1999-2000- 2A State Wrestling Championship
Team
By Scott Wallace
JHS Correspondent
Last weekend, the Juab High School Wrestling team finally
reached a goal that had eluded them for so long. For the
first time in school history, Juab returned from the
wrestling state tournament with a gold trophy.
Juab had finished second two years in a row, and seven of
the last ten years, but finally got over the hump that
seemed so high. And as Juab returned to the streets of Nephi
at 12:30 Sunday morning, a train of headlights followed
behind that was more than a mile long.
"Our crowd was awesome," said Coach Waldron. "The
community support throughout the tournament was the best I
have ever seen for any sport."
The Juab wrestlers found out Friday night that they were
unreachable in the title race, and it was only a matter of
time until each wrestler's dreams would come true, but even
with a full day's knowledge of what was going to take place,
tears still fell from every young man's face as they
gathered together in the middle of the UVSC McKay Events
Center Saturday night. And as Juab was announced as State
Champions, and were given the trophy that will symbolize the
great event forever, the tears rolled again.
Not long after Juab received the gold trophy, Coach Kevin
Waldron was announced coach of the year.
Juab placed fifteen of its twenty-four wrestlers,
including five State Champions. Juab had twelve wrestlers
reach the semi-finals, eight of which advanced to the finals
on Saturday.
"Our Seniors really came through for us, both JV and
Varsity," said Coach Waldron. "The way our Seniors wrestled
has left a lasting impression on my mind."
At 135, JV Senior Clint Markland entered the tournament
with the last place seed, but upset Millard's Collin
Christensen in the opening round, and overcame Adam
Ledingham of Gunnison in the second round. Clint advanced to
the semi-finals where he met teammate and State Champion
Cody Mortensen. Clint dropped into the consolation bracket,
and lost a heart-breaker to North Sevier's Brandon Deton.
Clint quickly rebounded, however, beating Millard's Jake
Christensen to place fifth in the tournament.
JV stars and Sophomore sensations Kayle Cowan, Cameron
Painter, and Riley Worwood all won their way to fourth place
in the tournament. Painter and Worwood overcame wrestlers
with higher seeds in the first round, and Worwood advanced
to Friday's semi-final match. Region Champion Kayle Cowan
proved to be one of the best wrestlers in the state, beating
two tough opponents before losing to Millard's three time
State Champion Matt Anderson in the semis.
Scott Wallace, like Markland, also entered the tournament
with the last seed. Wallace, who is also a JV Senior, upset
Region Champion Josh Winder of San Juan, and Millard's Luke
Dobson to advance to the semi-finals. After losing in the
semis, Wallace again overcame San Juan's Winder. Wallace
came up short against Beaver's Robbie Bradshaw, but still
came away with fourth place honors.
At 140, Ryan McPherson's only loss of the tournament came
to two time State Champion Dane Stephenson. Ryan battled
clear through the consolation, and rightfully earned third
place honors. Kolby Andersen recovered nicely to a startling
loss in the quarter-finals, and fought his was to third
place.
At 119, Junior Troy Pay won second place for the second
year, and is prime for a championship next year. At 145,
Sophomore Dustin Greenhalgh came up just short of the title,
also losing his final match. Injured Bradee Beddoes wrestled
well for the Wasps, but also came up short in the finals at
189.
At 130, Chet Ludlow fulfilled a life-long dream. Chet
received his first State Championship, beating Trevor
Teeples of Millard in the final. Chet, a captain on the
team, finished the season with a record of 40-2.
At 135, Cody Mortensen received his second State
Championship, beating Curtis Cox of South Summit in the
finals. Cody is also a captain, and ended his career with a
record of 41-1.
Tanner Cowan also received his second State Championship
at 152, beating Kevin Grant of South Sevier in the final.
Tanner is a Junior, and finished the season 41-1. Tanner has
been 78-2 over the last two years.
Ryan Ingram was crowned Champion at 160, beating North
Summit's Kelsey Robinson in the final. Ryan wrestled
Robinson five times this season, and won only two of the
matches. Needless to say, Ryan won the one that counted.
Ryan is also a captain, and finished the season with a
record of 38-5.
Jaren Lynn, also a captain of the team, was State
Champion at 215. Jaren finished the season with a record of
37-3, two of the losses coming to 4A's State Champion Chris
Cooley of Logan. Jaren beat Aaron Westerman of South Summit
in the final.
Juab rolled over the competition, scoring 345 points in
the tournament, more than any other team, in any other
classification. Millard came in second, scoring 294. South
Summit received third with 154, North Summit took fourth
with 147, and Beaver rounded the top five with 100
points.
To celebrate the victory, each Juab wrestler tasted a
Coke that was three years old. The Coke was purchased in
1997, and was going to be opened when Juab won the State
Tournament. The Coke sat on Coach Waldron's desk for three
years. Even though it was quite flat and watery, it was the
best Coke the wrestlers and coaches had ever tasted.
Juab's quest for a State Title has finally come, and the
joy of the experience will last with the wrestlers and
coaches forever. Many boyhood dreams have come true, many
team goals have been accomplished, and many life-long
memories have been made in Juab's fantastic run for the
title. For everyone that has invested their time into Juab
wrestling, it is truly a dream come true.
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