OREM — Northridge's Jacob Bastian has been waiting a long time to take first place in a wrestling tournament. On Saturday, Bastion defeated Provo's Nathaniel Holt in a 6-5 decision to place first in the 135-pound weight class at the Rocky Mountain Rumble. Prior to his first-place finish, the best Bastian had placed was fourth at region last year.
"It's a great feeling," Bastian said. "It's just a matter of having the heart and will to do it and wanting to be a champion. It's a great feeling to be a champion."
Northridge also earned the team championship in the Rocky Mountain Rumble by scoring 173 points. North Sanpete placed second with 165.5 and West Jordan earned third place with 164.
"This is a tournament we really wanted to show what we can do," Bastian said. "No one really recognizes Northridge as a wrestling school and we wanted to show people that Northridge is here and that we have a great coach. This is a tournament that we really wanted to get."
The key in Northridge's success on Saturday was depth. The Knights had Jacob Ito (125), Taylor Allen (145) and Adam Baker (215) place third. Jesse Betts (103) earned fifth place with a win over Trevor Jerome of Provo.
"We felt like we had to win it in the consolation rounds," Northridge coach Troy Brown said. "They really came through in the consolation rounds. That is really where we won it. We won with depth."
While depth was the key for the Knights in taking the team championship, it was Bastian's first-place win that provided the excitement.
Bastian trailed through the first two rounds but outscored Holt in the third round to earn the championship.
"It seems like he is at his best when he is in the third period," Brown said. "The match gets tight and he can go 100 miles-an-hour in the third period. He really came on strong at the end."
Now Brown hopes to see his team come on strong at the state tournament in February.
"We know we still have a long ways to go," he said. "We have to get through our region first. Our region might be the toughest in the state. We need to prepare for region, and state will take care of itself. "
Along with Northridge's impressive performance, Timpanogos' Chase Walker (152), Randy Callicoat (160) and McKay Sanderson (130) earned first place in their weight classes. Timpanogos, which placed sixth, was the only school that had more than one champion.