Dec. 20, 2007: The Salt Lake Tribune

Prep Wrestling: Wrestling with Heart
by Chhun Sun

Earlier this month, Matt Brown found himself in heartbreak. His heart had taken over his mind. For only the fourth time in his wrestling career at Cyprus High, he lost.

But just like any mistake - like any life experience, for that matter - Brown learned from it.

And what he learned was simple.

Be smarter.

That's not to say he hasn't been wise with his other decisions. Which explains why he's going to Iowa State to wrestle under legend Cael Sanderson, in addition to him having 127 high school wins entering this week. He also became a national champion at age 12.

Oh, the 4.0-GPA student is also the senior-class president.

It's just that he knows now to not let his heart be the dictator when he's facing a stronger, bigger opponent.

"I'm still learning a tremendous amount," Brown said.

And he hopes he keeps learning at Iowa State, where wrestlers come in proven and anything short of an NCAA Championship is a disappointing year. Though he's won it two times so far, Brown wants to learn how to become the first Cyprus wrestler to win three state titles.

And then, he hopes to become a national champion in college.

"He's the type of kid that's thirsty for knowledge, even though he's so skilled now," Cyprus coach Eddie Berrest said. "He's always looking to better himself. He's
always looking to learn something new. He's very coachable. He wants to know everything. A lot of kids at his caliber think they know it all, but he wants to keep learning."

That mindset was tested a couple weeks ago at the Layton Invitational, where some of the best wrestlers in the country went at it. Brown was one of them, as he's ranked 14th by Wrestling USA Magazine.

But so was Wasatch's Jake Salazar, a wrestler ranked fifth in the nation and headed to Michigan.

Salazar was Brown's opponent in the 152-pound title match. Brown lost in a 9-5 decision, and it was a defeat that made him think over and over again what he did wrong. By the way, all of Brown's four losses have came from former state champions.

"He kind of let his heart take over his mind," Berrest said. "He was trying too hard.

He was taking a bigger, stronger guy down from straight across when you gotta take him out at an angle."

Apparently, Brown has gotten over it. Last weekend at the Viewmont Invitational, he easily won the tournament title in the 145-pound class with one pin, two technical falls and a 9-2 decision to improve his season record to 25-1.

Now, he just wants to keep learning. He's also teaching others his best techniques - he's been a team captain the past four years - even while he's sleeping. At a dual meet at Roy this season, Brown was reported instructing a teammate how to do a stand-up wrestling move while his eyes were shut.

"I like wrestling so much because you get what you put in," he said. "If you work hard, you're going to become better and that's what I like. It's a lot like life, I guess. If you work hard in life, you'll get the results that you want."

He talks as if he's talking from experience.

Standing Out

• Cyprus' Matt Brown wants to take advantage of his status. He's a two-time state champion, a four-year team captain and a national champion at age 12, so his truest desire is to lend his experience to others.

• Brown's current overall record is 127-4, while he chases the chance to become the first Cyprus wrestler to win three state titles. His season record is 25-1.