Jan. 17, 2008: The Salt Lake Tribune

Prep Wrestling: Cyprus Star Slowed on Quest for Three Titles
by Chhun Sun

Cyprus star Matt Brown will miss crucial wrestling competitions due to his left hand being broken in two places because of an injury he suffered during practice last week.

He will be out for three weeks.

The senior missed Tuesday's prestigious All-Star Classic in Orem, which would have been his second appearance of his high school career.

Mountain View's Clay Frost replaced Brown in the 145-pound match against Brighton senior Jon Gappmeier.

But Brown said missing the event wasn't "the worst thing that could happen. It's not the end of the world."

Brown said he feels fortunate that he will be back in time for the region and state tournaments, as he's looking to become the first Cyprus wrestler to win three state championships.

The Results Are In

Cyprus and West Jordan wrestled in arguably the toughest tournament last weekend at the Richardson Memorial at Box Elder High, an event that had 19 teams in attendance — including two from out of the state.

The Jaguars had the highest finish of the two, with four wrestlers earning a podium showing to help the team claim eighth place. Nicko Paraso finished fourth at the 125-pound class, Collin Grant earned a third-place finish at 130, Chase Burns captured the title at 135 and Justin Blackmore claimed the runner-up spot at 285.

Cyprus was third to last, mostly because Iowa State-bound wrestler Matt Brown was out with an injury.

Ready to Rumble

By now, arguably the second biggest event of the season — the All-Star Classic — is three-days old, the winners probably have gotten over the high of coming out victors. That's because there are other events to look forward to this weekend.

One of them is the Rocky Mountain Rumble, which begins today at 11 a.m. and continues Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Kearns, Hunter, West Jordan and Cyprus will be in attendance at the McKay Events Center in Orem.