OREM — At the conclusion of day one of the 3A state championships one thing was abundantly clear, the title will once again come down to either Juab or Bear River.
The Wasps, led by three-time defending champion Ashton Seely (195), came out ahead Friday night, with a team score of 116.5. The Bears were right behind with 96 points, a total that was good for second place. The Morgan Trojans were no slouch either, and finished in third place, with a score of 84.5.
“We performed like I expected us to,” Juab coach Joel Holman said. “We planned on being in this position. After analyzing the brackets, and talking to my kids, this was where we expected to be. The kids performed how I asked them to.”
The Wasps efforts were not only good enough to secure the pole position, they were also sufficient enough to advance 10 wrestlers to the semifinals.
Among the Juab wrestlers to advance early in the evening were Connor Ingram (106), Kaleb Nybo (113), Gentry Warner (120), and Jayce Lind (126). All four were able to pin an opponent, with both Ingram and Nybo accomplishing the feat twice.
In addition to those four, Wyatt Harmon (145), Mason Mangelson (160), Joey Aagard (170), Talon Mangelson (182), and Dylan White (285) all wrestled their way into the semifinals.
Harmon’s advancement was a boon to the Wasps, as he was only the seventh seed in his weight class.
“He (Holman) didn’t exceed my expectations, but he surpassed outside expectations for him,” said Holman. “He raised his level tonight, and I’m proud of him.” Harmon defeated Koby Johnson, the two seed out of Grantsville, as well as Treyson Abbott of Hurricane. Abbott had beaten Harmon twice earlier this year, including a match last week.
The final Wasp to earn a spot in the semifinals was Seely. The senior pinned both of his opponents in impressive fashion, setting up a matchup against Richfield’s Wyatt Peterson.
“It’s nice to have a kid like Ashton, one that you don’t have to worry about,” said Holman. “He is heads and shoulders above the guys he has to wrestle and he has done a great job not wrestling down at their level.”
As for the Wasps chief competition, Bear River advanced seven wrestlers to the next round, including Zackery Bingham (106), Holden Richards (138), Kaygen Canfield (145), and Cooper Skinner (152) among others.
“We are in a team race with Bear River,” said Holman. “Frankly we are upset that they beat us last year. It was our goal last year to take state and we didn’t get it done. (The Bears) have done what they were supposed to do today and so have we. Because of that, I believe this tournament will be decided in the semis tomorrow.”
Bryken Jensen (160), Jordan Watson (220), and Joshua Madsen (285) round out the last of the Bears who advanced, setting up what is sure to be a fierce battle for the 3A state title.
“We are happy that we have done well,” said Holman. “But the kids think like me and really this is what they were supposed to do,” said Holman.
Class 3A
Team Scores
1. Juab 116.5; 2. Bear River 96.0; 3. Morgan 84.5; 4. Desert Hills 78.5; 5. Stansbury 56.5; 6. Canyon View 54.5; 7. Cedar City 51.0; 8. Ridgeline 45.5; 9. Snow Canyon 43.0; 10. Union 40.0
Saturday’s semifinals
106 — Zackery Bingham, Bear River vs Ryker Boyce, Deseret Hills; Connor Ingram, Juab vs. Chris Payne, Morgan.
113 — Dylian Moore, Stansbury vs. Jared Viramontes, Deseret Hills; Kaleb Nybo, Juab vs. Jarett Jorgensen, Morgan.
120 — Josh Larsen, Stansbury vs. Colter Ricks, Ridgeline; Gentry Warner, Juab vs. Brady Knight, Tooele.
126 — Jate Frost, Union vs. Jayce Lind, Juab; Caleb Armstrong, Hurricane vs. Chance Parker, Ridgeline.
132 — Carlos Nava, Morgan vs. Ben Worlton, Pine View; Brady Lowry, Canyon View vs Tanner Wylde, Snow Canyon.
138 — Holden Richards, Bear River vs. Logan Gustafson, Stansbury; Nathan Richards, Union vs. Antonio Nava, Morgan.
145 — Kaygen Canfield, Bear River vs. Gatlin Peterson, North Sanpete; Chance Bundy, Desert Hills vs. Wyatt Harmon, Juab.
152 — Cooper Skinner, Bear River vs. Dawson Stewart, Stansbury; Brady Jones, Desert Hills vs. Issac Semadeni, Logan.
160 — Bryken Jensen, Bear River vs. Mckay Belinski, Morgan; Mason Mangelson, Juab vs. Connor Wengreen, Ridgeline.
170 — Tyler King, Logan vs. Joey Aagard, Juab; Liam Williams, Desert Hills vs. Tyler Haley, Canyon View.
182 — Owen Pentz, Morgan vs. Keegan Eliason, North Sanpete; Bryon Anderson, Desert Hills vs. Talon Mangelson, Juab.
195 — Tanner Nelson, Snow Canyon vs. Quaid Murray, Cedar City; Ashton Seely, Juab vs. Wyatt Peterson, Richfield.
220 — Chase Trussell, Morgan vs. Nathan Ellis, Cedar City; Hootchy Brewer, North Sanpete vs. Jordan Watson, Bear River.
285 — Joshua Madsen, Bear River vs. Daniel Jordan, Cedar City; Dylan White, Juab vs. Kody Pope, Ridgeline.
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