The opening day of the 5A and 4A state boys wrestling tournaments were held at UVU on Tuesday, and Uintah is in firm control in its quest at a 4A repeat, as it owns a 120-point lead after Day 1.
The chase for the 5A title is much, much tighter. Defending state champ Spanish Fork tallied 277 points and leads Box Elder by one point heading into Wednesday’s consolation matches and then championship finals at 7:30 p.m.
Both Spanish Fork and Box Elder have nine wrestlers in the finals on Wednesday night.
In 5A, Spanish Fork’s Karson Shelley is chasing his fourth state title as he enters the 120-pound finals against Roy’s Kaleb Blackner. Wasatch has a trio of wrestlers each pursuing their third straight championship: Benjamin Kohler (126), Max Richins (144) and Daxton Bonner (138).
In 4A, Uintah’s Michael Alexander headlines the 4A finals as he pursues his remarkable fourth state championship in the 126-pound class.
The remaining defending champions looking to add another title include Uintah’s Ethan Sharp (120), Stansbury’s Benjamin Ploehn (126), Mountain View’s Glade Harman (132) and Uintah’s Brody Rhoades (144).
Class 5A state tournament
Day 1 Team scores
- Spanish Fork, 277
- Box Elder, 276
- Wasatch, 166
- Salem Hills, 92.5
- Viewmont, 68
- Roy, 67.5
- Bountiful, 49
- Brighton, 42
- Maple Mountain, 37.5
- Springville, 37.5
- Northridge, 36
Wednesday’s championship matches
- 106 — Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork vs. Ryker Winward, Box Elder
- 113 — Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork vs. William Shallenberger, Wasatch
- 120 — Karson Shelley, Spanish Fork vs. Kaleb Blackner, Roy
- 126 — Kyler Spencer, Spanish Fork vs. Mason Bingham, Box Elder
- 132 — Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder vs. Benjamin Kohler, Wasatch
- 138 — Daxton Bonner, Wasatch vs. Bostyn Tucker, Box Elder
- 144 — Max Richins, Wasatch vs. Blake Buckway, Box Elder
- 150 — Porter Olson, Spanish Fork vs. Ian Nielsen, West
- 157 — Jaxon Sorenson, Spanish Fork vs. Easton Connelly, Box Elder
- 165 — Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork vs. Eli Jurgens, Box Elder
- 175 — Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch vs. Logan Cefalo, Box Elder
- 190 — Kaden Moore, Salem Hills vs. Hyrum King, Spanish Fork
- 215 — Preston Graver, Spanish Fork vs. Moroni Mahe, Hillcrest
- 285 — Cody Kaleikini, Box Elder vs. Carter Rudolph, Roy
Class 4A state tournament
Day 1 Team scores
- Uintah, 279
- Mountain View, 159
- Timpanogos, 150
- Ridgeline, 95.5
- Hurricane, 87.5
- Payson, 81.5
- Snow Canyon, 76
- Bear River, 66
- Stansbury, 59.5
- Westfield, 52.5
Wednesday’s championship matches
- 106 — Joshua Garcia, Uintah vs. Cash Christensen, Murray
- 113 — Maddax Hacking, Uintah vs. Joseph Holbrook, Ridgeline
- 120 — Ethan Sharp, Uintah vs. Jonah Shaw, Payson
- 126 — Michael Alexander, Uintah vs. Benjamin Ploehn, Stansbury
- 132 — Rykan Hacking, Uintah vs. Glade Harman, Mountain View
- 138 — Kaden Guymon, Snow Canyon vs. Connor Knudsen, Timpanogos
- 144 — Brody Rhoades, Uintah vs. Isaac Dickinson, Hurricane
- 150 — Myka Love, Jordan vs. Jason Worthley, West Field
- 157 — Cason Smith, Snow Canyon vs. Parker Streight, Uintah
- 165 — Fisher Jolley, Timpanogos vs. Mason Grow, Mountain View
- 175 — Xander Carlson, Timpanogos vs. Hyrum Stafford, Mountain View
- 190 — Seth Montierth, Ridgeline vs. Landon Shumway, Mountain View
- 215 — Isaac Mcgee, Mountain View vs. Titan Wright, Hurricane
- 285 — Caden Young, Uintah vs. Caleb Patton, Pine View