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The Utah Wrestling All-Star Duals is not just another meet — simply being invited is an honor. But that didn't make the competition any less intense Tuesday night at the McKay Events Center at UVU.
It certainly didn't temper an All-Star rematch between 112-pounders Britain Carter of Maple Mountain and Gerrit Bradley of Wasatch, two of the state's best wrestlers. Last year, Carter took the match by two points, but Bradley got the final say in the rivalry with a third period fall in the featured contest of the night.
"It was a close match to the end last time, and it really motivated me to come back to win it," Bradley said. "My brother [Colby Bradley] was a two-time all-star winner. Winning here is an amazing feeling — it's what I've been waiting for."
The All-Star Duals is sacred to Utah high school wrestlers. It is a competition of the absolute best from each classification in each weight class going head-to-head. And to the competitors, the chance to become the best in state is truly something to relish.
"The competition is higher, and the crowd is amazing," said 160-pound 5A champ Jantz Arbon of Weber, who handily won his match against Springville's Dustin Jenkins. "It feels good to have your hard work pay off here."
The Duals also promoted a healthy rivalry between the classifications. Although the 5A squad garnered the most points as a team, individuals who upset higher classifications — such as Enterprise's Ross Taylor — took pride in representing the smaller schools.
"I was happy to be able to represent my team: It's a privilege," Taylor said following his win over Delta's Michael Schena. "It's really fun to come up here and kick butt against bigger schools."
The night featured slugfests with lots of lead changes, such as Box Elder's Nick Sorenson pulling out a gritty win over Delta's Christian Hatch in a 17-10 decision. There were blowouts, such as Taylor Skinner of Bear River cleaning up against South Summit's Connor Crandall in a 15-0 win.
Then there was the occasional down-to-the wire match, such as Pleasant Grove's Dustin Dennison pinning Hurricane's Brian Scott with one second left.
"He beat me at Millard in overtime last time, and I didn't want that haunting me since we might never wrestle again," the 215-pound senior said. "Off the mat, Brian and I are friends though, we get along. That's the nice thing about being here: No big egos."
Some were wrestling for more than pride, however. Four Wasatch wrestlers came to the Duals less than a week after a teammate, Dale Lawrence, was seriously injured during practice. Heavyweight Tyson Kohler said thinking about Lawrence, who is still recovering, helped motivate him to get his 5-2 win over Jordan Shaw of Mountain Crest. —
Highlights
R The 5A team wins overall, featuring strong performances by West Jordan's Kyler Machan, Weber's Jantz Arbon and a last-second win by Pleasant Grove's Dustin Dennison, among others.
• Wasatch wins three of its four matches to lead 3A in second place, highlighted by Gerrit Bradley's rematch win. —
More photos
O For more All-Star Duals photos, visit
Tuesday's results
103: Gerrit Bradley, Wasatch, pinned Britain Carter, Maple Mtn., 5:10.
112: Brenden Turner, Millard, dec. Josh Boman, Syracuse, 6-1.
119: Mitch Brown, Payson, dec. Bryce Jackman, Carbon, 7-4.
130: Cody Hone, Cedar, dec. Grant LaMont, Maple Mtn., 7-4.
135: Jace Abbott, Delta, dec. Mark Michels, Alta, 8-5.
140: Colton Thorton, S. Summit, pinned Zach Loveless, Payson, 1:06.
145: Larson Cottam, Cedar, pinned Zach Hatch, Altamont, 0:53.
152: Koleton Hardy, Box Elder, pinned Zach Prince, Hurricane, 1:36.
160: Jacob Falk, West Jordan, dec. Brayden Anderson, Sky View, 2-1.
171: Brady Loveless, Payson, dec. Jalen Weaver, D. Hills, 6-5.
189: Derek Thomas, Layton, maj. dec. Creed Richardson, Provo, 9-1.
215: Dustin Dennison, Pl. Grove, pinned Brian Scott, Hurricane, 5:57.
285: Kesni Tausinga, Bingham, dec. Colten Argyle, S. Sevier, 8-3.
140: Jeff McCormick, S. Summit, dec. Tanner Sweat, Wasatch, 7-1.
145: Courtney Orghill, N. Summit, pinned DJ Argyle, Timpanogos, 5:47.
152: Taylor Merkley, Uintah, maj. dec. Dixon Richins, N. Summit, 10-2.
160: Jantz Arbon, Weber, tech. fall Dustin Jenkins, Springville, 2:45 19-4.
171: Taylor Skinner, Bear River, tech. fall Connor Crandall, S. Summit, 3:47 16-0.
189: Jake McCormick, S. Summit, dec. Zach Coffman, Tooele, 4-2.
285: Tyson Kohler, Wasatch, dec. Jordan Shaw, Mtn. Crest, 5-3.
119: Korbin Levin, Pl. Grove, maj. dec. Akekasith Kasavadhana, Grand, 11-3.
125: Jed Mellen, Payson, tech. fall Abraham Hernandez, Kearns, 4:00 17-0.
130: Brett Naylor, Davis, dec. Deric Searle, UAWF, 5-3.
135: Morgan Sweat, NM, maj. dec. Josh Rasmussen, UAWF, 11-2.
103: Brandon George, SM, dec. Tayten Babb, Millard, 16-13.
112: Kyler Machan, W. Jordan, pinned Jory Owens, Panguitch, 1:33.
119: Ronnie Wardleigh, Fremont, pinned Austin Rowley, Maple Mtn., 4:22.
135: Jesse Carlisle, Maple Mtn., dec. Coltan Mussleman, Monticello, 6-5.
140: Cody Bunderson, Box Elder, dec. Cory Hancock, Lone Peak, 3-1.
145: Nick Sorenson, Box Elder, dec. Christian Hatch, Delta, 17-10.
152: Chase Wilcox, Layton, pinned Kurtis Hill, N. Sevier, 2:46.
160: Brandon McBride, Olympus, maj. dec. Jaxon Singleton, Delta, 17-5.
171: Kyle Foy, Altamont, pinned Crue Kopecky, Layton, 3:14.
189: Ross Taylor, Enterprise, dec. Michael Schena, Delta, 12-8.
215: Tanner Theobald, Dixie, pinned Zaquri Brinkerhoff, Altamont, 3:02.