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Wrestling USA Magazine and IntermatWrestle.com, Utah Editor's Preseason
Picks
Outstanding Freshman Wrestlers for 2010–2011
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Branson Ashworth
Spanish Fork High School, 103 lbs.
GPA: 3.9
School Classification: 4A (940 Enrolled)
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I've been
coaching against Branson since he was about 4 years old and
had the pleasure of watching he grow and develop as a
wrestler and a fine young man over those many years.
He is a very smart wrestler, with a solid grasp of
strategy on the mat. He plans out moves and
counters in advance and has the technique to make those
plans come to fruition. He's been on the mat for a
very long time and done well at some of the biggest
national tournaments, as well as locally and regionally.
He and my son have wrestled each other at least 30 times,
before he stopped growing and my son sprouted like a twig.
Branson is a four-time state champion in junior high and
took those titles ahead of some very high-end talent: in
2009, he placed ahead of the likes of Pleasant Grove's
Bronson Young and Layton's Ken Astle; in 2008, again ahead
of Young, and Brighton's Rami Haddadin; in 2007, he took
that title ahead of Payson's Jed Mellen and Skyline's Jess
Clapier. Also in 2009, he finished fourth at the USA
Wrestling Kids National Championships, finishing ahead of
Mountain Crest's Rayden Lindley, and two spots behind
Maple Mountain's Britain Carter. In 2007, he won the
USA Wrestling Salt Lake Slam, beating Westlake's Brigg
Butler in the finals, and again placing ahead of Lindley
and Uintah's Tanner Merkley; that same year, he made it to
the finals at the U.S. Folkstyle Nationals, where he
placed ahead of Maple Mountain's Grant LaMont and Payson's
Jed Mellen. For Branson's eighth-grade season, he
went undefeated. This kids got the stuff.
Although he has won only one national title, he has been
in the finals in many big, national tournaments, as well
as earning many All-American honors. He has
consistently been ranked in the Top Twenty-Five in his age
division and it is well
deserved.
Branson is
precise and executes with authority. He will be do
well as a freshman.
Following is a
summary of Branson's wrestling career so far:
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Four-Time Junior High State Champion, 4A/5A Junior High
State Championships (2007–2010)
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Four-Time State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State
Championships, Freestyle (2004–2005, 2007, 2010)
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2010 Champion, USA Wrestling West Regional Championships,
Freestyle
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2010 Champion, USA Wrestling West Regional Championships,
Folkstyle
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2010 5th Place, USA Wrestling West Regional Championships,
Greco-Roman
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2010 Champion, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2010 Runner Up, Jacob's Challenge, Folkstyle
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2010 Outstanding Wrestler, USA Wrestling-Utah State
Championships, Cadet Division, Freestyle
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2010 State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State
Championships, Folkstyle
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2009 4th Place, USA Wrestling Kids National Championships,
Freestyle
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2009 Runner Up, Games of Rome, Folkstyle
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2009 Bronze Medalists, USA Wrestling Kids Western Regional
Championships, Folkstyle
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2009 6th Place, Reno World Championships, Folkstyle
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2009 6th Place, Terminator World Championships, Folkstyle
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2009 Champion, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2009 Runner Up, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships,
Freestyle
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2008 Runner Up, Rocky Mountain Nationals, Folkstyle
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2008 Champion, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2008 Bronze Medalist, USA Wrestling Salt Lake Slam,
Folkstyle
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2007 Runner Up, Gladiator World Championships, Folkstyle
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2007 4th Place, Rocky Mountain Nationals, Folkstyle
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2007 Runner Up, U.S. Folkstyle Nationals
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2006 Runner Up,
Rocky Mountain Nationals, Folkstyle
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2006 Runner Up, U.S. Folkstyle Nationals
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2006 Bronze Medalist, USA Wrestling-Utah State
Championships, Freestyle
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2005 National Champion, Gladiator World Championships,
Folkstyle
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2005 6th Place, Rocky Mountain Nationals, Folkstyle
UtahWrestling.org 2010 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2009 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2008 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2007 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2006 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2004 Youth Wrestling Ranking
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Kimball Bastian
Maple Mountain High School, 125 lbs.
GPA: 3.7
School Classification: 4A (enrollment 1,300)
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I've been
coaching against Kimball for several years now, when he
and my son would face off every other year in the
freestyle and Greco-Roman season. It's been a real
pleasure to watch him grow and develop as a
wrestler and a fine young man.
He is a very smart wrestler, with a solid grasp of
technique. He's been on the mat for a
very long time and done well at some of the biggest
national tournaments, as well as locally and regionally.
He and my son have wrestled each other at least 10 times,
and he is always a threat. This past year, he won a
Trinity Award at the USA Wrestling West Regional
Championships for taking gold in all three styles:
freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle, then followed that
with two national titles at the USA Wrestling Kids
National Championships. This past season, he also
won the Beehive Brawl and the USA Wrestling Salt Lake
Slam, and finished second at the NHSCA Middle School
Nationals (ahead of Juab's Dalton Harmon). In 2010,
he took state in all three styles through USA
Wrestling-Utah. He is also a three-time junior
high state champion and, overall, a three-time freestyle
state champ and a two-time Greco state champ. (In
2009, he finished second in state in both freestyle and
Greco-Roman behind team mate Grant LaMont. In
folkstyle, he finished second behind Wasatch's Jake
Fassold.) He has placed at the Reno World
Championships twice, including one journey through that
war of attrition to the finals. He is a two-time
national champ, although he's been to the finals in
national championships seven times. He has
consistently been ranked in the Top Five in his age
division and the Overall Kids divisions, and it is well
deserved. His challenge as a freshman is that he is
a big kid for his age, and will not be in those bottom
three weight classes, where so many tough freshmen are
lucky enough to cut their teeth in the high-school ranks.
Nonetheless, he is
absolutely a
very promising freshman.
Following is a
summary of Kimball's wrestling career so far:
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Three-Time Junior High State Champion,
4A/5A Junior
High State Championships (2008–2010)
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Three-Time
State Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships,
Freestyle
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Two-Time State
Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships,
Greco-Roman
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Two-Time State
Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships,
Folkstyle
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2010 National
Champion, USA Wrestling Kids National Championships,
Freestyle
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2010 National
Champion, USA Wrestling Kids National Championships,
Greco-Roman
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2010 Runner Up,
NHSCA Middle School National Championships, Folkstyle
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2010 Trinity Award,
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships
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2010 Champion,
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships, Freestyle
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2010 Champion,
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships, Greco-Roman
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2010 Champion,
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships, Folkstyle
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2010 Champion,
Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2010 State
Champion, USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships,
Folkstyle
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2009 Champion,
USA Wrestling Salt Lake Slam, Folkstyle
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2009 Runner Up,
USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2009 Runner Up,
USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Folkstyle
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2008 Runner Up,
AAU Grand Nationals, Freestyle
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2008 Runner Up,
AAU Grand Nationals, Folkstyle
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2008 Bronze
Medalist, AAU Grand Nationals, Greco-Roman
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2008 Bronze
Medalist, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2008 4th Place,
USA Wrestling Salt Lake Slam, Folkstyle
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2007 Runner Up,
Reno World Championships, Folkstyle
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2007 4th Place,
AAU Grand Nationals, Folkstyle
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2007 4th Place,
USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2006 Runner Up,
U.S. Folkstyle Nationals
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2006 6th Place,
Reno World Championships, Folkstyle
UtahWrestling.org 2010 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2009 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2008 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2006 Youth Wrestling Ranking
Kimball is an
Honor Student.
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Matt Findlay
Alta High School, 103 lbs.
3.8 GPA
School Classification: 5A |
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Matt is a
kid with more heart than should rightfully fit in someone
his size. I coached him for a number of years, and
I've seen him wrestle with his head bandaged like he
crawled off a triage table; lips blue from an asthma
attack; beaten, battered and bloody, and he just doesn't
give an inch if it's within his physical capacity to
prevent it. He has the drive that you love to see in
an athlete — particularly if you're sitting in his corner.
He has a rock solid foundation, with an arsenal of moves
that fit his stout body style to a T. He is a skilled technician but,
when push comes to shove, as I said before, he can certainly shove.
In 2010, he really seemed to step up, realizing the
potential that was always there, winning the 4A/5A Junior
High State Championships, making it to the finals at the
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships in Greco-Roman,
finishing third in freestyle and sixth in folkstyle at
that same tournament in Pocatello. At the USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships this past season, he
finished second in both freestyle and Greco-Roman behind
West Jordan's Kyler Machan, but won it in folkstyle,
beating Box Elder's Shand Hardy (his nemesis for many
years) in the finals. He is has been ranked in the
Top 25 in his age division several times, and each well
deserved.
Matt
is absolutely a very promising freshman.
Following is a
summary of Matt's wrestling career so far:
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2010 Runner Up, USA
Wrestling West Regional Championships, Greco-Roman
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2010 Bronze Medalist,
USA Wrestling West Regional Championships, Freestyle
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2010 6th Place, USA
Wrestling West Regional Championships, Folkstyle
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2010 State Champion,
4A/5A State Championships
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2010 State Champion,
USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Folkstyle
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2010 Runner Up, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2010 Runner Up, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman
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2009 Champion, Beehive
Brawl, Folkstyle
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2009 Runner Up, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2009 4th Place, 4A/5A
State Championships
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2008 4th Place, 4A/5A
State Championships
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2007 Silver Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman
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2007 Bronze Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2006 Silver Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2006 Silver Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman
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2005 Silver Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Greco-Roman
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2005 Bronze Medalist, USA
Wrestling-Utah State Championships, Freestyle
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2005
Outstanding Wrestler, Novice Division, Mountain Top Classic, Freestyle
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2005
Outstanding Wrestler, Mountain Top Wrestling Club
UtahWrestling.org 2010 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2007 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2005 Youth Wrestling Ranking
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Dusty Hone
Cedar City High School, 103 lbs.
School Classification: 3A |
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Dusty Hone is is a
good wrestler and a fine young man. I have had the
pleasure and frustration of coaching against him since the
first time he wrestling my son back when they were 8 or 9
years old. It has been a pleasure to
see him grow as an athlete and an individual. And if
you know anything about Utah wrestling, you know his
family. Dusty is technically solid, and never stops
thinking while on the mat. Many a time have I
watched him, thinking that he was going to be taken down,
but he somehow managed to move on his butt and keep just
ahead of his opponent. And he's not even in a
dentist's chair! He is a four-time Junior High State
Champion, and was named Outstanding Wrestler at two of
those four tournaments. He is a four-time National
Champion, and twice placed at the Reno World Championships
(one of those times, making it all the way to the finals).
He
has twice won the Beehive Brawl, last year falling short
in the finals against Idaho stud Michael Cook (and if you
know Michael, you understand). He is has been ranked
in the Top 25 in his age division several times, and each
well deserved. His brains are as much a reason for
his good fortune as his athleticism and technique.
Dusty
is an extremely promising freshman.
Following is a
summary of Dusty's wrestling career so far:
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Four-Time State Champion, 1A/2A/3A Junior High State
Championships (2007–2010)
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Two-Time Outstanding Wrestler, 1A/2A/3A Junior High
State Championships (2008–2009)
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2010 Champion, Jacob's Challenge, Folkstyle
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2010 Champion, State Games of the West, Freestyle
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2010 Champion, State Games of the West, Folkstyle
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2010 Runner Up, State Games of the West, Greco-Roman
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2010 Runner Up, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2010 5th Place, NHSCA Middle School Nationals, Folkstyle
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2009 National Champion, NHSCA Middle School Nationals,
Folkstyle
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2009 Champion, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2008 Champion, USA Wrestling Salt Lake Slam, Folkstyle
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2008 Champion, Beehive Brawl, Folkstyle
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2007 National Champion, U.S. Folkstyle Nationals
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2007 4th Place, Reno World Championships, Folkstyle
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2006 National Champion, Gladiator World Championships,
Folkstyle
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2006 Runner Up, Reno World Championships, Folkstyle
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2006 National Champion, U.S. Folkstyle Nationals
UtahWrestling.org 2009 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2007 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2006 Youth Wrestling Ranking
UtahWrestling.org 2005 Youth Wrestling Ranking
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