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The sky is pitch black when sophomore Terrell Barraclough arrives at Layton High. The mountains of snow piled onto the ground provide an easy excuse to sleep in, yet the clock reads 6 a.m.
He navigates through the empty hallway before entering a packed wrestling room. As their classmates sleep before an ordinary school day, the Lancers are hard at work. It's the sacrifice the team has made to accomplish their goal of hoisting the Class 5A championship trophy above their heads on the final day of the state tournament Feb. 9.
"These practices aren't just talk the whole time," Barraclough said. "These morning practices before school start are a lot of repetitions and drills and tactics."
These high aspirations are years in the making and fueled by the exhaustion of watching Pleasant Grove, season after season, add another trophy to its resume. The Vikings have made Class 5A boring because of their dominance, which has led to six straight state championships.
"Every year we talk about what we need to do to get to that next level. I think it would be very special to be the team that stops PG's run," Layton coach John Fager said. "Someone is going to at some point. Why not us? PG is such a great team, and they have been for such a long time, but at some time, someone is going to dethrone them. It might as well be us."
The bull's-eye shifted south to north entering this season. Despite Pleasant Grove's six-year reign, wrestling fans instantly recognized the Lancers' potential.
According to WrestleUtah.com, Tyson Humpherys (freshman, 113 pounds), Barraclough (120), Tanner Benedict (senior, 126) and Austin Clem (senior, 182) are considered the top wrestlers in their weight division in the classification, while many other Lancers are ranked in the top six.
As the senior leader, Clem has used those preseason expectations as motivation.
"We're showing by example," Clem said. "We're showing how to work and how to be focused and how to have your mindset [that] you got to go out there and perform. Do your best. That's all we ask."
But Clem and Co. also aren't ignoring the elephant in the room. The Lancers have won three wrestling titles in school history, with the last coming in 2000. They know Pleasant Grove stands in the way.
"We talk about them. They're the team to beat," Clem said. "We're the best team. We're going to be the best team in the state. We're going to beat them."
Clem's passionate conviction proved more than talk Wednesday. In the dual state championships, a format that was introduced into competition last season, the Lancers rolled past Fremont to secure the 5A title. In an earlier round, they knocked off Pleasant Grove, which won the first-ever dual championship.
"[Pleasant Grove is] not going anywhere," Fager said. "They're going to continue to build more tough kids that we're going to have to fight with year in and year out."
However, the victory might have made the ultimate goal of winning the individual tournament state title more difficult. Pleasant Grove is angry.
"I think everyone needs to pay attention to Pleasant Grove because they know how to compete at the state tournament," Fager said. "Until someone actually beats them, they're the state champs."
And that's why Barraclough refused to sleep in. He understands the Vikings are working to win their seventh straight. So the Lancers are willing to fight the weather to end their reign.
"We're putting in the extra work and time to compete with those guys because we know they're really good," Barraclough said. "We respect them, so we're going to work really hard."
State tournament
P Utah Valley University
Class 4A/5A • Feb. 8-9
Class 1A, 2A, 3A • Feb. 10-11