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OREM — Channing Warner was dusted.
Done.
Finished.
Down 3-0 two periods into his first-ever Utah 3A state wrestling final, the freshman from Juan could’ve thrown in the towel, chalked up the moment to a learning experience, and accepted his second-place fate at the Class 3A state wrestling tournament Saturday evening in Orem.
But that wasn’t Warner’s goal.
His goal is to be a four-time state champion, to add his name to the sport’s most prestigious list in the Beehive State.
That goal is still in sight.
Warner rallied with a third-period escape, then a takedown with 17 seconds left before holding got to edge Morgan’s Jarett Jorgensen, 5-3, in overtime Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center.
“This day might not get beat until I get married or have a kid or something,” the 15-year-old Warner said. “This will always be up there. It’s my hard-fought moment that I’ve been working for in 10 years of wrestling.
“I finally got to show what I had, and I just hope I made everyone else proud. That was my goal.”
With what felt like the entire town of Nephi packed on to the Utah Valley University campus, Warner celebrated — with his team, too, as it outlasted Delta, Emery, Morgan and arguably the state's deepest classification.
“I’m just so grateful for everyone that came out,” Warner said. “Being down 3-0, but with the whole crowd behind you, it gives you that last little bit you need and that little bit of grit to get it done.”
The Wasps piled up 217 points on the team leaderboard, rolling to their third-straight state title under head coach Joel Holman.
The team coached by an orthopedic surgeon that sometimes doesn’t practice until 5 o’ clock at night has built a dynasty.
And if you believe Warner, the dynasty isn’t going anywhere.
“I want four (state titles), and it’s all I wanted all year,” he said. “It’s all because of my team. They’ve pushed me to a new level, and showed me that I could be.”
Warner was the first state champion, but he wasn’t the last. His win at 120 pounds start a run of Wasps in the state finals, and included titles won by Cade Bowring at 145 pounds and Shan Jackson at 220.
It started with the freshman, though.
“I’m so happy for him,” Bowring said. “He’s a freshman … and I’m so proud of Channing. He was bawling and I love him to death.”
Delta, the winningest wrestling program in state history with 34 titles, finished second with 187.5 points. The Rabbits were led by state champs Dyllin Broughton (152), Jake Jackson (182), Bowen Shields (195) and Blake Green (285).
Emery (162.5), American Leadership Academy (136) and Morgan (133) rounded out the top 10.
Among the other individual champions, ALA’s Quenton Mortimer won his second state title with a 5-1 decision at 132 pounds. But this time, the senior standout was joined on the top of the podium by teammate Rhett Miner, who stunned Juab’s Conner Ingram with a first-period pin to clinch the 126-pound title. Teammate Lukus Carrillo also won the 106-pound title.
South Sevier’s Triston Fillmore (138), Emery’s Agustus Dalton (160) and Union’s Jake Jackson (182) also won state championships.
Class 3A
Team scores
Juab 217, Delta 187.5, Emery 162.5, American Leadership, 136, Morgan 133, South Sevier 131.5, Union 123, Richfield 98, Grantsville 96, South Summit 91, Carbon 78, Summit Academy 71, Manti 56.5, North Sanpete 54, Maeser 8, San Juan 8, Grand 4.
Championship bouts
106 — Lukus Carrillo, ALA, d. William Korth, Morgan, 7-0.
113 — Denim Torgerson, Richfield, d. Blake Woolsey, Morgan, 9-3.
120 — Channing Warner, Juab, d. Jarett Jorgensen, Morgan, 5-3 (OT).
126 — Rhett Miner, ALA, p. Conner Ingram, Juab, 1:27.
132 — Quenton Mortimer, ALA d. William Haight, Summit Acad., 5-1.
138 — Triston Fillmore, South Sevier, d. Jed Lee, South Summit, 3-1 (OT).
145 — Cade Bowring, Juab, d. Conner Fausett, Carbon, 6-5.
152 — Dyllin Broughton, Delta, d. Cannon Fuellenbach, South Sevier, 24-10.
160 — Agustus Dalton, Emery, p. Damon Mayfield, Manti, 11-0.
170 — Jate Frost, Union, d. Koby Johnson, Grantsville, 7-3.
182 — Jake Jackson, Delta, d. Charles Watts, Juab, 8-0.
195 — Bowen Shields, Delta, d. Blake Mangelson, Juab, 5-2.
220 — Shan Jackson, Juab, d. Nolan Bullethead, Union, 10-6.
285 — Blake Greene, Delta, d. Dalton Anderson, North Sanpete, 6-3.
