Jan.
22, 2005: The Park Record
Miners Stung by Wasps On the Mat; Park City Loses to
Nationally Ranked Wasatch
by Adia Waldburger
Sometimes, when taking on a powerhouse,
satisfaction can only come from having the courage to show
up and try.
Such was the case on Wednesday night, when
the Park City Miners went up against the nationally-ranked
Wasatch Wasps in a match that resulted in a crushing 75-6
Miners loss. In a display of their incredible talent and
skill, the Wasps wrestled with a team made of mostly
junior varsity wrestlers. Park City was unable to win a
match, gaining points only from a forfeit.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match
and that those guys were really good," said Miners head
coach Chris Spealler.
This was the second time the Wasps had
shut out the Miners in match competition. The Wasatch
junior varsity had already finished second at the
varsity-level Tooele Duels and the North Summit Tournament
and third at Gunnison, so they were ready to battle any
varsity team.
"Our junior varsity is wrestling well,"
said Wasatch head coach Ben Vombaur. "We can only have so
many contacts in wrestling, so we are using kids that
haven't gone over their quota. Its good to have our junior
varsity step up."
Clearly mismatched, the Miners were
heading into a situation where it would have nearly
impossible to win. Heber City is wrestling country.
Wasatch boasts 14 state championships, nine of which have
come since 1992. According to Wasp assistant coach Dave
McNaughtan, the team is ranked somewhere between 12th and
seventh nationally, depending on the poll. The team has
already competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions and
invitational Minnesota clash, two of the most prestigious
wrestling tournaments in the country. They also have Cael
Sanderson's younger brother Cyler, who is the No.1
wrestler in the country in the 140-pound class, and Dallan
Norton, who ranks between No. 3 and No.1 in different
polls in the heavyweight (275 pound) class.
"They are both undefeated and we have a
very tough schedule. We go to two of the toughest
tournaments in the nation," said McNaughtan.
Coming off of positive showings at Uintah
and the Tooele Duels, Spealler was looking for strong
performances out of his seniors, including co-captain and
heavyweight wrestler Nick Berry, James Pearson in the
125-weight class and Spencer Steck in the 140-pound class.
Berry came away with the best performance.
"Nick Berry had a close match that he
should have won, but he seemed really tired," said
Spealler
Although the score was so lopsided,
Spealler hopes that the match helped inspire his team.
"It gives them an idea of a goal to work
towards," said Spealler. "They knew it was going to be
tough."
The Miners will head to the Pine View
Tournament this weekend in St. Gorge, followed by the
Region 10 tournament next week. Spealler is confident that
his team will fare well. Wrestlers who look promising for
region wins include Berry, Pearson and Steck.
"Those guys, if they do well, should go to
state," said Spealler.
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