State wrestling

With the 4A and 5A wrestling getting underway yesterday, I posed the question to a couple of defending champions on whether it is easier to be an underdog or a favorite with a target on their back. The responses varied, but in the end, most said they liked having people coming after them rather than trying to upend someone else.
‘There is a little more pressure,’ said Weber’s Lew Woolsey. ‘You can’t really sneak up on anyone, and they always want to knock you off. You know, they want to be able to say they beat the best. On the other hand, you may have an advantage if you get it in their heads.’
‘I like having people coming after me,’ said Mountain Crest’s Jarrett Morrill. ‘I think it makes you always be ready to take their best shot and you know how hard you have to wrestle.’
Morrill is in the unique situation this season as being in the only weight class in the bigger classifications with two defending champs as Roy’s Wyatt Ray is also a defending champ. One will have their season end in disappointment.
The 4A classification has nine defending champs (Dixie’s Nate Carter and Snow Canyon’s Marty Rubalcaba won their titles in 3A last year before making the jump up in classifications) while 5A has only four, but 5A also has a couple of other notable wrestlers that everyone is gunning for.
Viewmont’s Nate Larsen is not the defending state champion, but he won a title as a sophomore. He was upset in last year’s tournament. Even without the distinction of actually being a defending champ, he has clearly established he is the one to beat at 112 pounds this year. He is undefeated at 40-0 on the season.
‘I want to go out on top,’ he said. ‘I remember what it was like to lose last year, and I know I don’t want that feeling again.
Alta’s Carson Kuhn also didn’t win a title last year as a freshman’ he wrestled at 103 even though he didn’t even break 90 pounds until just before the Region 2 tournament’ but he has been unbelievable in his sophomore year in going undefeated at 45-0, with over 30 of the wins coming by pin.
‘I really try not to get ahead of myself,’ Kuhn said. ‘I just want to go out and wrestle my best every time I step out on the mat. I need to win a title to make my year complete.’
All of the 15 wrestlers with a favorite status advanced to today’s semifinals. The action continues today with 2A and 3A having their first day and 4A and 5A having the semifinal round at 7 tonight.

Defending champs and other notables:

5A
Kade Moss- 119, 31-6, Bingham, sophomore
Paul Johnson- 130, 37-3, Lone Peak, senior
Lew Woolsey- 152, 35-1, Weber, senior
Adam Fager, 189, 36-0, Layton, senior
Carson Kuhn- 103, 45-0, Alta, sophomore
Nate Larsen- 112, 40-0, Viewmont, senior

4A
Raider Lofthouse- 112, 37-7, Mtn. Crest, sophomore
Marty Rubalcaba- 119, 32-2, Snow Canyon, senior
Wyatt Ray, 125, 29-3, Roy, senior
Jarrett Morrill, 125, 37-2, Mtn. Crest, senior
Hayden Peterson, 135, 32-6, Springville, junior
Jason Chamberlain, 140, 36-0, Springville, junior
Matt Brown, 145, 29-1, Cyprus, senior
Ethen Lofthouse 160, 42-2, Mtn. Crest, junior
Nate Carter, 189, 32-4, Dixie, senior