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Sky View’s Ryan Hansen gets better of former best friend for state wrestling title

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Logan Pond (Bear River) wrestlesTuiits Kanosh (Snow Canyon). Pond own the match (Dec 5-2) in the 4A State Wrestling at UVU in Orem, Saturday, February 10, 2018.

Orem • Ryan Hansen and Brady Lowry were best friends until Hansen moved away from the St. George area when he was in the sixth grade.

Six years later, they stood toe-to-toe under the spotlight of the Class 4A state wrestling finals.

“He was my practice partner, we wrestled together,” Hansen said. “He throttled me. He just wrecked me.”

It was a different story Saturday. Hansen, now a senior at Sky View, powered his way to an 8-5 decision and a state title at 145 pounds.

Minutes after Hansen’s hand was raised in the air, signaling Lowry’s third defeat of the season, the two embraced in the hallway under the stands.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ryan Hansen (Sky View) defeats Brady Lowry (Canyon View) (Dec 8-5) in the 145 weight class, in the 4A State Wrestling at UVU in Orem, Saturday, February 10, 2018.

“I just walked up and told him if there was one person in the state I’d want to lose to, it would be him,” said Canyon View’s Lowry, the Class 3A champion at 132 pounds last year. “I’ve grown up with him, but I haven’t seen him in six years. He worked hard and he deserved it.

“I used to beat the living crap out of him. He’s grown a lot and he works hard. I’m proud of him.”

It was one of a handful of thrilling finishes after Mountain Crest eliminated any suspense in the team competition.

The Mustangs, led by individual titles by Braydon Mogle (113 pounds) and Tanner Lofthouse (160), ran away from the field with 253 points. Second-place Uintah finished at 202.5, followed by Payson (188), Bear River (153) and Canyon View (124).

“Our finals weren’t what we hoped for, but as a team, we did what we came down here to do,” Mountain Crest coach Davie Swensen said.

It’s the Mustangs’ sixth state title, and fifth under Swensen. Mountain Crest had seven wrestlers advance to the championship round. Heavyweight Eli Wells fell short of his goal in the final match of the night when the senior dropped a 4-3 decision to Cedar City’s David Jordan.

Other narrow matches included Uintah’s Randon Deets holding off Hurricane’s Josh Armstrong 3-2 to win at 126, and Orem’s Cooper Legas, who quarterbacked the Tigers football team to a state title in November, outlasting Desert Hills’ Byron Anderson 7-5 to win at 195.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ryan Hansen (Sky View) defeats Brady Lowry (Canyon View) (Dec 8-5) in the 145 weight class, in the 4A State Wrestling at UVU in Orem, Saturday, February 10, 2018.

But few were happier than Hansen and his coaches and family after upsetting Lowry. Hansen’s strength was evident throughout the match. He repeatedly lifted Lowry, and the impact of the blows took their toll in the final period.

“I’m a little bit bigger than most [1]45s,” Hansen said. “I have a little bit more strength. It was exciting. It’s fun being pushed.”

CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONS <br>Team scores • 1. Mountain Crest 253; 2. Uintah 202.5; 3. Payson 188; 4. Bear River 153; 5. Canyon View 124; 6. Hurricane 111.5; 7. Salem Hills 84.5l 8. Spanish Fork 73.5; 9. Desert Hills 70; 10. Orem 64. <br>106 • Cole Jensen, Payson, major dec. Austin Bush, Bonneville, 18-6 <br>113 • Braydon Mogle, Mountain Crest, dec. Scott Robertson, Bear River, 7-5 <br>120 • Gavin Ayotte, Uintah, major dec. Wyatt Hone, Payson, 24-10 <br>126 • Randon Deets, Uintah, dec. Joshua Armstrong, Hurricane, 3-2 <br>132 • Caleb Armstrong, Hurricane, p. Logan Mano, Mountain Crest, in 5:20 <br>138 • Anthony Herrera, Stansbury, dec. Jace Dart, Mountain Crest, 9-7 <br>145 • Ryan Hansen, Sky View, dec. Brady Lowry, Canyon View, 8-5 <br>152 • Kaygen Canfield, Bear River, dec. Brayden Guthrie, Mountain Crest, 1-0 <br>160 • Tanner Lofthouse, Mountain Crest, major dec. Isaac Semadeni, Logan, 9-1 <br>170 • Justin Martin, Salem Hills, p. Tanner Moon, Uintah, in 1:24 <br>182 • Wyatt Monroe, Payson, p. Jace Gunnell, Mountain Crest, in 2:58 <br>195 • Cooper Legas, Orem, dec. Byron Anderson, Desert Hills, 7-5 <br>220 • Logan Pond, Bear River, dec. Tuiits Kanosh, Snow Canyon, 5-2 <br>285 • Daniel Jordan, Cedar City, dec. Eli Wells, Mountain Crest, 4-2