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Layton Invitational Tournament Preview

By BWG, 12/05/19, 12:00PM MST

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TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW:

The Layton Invitational Tournament, L.I.T. is one of the best tournaments of the year, and it happens the first weekend of December.  Many of the best teams in Utah attend this tournament and as the years go on, it just gets tougher and tougher last year they added Payson and Farmington to the mix, this year Mt. Ridge joins the fray.  Of the 30 teams in attendance, 10 are top 25. 

 

The LIT is a traditional 32 man bracketed tournament placing 8. 

 

WHO WILL BE THERE:

Alta, Bingham, Bonneville, Box Elder, Corner Canyon, Desert Hills, Farmington, Fremont, Green Canyon, Herriman, Highland, Hunter, Jordan, Juan Diego, Layton, Lehi, Morgan, Mt. Ridge, Olympus, Payson, Pine View, Roy, Sky View, Skyline, South Summit, Taylorsville, Uintah, Union, Viewmont, Wasatch

KEY TEAM PROJECTIONS:

Payson vs. Wasatch, who will emerge to the favorite in 5A?  This is the first test of the year for both.  Can either establish itself as the front runners?

#7 Uintah looks to prove it is better than projected. 

Box Elder's depth will be put to the test.  How many can they put on the podium? Enough to compete with the top teams? 

Can a Mountain Crest team without key players live up to expectations?

How good is Fremont? It has been a long time since they beat Layton can they do it at Layton’s tournament.

RANKED OR HM WRESTLERS:

106: Kyson Garcia, Gavin Gappmeyer, Ryker Brann,

113: Quade Smith, Bridger Ricks, Blake Woolsey, Will Korth, Raiden Harrison, Ethan Boulton

120: Cole Jensen, Marco Herrera, Waylen Pentz, Austin Kelly, Tristan Ocana, Heath Clyde, Cam Ford, Wyatt Romriell, Waylen Pentz, Cooper Sanders, Cole Huber

126: Brady Merkley, Aiden Harris, Jaxon Bearden, Corbin Platt, Layne Shepherd, Taigon Bushell, Jarrett Jorgenson, Terrell Lee, Gage Ogden

132: Wyatt Hone, Gage Odgen, Karson Rees, Isaac Richards, Mason Morris, Kolby Pead, Dillon Dick

138: Tyson Humpherys, River Wardle, Mason Denton, Riley Helt, Deegan Palmer, Sam May, Gunnar Harrison, Gabe Sanders

145:  Ryker Boyce, August Harrison, Sammy Heywood, Moses Espinoza-Owens

152: Stockton O’Brien, Jaxon Wardle, Rylan Stevens, Isaac Fisher, Marcus Espinoza-Owens

160: Jeremy Evans, Jaden Stange, Cole Sederholm, Kam Moss, Peyton Clark, Bo Bushell

170: Tucker Naccarato, Mark Rausch, Canyon Brann, Brock Guthrie

182: Lucas Cochran, Mason Christiansen, Talmage Carman, Paul Clark, Braxton Monroe, Brock Lloyd, Dylan Swift, Brayden Guthrie

195: Jake Anderson, Jacob Walker, Louis William, Chase Redd

220:  Hunter Larsen, Kolten Kammeyer, Isaac Ngatuvai, Noah Linford

285: Kade Carlson, Cameron Brundage, Weston Warr, Joseph Watson, Traycee Norman, Kellen Collier, Skyler Hall

 

KEY MATCH UPS:

Last year, at this tournament, Bridger Ricks, Quade Smith and Will Korth were in the same bracket, and all on the same side. Will Korth beat Ricks in the 1/4s Smith beat Korth in the semis and went on to win.  Korth beat Ricks again for 3rd.  Ricks then turned around and beat Smith later in the year.  Here’s to hoping they are separated and away from each other this year. 

 

Jensen vs Herrera at 120 will battle for the top spot in the PowerPoll

 

Jorgensen vs Merkley will be one of the most exciting matches of the night.  How does Merkley handle 126?  Jorgensen will be ready. 

 

Mason Denton vs Riley Helt is one that the internet commented on.  

 

River vs Humpherys: Enough said.

 

Boyce - Heywood will be a lot of fun.  Two dramatically differing body types in a fun showdown.

 

Naccarato vs Rausch These guys are 1-2 in the 5A rankings, Will Naccarat0s scramble ability or Rauschs positioning prevail. 

 

Cochran v Christiansen (check out The Match Primer on this one)

ANALYSIS AND PREDICTIONS:

TEAMS: Payson’s depth wins the day. 

106: Kysion.  Look for the freshman to put in a dominant performance.

113: Smith wins again!  Had an amazing off season and seems poised to do big things.

120: Jensen won 9-4 last year, his physicality and technical prowees will be too much for a slick Herrera again this year.

126: Jorgensen will prove to be too much for the field in this one. 

132: *** Hone and Dick make this and interesting one.  Dillon Dick will be very large for this weight, This one might be decided by seeding and the wrestler with the easiest quarter and gets to the Semis and finals freshest, this early might prevail

138: River or Tyson, Humpherys or Wardle. Traditional wisdom says Tyson wins this, River wins at whatever weight he is at.  I’ll take River here.   

145: Sammy has been quietly winning in the relative shadows of the Wasatch lineup for years.  Look for him to break out and shine. 

152: Stockton leaves a mark on 152.

160: Evans will go to the work on the mat like it’s his job and will win.  It won’t be fancy, it won’t be pretty, but it’ll get done. 

170: I give Tucker Naccarato the edge, but a big strong Brann could cause problems.

182: With Christiansen injured, or at very least not 100% look for Cochran to win here.  If Mason has a banged up shoulder, dealing with Cochran’s hips while in on shots will be a monumental task.  Defending an Arm Bar with an injured shoulder is another thing all together. 

195: Anderson, Walker, Williams, and Redd are all contenders in the 5A at this point.  Your guess is as good as mine who separates themselves from the field, If pressed, I say the Phoenix rises.

220: Kolton Kammeyer beats Hunter Larsen for the title. 

285: Kade wins, but the various types of heavyweights in the field should give us a guess as to how he’ll handle the weight class.