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Orem • After dramatically capturing the 285-pound division individual title in double overtime, Bear River's Josh Madsen likened Saturday evening to an anniversary.
Happy 50 years, Bears. For the first time since 1966, when there were only two classifications, Bear River won a state wrestling tournament after accumulating a team score of 231.5, comfortably outpacing second-place Juab, which finished with 198 points, in Class 3A.
"It means everything to us," said Bear River coach Jeff Smart. "I've been for 20 years with some of these guys, and we've always come up a little bit short. Tonight was our night."
Holden Richards (126), Cooper Skinner (138), Kaygen Canfield (145) and Madsen all claimed individual gold medals for the Bears. Richards escaped a late push by Morgan's Carlitos Nava, winning 5-4 to repeat as a two-time state champion for Bear River.
Fittingly, the last match of the season boiled down to double overtime between Madsen and Desert Hills' Bundy Sewell. Exhausted, Madsen discovered enough late energy and pinned Sewell at the 7:01 mark in the match.
"It's crazy unbelievable. I never thought I'd get this far. I feel like my conditioning made it a big factor. I outworked him and he got gassed," Madsen said. He added about winning the team title: "It's amazing. It's been 50 years. It's a good anniversary. It feels good."
For the first time in seven years, Delta did not claim the Class 2A state title after South Summit exploded for 247 points to outdo the Rabbits' 226.5 total.
South Summit's Matt Lee at 126 pounds pinned his first opponent in 44 seconds; second in 2:38; third in 1:00 and his fourth, Millard's Adrian Villa, in 1:30 in the finals to join the exclusive club of being a four-time individual champion.
The closest team race of the three classifications was in Class 1A between Duchesne and Altamont. The Longhorns erased an enormous first-day deficit and challenged for the title deep into the final classes, but ultimately the Eagles earned their second straight title with a team score of 199. Altamont finished with 195.5.
David VanTassell at 113 pounds captured his third individual medal with an 11-9 decision against Milford's Stetson Wright. VanTassell built an early 11-4 advantage, but said he "got tired," which led to him nervously anticipating the expiration of the clock with his face implanted into the mat in the third round.
"It's nice to see all the hard work pay off," said VanTassell. "It's fun to see the team's work pay off. This last week, we've been pushing pretty hard."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Bear River captures first state championship since 1966 in Class 3A.
• South Summit ends Delta's streak of seven consecutive titles in the 2A classification.
• Duchesne wins for the second straight year in Class 1A.