|
 Jan.
3, 2008: The Salt Lake Tribune
Hunter Weighs In On Its Newfound
Success
by Chhun Sun
Early last December, Hunter went up
against a mighty wrestling program - Layton.
The Lancers are the winners of three state
titles, and they regularly produce some of the best
wrestlers in Utah.
But the Wolverines didn't let their
opponent's status intimidate them. Hunter - with a team
coach Craig Stauffer labels as the best in school history
- pulled off an upset Dec. 5.
The Wolverines won 35-34.
"I was almost a little shocked," Stauffer
said.
The key word in that statement is almost.
For the most part, the Wolverines believe they have the
chance of winning against any team in a dual meet. They
are 12-1 in that type of competition entering this week.
And with 11 seniors on the varsity roster, the Wolverines
are hoping to pull off the best-ever state finish this
season: the elusive top five.
That would be at least three places higher
than the program's greatest finish, in 1996, when Hunter
had three wrestlers in the finals as the Wolverines went
on to claim the eighth spot. Last season, Hunter surprised
most teams by winning the Region 3 title for the first
time in school history.
Senior Dominic Ek said the elusive finish
is a real possibility - especially because Hunter is
boasting its best-ever team.
"Obviously, it makes us feel good," he
said. "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."
But how do all the dual wins translate to
being a legit challenger in a tournament setting?
The Wolverines feel like they have enough
experience - thanks to those are 11 seniors - to earn
valuable points. Colton Griffiths is the team's top
wrestler, as he's coming off a fifth-place finish in the
145-pound class at the Class 5A state tournament.
Teammates Ek (103) and Braden Wamsley can also put up big
scores, while they chase their dreams of getting a podium
finish.
"This is the best team we ever had in
Hunter High School history," Stauffer 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 duals."
The Wolverines can also compete well in
tournaments. Earlier this season, they won the North
Summit Tournament - though most of the 12 teams were from
the smaller classifications. But before the state
tournament, Hunter has the Rocky Mountain Rumble on Jan.
18 and 19 at the McKay Events Center in Orem - the
school's best chance to prove it can compete with the
best, as 60 schools from eight different states will be in
attendance. Stauffer believes his squad can fall somewhere
in the top 15.
"This is a good set of kids," he said.
On the Rise
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