OREM -- Even though he had just won the most important match of his life Friday night, Braden Hansen appeared to be on the verge of breaking out into tears.
Somewhere in his big heart, he was ecstatic about winning his first individual state championship, and he was thrilled his victory in the 171-pound finals clinched a state title for the Layton Lancers at UVSC's McKay Events Center.But Hansen was torn apart inside, because his best friend, teammate and older brother, Blake Hansen, lost his final match of his high school career. Brighton's Don Chavis beat him in the 189 finals 6-4.
"I'd give anything for him to have my championship," Braden said in a somber voice. "I love him. He's my best friend in the whole world. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be what I am now."
Layton coach Mike Hansen was experiencing the same sweet-and-sour feelings after his team won its first-ever outright championship. Blake and Braden are his boys.
"It's nice to see my sons on a championship team," said Hansen, whose team tied with Pleasant Grove for the 4A title in 1991. "But I hate to see the other one lose. (Blake's) had a great tournament."
The victory for the preseason-favorite Lancers was actually their first team win of the season in a tournament-setting. They picked up some crucial points in consolations earlier in the day and then had three chances to wrap things up in the upper weights Friday night after Orem had taken a half-point lead midway through the championships.
Braden came through big-time for Layton by crushing Viewmont's Anthony Rodebush in a 15-0 decision.
"I'm proud of him," said Blake, a senior. "As long as my brother won, that's nice."
The Lancers wouldn't have beaten Orem -- the final score was 142.5 to 137.5 -- without Blake's contribution and that of junior Jorden Brown, who lost to Bingham's Derek Bunkall 7-5 in 215.
"We won state, that's all it's about," smiled Brown.
Hillcrest (128), Taylorsville (125.5) and Bingham (123) rounded out the top five in what was an overall excellent and tight tournament. Mountain View (120), Viewmont (116), West Jordan (114), Alta (109.5) and Brighton (106) finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
Hillcrest's Pat Garcia (130) and Alta's Ryon Bingham (275) both defended their individual state titles from a year ago.
Garcia, who beat Mountain View's Shane Richins 18-3, is only a junior and has his sights set on a rare three-peat.
"It feels way good, just as good as the first one," he smiled after helping his team finish a best-ever third. "It's incredible."
Bingham won his second consecutive heavyweight title by beating Hillcrest's Dylan Holt in a 15-1 major decision. He finished the season with a perfect 28-0 mark.
Bingham junior Wayne Watts also ended the season with a perfect mark (30-0) after beating defending state champ Justin Whiting of Orem 4-1 in the 140-pound division.
"It's what I worked my whole life for," he said. "This was the greatest moment of my life."
Watts' teammate, Eric Lott, was one of the two wrestlers who won by pin in the 5A tourney. He downed Hillcrest's Shawn Kojima, the all-state football player, in 5:42 to win the 145 title.
"The pin was a bonus," Lott said. "I just wanted the medal."
Orem's T.J. Warner notched the other pin, felling Clearfield's Levi Shepherd in 1:36.
Other individual champions included: Brighton's Cam Jones (103), Mountain View's Dave Allen (112); Taylorsville's Cristian Peme (119), Jordan's Nate Deleon (125), Hillcrest's Kory Wardle (135) and Orem's Lars Christensen (160).