Jan. 22, 2005: The Park Record

Miners Stung by Wasps On the Mat; Park City Loses to Nationally Ranked Wasatch
by Adia Waldburger

Sometimes, when taking on a powerhouse, satisfaction can only come from having the courage to show up and try.

Such was the case on Wednesday night, when the Park City Miners went up against the nationally-ranked Wasatch Wasps in a match that resulted in a crushing 75-6 Miners loss. In a display of their incredible talent and skill, the Wasps wrestled with a team made of mostly junior varsity wrestlers. Park City was unable to win a match, gaining points only from a forfeit.

"I knew it was going to be a tough match and that those guys were really good," said Miners head coach Chris Spealler.

This was the second time the Wasps had shut out the Miners in match competition. The Wasatch junior varsity had already finished second at the varsity-level Tooele Duels and the North Summit Tournament and third at Gunnison, so they were ready to battle any varsity team.

"Our junior varsity is wrestling well," said Wasatch head coach Ben Vombaur. "We can only have so many contacts in wrestling, so we are using kids that haven't gone over their quota. Its good to have our junior varsity step up."

Clearly mismatched, the Miners were heading into a situation where it would have nearly impossible to win. Heber City is wrestling country. Wasatch boasts 14 state championships, nine of which have come since 1992. According to Wasp assistant coach Dave McNaughtan, the team is ranked somewhere between 12th and seventh nationally, depending on the poll. The team has already competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions and invitational Minnesota clash, two of the most prestigious wrestling tournaments in the country. They also have Cael Sanderson's younger brother Cyler, who is the No.1 wrestler in the country in the 140-pound class, and Dallan Norton, who ranks between No. 3 and No.1 in different polls in the heavyweight (275 pound) class.

"They are both undefeated and we have a very tough schedule. We go to two of the toughest tournaments in the nation," said McNaughtan.

Coming off of positive showings at Uintah and the Tooele Duels, Spealler was looking for strong performances out of his seniors, including co-captain and heavyweight wrestler Nick Berry, James Pearson in the 125-weight class and Spencer Steck in the 140-pound class. Berry came away with the best performance.

"Nick Berry had a close match that he should have won, but he seemed really tired," said Spealler

Although the score was so lopsided, Spealler hopes that the match helped inspire his team.

"It gives them an idea of a goal to work towards," said Spealler. "They knew it was going to be tough."

The Miners will head to the Pine View Tournament this weekend in St. Gorge, followed by the Region 10 tournament next week. Spealler is confident that his team will fare well. Wrestlers who look promising for region wins include Berry, Pearson and Steck.

"Those guys, if they do well, should go to state," said Spealler.