February 2008: South Valley Journal

BHS Wrestling Team Preps for State
by Catherine Garrett

With a returning state champion, the Bingham High wrestling squad is looking to improve on its third place team finish at state last year. They were scheduled to compete at the region championships Feb. 6-7 (after press deadline) at West Jordan High and the state tournament at Utah Valley State College Feb. 13-15.

Sophomore Kade Moss, the only first-place finisher among Bingham’s four 2006-07 individual state champions to return for the Miners, will defend his title in the 103-pound weight classification. Senior Ryker Vandertoolen placed second last year and is again one of the top wrestlers in the state in the 112-pound category.

Other Bingham wrestlers who are ranked in state are senior Spencer Paulson (285 pounds), who finished sixth last year, and sophomore Quinn Lobdell (135 pounds), senior Joe Bradshaw (140 pounds), senior Andrew Park (152 pounds), and senior Seth Anderson (215 pounds).

Coach Matt Walker said they have had challenges this year in keeping all the team members injury-free at the same time. “We are preparing for state by getting everyone healthy and peaking for the tournament.” He expects several of his wrestlers to place at the state championships.

This season, the team took third at the Layton tournament out of 24 teams with Anderson placing first, Bradshaw and Paulson coming in second, Vandertoolen and Moss placing third, Park taking fourth, and Lobdell coming in fifth. At the Viewmont Invitational, out of 22 teams, the Miners finished in eighth place with Moss in first, Paulson taking second, Vandertoolen in third, and Bradshaw and Park placing fourth. They also placed sixth out of 64 teams at the Rocky Mountain Rumble with Vandertoolen and Moss securing first place finishes and Paulson coming in third.

Walker is in his first year as head coach, having assisted the Miners the past two seasons and now takes over the program with the retirement of Russ Paulson. He got into coaching because he loves the sport, having spent 17 years in competitive wrestling.

“I personally try to inspire the guys and teach them how to be self-motivated,” he said. “I want my wrestlers to be in the best condition of any team we wrestle.”

The coaching staff also consists of Shawn Jones and Jeremy Lott, Aubry Burnett, Kailee Knudsen, and Katy Henson and the team’s managers.

Other Bingham wrestlers who round out the squad are seniors Jordan Clark, David Aryton, Gavin Wardle, Anthony Beverley, Quinton Petersen, Sosiua Pikula, Ryan Homer, Trent Thompson, and Aaron Smith; juniors Mike Vallentine, John Hood, Keith Sasine, Adam Paulson and Dane Lobdell; sophomores Tyler Fullmer, Ryker Hall, Josh Powers, Braxton Magalogo, Austin Hill, Derek Stephens, Jordan Palmer, Scott Nelson, Travis Mcrae and Spencer Bailey; and freshmen Braxton Vandertoolen, Robert Veltri, Brad Hair, Tanden Applenapp, Jordan Wanlass, Anthony Martell, Clark Sasine, Nate VanValkenburg, Kesni Tausinga, Caleb Robinson and Ryan Lever.