COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Brighton's Nick Flores said the pressure he felt as he stepped onto the wrestling mat during Friday’s dual with Hillcrest only made the victory more meaningful.
Not only did his family and extended family show up to watch his final home meet, but he and his teammates were fighting for their place in one of the state’s oldest rivalries — the Battle of the Ax.
“I was panicking at some points where I thought we wouldn’t pull it out and we wouldn’t deliver,” Flores admitted after Brighton beat Hillcrest 45-29, ensuring the ax stayed at Brighton for at least another year. “But we made Brighton proud.”
The Battle of the Ax was born when Brighton opened its doors to students who’d formerly attended Hillcrest High. Brighton’s first head coach, Don Neff, came up with the idea of a traveling trophy after talking with Hillcrest head coach Tex Castro.
Neff attended Friday’s 45th-anniversary meeting and said they did it to promote the sport they loved.
“If you don't promote it, it dies,” he said. “Wrestling is not an easy sport. It’s not fun.”
Neff and wrestlers from throughout the rivalry's 45-year history said a lot has changed in the sport, but they’re glad to see it surviving.
“We used to pack this place, drawing about 4,000 people,” Neff said. “But it’s pretty nice tonight.”
Joel Savage attended Hillcrest as a sophomore, but then for his final two years of high school he was a Bengal. He said the fact that the coaches established the tradition from that very first meeting made it even more meaningful.
“The rivalry added to people getting involved,” Savage said. “We drew more people than basketball. People really got behind it. Wrestling was huge. It was a big deal.”
And while wrestling may not draw the standing-room-only crowds that it once did, winning the Battle of the Ax is no less important to today’s prep wrestlers.
“It feels great,” said Brighton senior captain Luke Davis, who pinned Jacob Peart in the 152-pound bout. “If I would have lost it my senior year, I would have been so depressed, even if I won state. My brothers, they never lost the ax. I just would not want to be on the team that lost it. I’m glad I’m not.”
It was Flores’ match that sealed the win for Brighton, ensuring another orange stripe on the ax handle. The last green stripe was in 1998.
“It means so much to me,” Flores said. “It’s one of the most important matches in my opinion. The Battle of the Ax is a really strong tradition for Brighton. Winning that for Brighton is one of the most important things for me.”
Flores said he felt confident and focused as he stepped on the mat to do his part in Friday’s win.
“There was no doubt in my mind that I would win that match,” Flores said. “I was going to make my team proud. I was going to make my family proud.”
Brighton head coach Mitch Stevens said he believes the rivalry is good for both schools and the sport. It also gives the wrestlers a little extra motivation.
“I thought it was a good hard-fought dual,” Stevens said. “It’s a good, healthy rivalry. We’re in close proximity, the kids know each other. ... Our kids want to make sure the stripes on the ax handle stay orange, and that’s a big goal of theirs. They don’t want to be the team that has a green stripe. It’s a big deal to them.”
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