May
19, 2008:
Deseret Morning News
Wasatch has Another Big Wrestling Day
by Amy Donaldson
Heber City is used to seeing it's
wrestlers do great things.
The best wrestler in NCAA history, after
all, hails from the Heber Valley — Olympic gold medalist
Cael Sanderson, who earned a perfect 159-0 record and four
national titles for Iowa State.
Dozens of other wrestlers, including
Sanderson's three brothers, have made the Wasps proud as
they've pursued success on college wrestling mats across
the country.
Still, on an unseasonably warm spring
afternoon last week, the Wasatch High wrestling community
enjoyed a unique experience, even in a place where
wrestling glory is plentiful.
Four Wasatch High wrestlers signed
National Letters of Intent to wrestle for four different
Division I programs.
"It's unusual," said Wasatch wrestling
coach Steve Sanderson. "Generally we have one or two kids,
but never that many in one group, and all to major
universities."
Jake Salazar signed with Michigan, but he
will serve an LDS mission before wrestling for the
Wolverines. Salazar is a gifted athlete who won three
state titles, has been an All-American multiple times and
finished the season ranked No. 5 at 152 pounds in W.I.N.
magazine. He was also the MVP of his football team.
"Jake is just a great kid," said
Sanderson. "He's an extremely hard-working kid. If you put
Jake's work capacity in a 200-pound kid, you'd have a
Division I football player. But he's 150 pounds. He'll
have an opportunity in wrestling."
Ethan Smith is also a three-time state
champion for the Wasps at 160 pounds. He finished fourth
at the Senior Nationals and also competed for the school
in track and field's long jump. He was an all-state
football player and, like Salazar, he will serve an LDS
mission and then head to Purdue University to wrestle.
"He comes from a family of wrestlers,"
said Sanderson. "His grandfather built a dynasty at Delta
High School ... He's a really hard-working, athletic kid."
Blake Mangum signed with Oklahoma
University and is the only wrestler of the four who didn't
grow up in the Heber Valley. He transferred to Wasatch
High midway through high school. He is a four-time region
champ and placed at the state tournament four times as
well. He finished his high school career an impressive
182-26.
"He's a tremendous worker," said
Sanderson. "He's fun to work with because he picks things
up very quickly and wasn't afraid to try new things."
Cole Shafer is a two-time state champion
at 171 pounds who signed with Iowa State, where he will
wrestle for coach Cael Sanderson. Also a member of the
Wasps football team, he was the 5A outstanding wrestler
for upper weights in 2006. He is accomplished in both
freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling and placed second in
both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the West Regional
Tournament in Las Vegas last month.
"He's a tremendous kid," said coach Steve
Sanderson. "He's just another kid who will do whatever you
tell him to do. He's also the kind of kid who, if you need
something, you could call. He has impeccable manners. He's
just one of those kids whose hard to replace. I've had a
great time with Cole."
What makes Wasatch High so successful at
finding college opportunities for its wrestlers when many
Division I colleges have eliminated their wrestling
programs?
First, Sanderson, who wrestled at BYU,
said youngsters must be exposed to wrestling early. In
fact, he said the sport has never been more popular among
youngsters than it is today.
"We give them a chance to wrestle at a
young age," he said. "It's a recreation program ... They
just get to wrestle and have fun, and then after they've
done that two or three years, it gets more competitive.
They may or may not go on, but they've been exposed to
wrestling. They know the game."
That may be a key difference in
communities like Delta, Vernal and Heber City, where
wrestling is still king in the community.
"Everybody knows the game; everybody knows
wrestling," he said. "It's important to the community, so
it's important to the kids. When they get the chance to
jump in, they have to fill the shoes of the guy that left,
and that may be tough. It's a tradition that perpetuates
itself."
Secondly, the coaches have to work just as
hard as the athletes studying the sport and its
ever-evolving techniques and strategies. As Sanderson put
it, "We have to stay on top of the game."
And finally, the wrestlers have to have
the chance to wrestle on a national stage. College
wrestling coaches go to elite tournaments to offer the few
scholarships available to the very best athletes out
there. There is only one local wrestling program — at Utah
Valley State College — and that means most of the state's
wrestlers will leave to compete elsewhere.
Sanderson feels badly that so many
colleges have opted to eliminated wrestling programs,
especially with so many talented athletes right here in
Utah. But the scholarships, state championships and
accolades aren't really the greatest reward for most of
those who toil on a wrestling mat day after day.
"I think the biggest thing kids get from
wrestling is a sense of accomplishment," said Sanderson.
"They're out on the mat by themselves. It's not a team
sport. It's not somebody else's fault you didn't win ...
It's just you; you're responsible. I think that's
invaluable.".
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