Wrestling USA Magazine and IntermatWrestle.com, Preseason Picks Utah Wrestlers of the Year

Outstanding Junior Wrestlers for 2007–2008
 

Ethen Lofthouse
Mountain Crest High School, 145 lbs.

School Classification: 4A

I've watched Ethen destroy opponents for years.  His brothers, every one of them, are just monsters, but Ethen seems to be headed for even greater heights than Luke (now wrestling at Iowa).  He went undefeated as a sophomore, including a second year pinning his way through the state tournament, until the finals, when he teched Kolby Williamson of Box Elder 19-4.  He hits the toughest tournaments in the country and comes back a winner.  He's taken state in freestyle and Greco-Roman each of the last four years. He won a national title at Fargo this past summer in Greco-Roman and took third in freestyle at the USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals, won the Rocky Mountain Nationals in Denver, and won the NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in Virginia Beach.  This kid's as tough as Luke, but a better technician.

2007 State Champion (152 lbs.).  2006 State Champion as a freshman (140 lbs.).  Career Interscholastic Record: 82-4.

Following is a summary of Ethen's wrestling career so far:

• Two-Time High School State Champion

• Four-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle (2004–2007)

• Four-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman (2004–2007)

• Two-Time Region V Champion

• 2007 National Champion, USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals, Greco-Roman

• 2007 3rd Place, USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals, Greco-Roman

• 2007 National Champion, NHSCA Sophomore Nationals, folkstyle

• 2007 National Champion, Rocky Mountain Nationals, folkstyle

• 2007 Champion, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2007 Champion, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2006 3rd Place, USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals, freestyle

• 2006 7th Place, USA Wrestling Cadet Nationals, Greco-Roman

• 2006 Champion, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2006 2nd Place, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2006 Champion, Richardson Memorial

• 2006 3rd Place, Viewmont Invitational

• 2006 Champion, Layton Invitational

• 2006 Champion, Intermountain Duals

• 2005 Champion, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2005 Champion, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, freestyle

Wrestling USA Magazine Picks

• Nationally Ranked Utahn in National Junior Rankings (160 lbs.): No. 2

• Nationally Ranked Utahn in National All Divisions Rankings (160 lbs.): No. 16

UtahWrestling.org 2007 Freestyle/Greco-Roman Ranking

• 1st Cadet Division

• 1st Overall Elite Divisions

UtahWrestling.org 2005 Freestyle/Greco-Roman Ranking

• 8th Schoolboy Division

UtahWrestling.org 2004 Freestyle/Greco-Roman Ranking

• 18th Schoolboy Division

Kendall Prescott
South Summit High School, 125 lbs.
GPA: 3.58

School Classification: 2A (410 enrolled)

Kendall made great improvements over his sophomore year, maturing as an athlete.  He finished out his sophomore year with a rematch from the Division B championship match, where he fell short against Millard's Rayce Christensen, but got his payback, winning a grueling 7-5 decision.  (And this was after Rayce pinned Enterprise's Shaun Holt earlier in the tournament.)  He is about as solid a competitor as anyone in Utah.

2007 State Champion (125 lbs.), 2006 6th in State as a freshman. Interscholastic Career Record: 75-21.  2006–2007 Wrestling Record: 34-13.  2005–2006 Wrestling Record: 31-8.

Following is a summary of Kendall's wrestling career so far:

• High School State Champion

• 2006 6th Place, High School State

• 2006 3rd Place, Intermountain Duals

• 2005 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, folkstyle

• 2001 3rd Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2001 6th Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2000 4th Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2000 4th Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• Five-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle and Greco-Roman

• Two-Time State Champion, 1A/2A/3A Junior High State Championships

Tucker Ray
Roy High School

School Classification: 4A

Tucker has been at the top of the heap for many years now, and continues to shine.  He finished out his sophomore year as state runner-up against Mountain Crest's Raider Lofthouse, and a very respectable record of 34-8.  He took second in Region V, also finishing behind Raider.  He's a two-time state champ in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, with two of his runner-up finishes behind Raider and Mountain View's Jake Fredrickson (one of his Greco state titles is ahead of Fredrickson, as well as ahead of Bingham's Kade Moss and Millard's Kamron Day).  He's also won two AAU national titles (and one national runner-up finish).  Bottom line, he's slick and skilled, and will continue to hold his place at the top.

2007 State Runner-Up (103 lbs.). Interscholastic Career Record: 48-16.  

Following is a summary of Tucker's wrestling career so far:

• High School State Runner-Up

• Two-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle (2004, 2007)

• Two-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman (2006, 2007)

• Two-Time State Runner-Up, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle (2005, 2006)

• State Runner-Up, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman (2005)

• 2007 2nd Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2007 2nd Place, USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2007 2nd Place, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2007 3rd Place, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, freestyle

• 2007 2nd Place, Region V

• 2007 4th Place, Richardson Memorial

• 2006 4th Place, USA Wrestling Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, Greco-Roman

• 2006 4th Place, Region V

• 2006 4th Place, Viewmont Invitational

• 2006 Champion, Layton Invitational

• 2006 Champion, Turkey Dart Invitational

• 2006 3rd Place, Intermountain Duals

• 2005 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, freestyle

• 2005 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, folkstyle

• 2005 National Runner-Up, AAU Grand Nationals, Greco-Roman

Hayden Peterson
Springville High School

School Classification: 4A

Hayden is a slick craftsman when he's out on the mat.  You can see the gears moving in his head, even when he's shifting from speed mode to bull-it-out muscle mode.  He took state as a sophomore, beating out Lehi's Cam Phillips in the finals in a tough 4-3 decision, finishing the season with a record of 45-7.  He followed that with a strong summer of wrestling, winning national titles at the AAU Grand Nationals in Butte in both folkstyle and Greco-Roman.  As a freshman, he finished third in state in high school, placing behind studs Matt Brown of Cyprus and Logan Wilson (also of Springville — Wilson beat Peterson 6-5 in the semis).  He is about as solid a competitor as anyone in Utah.

2007 State Champion (130 lbs.), 2006 3rd in State (119 lbs.).  Interscholastic Career Record: 54-14.  

Following is a summary of Hayden's wrestling career so far:

• High School State Champion

• 2007 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, folkstyle

• 2007 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, Greco-Roman

• 2007 Champion, Region VII

• 2006 3rd Place, High School State

• 2006 4th Place, Region VII