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Nov.
9, 2007: The Wrestling Mall, High School News
Utah Youth Wrestling: Jordan Junior
Wrestling Digs Into New Season
(Sandy, Utah) Jordan Junior Wrestling
digs into the 2007-2008 junior high/middle school
wrestling season with its second year under coach Bill
Kilpack (III), a national AAU wrestling champion and
alternate for the Greco-Roman Pan-Am team; his father,
Bill Kilpack (Jr.), one of the original coaches of the
much lauded Sundance Wrestling Club; Derek Jensen, a
two-time member of the All-Marine wrestling team; Jake
Ribald, a New Mexico high school state champion; and Toby
Orton, a varsity wrestler from Fidalgo Island, Wash.
Officially joining the coaching staff this year is Mike
Johnson, a former youth wrestler who successfully coaches
kids in a number of sports.
"I'm very excited for this season,"
Kilpack said. "We made some great strides as a team last
year, and will continue that with this new season."
Last season, the team finished sixth in
the Middle School Division at the 4A/5A Junior High State
Championships, with only 11 scoring wrestlers competing.
"We had a very young team last year, most fifth and sixth
graders, but the thing that hurt us most at state was the
flu." He said, "We had 14 wrestlers who I think would've
placed at state, but couldn't even compete, because a
nasty flu bug ripped through the squad. And those who
wrestled anyway were also affected, some of them not
having any soup to get through the third round, when they
were usually better conditioned than anyone else they
faced."
Practices are slated to begin on Nov. 12
at Jordan High School, and will be held three days a week
from 78:30 p.m. With the Middle School and Junior High
Divisions now available, athletes from fifth to ninth
grades (so long as they are not wrestling on a high-school
wrestling team) are eligible.
This years coaching staff has a long and
successful wrestling history.
Kilpack (III) of West Jordan was an
original member of the Sundance Wrestling Club, arguably
the finest freestyle/Greco-Roman wrestling team in Utah
history. As a competitor, he garnered an AAU national
championship, seven national silver medals, seven more
national medals, and was a member of the Pan-Am team in
Greco-Roman wrestling holding an alternate position. In
addition, he was named All-American 15 times by AAU, the
US Wrestling Federation or USA Wrestling in freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling; was a seven-time Zone/Western
Regional champion; and a six-time state champion in
freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. He is the head coach
of Mountain Top Wrestling Club which, in 2007, was the
Team State Champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman
wrestling.
Kilpack (Jr.) of West Jordan was one of
the two original coaches of the Sundance Wrestling Club,
and a member of the University of Utah wrestling team.
Sundance was arguably the finest freestyle/Greco-Roman
wrestling team in Utah history, producing the first two
world champions from Utah, and dozens of other
international and national honors. He was also a member of
the University of Utah wrestling team.
Ribald of West Jordan wrestled in junior
high and high school, starting in Kent, Wash., where he
was a varsity wrestler at Kent Meridian High School, and
finished third in state as a sophomore. He then moved to
New Mexico, where he attended Mayfield High in Las Cruces,
and took second in state as a junior and was a state
champion his senior year. While in college, he pursued
Kempo karate in earnest, achieving a first-degree black
belt, and competed in full-contact karate and kickboxing.
As an adult, he has coached community sports such as
wrestling, football and soccer, as well as instructing in
Kempo.
Jensen of West Valley City was a varsity
letterman all three years of high school at Hunter High
School, was a Utah Summer Games champion, a Region
champion, a two-time freestyle state champ, and competed
at nationals as a senior in high school. Following high
school, he was a member of the wrestling team at Palo Mar
College in California before joining the military, where
he was twice named to the All-Marine Wrestling Team.
Orton of West Jordan was a varsity
wrestler at Anacortes High School in Fidalgo Island,
Washington. It was during this time that he came to
appreciate the competitive nature of wrestling and other
sports. As an adult, he has coached community sports such
as wrestling, soccer and a championship baseball team.
Johnson of Draper wrestled as a child, but
had to choose between wrestling and basketball. As a
result, he was a varsity letterman in both basketball and
football all three years of high school, and a member of
the All-Regional All-Star team in basketball. His love of
the sport and passion for helping kids as a coach now
continues through several sports.
Jordan Junior Wrestling is a folkstyle
wrestling program offered through Salt Lake County
Recreation, operating out or Jordan High School in Sandy.
For more information, go to
http://members.aol.com/jordanjuniors/ or email
jordanjuniors@aol.com.
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