High school girls wrestling: Mountain Ridge claims 2nd straight 6A state championship with narrow victory

It was never going to be easy for Mountain Ridge, but the Sentinels found a way to get the job done and repeat as back-to-back state wrestling champions on Thursday.

After leading by just two points going into the championship matches, Mountain Ridge was able to handle the heavy pressure and achieved its back-to-back title with a final score of 225 points.

Westlake finished in second with 211 and Corner Canyon finished third with 191.

“We had quite a few girls who didn’t really come out of nowhere necessarily, but they came in and won their first championship," said Sentinels head coach Brandon Birch.

“I think there might have been a little bit of pressure trying to repeat but these girls are just built for this. They go in and work hard every day and have enjoyed what they’re doing.”

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Out of the seven Mountain Ridge wrestlers who advanced to the semifinals, five moved on to championship matches, with three walking away with individual state championships.

Wrestling in the 105-pound weight class, Brooklyn Eager was able to get a fall on her opponent, Aubriana Wadley from Westlake, with 30 seconds left in the second period.

Things weren’t quite as easy for Bella Birch. Wresting in the last match of the night in the 235-pound weight class, Birch matched up against Vala Netane from Copper Hills.

It was 0-0 heading into the third period before Birch got two points to finish things off, outlasting Netane to grab the final win and officially clinch the title for Mountain Ridge.

“It’s just now starting to feel real,” Birch said. “I’m really proud. I was just out there trying to push through every position and trying to get better.

“I felt a little bit of pressure because it was tight all the way to the end, but I knew my team had my back whether I pulled out the win or not. I’m really proud of not only myself but also my team and am grateful for them helping me to get here.”

Mountain Ridge certainly faced its fair share of the challenges and trials throughout the course of the season, but coach Birch had a simple but powerful message for his team throughout the course of the season and especially throughout the tightly contested tournament.

“We knew at the beginning of the year we had a good chance to go out and do something special,” he said. “We also knew it wasn’t going to be easy because there’s a lot of good teams. Our motto for the season was ‘Rise above.’

“Last night, when we were only up by a few points, we took the girls aside and just talked about what rising above means. Rise above the challenges and just worry about what we can control.”

Elsewhere, going for back-to-back championships, Corner Canyon’s Piper Eller easily defeated her opponent, Nevy Brady from Cedar Valley.

Eller held a comfortable 7-0 lead after the first period and proceeded to pin her opponent with 17 seconds left in the second period.

“I feel so much gratitude for my family, my coaches and for everyone that helped me every single week and helped me to be the best I can be,” Eller said.

“My great grandmother passed away about a year ago and she was already proud of my wrestling. I was thinking about her and about all of the people that I love.”

Class 6A girls state tournament

Final Team scores

1. Mountain Ridge, 225
2. Westlake, 211
3. Corner Canyon, 191
4. Cedar Valley, 174
5. Copper Hills, 157.5
6. Davis, 124.5
7. Syracuse, 123.5
8. Layton, 109

Individual results

100 pounds

1. Piper Eller, Corner Canyon, So. (38-11)
2. Nevi Brady, Cedar Valley, Jr. (26-5)
3. Melayna Johnson, Riverton, So. (34-13)
4. Skye Schultz, Syracuse, So. (26-10)
5. Bekah Price, Davis, Sr. (18-18)
6. Ava Eav, Lehi, Jr. (11-10)

Championship — Piper Eller, Corner Canyon def. Nevi Brady, Cedar Valley, Fall 3:44

105 pounds

1. Brooklyn Eagar, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (35-11)
2. Aubriana Wadley, Westlake, Sr. (25-23)
3. Emma Wallace, Davis, Sr. (28-12)
4. Isabella Munton, Cedar Valley, Jr. (30-6)
5. Nara Johnson, Skyridge, Jr. (22-10)
6. Lyra McCarthy, Syracuse, Jr. (20-12)

Championship — Brooklyn Eagar, Mountain Ridge def. Aubriana Wadley, Westlake, Fall 5:31

110 pounds

1. Kennedy Jeppson, Westlake, Jr. (38-9)
2. Rozlyn Robertson, Corner Canyon, So. (34-15)
3. Taranom Zakeri, Mountain Ridge, Jr. (23-15)
4. Presley Mataalii-Solomona, Westlake, Fr. (19-12)
5. Kayla Haskett, Syracuse, So. (20-15)
6. Kiara Tanaka, Mountain Ridge, So. (14-17)

Championship — Kennedy Jeppson, Westlake def. Rozlyn Robertson, Corner Canyon, Dec 7-4

115 pounds

1. Maquell Pace, Copper Hills, Fr. (36-4)
2. Payton Gines, Syracuse, Sr. (28-4)
3. Emerson Purser, Corner Canyon, Jr. (43-12)
4. Ashlyn Ballantyne, Westlake, Sr. (37-14)
5. Sofia Gwynn, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (23-19)
6. Dallas Peterson, Davis, Jr. (23-16)

Championship — Maquell Pace, Copper Hills def. Payton Gines, Syracuse, Fall 5:03

120 pounds

1. Naomi Kofe, Copper Hills, So. (32-2)
2. Abigail Giatras, Weber, So. (30-12)
3. Lidia Anderson, Herriman, Sr. (28-6)
4. Brynlee Clarke, Layton, So. (10-15)
5. Heidi Huckstep, Westlake, Jr. (24-11)
6. Brianna Bellrichard, Cedar Valley, Sr. (15-10)

Championship — Naomi Kofe, Copper Hills def. Abigail Giatras, Weber, Fall 2:25

125 pounds

1. Brynlee Sorensen, Layton, Jr. (26-4)
2. Faith Bowen, Mountain Ridge, Jr. (30-10)
3. Eletise Fager, Corner Canyon, Fr. (27-16)
4. Fenix Fischer, Westlake, Fr. (21-6)
5. Tayler Ivie, Copper Hills, So. (18-16)
6. MaKray Monson, Cedar Valley, Fr. (32-17)

Championship — Brynlee Sorensen, Layton def. Faith Bowen, Mountain Ridge, Fall 0:49

130 pounds

1. Hannah Larson, Riverton, So. (32-9)
2. Sophia Tipton, Copper Hills, So. (27-13)
3. Millie Leib, Davis, Jr. (33-10)
4. Amelia Roennebeck, Syracuse, Sr. (21-9)
5. Avery Sanchez, Copper Hills, Jr. (16-16)
6. Telma Rodrigues, Layton, Sr. (26-10)

Championship — Hannah Larson, Riverton def. Sophia Tipton, Copper Hills, TF-1.5 4:16 (16-0)

135 pounds

1. Evalyn Lenahan, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (33-14)
2. Charlotte Osborn, Weber, Fr. (25-10)
3. Marley Michaelis, Westlake, Sr. (37-5)
4. Hailey Tibbs, Herriman, Sr. (40-8)
5. Jen Brumbaugh, Davis, Sr. (32-9)
6. Lily Kahman, Syracuse, Sr. (26-11)

Championship — Evalyn Lenahan, Mountain Ridge def. Charlotte Osborn, Weber, Fall 4:00

140 pounds

1. Alexandra Gates, Cedar Valley, Sr. (44-4)
2. London McEntire, Corner Canyon, So. (38-15)
3. Yenifer Calderon Escobar, Westlake, Sr. (22-17)
4. Addison Hutchison, Lehi, So. (9-5)
5. Gia Arrowsmith, Davis, So. (18-21)
6. Dylynn Wayman, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (16-16)

Championship — Alexandra Gates, Cedar Valley def. London McEntire, Corner Canyon, Fall 1:02

145 pounds

1. Olivia Merino, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (33-7)
2. Madilyn Thompson, Copper Hills, Jr. (24-8)
3. Piper Taylor, Syracuse, So. (21-5)
4. Isabella Peterson, Cedar Valley, Sr. (26-17)
5. Elenoa Vaki, Westlake, Fr. (27-15)
6. Vanessa Garcia, Corner Canyon, Sr. (20-22)

Championship — Olivia Merino, Mountain Ridge def. Madilyn Thompson, Copper Hills, Fall 2:36

155 pounds

1. Madison Sherman, Skyridge, Sr. (20-1)
2. Hallie Denney, Cedar Valley, So. (40-3)
3. Mia Smith, Herriman, So. (36-15)
4. Shaelynn Willes, Skyridge, Sr. (31-14)
5. Naidelyn Lucio, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (21-10)
6. Kinsey Byrge, Corner Canyon, Jr. (38-16)

Championship — Madison Sherman, Skyridge def. Hallie Denney, Cedar Valley, Fall 0:42

170 pounds

1. Clarion Fager, Corner Canyon, Sr. (48-5)
2. Gabriela Galvez, Layton, Sr. (30-12)
3. Jazmyn Simmons, Mountain Ridge, Sr. (22-17)
4. Claire Bartlome, Herriman, Jr. (26-6)
5. Jessa Parker, Davis, Fr. (21-8)
6. Katie Talbot, Bingham, Jr. (15-14)

Championship — Clarion Fager, Corner Canyon def. Gabriela Galvez, Layton, Fall 0:56

190 pounds

1. Tevia Rarick, Westlake, So. (43-0)
2. Myrtie Faletau, Skyridge, So. (27-10)
3. Makayla Walden, Corner Canyon, Sr. (37-13)
4. Deveni Tu`ivai, Westlake, So. (18-13)
5. Koryn Mafi, Davis, Sr. (21-8)
6. Kenna Johnson, Layton, Jr. (20-14)

Championship — Tevia Rarick, Westlake def. Myrtie Faletau, Skyridge, Fall 0:47

235 pounds

1. Bella Birch, Mountain Ridge, Jr. (32-11)
2. Vala Netane, Copper Hills, Sr. (17-4)
3. Rylyn Denney, Cedar Valley, Sr. (41-9)
4. Lauren Hatch, Copper Hills, So. (5-4)
5. Maleihna Falepapalangi, Westlake, Sr. (17-9)
6. TIna Lotulelei, Mountain Ridge, Fr. (10-13)

Championship — Bella Birch, Mountain Ridge def. Vala Netane, Copper Hills, Dec 2-0