All-star wrestling

Besides the state tournament, there is not a bigger event for Utah wrestlers than the annual All-Star Classic. The 2008 edition will be the seventh annual and held Tuesday, Jan. 15th at 7 p.m. at the McKay Event Center on the campus of UVSC.
The idea isn’t new. In fact, there have been several attempts to pull off such an event through the years. But it really caught on at the beginning of the decade when the event had two top wrestlers that really didn’t like each other. When people heard that the two were to do battle during an all-star event at Jordan High School, they turned out in throngs. So many people showed up for that all-star, that people had to be turned away at the door. Finding that there certainly was an interested wrestling community of fans necessitated a move to the much larger venue in Orem, and it has been an enormous success ever since.
The event not only showcases the best wrestling talent from a state renowned for producing some of the countries top wrestlers, but is used to promote the sport and raise money for the state’s only local collegiate wrestling program at UVSC. In other words, the fans in attendance not only get to watch some incredible action, but they can feel good knowing the cost of their ticket goes to helping the sport they love.
For the second year, the format features three mats of action going on simultaneously. There are four teams with 5A, 4A and 3A all getting their own teams of 14 wrestlers and 1A and 2A sharing a squad. Watch for the complete listing as well as photos and bios of all the participants in Sunday’s Deseret Morning News two-page spread hyping, informing and promoting the event.
A couple of the matches that jumped out when the match-ups were announced included the 130-pound battle between Mason Stott of Millard and Hayden Peterson of Springville. Both are returning state champions and are off to fantastic starts on the season. The 160-pound match between Ethan Smith of Wasatch and Ethen Lofthouse of Mountain Crest is another battle of defending title winners.
While those were two that jumped out for the Deseret Morning News, there are sure to be many others that wrestling fans feel will be the most appealing. Which of the matches is a must-see for you?
Of course every match will be special for the participants, even if some may be mismatches for the spectators. But expect the event to be well attended, full of excitement and energy, and an overall great display and showcase for a sport that has one of the most loyal fan bases of any.
A couple of other wrestling notes of interest are the tournaments taking place this weekend. Perhaps the biggest is the Richardson Memorial at Box Elder with several of the top 5A and 4A teams competing. Others include the Iron Town Duals at Cedar, the Gunnison Invitational and the Tournament of Champions at Uintah.