5A boys wrestling: Wasatch digs deep to collect 1st title in 6 years

OREM — Wyatt Hanssen's second state championship at 215 pounds wasn't just a victory lap on his junior year, or a follow-up to the national championship he won in Virginia last April.

The moment he celebrated with his coaches in the corner and then as his teammates mobbed him in the center of the mat was six years in the making.

Hanssen was one of three individual champions on the evening as the Wasps won their first 5A state title since 2000, holding off Box Elder by 10.5 points Friday night at the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University. Two-time defending champion Spanish Fork finished third.

"It's an individual sport, but it really is a team sport," said Hanssen, a junior who has committed to Nebraska, "and this feels better than any tournament I've ever won."

The win is Wasatch's 24th in program history, breaking a tie with Pleasant Grove for the third-most since the Utah High School Activities Association sanctioned the sport in 1938. Delta owns the state record with 34, six more than Delta.

But it's enough to fill an entire wall in Wasatch's gym that Hanssen and his teammates look at every day.

"I don't want to say it's annoying, but there's always that legacy in our gymnasium," he said. "It just feels amazing, because we have incredible fans and an incredible culture in Heber. It feels so much better."

Jonah Ware won his first title at 165 pounds, and Ben Kohler notched his third at 138 pounds — a win that was closer than the final 16-9 scoreline may indicate.

Kohler took a 3-1 lead over Spanish Fork's Connor Simons after the first period. But after an initial escape, the Dons standout took him down to pull within a point, 4-3 with 1:41 left in the second.

That's when Kohler remembered the words his coaches have spoken all year: calm down, take a moment, and breathe.

The rest was history, as he rattled off 6 straight points to cruise to the 16-9 victory.

"If we're ever having a bad practice, he let's us go, take a moment for ourselves, and when we walk back in the room we need to flip the switch," Kohler said. "That's what coach wants me to do — breathe, flip that switch and get right back in the match."

6A boys wrestling state tournament

Top-10 teams

1. Wasatch, 200.5
2. Box Elder, 190
3. Spanish Fork, 189
4. Payson, 147.5
5. Pleasant Grove, 99
6. Viewmont, 97.5
7. West Field, 85.5
8. Salem Hills, 76.5
9. Roy, 73.5
10. Maple Mountain, 67.5

Individual results

106 pounds

1. Dane King, Alta
2. Conner Finch, Payson
3. Ryder Thomas, Salem Hills
4. Chase Weight, Salem Hills
5. Andre Tavtigian, West
6. Tyson Lee, Viewmont

Championship match — Dane King, Alta, d. Conner Finch, Payson, 17-9

113 pounds

1. Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork
2. Tate Allred, Olympus
3. Jake Zesiger, Viewmont
4. Ryker Winward, Box Elder
5. Aaron Beckett, Northridge
6. Jesse Judkins, Maple Mountain

Championship match — Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork, p. Tate Allred, Olympus, 3:50

120 pounds

1. Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork
2. Bennett Weight, Salem Hills
3. Gage Anderson, Wasatch
4. Lucas Herbert, Maple Mountain
5. Ken Starr, Roy
6. Conley Evans, Box Elder

Championship match — Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork, p. Bennett Weight, Salem Hills, 4:53

126 pounds

1. Kaleb Blackner, Roy
2. Seth Hall, Skyline
3. Daxton Jolley, Payson
4. Hunter Young, Maple Mountain
5. Gunner Knudsen, West Field
6. Adrian Gamino, Box Elder

Championship match — Kaleb Blackner, Roy, p. Seth Hall, Skyline, 2:34

132 pounds

1. Diesel Knudsen, West Field
2. William Shallenberger, Wasatch
3. Walter Beacham, Alta
4. Braken Hester, Box Elder
5. Brody Rydalch, Bountiful
6. Colt Hanssen, Wasatch

Championship match — Diesel Knudsen, West Field, d. William Shallenberger, Wasatch, 4-3

138 pounds

1. Ben Kohler, Wasatch
2. Connor Simons, Spanish Fork
3. Rylan Winward, Box Elder
4. Clayton Morrill, Payson
5. Maximo Quintana, Roy
6. Colby Tennant, West Field

Championship match — Ben Kohler, Wasatch, d. Connor Simons, Spanish Fork, 16-9

144 pounds

1. Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder
2. Daxton Bonner, Wasatch
3. Jonas Lotz, Payson
4. Kale Zorn, Fremont
5. Braxton Trimble, West Field
6. Taima Anderson, Spanish Fork

Championship match — Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder, p. Daxton Bonner, Wasatch, 3:27

150 pounds

1. Kamon Thompson, Box Elder
2. Kael Theobald, Payson
3. Max Richins, Wasatch
4. Ben Redd, Viewmont
5. Rider Eggett, Viewmont
6. Derek Harrison, Pleasant Grove

Championship match — Kamon Thompson, Box Elder, p. Kael Theobald, Payson, 3:14

157 pounds

1. Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork
2. Porter Kemp, Pleasant Grove
3. Logan McNally, Wasatch
4. Joseph Naylor, West Jordan
5. Ryker Cluff, Spanish Fork
6. Dean Christensen, Box Elder

Championship match — Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork, d. Porter Kemp, Pleasant Grove, 10-0

165 pounds

1. Jonah Ware, Wasatch
2. Isaac Katoa, West
3. William Childs, Maple Mountain
4. Ethan Castillo, Pleasant Grove
5. Christian Miller, Box Elder
6. Noah Vaterlaus, Viewmont

Championship match — Jonah Ware, Wasatch, p. Isaac Katoa, West, 0:50

175 pounds

1. Bo Goodman, Pleasant Grove
2. Preston Graver, Spanish Fork
3. Alexander Swain, West Jordan
4. Bruce Walker, Hunter
5. Alexander Navarro, West Jordan
6. Trent Harris, Springville

Championship match — Bo Goodman, Pleasant Grove, d. Preston Graver, Spanish Fork, 10-1

190 pounds

1. Karter Casperson, Pleasant Grove
2. Zion Talia, Northridge
3. Lisiati Valeti, Springville
4. Hyrum King, Spanish Fork
5. Judson Yorgason, West Field
6. Kingston O'Bannon, Salem Hills

Championship match — Karter Casperson, Pleasant Grove, d. Zion Talia, Northridge, 5-2

215 pounds

1. Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch
2. Mack Youngberg, Viewmont
3. Tuiono Valeti, Springville
4. Porter Jones, West Jordan
5. Viliami Tapa, Woods Cross
6. Ethan Ure, Payson

Championship match — Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch, d. Mack Youngberg, Viewmont, 14-3

285 pounds

1. Moroni Mahe, Hillcrest
2. Kyler Olson, Spanish Fork
3. Malakai Filimoe'atu, Payson
4. Caleb Cefalo, Box Elder
5. Garrett Pickett, Clearfield
6. Carter Rudolph, Roy

Championship match — Moroni Mahe, Wasatch, d. Kyler Olson, 4-2

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