6A state wrestling: Pleasant Grove rolls to 9th title in 10 years


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OREM — Among the first people Jake Richardson met when his family moved from the Pittsburgh area to Pleasant Grove before this senior year of high school were his future teammates with the Vikings’ wrestling team.

So maybe it was fitting that his final opponent was his own teammate, as well.

Richardson topped teammate Matthew Smith, 20-1 in the 170-pound championship match of the Class 6A state wrestling tournament Thursday, helping the Vikings overwhelm the field with 274.5 points for their ninth state title in the past decade.

“They really welcomed me. My first five minutes of being in Utah, they were at my house. It was pretty sweet,” Richardson said. “But I had to really establish myself on the team and prove to them how good I was. I had expectations, and this is what I was going to be a part of.”

Richardson wasn’t alone during his match or on top of the podium. Pleasant Grove teammate Oakley Ridge won the 145-pound state title after finishing a disappointing third at 138 a year earlier.

“We just said as a team to go out and have fun. Be mean,” Ridge said. “Go have fun, and what I like to think is that win or lose, it’s all about character and the way you treat people.”

In addition to Smith, Jacob Carson (106), Ted Johnson (182) and Cannon Carlson (195) finished second, and the Vikings added six more top-six finishers to add to the dynasty. It all added up to a rout of the field, the Vikings’ 22nd title in program history, and the ninth team title since 2011.

“We talk about wrestling all the time,” Richardson said. “The intensity in the room, with everyone so intense about pushing each other and living up to our past teams. It pushes us every day.”

Pleasant Grove coach Brock Moore won his ninth individual state tournament title, tied for the second-most all-time with former Delta coach Ladd Holman from 1985-1993, Uintah’s Dennis Preece from 1968-1977, and Wasatch’s Steve Sanderson (1984-2008, 2018).

Current Wasatch coach Wade Ditscher also won his ninth tournament title with the Wasps in the 5A tournament Thursday.

Layton senior Tyson Humphries won his fourth state title, pinning Skyridge’s Mahkyi Smith in 1:08 in the 145-pound final. The Lancers also got first-place finishes from Quade Smith (113) and Aidan Harris (120) to finish second, pulling away from third-place Fremont, 191.5 to 141.

“It’s literally a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life,” Humphries said. “This is definitely the most memorable.

“I probably worked way harder this year. In my freshman and sophomore year, I’d go to practice and that was it. I don’t know how I was that good. But this year, I’ve worked harder than I ever have in my life.”

Corner Canyon (126) and Westlake (122) rounded out the top five.

CLASS 6A

Most Outstanding Wrestlers: Tyson Humpherys, Layton; Mason Christiansen, Bingham.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Eure, Corner Canyon.

Top 15

Pleasant Grove 274.5, Layton 191.5, Fremont 141, Corner Canyon 126, Syracuse 123, Westlake 122, Skyridge 117, Bingham 97.5, Weber 82, Copper Hills 79.5, Northridge 63, Herriman 58, American Fork 55, Davis 45, Riverton 43.

Championship finals

106 — Dallan Hunsaker, American Fork d. Jacob Carson, Pleasant Grove, 7-3.

113 — Quade Smith, Layton d. Cal Christiansen, Fremont, 12-0.

120 — Aidan Harris, Layton d. Hunter Swalberg, Northridge, 12-3.

126 — Jacob Finlinson, Westlake d. Drew Lang, West, 6-4 (SV).

132 — Mason Denton, Fremont d. Joshua Millward, Skyridge, 3-2

138 — Tyson Humpherys, Layton p. Hadley Cowan, Skyridge, 3:40.

145 — Oakley Ridge, Pleasant Grove p. Mahkyi Smith, Skyridge, 1:08.

152 — Joshua Rassi, Syracuse d. Jaxon Wardle, Bingham, 3-0.

160 — Kam Moss, Corner Canyon d. Canyon Brann, Layton, 5-2.

170 — Jake Richardson, Pleasant Grove d. Matthew Smith, Pleasant Grove, 20-1.

182 — Mason Christiansen, Bingham d. Ted Johnson, Pleasant Grove, 17-2.

195 — Talmage Carman, Herriman d. Cannon Carlson, Pleasant Grove, 9-7.

220 — Kenton Norman, Herriman d. Anthony Stockwell, Westlake, 6-0.

285 — Kade Carlson, Corner Canyon p. Weston Warr, Fremont, 1:47.

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