Grant LaMont didn’t need long to get his sixth pin of the weekend. Facing Payson’s Zac Loveless for the second time this season, LaMont knew what buttons to push, what speed to work. It was less than a minute and a half before the junior had two-time state champ Loveless on his back.
“I knew I had to go strong,” LaMont said. “It’s the second time I’ve beaten him, and I just keep pushing the pace.”
LaMont’s school, Maple Mountain, has similarly taken almost no time at all — on a relative scale — to establish itself as arguably the state’s best wrestling program. It took another step toward earning that title on Saturday, winning The Rumble tournament at Utah Valley University.
To get the team title, the Golden Eagles had to best Pleasant Grove, Delta and Payson — three of the strongest traditional powers in the state. But led by LaMont at 138 pounds — he was named one of the tournament’s most outstanding wrestlers — and Kimball Bastian at 152, Maple Mountain took home one of the most prestigious team titles in the West.
They had to sweat out first place, waiting on a few consolation matches. But by the time the heaviest wrestlers were competing, the win was assured. And despite winning in only the program’s third year of existence, LaMont emphasized that Maple Mountain has come a long way since its beginnings.
“It’s kind of awesome that a third-year can do this,” he said. “We’ve matured a lot. When we first started, we were all freshmen and sophomores. But our whole team is just getting more focused.”
That didn’t mean Payson, the second-place finisher, didn’t go home with some hardware as well. In the 132-pound match, Jed Mellen came away with the highlight of the tournament when he beat Centennial’s Hayden Tuma, the No. 7-ranked wrestler in that class in the country
By Kyle Goon The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Jan 14 2012 09:21PM
Updated Jan 17, 2012 12:51PM
Another article was posted in the Herald.
"I'm beyond excited," said Maple Mountain head coach Justin Judkins. "To win The Rumble is cool. It says a lot about our program.
It wasn't exactly easy for the Golden Eagles. Payson held a slim lead after the first day of competition. The Lions put four wrestlers on top of the podium compared to two for Maple Mountain, but in the end the Golden Eagles were just a bit deeper.
Maple Mountain scored 255.0 points while Payson ended with 251.0. Pleasant Grove was a distant third with 210.0. Centennial (Idaho) finished fourth at 203.0 and Delta was fifth with 185.0.
Maple Mountain crowned champions in Grant LaMont (138 pounds) and Kimball Bastian (152).
LaMont had six pins in the tournament, including one over Payson's Zach Loveless in the championship final. For his efforts, LaMont was named as one of the tournament's outstanding wrestlers.
"I expected to get some pins, but not six," LaMont said. "It feels good to get the (team) win for Coach Judkins."
Maple Mountain nearly had one more champion, but Britain Carter lost to Cedar City's Dusty Hone 2-1 in overtime.
Austin Rowley (126) and Jesse Carlisle (145) placed third for the Golden Eagles, while Landon Knutzen (132) and Jordan Argyle (170) finished fifth. Two Maple Mountain wrestlers -- Mitch Kay (138, fourth) and Brooks Robinson (132, seventh) -- were wrestling unattatched (non-scoring) at the meet.
Full article can be read at:
Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/high-school/wrestling/maple-mountain-edges-payson-at-the-rumble/article_0d47e4b5-7482-58f7-b078-c071a8722c0e.html#ixzz1kDtVutwL
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