Dec. 1, 2006: The Salt Lake Tribune

2006-2007 Prep Wrestling Season Preview: Wasatch Turns to Legend of Falls
by Jay Drew

When the wrestling coach who they thought had made a long-term commitment to the program bolted just before school started, the four-time, defending state Class 3-A champion Wasatch Wasps didn't panic.

Not many programs have the father of an Olympic gold medalist living in their boundaries.

Steve Sanderson, father of Olympian-turned-Iowa State coach Cael Sanderson and a former Wasatch head coach with five state titles in 14 years under his belt, was "assigned" by district superintendent Terry Shoemaker to take over the program at the Heber City school, where wrestling is perhaps more important than all other sports combined.

"He said it is a one-year assignment," said Sanderson, an assistant principal at nearby Rocky Mountain Middle School. "People like me need to retire."

He also would like to watch his youngest son, Cyler, wrestle for Iowa State this winter. Cyler cracked the starting lineup for the Cyclones as a freshman and will wrestle against Iowa this weekend and the defending national champion in his weight class (149 pounds) next week.

In fact, all four Sanderson brothers are now in Ames, Iowa. Cael is the head coach, former UVSC coach Cody Sanderson is his assistant and Cole Sanderson is working on a master's degree.

"The irony is, they all live within a mile of each other, but 1,200 miles away from us," Steve Sanderson said.

The Wasps, winners of 11 of the last 14 titles in 3-A, will compete in the Layton Invitational today and Saturday against many of the top programs in the state.

Along with 3-A's No. 1 Wasatch, the tournament includes 5-A's No. 2 Davis, No. 3 Alta, No. 4 Lone Peak and No. 5 Bingham, 4-A's No. 1 Springville, No. 2 Box Elder and No. 3 Mountain Crest, among others. Weber, ranked No. 1 in 5-A, will be at a tournament in Evanston, Wyo.

"Layton will tell us where everyone is at, and who the best teams are," Davis coach Alan Porter said. "But in 5-A, Weber is by far No. 1, in my opinion."

Here's a look at each classification:

Class 5-A: After finishing second to Viewmont in 2006, Weber should take its first title since 1955 and end the Vikings' three-year run. Senior Shay Warren (125) will go for his fourth straight solo title and state placers Chase Gardner (112 or 119), Aaron Ross (135), Lew Woolsey (152 or 160), Kade Hall (171), Dustin Martin (189) and Jaden Briskey (275) also return.

Davis also has a senior gunning for his fourth straight title, 140-pounder Sean Porter, the coach's son, and three other top-notch guys, sophomore Zak Baker at 112, senior Josh Baker at 145 and senior Austin Taylor at 189.

"The 5-A battle is probably going to be for second place," Alan Porter said.

Coaches say Bingham could be the surprise of 5-A, with Riley Adamson, a move-in from a nationally ranked program in Texas at 125, joining a solid group that includes Mitch Moss, who finished fourth at 119 last year.

Brighton is also on the rise after last year's fourth-place finish with new coach Wade Brown replacing Ted Sierer and inheriting a star-studded lineup that includes seniors K.C. Nate and Ky Lucero and juniors Jaes Jones and Cole Shafer. The Bengals would be even stronger, but Skyline transfer Jonathan Gappmaier was ruled ineligible for varsity competition by the UHSAA.

Class 4-A: After Mountain Crest blew away the field for a 56-point win at last year's state meet, 4-A could go down to the final match this year, coaches say, with Springville, Box Elder and Mountain Crest capable of winning it all.

"It's a three-way race, I would say," said Box Elder coach Mike Ripplinger.

Springville is young but loaded, with two-time state champion Jason Chamberlain, a junior, leading the way. Another junior, Kolby Bradley, is also a returning state champ, while Hayden Peterson, Logan Wilson, Jacob Rawle and Caleb Christen are returning state placers.

Box Elder has more depth, but just two superstars - 171-pounder Riley Yeates, a state champ at 152 last year, and 112/119-pounder Jed Shannon, second last year at 103. Two-time state placer Skyler Korth, Kolby Williamson (160 or 152), heavyweight Riggin Holmgren and the Caldwell brothers, Cody and Jesse, could also finish in the top four.

Mountain Crest had five state champions last year, and two are back: sophomore Ethan Lofthouse at 152 and junior Jarrett Morrill at 119. Morrill's twin brother, Jake, was third at 112 last year and will likely move up to 125.

Keep an eye on Mountain Crest freshman Raider Lofthouse at 103, along with Cyprus senior Matt Brown, a state champ last year at 119.

Class 3-A: Wasatch has two state champs back, junior Shayne Bonner and senior Jake Salazar, and will once again be chased by Uintah and Delta, which lost junior Skyler Porter (fifth at 135 in '06) to Wasatch because his family is moving to Heber City.

Class 2-A: Millard should repeat as 2-A champ after winning by 36 points last year. The Eagles have also been bolstered by move-ins.

Class 1-A: Wayne was last year's surprise winner, taking its third straight title, but football champion Duchesne is the favorite this season.