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Oct.
20, 2005: The Wrestling Mall, High School News
Davis' Porter and Wasatch's Smith Top
Utahns in National Preseason Junior Rankings
Wrestling USA Magazine's national ranking
of high-school junior wrestlers included 14 Utahns, topped
by Sean Porter (130 lbs.) of Davis High School and Casey
Smith (112 lbs.) of Wasatch High School, both ranked No.
16, according to rankings released recently.
Some of Porter's notable accomplishments
include winning two high-school state championships,
rounding out his sophomore season with an impressive
record of 43-3. In 2005, he was a selection for the Utah
Amateur Wrestling Foundation All-Star Dual, where he lost
a tight 5-4 decision to Jake Swensen of North Sanpete
(2005 preseason pick for Utah All-Division Wrestler of the
Year). He also won the Rocky Mountain Rumble and the
Viewmont Invitational. As a freshman in 2004, Porter
landed the 5A State Championship outside the lower weights
and was named Outstanding Lower Weight Wrestler for 5A in
2004, beating two top-ranked wrestlers to do it (Kalen
Wilson, 2nd in state the year previous, and Evan Woody,
3rd in state the year previous). That summer, he traveled
back to Lincoln, Neb., this past spring to compete in the
National High School Coaches Association National State
Duals, and finished with an impressive record of 2-1. In
2004, he was the Utah Wrestling Coaches Association pick
for Freshman Wrestler of the Year; and in 2005, he was
selected by the Bill Kilpack, Utah Editor of Wrestling USA
Magazine, as a Utah Sophomore Wrestler of the Year. Porter
could also be added to that oh-so-short list of four-time
state champions.
Some of Smith's notable exploits include
taking second in state in high school in 2004 and 2005. In
2005, he lost to Levi Mele of Uintah in a tough 3-1
decision, wrapping up his sophomore season with a record
of 36-9, a 3rd-place finish at the Brute Nationals, 2nd at
the multistate Tiger-Grizzly Invitational, won the Layton
Invitational, and finished 5th at the very tough Reno
Tournament of Champions. In 2004, he lost to that same
Mele in the championship match after beating Mele the week
before to win the Region 10 championship. Smith gnawed out
an excellent 38-3 record as a freshman, then followed it
with some very strong performances this summer in
freestyle and Greco-Roman, finishing out the USA Wrestling
Cadet National Duals at 5-2 in both styles in Greeley,
Colo., followed by a 5th-place freestyle finish at USA
Wrestling Cadet Nationals in Fargo. He was selected by the
Wrestling USA Magazine Utah Editor as a Utah Wrestler to
Watch in 2004.
The list was compiled by Dan Fickel,
National Editor for the magazine, based on six criteria:
1) accomplishments at state high-school championships
(folkstyle); 2) National Junior freestyle and Greco-Roman
success; 3) Cadet National freestyle and Greco-Roman
success; 4) performance at prestigious high-school
tournaments; 5) information from coaches and parents; and
6) the state from which the nominee hails.
Fourteen Utah wrestlers appeared in the
rankings in right of the 14 weight divisions. This is up
from the eight Utah juniors who were ranked preseason last
year.
Other standouts include Shay Warren of
Weber, who was ranked no. 18 at 112 lbs.; Wade Eldredge of
Monticello, no. 18 at 145 lbs.; Riley Yeats of Box Elder,
no. 27 at 130 lbs.; and Mitch Sanderson of Pleasant Grove,
no. 28 at 160 lbs. Receiving Special Mention were Kolby
Bradley of Springville, 103 lbs.; Colton Miles of
Altamont, 103 lbs.; Bo Beckman of Timpanogos, 112 lbs.;
Shaun Holt of Enterprise, 112 lbs.; Shayne Bonner of
Wasatch, 125 lbs.; Glenn Woods of Duchesne, 145 lbs.;
Jaden Briskey of Weber, 275 lbs.; and Eric Wells of Wayne,
275 lbs.
Of all the high schools represented by
wrestlers in the national rankings, Wasatch and Weber both
had two listed. Altamont, Box Elder, Davis, Duchesne,
Enterprise, Monticello, Pleasant Grove, Springville,
Timpanogos and Wayne each had one listed.
WrestlingUSA Magazine has been the voice
of national high school wrestling since 1965. For more
information, see
www.wrestlingusa.com.
Kilpack is the editor of
UtahWrestling.org, an AAU national champion and seven-time
national silver medalist, a 15-time AAU/USA Wrestling
All-American, and earned an alternate position on the U.S.
Pan-Am Team in Greco-Roman. He coaches an independent
freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling program through Salt
Lake County Parks and Recreation, Mountain Top Wrestling
Club.
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