End of Year Spotlight 

We made it, Utah Wrestling Nerds! The 2020-2021 high school season is in the books. This version of “Weekend Warriors” is a written, end of season awards show of sorts. The goal is to recognize and congratulate some great wrestlers on their accomplishments. This is in no way all encompassing and just for fun. I realize we could write two or more of these articles if time permitted. 

Postseason Turnaround Award 

Tyler Vivanco

This is an award for a wrestler who finished stronger than they started. Tyler Vivanco took losses to Jackson Ricks and Gatlen Farnsworth during the regular season and didn’t see many other matches with wrestlers ranked in the PowerPoll DD. At 6A state, he was in the same bracket as Jacob Carson who had a breakout season with a win over Kyison Garcia in the All-Star Dual. 

Post-Match Breakdown

He met Carson in the finals and delivered a great performance as a sizable underdog. Carson scored the first takedown, and Vivanco answered back with a reversal to tie the score at two with plenty of time still to wrestle. In the second period, Vivanco went to work on top. He scored two nearfall points with a turk and rode Carson for the whole period and had his choice in the third with a 4-2 lead. He opted to take bottom to start the final period. Carson never went away and scored three nearfall of his own to pull ahead 5-4 early in the period. Vivanco did a good job of getting off his back and staying calm. He got to his base and worked his way up to his feet and turned into Carson and scored a reversal to steal the lead back. He was able to ride out the rest of the match and win himself a state title over a high caliber opponent. 

Single Match Performance of the Post-Season 

Joshua Armstrong Over Dillon Dick 

First of all, I have a massive amount of respect for these wrestlers staying in the same weight class and putting it on the line. Joshua Armstrong put on a masterful performance in this match. I haven’t spoken to him or his staff so I’m unsure whether or not this was a premeditated gameplan or spectacular mid match adjustments. Either way, Armstrong did a great job against a tough opponent. 

Post-Match Breakdown 

I said prior to their meeting that I was curious if one of them could get their patented snapdown and front-headlock offense going for them. Dick was looking to get to it early and often but Armstrong was prepared for these attempts and clamped down on the elbow that was snapping him and then he hustled to an angle that prevented Dick from getting to the single leg on short drag attempts. Dick controlled the pace of the first period, but as the match progressed, Armstrong started to dictate the pace of match. Armstrong escaped in under five seconds to start the second and started to fire off shot attempts throughout the second period. Dick scored an escape of his own in under five seconds to start the third and the match was knotted at a point apiece. It was in this period where Armstrong’s level changes started to set things up. Dick is a smothering pressure wrestler and Armstrong was anticipating the pressure and doing fantastic level changes that interrupted Dick’s advances and threw off his timing that made him brace for a shot. As Armstrong was level changing and tapping the head, Dick’s feet became less active and he started reaching for Armstrong’s hands. Armstrong recognized this and started shooting straight doubles. He almost scored with one on the edge but one of his feet slid out. With about 25 seconds remaining in the match, he fired off one last double leg that he was able to score with and clinch the victory. Whether it was the plan to weather the early storm and pick up the pace, or an adjustment on the fly, Armstrong deserves some praise. He went undefeated on the season and picked up a win over a fantastic competitor. Dillon Dick is also still one of Utah’s best and only a junior so he’ll be back next season. 

Up and down, in and out

Non-State Champ(s) of the Season 

River Wardle, Jacob Finlinson, and Brian Evans 

 

This category was impossible for me to narrow down to one wrestler. This season, all three wrestlers in pursuit of their fourth state title fell short. However, they should all be proud of their high school careers. It’s easy for people to speculate and criticize them, but the truth of the matter is that those critics were probably never in position to potentially win four state titles and don’t understand the pressure these boys likely felt throughout the season and how many hours they’ve dedicated to the sport. Not many wrestlers can say they accomplished what this trio did during their high school careers. Three state titles each, All-American honors, high Rockwell Rumble placings, numerous All-Star Dual appearances, and literally hundreds of wins. These wrestlers should hold their heads high and realize they had a lot more good days than bad ones during their high school careers. I wish all of them the best in whatever is next for them. 

 

State Tournament Run of the Year 

Karson Rees 

I wrote an article in the fall about some of Utah’s best wrestlers who hadn’t won a state title. I did not feature Karson Rees in that article and with hindsight being 20/20, I probably should have. Rees was ranked fourth in 5A going into the state tournament. He had losses to Ryan Bullough and Ryder Robinson during the season and lost to Deegan Palmer at state in 2020. It was one of the deepest weights in 5A and Karson Rees went on a great run. He avenged his Richardson Memorial loss to Bullough with a win in the semifinals and met Deegan Palmer in the finals. Against Palmer, he had to rally a couple of times. He gave up the first takedown of the match and had to battle back. The two swapped leads multiple times until the final whistle. With roughly 10 seconds remaining, Palmer scored a reversal to go up by one and Rees answered with a reversal of his own in the last five seconds to pull ahead and clinch the win. He had an up and down season, but did a great job of leaving everything else in the past and wrestling hard for every second of the state tournament. 

Bounce Back Award 

Denim Torgerson

Denim Torgerson hasn’t lost a match since his freshman year to any wrestlers not currently on a college roster. At the 2020 state tournament, he fell short in the semifinals to current Gardner Webb wrestler, Joseph Mecham. This season, Torgerson bounced back admirably and compiled a 29-0 record where very few wrestlers lasted the entire six minutes. He defeated Will Korth in the All-Star Dual and defeated Byron Christansen to capture his third state title in the toughest weight in the 3A classification. His high school career is probably the most illustrious in the history of Richfield wrestling. Well done, Mr. Torgerson on bouncing back from a 2020 season that didn’t go your way.  

Even with his elbow trapped, Torgerson is still able to reach the ankle for the go-behind

Technical Showcase of the Season  

Warner-Wardle 1 

The All-Star Dual featured a mini bracket at 138 pounds. Channing Warner and River Wardle both advanced to the final to set up a Wasp versus Wasp showdown. Everyone knew it was going to be exciting and fans were treated to a wild, yet technical showcase where both wrestlers did a great job. 

Period 1

From the moment the whistle blew, both wrestlers were looking to score. Wardle took the first shot and got in on a single leg. Warner answered back with a reversal to tie the score at two. Wardle picked up an escape to bring the match back to the neutral position. He shot another single leg but didn’t want to engage in another scramble with Warner and did a good job of picking up the single and executing a clean finish. From the bottom position, Warner countered a Wardle crossface to score an escape and went back on the attack. Warner got to his patented underhook and hit a throw by single and finished on the edge to tie the match at 5. He rode out the final 10 seconds and that’s how the first period ended. 

Shot from space, step over, shelf, and finish

Throw the underhook by, pick up the single, chase other leg to finish

 

Period 2

Warner chose bottom to start the second period and countered a chop attempt from Wardle with a changeover to score a reversal to go up 7 to 5. Wardle worked his way to his feet and cut Warner’s lead to just one point. He shot his single once again and did a good job of finishing on the backside while Warner looked to connect to the far ankle and create a scramble. The second period ended with Wardle leading 8 to 7. 

Period 3

Wardle chose bottom to start the third and final period. Warner attempted a nearside cradle that Wardle stopped and grabbed a hold of a single leg. From there, the action moved to the edge of the mat where Wardle showed his mat savvy and was able to work to his finish without going out of bounds to score his reversal with under a minute to go. Wardle rode well for the next 45 seconds of the match, but Warner not being one to go away easily kept working hard and created a scramble situation that Wardle disengaged from which allowed Warner to pick up the escape point with only a couple of seconds to go. 

 

Wardle on 10-8 in a match where both wrestlers showed how good they are. Warner did a great job at pressing the pace and making Wardle work hard for every point he scored and Wardle’s ability to adapt on the fly to finish his singles was very impressive. 

 

Technique of the Season

The Double Leg  

Every season always brings a new technical trend. Last season, this award would’ve gone to the roll through tilt. This season, the technique of the season is the first takedown we learn in wrestling, the double leg. 

 

Here’s a list of some wrestlers who utilized double legs to put points on the board in their state finals matches:

 

• Lucas Cochran

• Colton Erickson

• Conway Christensen 

• Aaron Garcia 

• Joshua Armstrong 

• Maclaine Percival 

• Brigham Bagley

 

There were others but the point stands. What I loved about seeing all these double legs was the variety of setups and finish variations. For example, Percival likes to handfight hard, break contact, and fire off the double if the opponent pursues him but he often ends up finishing a single leg once the opponent sprawls. Colton Erickson hit his state finals double leg by disengaging from his opponent, touching the head to judge the distance and shot a blast double. Lucas Cochran is fantastic at timing his opponent stepping forward when wrestling from space. It’s just really cool to see how the double leg is a suitable technique for all styles and all weight classes. 

Slide by attempt, opponent squares up, and sets up the double

Disengage, touch the head to gauge distance, fire off 

Time the step, shoot, and sprint to finish

Time for Freestyle and Greco!  

I know there were some other stand out performances I didn’t recognize but I need to get this stuff published while it’s still relevant. But overall, this was a great season considering the circumstances. We saw some great matches, duals, and tournaments. Unlike other states, we had a postseason and that’s something to be grateful for.

 

I know many wrestlers didn’t have things go their way, and for those wrestlers, I hope they continue to train and compete in freestyle and greco. Even if wrestlers don’t like the international styles, there are valuable technical concepts that can help sharpen things up and make life a little easier when folkstyle season rolls back around.