Carbon wrestling places in tournament
By TERRY WILLIS
Sun Advocate sports reporter
Carbon High wrestling team competed in the Best of the West Tournament in Tooele, Utah, Jan. 8 and 9. Most of the participating schools were 4A and 5A teams, with only Delta, Grantsville, and Carbon representing 3A. Stansbury, Syracuse, Spanish Fork, Tooele, Maple Mountain, Cyprus, Dixie, and Riverton were among the larger schools.
Carbon entered junior varsity wrestlers at weight classes 103, 119, 140. 145, 160, and 215 and managed to earn seventh place overall.
At 112-pounds, sophomore, Bryce Jackman walked away with all the honors. Taking the gold in the finals match against undefeated Kearns wrestler, Antonio Meikel, who also has impressive national freestyle accomplishments, Jackman powered his way to a second period fall, a culmination of a 12-3 lead in the match.
Jackman was voted by the head coaches at the tournament as otstanding wrestler of the lower weights. Along the way to the finals, Jackman pinned Cody Flood of Maple Mountain, then pinned Jose Garcia of Delta in the first period of the second round, and pinned Kalin Gray of Syracuse in the first period of the semi-finals.
Jackman earned the award of most pins in the least aggregate Time among the more than 225 wrestlers competing in the tournament. Jackman's current season record is 26-1 as he enters the Rocky Mountain Rumble Jan. 15-16 and the Sand Devil Classic in Page, Arizona, Jan. 22-23.
At 130 pounds, senior, Wyatt Martinez finished in second place behind first seed and 2009 state runner-up, Jace Abbott, from Delta.
In the first round Martinez pinned Jake Penrod of Syracuse in 33 seconds of the first period, then decisioned Jesse Carlisle of Maple Mountain in the second round, and in the semi-finals decisioned Zach Harris of Delta, who in 2009 placed fourth at state. Martinez's current record for the season is 25-2 as he heads into the final matches in the season over the next three weeks.
At 135 pounds, junior Stefan Larsen finished in fourth place, losing a close match in the consolation finals to second seed Toby Martinez of Stansbury High School.
In the first round Larsen pinned Sy Woolstenhulme of Orem, then pinned Nathan Farnsworth of Delta, and finally lost in the championship semi-finals to Derek Petersen of Delta, who in 2009 was state champion.
At 189 pounds, junior David Fonnesbeck finished in fourth place, losing first to champion Seth Snow of Orem, and then in the consolation finals to Tanner Theobald of Dixie High.
Fonnesbeck pinned Logan Baker of Dixie in the first round, pinned Chad Hunt of Syracuse, and pinned Seth Endemano of Riverside High.
At 125 pounds, junior Cody Hunt finished in fifth place. While at 152 pounds, senior Nico Velasquez finished in fifth place.
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