Vernal » Whoever said you can't go home again must not have heard of Phillip Keddy. The senior grappler for the No. 1-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes put on a show at his former high school, Uintah, on Saturday night.
In front of a packed house, Keddy helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 38-0 team win over Utah Valley University. The 184-pounder defeated Casen Eldredge 9-3 in his individual match, displaying a wide array of grappling skills to take the victory.
When Keddy was announced it was akin to the sound of a rock concert inside the Uintah High gym. Keddy struck first with a two-point takedown. From there on, Keddy was in control, tenaciously riding Eldredge on top and using his tree trunk-like legs to control his opponent and dictate the action.
"It was a great honor to wrestle in a place where I have so many memories," Said Keddy, "I'm really thankful to my coach for setting this up and making it happen for me tonight in front of so many friends and family."
His coach, 1996 Olympic gold medalist Tom Brands, put the meet together over the summer, asking Keddy for a contact and then making it happen with Uintah High wrestling coach Gregg Stensgard.
"First time in Vernal, and we had a blast," said Brands, after the Hawkeyes' 57th straight win. "Takes a lot of work to put something like this together, and we want to thank the town and Coach Stensgard for everything they did."
Coming into Saturday's meet, Utah Valley was riding high, having secured the biggest win in program history on Friday with a 22-20 upset against No. 8-ranked Boise State.
The Wolverines, though, could do nothing against the Hawkeyes, and Keddy played a role in the domination.
If he was nervous about coming back to the place where it all started, he was not showing it.
"It was great being here, and getting to show my teammates where I'm from," Said Keddy, who had the entire team over for dinner at his parent's house Friday night, "But when it comes down to business and stepping on the mat, I kept my preparation the same so I can go out there and wrestle my game."
The stage is set for another close contest at next week's state 4A wrestling meet. Payson and Box Elder defended their divisional championships Saturday night with Mountain Crest, which lost to Payson by a scant 1.5 points last year, turned in another strong showing in finishing second to Box Elder in the north. See detailed north and south coverage at blogs.sltrib.com/prepsports
Uintah High product Phillip Keddy returns to Vernal as a member of the No. 1-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, who were taking on Utah Valley.
» Keddy secures a 9-3 decision in his 184-pound bout against UVU's Casen Eldredge.
» The Hawkeyes defeat UVU 38-0.
