OREM — While Brighton coach Ted Sierer isn't ready to concede the 5A title to Layton yet, he does concede, "They've got the manpower to do it. It's theirs to lose."
With one day remaining in the 5A wrestling championships at Utah Valley State College, Layton clings to a 180.5 to 165.5 lead over the Bengals. It's not exactly the most comfortable of cushions, but it's one the Lancers will take. West Jordan, Viewmont and Mountain View round out the top five, but they're well out of striking distance.
"We did what we had to today to catch Brighton," said Layton coach Mike Hansen, whose team trailed Brighton by 3.5 points heading into Thursday's matches. "Today was a good day for us, but tomorrow is definitely going to be the day that determines it."
Layton and Brighton both qualified five wrestlers into championship matches, but it was Layton's depth in the consolation bracket that helped the Lancers separate themselves from the Bengals.
One Layton wrestler working his way back through the consolation bracket is Josh Lamano. He engaged in a classic bout with Hillcrest's Pat Garcia at 135 pounds, one in which Garcia ultimately prevailed 5-3 in overtime.
For as great as the match was, everyone was disappointed it wasn't for the championship.
"It's just not right," said Hansen. "If you know for sure that the two best kids will meet in the semifinals, they should be separated. It's a national rule, but our state doesn't do it, and that's not right."
Hansen wasn't upset about the loss, he's just frustrated with the system. Wrestlers are seeded according their region finish, which means two region champs will always meet each other in the semifinals assuming they keep winning. That's something Hansen, along with many coaches, would like to see amended.
The system does coincidentally sometimes work, and there will be some great championship matches to prove that. The most noteworthy will be the match at 171 pounds. Layton's Braden Hansen, the defending state champ, will square off against Viewmont's Luke Kjar. The two have already wrestled five times this year, with Kjar holding a 3-2 edge, despite losing to Hansen at the region championships.
Kjar's little brother, Ben, will be wrestling in another match pitting the top two wrestlers. He will battle Brighton's Daryl Spackman at 103 pounds.
The championship matches get under way at 6:30 p.m.
5A team standings
1, Layton 180.5; 2, Brighton 165.5; 3, West Jordan 134.5; 4, Viewmont 127.5; 5, Mountain View 120; 6, Orem 87; 7, Riverton 75.5; 8, Hillcrest 74; 9, Davis 65; 10, Cottonwood 64; 11, Taylorsville 62; 12, Alta 61; 13, Timpanogos 52.5; 14, Clearfield 49.5; 15, Kearns 42.0.
Friday's championship matches (classification rankings in parentheses)
103 — (1) Ben Kjar, Viewmont vs. (2) Daryl Spackman, Brighton 112 — (1) Tyler Allen, Mountain View vs. (6) Ben Sullivan, Brighton 119 — (1) Cam Jones, Brighton vs. Chris Adams, Layton 125 — (1) Zack Lamano, Layton vs. (4) Mike Gravett, Orem 130 — (1) Josh Kennedy, Viewmont vs. Todd Perry, Riverton 135 — (2) Pat Garcia, Hillcrest vs. (4) Landon Burrup, Alta 140 — (2) Robb Maxwell, Brighton vs. Mario Sallito, Mountain View 145 — (1) Wayne Watts, Riverton vs. Taylor Mallard, Layton 152 — (4) Kellen Tsosie, Kearns vs. (6) Jesse Wright, Jordan 160 — (1) Harley Babcock, West Jordan vs. (4) Darin Harris, Hunter 171 — (1) Braden Hansen, Layton vs. (2) Luke Kjar, Viewmont 189 — (1) Don Chaviz, Brighton vs. Eric Wahlin, Cottonwood 215 — (1) Matt Cole, Cottonwood vs. Jordan Brown, Layton 275 — (4) Erik Freeman, Orem vs. Graham Coppard, West Jordan.