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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS • With a team score of 304.0, the Juab Wasps celebrate their second state wrestling championship in a row outscoring second-place Delta by 79.5 points. Morgan finished 3rd (171.0), while Union (132.0) and Emery (128.0) rounded out the top five.

By Dr. Joel Holman
JHS Wrestling Coach

New classifications, new competition, same results. Juab Wrestling repeated as State Champion, and we did it bigger than last year. We had more qualifiers, more placers, more champions and a higher score. We qualified 18 wrestlers, placed 13 out of 14 weights, had 5 champions and scored 304 team points. We bested second place Delta, 224.5, and third place Morgan, 171.

We had five state champions out of six finalists: Conner Ingram, Gentry Warner, Cade Bowring, Joey Aagard and Talon Mangelson. Kalob Nybo took 2nd. This is the most ever for Juab. Equally as impressive was that every wrestler placed fourth or higher including Tyler Lynn, Wyatt Harmon, Rylan Watts, Jackson Schugk, Jaxson Kendall, all 3rd place, and Christian Nielson and Blake Mangelson, 4th place.

Our first state champion was sophomore Conner Ingram at 113lbs. This was his second trip there, and he made sure to finish it right this time. He wrestled a smart controlled match against his Delta opponent. This was their second meeting of the season and they seemed to have scouted him to keep it close. Conner was unfazed and he controlled the match to come away with a 6-1 win. Look out for Conner in the next couple years.

Kalob Nybo followed Conner at 120lbs. As usual, he wrestled an exciting must-watch match. He was behind late in the third when he tied it up with a feet-to-back takedown. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold the hold long enough to get another near fall point and in overtime he was taken down to lose 14-16. On his way to the finals he tallied three pins and racked up a lot of points for the team. He will be back next year to finish the job.

Gentry Warner was our next finalist at 132lbs. He made short work of his opponent with a first round pin to complete his perfect tournament with four pins in four matches. He won his third career state title and was selected as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in lower weights for the state tournament. Enough said.

Cade Bowring (138) was our second sophomore in the finals. He won in convincing fashion with a 15-0 technical fall. This is his third time wrestling the same opponent from South Sevier. It was also the third time he won by tech-fall. Cade is a juggernaut on top, and he is relentless in his efforts to score. He had three bonus point wins and led the tournament with the most tech-falls. We are glad to have him back for a couple more years.

Joey Aagard finished up a great career with his second state title at 160. He had three pins leading up to the finals, but almost gave up a pin of his own after he got there. He was ahead 2-0 when he got reversed to his back on a restart toward the end of the first period. He battled back to within two points and then scored a takedown and back points late in the match to secure the win. Joey is a two-time state champ and a three-time finalist. His consistency and leadership will be missed.

Talon Mangelson (195) finished up the night as our fifth state champion. He wrestled an aggressive but smart finals match and came away with a 5-2 win. He scored an early first period takedown with an aggressive bearhug to take the lead. In the second, he scored another takedown with a throw on the edge. Add a third period escape and smart wrestling and Talon has finished his career with a state title. Talon’s aggressive no fear style has been exciting to watch and will be missed.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the tournament was our performance in the consolations. We had seven wrestlers in the consolation semifinals and we won every match. We then went on to win five of the seven in the consolation finals.

Christian Nielson (126) has had a hit-and-miss season, moments of great wrestling mixed with moments of mediocrity. After a 5th place finish at divisionals, he was essentially ranked 9th or 10th at state. He was able to bring his best wrestling of the year to the state tournament and get a 4th place finish with four pins. We are excited for Christian and excited to see what he can do next year.

Tyler Lynn was our first third placer at 145lbs. He wrestled aggressively and confidently throughout the tournament. He lost a close match in the semis but came back with two pins to finish out. Tyler had a breakout year and we can’t wait for his senior season next year.

Wyatt Harmon followed Tyler at 152. He let a quarterfinal match slip away early in the tournament and had to take the long road back to third. Wyatt is a returning state placer and he used that experience to battle through the consolation bracket. He finished his season with solid wins, and we plan to beat this years finish next year with a state title.

Blake Mangelson (170) had a great tournament to finish a good year. Blake has steadily improved throughout his sophomore year and as the season progressed he became more skilled and more confident. He wrestled his best tournament of the season at the state tournament to finish in 4th place. He is going to continue to improve and will be very hard to beat next year.

Rylan Watts (182) was 20-seconds away from being in the state finals. He lost a close heartbreaking match in the semifinals but he regrouped and came back strong. He finished the tournament with four pins and a third place medal. He is another of our strong sophomore class that will be doing great things in the next couple years.

Jackson Schugk was our fourth third placer at 220lbs. Jackson had a great state tournament to cap a great season. Jackson is one of the few wrestlers to start wrestling in 8th grade and wrestle all four years of high school. He has come a long way in those years and we are proud of his success. He has been easy to coach and great to have on the team.

Jaxson Kendall, as our heavyweight, was our final consolation wrestler. He had a great tournament and wrestled better than he has all year. He avenged two regular season losses and after a disappointing semifinals loss he battled back to place 3rd. He finishes his senior season on a high note and we only wish we could have him for one more year.

Keaton Sperry, Ben Nielson, Austin Johnson, Shan Jackson, and Dalton Ulibarri were our remaining state qualifiers. All are returning next year with the exception of Dalton, and we hope this will give them experience for next year. Dalton was 2-2 in his final state tournament and was one match away from placing. He has been coachable and a pleasure to have on the team. We will miss him.

Congratulations to those that placed and especially to the outgoing seniors. You have accomplished many firsts for Juab Wrestling. You are the first team in Juab history to win back-to back state titles. Your hard work and leadership will be missed. You are the beginning of a successful tradition.