Nov. 25, 2005: Deseret Morning News

Grapplers Get Ready
by Michael Black

Alta wrestling coach Barry Harrington may be the only one who does not believe his Hawks are the team to beat in Region 2.

"We are not going to be very good," he said. "We have four senior placers and then just a bunch of guys that are still learning. We hope to compete for the Region 2 title and then have a good showing at state."

While Harrington may not want to hype his squad, the rest of the coaches know enough about his team to vote them No. 1 in the region and No. 4 in the state. With returning two-time state champion Jaren Day back to pace the team, the Hawks have enough talent and depth to compete both in duals and when those junior varsity wrestlers need to step up and get points at tournaments.

Steve Michels, Ryan Green and Zac Eddington all return as state placers, and Luke Rasmussen and Ryan Prater are ranked in the top six for 5A. The Hawks have leaders and potential, a combination that could lead to titles.

Brighton is the only other Region 2 school ranked in the top 10 for the classification, and it received the No. 7 spot from the coaches. The Bengals are once again top-heavy with three outstanding wrestlers.

Talon Knox returns after winning a state title, and Cole Shafer, Bo Beckman, Marcus Howells, Junior Salt and K.C. Nate are all ranked in the top six for their respective weight classes. If the younger wrestlers learn and improve, Brighton could make a surprise run.

Jordan coach Christian Babinski said his Beetdiggers have some strong wrestlers, but he had some defections in the off-season that hurt his squad.

"We had a few freshmen that showed some promise last year that transferred," he said. "We look okay. It really depends on how some of our young kids develop and if we can come together as a team."

One wrestler who can be counted on is Jordan Lundstrom. Coming off a second-place finish a year ago, Lundstrom is the top-ranked contender in the 215-pound class.

Jordan Lundstrom "He is so tenacious," said Babinski of why Lundstrom is a top-ranked wrestler. "He is pretty athletic, but it is his hard-nosed intensity that gets it done for him. He really gets after it and wrestles with a lot of heart."

According to coach Brad Peck, Hillcrest is a couple of years away from competing on the team level.

"We are really young and are building the program for the future," said Peck. "We plan on working our juniors and seniors to the state meet and hopefully can get 4-6 placers."

Three strong wrestlers that could place are Eric McCallister, Tyson Hake and Joel Perry. It could be a good year if two or three more grapplers step up and grab a place in region and then in the state tournament.

Skyline and Taylorsville round out the region, with both schools looking more at the individual levels than at a team competition.