2014 Cliff Keen Preseason Nationals

The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa was the venue for this year’s Cliff Keen Preseason Nationals. Utah was once again very well represented at the National level; not as much in the number of participants, as they were in the level of talent and heart that the athletes showed in this year’s competition.

Utah had 5 wrestlers compete in this year’s tournament.  That number is minuscule compared to Iowa’s 566, or the 565 that Illinois brought to the party, but where the Beehive State lacked in numbers, they more than made up for with talent, technique, heart, and WINNING! These local wrestlers won 19 matches, compared to just 6 losses. That is a winning percentage of 76%, which is nothing short of amazing considering the massive amounts of National talent that this event draws.

In the 9th and 10th grade age group, there were two Utah wrestlers. In the 126 pound division, Champions wrestler Brandyn VanTassell was one win away from bringing home some hardware. He won 3 in a row, before suffering a 4-0 loss to Missouri wrestler Tyler Stegall, followed by another loss to 2014 Colorado Jr High State Champion Jacob Greenwood.  In the 138 pound division, Juan Diego Stud John Manning dominated his first 5 matches, with 3 falls, 1 Major decision, and a 7-3 decision, before losing 2-1 to the Nationally ranked Wisconsin wrestler Devin Bahr.

In the 11th and 12th grade group, Utah had 3 representatives. In the 120 pound division, Copper Hill’s own Joey Revelli decided to expand his competition to a National level after he was inspired at a J Robinson camp this past summer. Joey finished the tournament 1-2 against some very tough competition, and showed a great deal of heart, and amazing athleticism. Maple Mountain Phenom Taylor LaMont had an outstanding tournament in the 126 pound division, with a record of 6-1. LaMont won 4 straight, before losing 1-0 in a nail biter to the Nationally ranked Dyler Duncan from Illinois, however the always resilient Mapleton native bounced back with impressive back to back wins to claim a 3rd place medal, to add to his vast and ever growing collection.  Davis wrestler Wyatt Koelling was dominant in bringing home Utah’s only gold medal of the tournament.  He breezed through his first 3 matches, but was challenged in the Championship match by Las Vegas’s Hunter Brown, ultimately winning 6-5. Ironically, Brown grew up and wrestled in Lehi, Utah, before relocating to Nevada.

It’ s results like these that force the active minded, die-hard wrestling fans to beg all kinds of exciting questions.  What does the future hold for Utah’s wrestlers? Can Utah wrestling hold up against powerhouse States, like Iowa, California, and Pennsylvania? Is there another Cael Sanderson lurking in the shadows of some biblical named town in backwoods Utah? Can Utah consistently feed top level college programs with top level athletes?  The answer is an astounding yes!  Utah wrestling is in outstanding shape! Not only are there great programs where there have always been good programs, but now there are stellar athletes coming from programs all over the State, and its evident in the rise in competition level. There are all kinds of little wrestling hot beds across the state; Juab, Monticello, and the Uintah Basin just to name a few.  This is a simple numbers game, and it all comes down to participation. If 5 wrestlers can compete in a National tournament and have a winning percentage of 76%, imagine the possibilities if there were 20, 50, or 100 athletes competing Nationally. The key for our future success is three fold, its participation, participation, and participation.