June 14, 2007: The Salt Lake Tribune

Foreign Territory
by John Renshaw

Wrestlers Carson Kuhn of Alta and Kade Moss of Bingham met for the first time at the Treehouse Wrestling Club when they were 8 years old. The duo hit it off from the beginning, and their friendship remains just as strong six years later.

"He's like a brother to me," Moss said. "We've been wrestling partners for a long time, he's a very good wrestler, I'm lucky to have size on him because he's so quick."

Competing in the same weight class at 103 pounds, the pair has matched up several times.

"We meet a few times during the season . . ." Moss said. "But no matter what happens, we are still good friends on and off the mat."

Kuhn and Moss will be on the same team, next week. The two were named to the Greco-Roman USA Cadet National Team earlier this year, and will travel to China's capital city, Beijing, as a part of the team's international tour, from June 19-28.

"I'm real excited . . .," Kuhn said. "I'll have like 10 matches and it'll be interesting to see the level of competition of the Chinese wrestlers."
Both freshmen, Kuhn and Moss each had their share of success in their first prep wrestling seasons. At Alta, Kuhn experienced ups and downs - weighing just 91 pounds, he gave up at least 12 pounds to most foes. But he grew stronger throughout the year and finished 25-13, with 92 takedowns, to take home the Region 2 title with a win over Skyline's Brett Clapier.

"Overall I was pretty pleased how the matches played out this season. The key is being a better technician than my opponent and staying confident. Being smaller, I would try to come out quick and shoot for the legs to get an early advantage," Kuhn said. Said Alta coach Barry Harrington: "Carson broke right into the varsity lineup . . . I had heard about him prior to arriving here . . . Was he timid at the beginning of the season? Heavens no. Carson went after every opponent with aggressiveness and was just one point away from placing at state."

Moss put together a solid season, to put it mildly. Finishing 37-4 overall, he defeated Weber's Bracken Nipko to win the Class 5-A state title in his class.

"There were a number of tough kids in state," Moss said, "I put in a lot of hard work this year and the grind of the season gets really tough . . . everyone's looking forward to the season being over I think. What I did well within Region and at state was controlling the match early, going at [opponents] and moving forward."

There is no offseason for the pair, however, as the summer trip came calling. Kuhn earned his way onto the Cadets' with a second place finish at FILA Cadet and University National Championships in Akron, Ohio earlier this year. Moss fared similarly at the Dual Championships in Fargo, N.D.

"It's great to be the only two [wrestlers] from Utah to be going. We'll have a chance to hang out and I'm really looking forward to it," Moss said.

On the Road

* Wrestlers Carson Kuhn of Alta and Kade Moss of Bingham will travel to Beijing next week on behalf of the USA National Cadet Team.
* Kuhn was the Region 2 champion in his weight class.
* Moss earned his first Class 5-A state title, going 37-4 overall.