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OREM — More than 120 total participants will showcase Utah's boys and girls wrestling heritage at the 26th annual Ross Brunson all-star fundraiser Wednesday night at the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Among the highlights of the 61 boys wrestlers will be the heavyweight match of the night, when defending 2A champion Travyn Boger of South Summit and 6A champ Kaydon Williams of Corner Canyon will go head-to-head after both placed in the top-four at the prestigious Doc Buchanan Tournament in Clovis, California.
Boger placed second in the event, while Williams was fourth.
Pleasant Grove's Ian Fritz, a newcomer to Utah wrestling after he moved to the state from North Carolina and has committed to Utah Valley, will face Grand County's Austin Paris in a 157-pound match. Paris, a junior, was also an all-state selection in football by the Deseret News.
Girls wrestling all-star duals
Another upper weight highlight will set in during the 62-wrestler girls' duals between a pair of All-Americans. Two-time state champion Tilisa Matakaiongo of Canyon View has never lost in her prep career, but faces a stiff challenger against three-time champion Keilikki Nau Rarick of Westlake at 235 pounds.
The two met in the finals of last month's Christmas Clash, when Matakaiongo emerged with a win — just the third time in her high school career that Nau Rarick has come away with a loss.
Defending state champion Nia Hagler of Snow Canyon will wrestle twice at 140 pounds, first against Ridgeline's Taya Crookston in a possible 4A finals preview, and then against Cedar Valley's Isabella Sagastume, who won a title at the Christmas Clash.
The meet will be divided into four teams: 1A/2A, 3A/4A, 5A/6A and a Wildcat team of split classifications. Matches are scheduled to begin at 5:45 p.m. MST, and will be streamed live by FloWrestling.
