his match, said that he had been coming to the
All-Star meet for years, every year knowing that he would
have his time. That he got to make his first appearance as
one of the top 119-pounders in the state, and came out
with a win, made it that much more satisfying.
Wrestling USA Magazine has been the
voice of national high school wrestling since 1965. For
more information, see
www.wrestlingusa.com
.
Kilpack is editor of
UtahWrestling.org,
a past AAU national champion, a seven-time national silver
medalist, an AAU All-American, and earned an alternate
position on the U.S. Pan-Am Team in Greco-Roman. He is
Utah Editor for both Wrestling USA Magazine and
American
Adrenaline Magazine. He coaches an independent
freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling program through Salt
Lake County Parks and Recreation,
Mountain Top
Wrestling Club.
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