March 2, 2007: Deseret Morning News

Brighton Wrestlers, Coach Proud of Season Finish
by Michael Black

Beginning the third round trailing 4-1, Brighton's 171-pound wrestler Cole Shafer had just tied up his match with a one-point escape and a two-point take-down against two-time defending state champion Mitch Sanderson of Pleasant Grove.

Kirk Stickland, for the Deseret Morning NewsBrighton High School's Jaes Jones scores on a near-pin against Alta's Winston Haycock. Jones went on to win the 130-pound championship for Region 2. So what does he do? He backs off and lets the guy up to go back down a point on the uncontested escape. Some must have been thinking the junior was crazy. Why not just hang on and try to stay on top to force overtime? Turns out Shafer knew exactly what he was doing. Just moments later Shafer gets another take-down to retake the lead, and follows it up with a pin at the 5:37 mark.

"I was incredibly pleased with Cole," said Bengals coach Wade Brown of the individual champion. "To upset a two-time champ like that takes a lot of heart and guts. He just wanted it so bad. You could see it in his eyes that he was confident that he could take him down again."

Not all the Bengals capped their season with the dramatics of Shafer, but overall, Brighton, its wrestlers and its coach can be proud of the team's fifth-place finish at the 5A state tournament at UVSC.

"We were really hoping to get a top-three finish, but it just didn't happen," said Brown. "I thought that we might have had a chance at hanging with Viewmont, but we had a couple of tough semifinal losses and just didn't quite have the numbers to keep up. But fifth place is not too bad and gives us something to build on."

Brighton finished with 104.5 points. Weber won the title with 241.5. Viewmont was second at 150, Bingham third, 137 and Pleasant Grove at 124.5
K.C. Nate was the other Brighton wrestler to capture an individual title. The 145-pound grappler finished his senior season with a 40-5 record and a devastating performance at state. He won all of his matches at the tournament either by fall, technical fall or major decision.

Jaes Jones and Ky Lucero were the other two wrestlers who helped carry the team all season, and although both placed, Jones was fifth and Lucero sixth, neither achieved the title they coveted.

"They just ran into some tough wrestlers," said Brown. "Both will back next year, and maybe this will make them even hungrier."

One wrestler who did reach expectations was senior Brady Walker. The 152 pounder finished third in Region 2 but put things together at the state meet to win four matches and finished fourth.

"Walker had a great tournament for us," added Brown. "He set it as a goal that he wanted to place at state. He wrestled really hard, and he accomplished it. We were proud of him."

Lucero, Jones and Shafer will be back next year to anchor the team, and with the expected return of Jon Gappmier, who was ruled ineligible to compete at the varsity level this season after placing at the state meet as a sophomore in 2006, the future for the Bengals wrestling program looks bright.

Add to the list of positives sophomores Conner Meadow, who won two matches at the tournament, and Colton Homer and freshman Jacob Draper who both qualified this year, and the outlook for next season gets even better. If that isn't enough, former Brighton coach Dave Chavis, who won multiple titles, is working with the junior high program and helping the influx of ready-to-compete freshmen coming in.

"We return a pretty good nucleus," Brown said. "If we can get a few guys to improve in the offseason, and that is what it takes if you want to be a champion, working in the offseason, we could really be a team to watch next year."

State placers

130— Jaes Jones, junior, fifth place
135— Ky Lucero, junior, sixth place
145— K.C. Nate, senior, first place
152— Brady Walker, senior, fourth place
171— Cole Shafer, junior, first place

Other wrestlers receiving points

103— Conner Meadow, sophomore
125— Paul Cox, senior
160— Robbie Birch, senior
285— Brandon Douros, senior