Dec. 31, 2007: The Salt Lake Tribune

Wrestling: Coach Says Hunter Has Its Best Team Ever
by Chhun Sun

It isn't enough that the Hunter High wrestling program won its first Region 3 title last season. Nor is it enough the Wolverines are currently 12-1 in dual meets.

It's because of these words.

"This is the best team we've ever had in Hunter High school history," coach Craig Stauffer declared.

With that said, it's no wonder the Wolverines are aiming for a top five finish at this season's Class 5A state championships - which would be at least three places better than their best finish, in 1996, when Hunter had three wrestlers in the finals.

And the Wolverines have the weapons to accomplish such a remarkable feat - though they are coming off a season in which they finished 14th overall at state.

Hunter has a wrestler in all 14 weight classes, with seniors in 11 classes. Colton Griffiths (who finished fifth at state last season in the 145-pound class) and Dominic Ek (who wrestles at 103 and hopes to finish in the top three at state this season) are two of the team's best wrestlers.

The Wolverines beat Layton - one of the top teams in 5A - on Dec. 5. But losing to Pine View two days later gave Hunter another reason to try to surprise teams.

"Obviously, it makes us feel good," Ek said about being part of Hunter's best-ever team. "But we want to get that done. We want to actually be that good. Instead of being, 'This could be us,' to us being it. We want to make that happen."

Hunter won the North Summit Tournament earlier this season, though most of the 12 teams competing were from smaller schools. But Hunter's biggest test comes on Jan. 18 and 19, when 60 teams from eight states compete in the Rocky Mountain Rumble at the McKay Events Center in Orem.

"We'll find out," Stauffer said.

The coach, who's in his 16th year, believes up to four of his wrestlers can earn a podium finish that will help the Wolverines claim a spot somewhere in the top 15.

"It's been a fun year knowing that we always have had a chance to win," he said. "We've been pretty solid all the way through. We really don't have any superstars - not anyone ranked No. 1 or 2 in the state. But they're all dedicated and it gives us chances to win several matches and duels."

Notes

• Not only do the Hunter Wolverines want to repeat their unexpected run at the Region 3 title from last season, but they also look to do something the wrestling program has never done before - finish in the top five at the state tournament. Their best finish was eighth in 1996.

• Colton Griffiths returns from his fifth-place showing in the 145-pound class at the state meet to headline a team with 11 seniors, all of them competing at the varsity level. Other notable wrestlers are Dominic Ek (103) and Braden Wamsley (160).

• The Hunter Wolverines, whose best finish in the state tournament was eighth in 1996, hope to finish in the top five this season.

• Colton Griffiths returns from his fifth-place showing in the 145-pound class at the state meet to headline a team with 11 seniors. Other notable wrestlers are Dominic Ek (103) and Braden Wamsley (160).