(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Kiersten Bush, of Bonneville, top, scores points for a near fall on Sage Mortimer, of ALA, during the All-Star Duals wrestling at Utah Valley University's UCCU Center in Orem Tuesday January 9, 2018.
Orem • Box Elder’s Brock Hardy would have preferred wrestling early during the All-Star Duals meet Tuesday night at Utah Valley University.
But the price for prominence is the highlighted last match of the evening to culminate a flurry of matches involving state champions at every turn.
How highly regarded is Hardy, a three-time state champion and once-crowned national champion?
He’s mentioned in the same sentence as current Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who turned heads when he competed at Wasatch High then Iowa State.
“He’s pretty good,” Box Elder coach Mike Ripplinger said in very understated terms. “Yeah, he’s pretty good. He’s got national championships, placed five or six times cadet junior on the freestyle scene. But now I think he’s currently ranked No. 3 in the country in FloWrestling.”
When Hardy goes for a fourth state championship next month, he won’t necessarily be able to face the best in the state in his weight class because he’ll only face Class 5A’s best.
But the All-Star Duals afforded him a chance to face another undefeated grappler, and Hardy was more than up for the challenge.
At 145 pounds, Hardy went against Canyon View’s Brady Lowry and registered a pin with 29 seconds left in the second period. The outcome at that point was not doubt as the Hardy raced to a 10-3 lead after one period and was leading 14-3 at the time of the fall.
(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brock Hardy, of Box Elder, drives Brad Lowery, of Canyon View, to the mat during the All-Star Duals wrestling at Utah Valley University's UCCU Center in Orem Tuesday January 9, 2018.
“A lot of times, people focus too much on what the other kid is doing,” Hardy said. “The preparation should be on yourself.
“It’s just fun. Any wrestling meet to me is just kind of having fun. It’s good to come to the All-Star Duals. It’s my fourth year here — and get a win.”
A total of 42 high school matches were staged at the UCCU Center, and many of the competitors enjoyed multiple state championships.
Small-school entrants like Zac Musselman from Monticello relished the chance to show off his skills against foes from bigger schools.
Musselman edged Brighton’s Brayden Stevens 5-3 as the Buckaroos’ wrestler staved off an overtime session when Stevens nearly was awarded two points at the end of the regulation periods.
“Brayden is a tough kid and beat me earlier in the season, actually before the season started,” Musselman said. “So I knew I was going to be in a tough one.”
Monticello is a Class 1A school, while Brighton is in Class 5A.
“The only time I really get to see the big school kids is when I come to the Rumble here in a couple of weeks. That one’s a tough one. That’s where all the tough kids go,” said Musselman, a senior who has won state championships the last three years. “I like to prove that 1A kids can still compete with the rest of the state.”
ALL-STAR DUALS RESULTS <br>106 <br>Zack Bingham, Bear River p. River Wardle, Herriman, in 1:22 <br>Parker Frasure, Viewmont, def. Denim Torgerson, Richfield, 4-0 <br>Carson Whitney, Grand p. McCoy Norman, Beaver, in 1:47 <br>113 <br>Braydon Mogle, Mountain Crest, def. Mason Denton, Fremont, 6-4 <br>Dylian Moore, Stansbury, p. Thomas Gordy, Woods Cross, in 5:33 <br>Conner Ingram, Juab, p. Brian Evans, Beaver, in 3:25 <br>120 <br>Gavin Ayotte, Uintah, p. Ryker Boyce, Desert Hills, in 3:59 <br>Garrett Ricks, Box Elder, def. Jarett Jorgensen, Morgan, 12-4 <br>Van Bray, Millard, p. Tayton Bennett, Fremont, in 3:29 <br>126 <br>Terrell Barraclough, Layton, def. Sammy Heywood, Wasatch, 7-2 <br>Quenton Mortimer, ALA, def. Brayden Clark, Fremont, 20-4 <br>Cub Deets, Uintah, def. Cody Stubbs, Kanab, 11-3 <br>132 <br>Stockton O’Brien, Wasatch, p. Tyson Humpherys, Layton, in 5:40 <br>Cole Zorn, Pleasant Grove, def. Gage Mason, North Sevier, 6-2 <br>Gabe Terry, Mountain View, p. Gentry Warner, Juab, in 1:57 <br>138 <br>Zak Kohler, Wasatch def. Anthony Herrera, Stansbury, 11-2 <br>Shion Abe, Viewmont, def. Shawn Sorensen, North Sevier, def. 8-1 <br>Mitch Parker, Syracuse, def. Cannon Fuellenback, South Sevier, def. 13-5 <br>145 <br>Brock Hardy, Box Elder, p. Brady Lowry, CanyonView, in 3:31 <br>Zac Musselman, Monticello, def. Brayden Stevens, Brighton, 5-3 <br>Josh Bartholomew, American Fork, def. Jate Frost, Union, 8-6 <br>152 <br>Brayson Wilcox, Monticello, def. Tyler Scheurn, North Summit, forfeit <br>Riley Noble, Olympus, def. Antonio Nava, Morgan, 7-5 <br>Kaygen Canfield, Bear River def. Harrison Sperry, Pleasant Grove, 8-2 <br>160 <br>Tanner Lofthouse, Mountain Crest, p. Brad Findlay, Corner Canyon, in 5:30 <br>Joey Aargard, Juab, p. Caleb Schulte, Taylorsville, in 4:14 <br>170 <br>Stockton Moat, Duchesne, def. Taten Ringel, North Summit, 6-5 <br>Tanner Shields, Delta, def. Jace Anderson, North Summit, 9-7 <br>Collin Smith, Viewmont, def. Tanner Moon, Uintah, 8-4 <br>182 <br>Brandyn Vantassell, Maple Mountain, p. Byron Anderson, Desert Hills, in 2:27 <br>Wyatt Monroe, Payson, p. Bowen Shields, Delta, in 5:51 <br>Mason Christiansen, Bingham, def. Kaleb Kelly, Millard, 7-1 <br>195 <br>Tyler Haley, Canyon View, def. Taylor Money, Viewmont, 14-5 <br>D.J. Cohen, Wasatch, p. Jaden Burton, Syracuse, in 5:23 <br>Tyce Raddon, Beaver, def. Talon Magelson, Juab, 15-4 <br>220 <br>Chase Trussell, Morgan, def. Maika Tauteoli, Pleasant Grove, 9-4 <br>Calun Whitaker, Millard def. Kade Carlson, Corner Canyon, 10-1 <br>Tucker Bartels, Syracuse def. Nathan Ellis, Cedar, 3-2 <br>285 <br>Brady Briskey, Weber, p. Daniel Jordan, Cedar, in 2:23 <br>Bradden Davis, Delta, def. Andrew Bargeron, Viewmont, 4-2 <br>Keegan Wilkinson, Pleasant Grove def. Eddie Rodriguez, North Summit, 5-1