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Wrestling USA Magazine and IntermatWrestle.com, Preseason Picks Utah Wrestlers of the
Year
Outstanding Senior Wrestlers for 2008–2009
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Candace Workman
Uintah High School, 103 lbs.
GPA: 3.5
School Classification: 3A |
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Candace is the
real deal. She is a solid technician with enough
explosive power and just good, smart mat sense to take her
to the state finals last year. The only female
athlete to achieve this in the sport of wrestling in Utah.
She lost to Delta's Chasen Tolbert in the finals, but she
beat some real talent getting there, including a 3-2
decision over North Sanpete's Kolton Cheney. She
finished out her junior season with a 36-10 and a Region X
title. That's no "not bad for a girl" — that's not
bad for anybody. The first time I saw her
wrestle was in a freestyle state championship match
against Spanish Fork's Kaleb Ashworth. She lost that
match, but I was still amazed how she tangled with one of
the stars in the state. I've since seen her match up
head to head with plenty of the top male athletes in Utah,
as well as on the national stage. You should see her
in the women's divisions, where she brings home national
titles. She's a real wrestler and an inspiration to
other young women wanting to make it in this sport, my
daughters included. The Salt Lake Tribune
named her the Utah Female Athlete of the Year last year,
and she'll continue that success march her senior year.
2008 State
Runner Up (103 lbs.); 2007 6th in State (103 lbs.).
Interscholastic Career Record: 68-25.
2007–2008 Record: 36-10. 2006–2007
Record:
31-8.
Following is a
summary of Candace's wrestling career so far:
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High School State Runner Up
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2007 6th Place, High School State
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2008 Utah Female Athlete of the Year, The Salt Lake
Tribune
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2008 Silver Medalist, USA Wrestling Women's National
Championships, Freestyle (Fargo, ND)
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2008 4th Place, USA Wrestling Body Bar Women's Nationals
(Colorado Springs, Colo.)
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2008 Champion, Region X Championships
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2007 National Champion, Who's Bad National Classic,
Women's Division VII (Broomfield, Colo.)
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2007 5th Place, Who's Bad National Classic (Broomfield,
Colo.)
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2007 Silver Medalist, USA Wrestling Women's National
Championships, Freestyle (Fargo, ND)
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2006 National Champion, USA Wrestling Body Bar Women's Nationals
(Colorado Springs, Colo.)
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2005 National Champion, USA Wrestling Body Bar Women's Nationals
(Colorado Springs, Colo.)
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2005 State Champion, 1A/2A/3A Junior High State
Championships
UtahWrestling.org 2008 Youth Wrestling Ranking
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Creedon Merkley
Uintah High School, 130 lbs.
GPA: 3.8
School Classification: 3A (1,000 enrolled)
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Creedon is a very tough competitor. He never gives
and inch, and it has served him well. And how!
His junior year was capped with a state tournament where
no one he faced seemed capable of keeping their shoulders
off the mat. Not one went the distance, allowing him
to finish with that state title that eluded him by one
match each the previous two years. His season-end
record was was 45-7. His single loss in the previous
two state championships was to the same opponent: Hurricane's Casey Pettus, in tough decisions, who went on to win it all both
years. Creedon has a career interscholastic record of
112-20. He is a two-time Region X champ and, as a
freshman, he took second in
Region X behind Ryan Young (also of Uintah), who went on
to place second behind Pettus. Creedon was a
two-time state champion at the 1A/2A/3A Junior High State
Championships, and promises to match that number of titles
in high school.
2008 State
Champion (130 lbs.). 2007 2nd in
State (125 lbs.). 2006 3rd in
State as a freshman (119 lbs.). Career
Interscholastic Record: 108-18. 2007–2008 Season
Record: 45-7. 2006–2007 Season Record: 41-6.
2005–2006 Season Record: 26-7.
Following is a
summary of Creedon's wrestling career so far:
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High School State Champion
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2007 High
School State Runner-Up
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2006 High
School State Bronze Medalist (as a freshman)
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2008 Junior Wrestler of the Year, UtahWrestling.org
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Two-Time
Champion, Region
X Championships
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2007
Sophomore Wrestler of the Year, UtahWrestling.org
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2007 Champion, Millard Tournament of Champions
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2007 Champion, Tolman Invitational
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2007 Champion, All-American Camp
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2007 Champion, Estes Park
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2006 Freshman Wrestler of the Year, UtahWrestling.org
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2006 2nd Place, Region
X Championships
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2006 3rd Place, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle
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2005 5th Place, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, freestyle
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Two-Time State Champion, 1A/2A/3A Junior High State
Championships
Wrestling
USA Magazine Picks
Creedon is also an Eagle
Scout. |
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Hayden Peterson
Springville High School
School Classification: 4A |
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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 was a
returning state champion, and had a strong performance at
state, until he fell short in a 3-2 decision to Payson's
McCade Ford. (Ford seemed to just have his number,
having beaten him for the Region VII title the previous
week.) Junior year finished with a record of 35-7.
Hayden 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. And I fully expect him
to dominate his division and finish as one of the top
senior wrestlers in the state.
2008 State
Runner Up (135 lbs.), 2007 State
Champion (130 lbs.),
2006 3rd in State (119 lbs.).
Interscholastic Career Record: 99-21. 2007–2008
Record: 35-7. 2006–2007 Record: 45-7.
2005–2006 Record: 19-7.
Following is a
summary of Hayden's wrestling career so far:
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2007
High School State Champion
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2008 High School State Runner Up
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2006 High School State Bronze Medalist
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2008 Runner Up, Region VII Championships
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2008 4A All-Star Team Member
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2007
Sophomore Wrestler of the Year, UtahWrestling.org
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2007 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, folkstyle
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2007 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, Greco-Roman
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2007 Champion, Region VII Championships
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2007 6th Place, Reno Tournament of Champions
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2006 4th Place, Region VII Championships
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2005 Outstanding Wrestler, Lower Weights, 4A/5A Junior
High State Championships
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2005 State Champion, 4A/5A Junior High State Championships
Wrestling
USA Magazine Picks
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Monte Schmalhaus
Tooele High School, 160 lbs.
GPA: 3.6
School Classification: 4A
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Monte is a
wrestler with heart. You can
see the gears moving in his head but, just when you think
that he might be tapped out, he digs down deep and
surprises you with one more explosive action, right when
he needs it most. He's spent a lot of time on the
mat in Greco-Roman and freestyle to make him a more
well-rounded wrestler, and it has certainly paid off for
him. Not only has he become a much more seasoned
athlete, but his toolbox of moves has grown exponentially.
The combination of the two has paid off in the last year.
He finished his junior year with a state title, beating
freshman stud Brady Loveless of Payson in overtime (6-4),
then went on to beat Box Elder's Kolby Williamson in
similar dramatic fashion, with a triple overtime decision
of 3-2. He then won USA Wrestling-Utah state titles
in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. There is just no
quit in this kid. I saw similar exploits at the AAU
Grand Nationals in Castle Rock, Colo., this past summer,
which earned him a national title in Greco-Roman, and two
runner-up finishes in freestyle and folkstyle. He
also broadened his experience base with international
competition, representing Utah and the United States in
Austria at the World Sports Festival, where he won gold.
Schmalhaus will take that experience and build on it, just
as he has his national experience, and really make a name
for himself his senior year.
2008 State
Champion (152 lbs.),
2007 5th in State (152 lbs.).
Interscholastic Career Record: 111-16 with 55 Pins.
2007–2008
Record: 38-3. 2006–2007 Record: 33-9.
2005–2006 Record: 33-9. Freestyle Record: 45-6.
Greco-Roman Record: 48-8.
Following is a
summary of Monte's wrestling career so far:
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High School State Champion
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2008 Champion, Region VII Championships
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2008 Gold Medalist, World Sports Festival (Austria)
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2008 National Champion, AAU Grand Nationals, Greco-Roman
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2008 Silver Medalist, AAU Grand Nationals, Freestyle
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2008 Silver Medalist, AAU Grand Nationals, Folkstyle
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2008 State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah, Freestyle
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2008 State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah, Greco-Roman
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2008 Champion, Pine View Tournament
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2007 National Champion, Monster Match Nationals, Folkstyle
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2007 5th Place, High School State Championships
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2007 Runner Up, Region VII Championships
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2006 Runner Up, Region VII Championships
UtahWrestling.org 2008 Youth Wrestling Ranking
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