Uintah’s boys and girls wrestling teams are both in the driver’s seat for 5A state championships after the opening day of the state tournament at UVU on Friday.
Uintah’s boys racked up 155 points on Day 1 and have a comfortable 39-point cushion over second-place Payson. Uintah had 13 wrestlers advance into the semifinals while Payson had nine.
The Utes beat Payson by 10.5 points last year for a second straight 5A state title.
For the girls, Uintah leads Cedar Valley 111 to 100 after a competitive first day of competition. Defending state champ Maple Mountain sits in ninth place as a new champion will be crowned on Saturday.
Uintah’s girls advanced six wrestlers into the semifinals while Cedar Valley has seven.
Among those seven Aviators in the semifinals is Alexia Woods, one of four girls wrestlers on Saturday with a chance to repeat as state champ. She’ll face teammate Kennedy Fowler in the 125-pound semifinals.
At 155 pounds, Springville’s Hotaia Valeti is a two-time champ looking for a 3-peat.
Maple Mountain’s Ellie Jensen (120) and Timpview’s Taimane Fiatoa (170) are the other two defending state champs still in the hunt for repeats.
On the boys side, a whopping 11 wrestlers have a chance at a repeat title Saturday, including several in the same weight.
At 165 pounds, Viewmont’s Moses Espinoza-Owens and Isaac Orrock are both defending state champs, and Espinoza-Owens is seeking a third state title.
At 190 pounds, Uintah’s Austin Richens — undefeated this season — and Payson’s Landen Shurtleff are both defending state champs and will meet in the semifinals on Saturday morning. Richens is a two-time state champ.
Other defending state champs seeking a repeat on Saturday are Spanish Fork’s Karson Shelley (113), Uintah’s Michael Alexander (120), Wasatch’s Ryder Robinson (138), Payson’s Colton Theobald (144), Viewmont’s Marcus Espinoza-Owens (175), Woods Cross’ Cash Henderson (215) and Lehi’s Isaac Terrell (285).
Saturday’s final day gets underway at 11 a.m. with the semifinals, and the championship matches are slated for 4:15 p.m.
5A Boys State Tournament
Day 1
At Sevier Valley Center
Team scores
- Uintah, 155
- Payson, 116
- Wasatch, 114
- Spanish Fork, 90
- Lehi, 62
- Mountain View, 50.5
- Viewmont, 47
- Box Elder, 44
Saturday’s semifinals
106
- Breyton Banks, Salem Hills vs. Raleigh Thomson, Uintah
- Gage Anderson, Wasatch vs. Caleb Jackson, Maple Mountain
113
- Rykan Hacking, Uintah vs. Ryder Christensen, Wasatch
- Karson Shelley, Spanish Fork vs. Trevor Angus, Uintah
120
- Kael Theobald, Payson vs. Glade Harman, Mountain View
- Michael Alexander, Uintah vs. Lincoln Rex, Lehi
126
- Ethan Boulton, Payson vs. Isaiah Rayco, Hillcrest
- Benjamin Kohler, Wasatch vs. Gavyn Gappmayer, Brighton
132
- Jackson Ricks, Box Elder vs. Creeson Harrison, Uintah
- Austin Kelly, Wasatch v. Porter Olson, Spanish Fork
138
- Cole Carter, Payson vs. Brody Rhoades, Uintah
- Ryder Robinson, Wasatch vs. Edward Sears, Spanish Fork
144
- Colton Theobald, Payson vs. Tymakoa Crockett, Woods Cross
- Samuel Burr, Mountain View vs. Brandon Ploehn, Stansbury
150
- Kelton Smith, Payson vs. Casen Woopsock, Uintah
- Henry Hanssen, Wasatch vs. Tyler Blevins, Mountain View
157
- Trevor Frank, Payson vs. Cole Andersen, Spanish Fork
- Christia Hartle, Uintah vs. Hixon Canto, Maple Mountain
165
- Moses Espinoza-Owen, Viewmont vs. Jacob Rhoades, Uintah
- Isaac Orrock, Murray vs. Quayde Beck, Payson
175
- Marcus Espinoza-Owen, Viewmont vs. Chase McCurdy, Uintah (2020)
- Isaac McGee, Mountain View vs. Chandler Loveless, Payson
190
- William McCleary, Lehi vs. Josh Biesinger, Maple Mountain
- Austin Richens, Uintah vs. Landen Shurtleff, Payson
215
- Cash Henderson, Woods Cross vs. Tevita Valeti, Springville
- Jett Swain, Uintah vs. Cole Eldredge, Lehi
285
- Isaac Terrell, Lehi vs. Austin McNaughtan, Wasatch
- Gage Howard, Uintah vs. Grant Barney, Spanish Fork
5A Girls State Tournament
Day 1
At UVU
Team scores
- Uintah, 111
- Cedar Valley, 100
- Northridge, 87.5
- Springville, 82.5
- Stansbury, 80
- Wasatch, 62
- Hillcrest, 59
- Salem Hills, 55
Saturday’s semifinals
100
- Rhiannon Towers, Olympus vs. Antonia Ingabire, Hillcrest
- Eva Zimmerman, Hillcrest vs. Charity Dummar, Skyline
105
- Rachel Jones, Northridge vs. Lindsay Hansen, Tooele
- Emeri Mortimer, Springville vs. Aidyn Sharp, Uintah
110
- Makenzi McCoy, Mountain View vs. Stephani Schmolke, Cedar Valley
- Chanley Green, Uintah vs. Kelseigh Banks, Salem Hills
115
- Addyson Van Cott, Stansbury vs. Avaree Kessler, Lehi
- Jakailei Lujan, Uintah vs. Arisna Stott, Cedar Valley
120
- Sarah Trunnell, Wasatch vs. Eliza Zimmerman, Hillcrest
- Valery Ethington, Springville vs. Ellie Jensen, Maple Mountain
125
- Kortnee Selin, Stansbury vs. Regan Heywood, Wasatch
- Alexia Woods, Cedar Valley vs. Kennedy Fowler, Cedar Valley
130
- Kathryn Degroot, Woods Cross vs. Mikalah Whitehouse, Northridge
- Annalee Wright, Cedar Valley vs. Isla Baeza, Mountain View
135
- Sage Eggleston, Maple Mountain vs. Alexandr Baird, Tooele
- Paisley Nelson, Salem Hills vs. Sage Ross, Spanish Fork
140
- Breanna Clanton, Northridge vs. Briona Love, Hillcrest
- Karalie Harris, Springville vs. Rhya Balmforth, Cedar Valley
145
- Addyson Vidal, Jordan vs. Avery Winterton, Salem Hills
- Emma Carri, Uintah vs. Corinne Letchford, Park City
155
- Hannah Bowler, Bonneville vs. Hotaia Valeti, Springville
- Kate Bird, Wasatch vs. Hayley Harris, Springville
170
- Aurellia Ramos, Maple Mountain vs. Natalie Milligan, Cedar Valley
- Taimane Fiatoa, Timpview vs. Madilyn Schuck, Alta
190
- Emma Aviles, Northridge vs. Ava Semchuck, Alta
- Jocelyn Hepler, Salem Hills vs. Tessa Barton, Uintah
235
- Angie Aguilar, Stansbury vs. Katelyn Edgell, Brighton
- Maddison Tenney, Uintah vs. Jayde Solip, Stansbury