On Friday the 8th two of the top states from the Mountain West will square off in the Challenge Duals in Logan, Utah at the Eccles Ice Arena. It is the 7th annual Utah vs. Idaho Challenge Duals which pits some of the top wrestlers from each state.
Boys will begin competition at 5:00 pm while the girl’s at 6:00 pm. Admission for the event is $10. So, come and support the best athletes these two states have to offer. Many of the wrestlers in attendance will continue their wrestling career competing in the next level.
Key matches to watch will be at 138, were both athletes are four-time state champions in their respective states. Terrell Barraclough (Layton, Utah) will be taking his talent to Army West Point, while his opponent Ridge Lovett (Post Falls, Idaho) is ranked # 3 in the country by FloWrestling and a University of Nebraska committee.
Another great matchup to expect will be at 145 between two-time Utah state champion Brady Lowry (Canyon View) and four-time Idaho state champion Ezekial Williamson (Jerome). Both athletes met at the Freakshow tournament with Williamson edging out Lowry 5-2 in the consolation semifinal round.
Team Utah
100: Dallan Hunsaker (Fr, American Fork) – Dallan is a freshman that ended up as the 2019 Class 6A state runner-up after being edged by Quade Smith (Layton HS) 3-1. He finished with a 41-8 record and was a runner-up during the regular season at the Rockwell Rumble.
106: Bridger Ricks (Fr, Box Elder) – Only a freshman for the Bees, Ricks was successful this season in advancing to the Class 5A state tournament and winning the event by defeating Brock Morris (Maple Mountain) in sudden victory, 7-5. During the regular season, Ricks was fourth at the Rockwell Rumble and concluded his initial high school season with a 40-4 record.
113: Marco Herrera (Jr, Bingham) – Herrera finally won an individual state championship after having finished third and sixth at the state tournament. He was the Class 6A state champion and finished with a 38-2 record with his lone defeats being to two-time Colorado state place winner Max Black of Douglas County and two-time Class 4A state-finalist Cole Jensen (Payson).
120: Scott Robertson (So, Bear River) – Only a sophomore, Robertson was successful this season in claiming the Class 4A state title by getting the tech fall victory over Deegan Palmer (Payson) to finish the season with a 53-2 record. During the regular season, he was a champion at the Rockwell Rumble, Evanston Invitational and second at the Richardson Memorial.
126: Sammy Heywood (Jr, Wasatch) – A three-year starter for the Wasps, Heywood won his second state title of his career by pinning Hadley Cowan (Skyridge) in the first period. A three-time state finalist, Heywood has accumulated an overall career record of 100-22. During the regular season, he was a Rockwell Rumble Champion and sixth at Reno TOC.
132: Stockton O’Brien (Jr, Wasatch) – O’Brien won his third state title in Class 5A by earning the 18-3 technical fall victory over Austin Gillette (Farmington) to finish the season with a 47-3 record with all three of his loses being to out-of-state wrestlers. During the regular season, he was a champion at the Rockwell Rumble, third at Reno TOC, and finished in the blood round at the Doc Buchanan tournament.
138: Terrell Barraclough (Sr, Layton) – The Army West Point committee became the first wrestler from Layton High and the 22nd in Utah state history to win four state championships, doing so with a second-round pin against Pleasant Grove’s Talmage Woodhouse in the 138-pound Class 6A championship match.
145: Brady Lowry (Sr, Canyon View) – Lowry won his second state title of his scholastic career by pinning Michael Anker (Cedar City) in the first period. He had a great season that saw win titles at the Miller Ironman, Desert Storm Classic, Iron Town Duals and the Enterprise tournament to finish the regular season with a 52-1 record.
152: Isaac Wilcox (Sr, Olympus) – Wilcox won his third state championship in dominating fashion and was chosen as the upper weights most outstanding wrestler. Many considered him the best wrestler in the state of Utah. During the regular season, he was the champion at the Rockwell Rumble, Reno TOC, and second at the Doc Buchanan tournament (California). Aside from dominating all foes in Utah, Wilcox dominated wrestlers from the country as he was second at the 2018 USAW Junior Folkstyle Nationals.
160: Tyler Scheurn (Jr, North Summit) – This season Scheurn shut the mouth of the doubters that say that wrestlers in the smallest division can wrestle by pinning his way to a state championship and winning the prestigious Rockwell Rumble by dominating foes from the bigger divisions. His career record in three-years is 95-12.
170: Porter Chamberlain (Sr, Wasatch) – Chamberlain finally became a state champion this season after finishing as the runner-up last season at 160-pounds. Due to his outstanding leadership on and off the mats, Chamberlain helped the Wasps win their fourth state team title in five years. During the regular season, he was the Rockwell Rumble Champion and placed fifth at Reno TOC.
182: Lucas Cochran (So, Box Elder) – Cochran became a two-time state place winner after winning the Class 5A state championship by defeating Parker Gasser (Maple Mountain) 4-2 in the finals. Cochran is well known around the country after placing fifth at the 2018 USAW Cadet Folkstyle Nationals.
195: Merrell Morley (Sr, Salem Hills) – After finishing sixth, fifth, and third at the state tournament, Morley finally won his first state title by earning a major decision win over Carson Hansen (Snow Canyon) 13-5 to finish the season with a 53-5 record. During the regular season, he finished seventh at the Reno TOC event.
220: Kade Carlson (Jr, Corner Canyon) – Carlson had a great 2018-19 season that saw him placed at two of the top wrestling tournaments in the country – Walsh Jesuit Ironman (Ohio) and the Doc Buchanan Invitational (California) – but settled for second place at the Class 5A state championship. Carlson was on fired during the tournament as he won his previous three bouts via bonus points with one of his matches ending in just 18 seconds.
285: James Tomasi (Jr, Provo) – It was a sweet moment for Tomasi who avenged his 5A Division A Region loss by edging out top seed Ryan Gunn of Box Elder 3-2 in the Class 5A championship title. Tomasi used a late takedown with less than 40 seconds on the match to take a 3-2 lead and win Provo’s first individual state title since 2006.
Team Idaho
100: Kadem Ramos (So, Thunder Ridge) – An Idaho 5A state champion this year at 98-pounds, Ramos won titles this season at the Tiger Grizz and Rollie Lane Invitational. During last summer he was a Fargo Cadet Greco-Roman National Champion at 88-pounds.
106: Kyle Rice (Fr, New Plymouth) – Comes from a wrestling family as his older brother (Joe) was a state champion in 2017 and (Joe) became the 25th wrestler ever to win four state titles in a row last season. This year, he was a 2A state champion by pinning Ben Wray (Malad) in the second period. He finished the season with a 36-2 record with both of his losses coming at the Rollie Lane Invitational.
113: Sebastian Peterson (Sr, Borah) – After placing third in the state tournament last year, Peterson dominated the 5A classification with three falls and a 6-2 win in the finals over Dom Jessos (Coeur d`Alene). This season, he was second at both the Tiger Grizz and Rollie Lane Invitational with both of his losses coming to out-of-state opponents.
120: Kase Mauger (Twin Falls) – A 2017 Cadet Greco-Roman World Team Member, Mauger was triumphant in claiming his second state title in three years. He finished with a 42-4 record and won individual titles at Tiger Grizz and Rollie Lane Invitational.
126: Sam Edelblute (Sr, Lakeland) – Edelblute ended his scholastic career by winning his third state championship in Class 4A by earning the major decision win over Esai Castaneda (Blackfoot) 15-6. During the regular season, he placed fifth at Tri-Counties, second at Rollie Lane and winning the Sierra Nevada tournament by pinning all foes he faced.
132: Payton Keough (Sr, Coeur d`Alene) – A three-year varsity starter for the Vikings, Keough was a two-time state qualifier and was triumphant this season in claiming a Class 5A state championship by pinning all opponents he faced during the tournament.
138: Ridge Lovett (Sr, Post Falls) – The University of Nebraska recruit is currently ranked No. 3 in the country by FloWrestling. Lovett defeated Ryan Wilson of Centennial 2-1 in the 145-pound weight class to complete an undefeated season (40-0) and become only the eighth wrestler in Idaho history in Class 5A to win four state titles. During the summer, he was second at Fargo Junior Freestyle and a champion in the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament.
145: Ezekial Williamson (Sr, Jerome) – Williamson became a four-time Idaho state champion by defeating Jake Humphrey (Twin Falls) 16-3 and conclude his scholastic career with an overall record of 171-19. He has committed to compete for Division II power St. Cloud State this upcoming fall. During the summer, he was a Fargo Junior Greco-Roman All-American and was a place winner during the regular season at Reno TOC.
152: Riggen Cordingley (Jr, North Fremont) - A three-time Idaho state place winner, Cordingley was triumphant this postseason in claiming his second Class 2A state champion by earning the 10-2 major decision over Tyson Thacker (Ririe) to finish the season with a 62-0 record. In the past two seasons, Cordingley has accumulated a total record of 123-1 with his only loss coming his junior year.
160: Kekana Fouret (Sr, Columbia) – Fouret nearly pinned Spencer Winchester of Bonneville in the final seconds but settled for a 16-1 tech fall to win his third state title. Fouret ends his career with a 166-34 record and only had seven losses in the last two years. He is just the second wrestler in Wildcats’ history to win three consecutive championships.
170: Caleb Twait (Sr, Meridian) – A three-time state qualifier, Twait was successful this season in placing second at the Class 5A state tournament to finish his senior season with a 31-8 record.
182: Sawyer Hobbs (Jr, South Fremont) – Hobbs became a three-time state champion in Class 2A by pinning Greg Gissel (Fruitland) in the second period. In fact, all three-years of state tournament competition, Hobbs has won all matches via bonus points and has accumulated an overall career record of 147-6.
195: Jonathon Fagen (Sr, Fruitland) – The Fruitland senior Jonathon carved his name into the history books by winning his fourth state championship. With the win, Fagen became the 28th wrestler in the state of Idaho to win four state championships. He’s the second Grizzly to do it, as Sammy Eckhart won his fourth title in 2017. Fagen, who has already committed to wrestle in college at Cornell University, didn’t waste any time in the match, pinning Bonners Ferry’s Gabe See in one minute and 44 seconds for the 195-pound championship.
220: Wyatt Kearn (Jr, American Falls) - The American Falls junior won his first state title Saturday, beating Priest River's Aaron Reyes via 15-0 technical fall before the first period ended in the 220-pound 3A state title match. He didn't waste any time when he finally stepped on the mat, beating Reyes for the third time this season. Kearn did much more waiting than wrestling during his two-day state tournament. He pinned his first opponent in 6 seconds, nailed his second in 50, took a whole 4:21 in the semis and finished Reyes in 1:58.
285: Kenneth Copley (Sr, Sugar-Salem) – After having finished second as a junior at the state tournament, Copley was triumphant this season in claiming his first state title by pinning Jake McGinnis (Gooding) with seconds literally in the second round to finish the season with a 60-1 record.