Broncos take third at 2A state tournament, led by runner-up finishes from Palmer, Yellow

by Art Adair
Contributing Writer
The San Juan High School boys wrestling team traveled to Richfield this past Thursday and Friday, January 6-7 with high hopes for the 2A Utah State Wrestling Tournament.
It’s no secret that Millard and Beaver have had a stronghold on 2A wrestling in recent years. The past two seasons San Juan has finished third and had their sights set on earning another top-three finish.
The tournament saw two to three teams jockeying for position throughout each session in what became a very coveted third place target. At the end of day two, San Juan had secured that spot for a third consecutive year.
The first to reach the podium for the Broncos was freshman 106-pounder Liam Lacy. Lacy won his first match by fall before being beaten in the championship quarterfinal round. He then wrestled back, winning his next two matches by fall.
In the consolation semifinal round Lacy again was defeated, which put him in the fifth place match. He earned a quick win by fall in 53 seconds to take fifth place.
At 120 pounds San Juan senior Chad Yellow reached his third consecutive state championship match with wins coming by fall in all three of the previous rounds.
Yellow faced off against Millard’s Lane Monroe in the championship match. Unfortunately he suffered a loss to Monroe and finished as the runner-up. Yellow ends his high school career as a three-time state runner-up.
Fellow 120-pounder, junior Grady Lacy, won his first two matches by fall before meeting up with eventual state champion Monroe in the semifinals. Lacy was defeated and dropped into the consolation semis.
He won his consolation semifinal match by fall, then wrestled for the consolation championship against Tristen Park of Duchesne. Lacy was able to secure the victory by fall with two seconds left on the clock in the second period, placing third.
Sophomore Miken Keith won his first two matches by fall at 138 pounds before coming up against the eventual state runner-up in the semifinal round. He was defeated by decision in a tight 3-1 contest.
Keith bounced back, winning his consolation semifinal match by fall which placed him in the consolation championship. Keith faced Millard’s, Isaac Masner for third place winning the match by major decision 14-1.
Next to reach the podium for the Broncos was Cameron Adair at 150 pounds. The freshman beat his first opponent by 10-5 decision before suffering a quarterfinal loss to the eventual state runner-up from Millard.
Adair then won his second round consolation match by fall before snagging a 2-1 decision victory in a thrilling third-round match, earning a trip to the medal round. He was defeated in the consolation semifinals by a senior from North Sevier.
Adair was able to recover and take down his Parowan opponent to win the fifth-place match with a fall in the third period. Adair, one of only two freshmen in the weight class, reached the podium alongside three seniors and two juniors.
Rigley LaGiglia, a senior at 157 pounds, won his first match by fall before being defeated in the quarterfinal round. He then won his next two matches by fall to advance to the medal round.
His first opponent from Kanab was able to get the victory which dropped LaGiglia into the fifth place match. In the fifth place match LaGiglia faced off against Duchesne’s Cason Crumb, who had beaten him in their previous three meetings.
Both wrestlers gave it their all in a back-and-forth match, with LaGiglia earning an exciting fall with just a minute left to place fifth.
Fellow senior Logan Keith won his first two matches by fall at 165 pounds before running into Grand County standout Austin Paris, who was a two-time returning state champ and the top-ranked wrestler in the state of Utah.
Keith was defeated by Paris, dropping into the consolation semifinal where he picked up a big win by decision 9-6.
In his third-place match Keith battled hard in the final match of his high school career but suffered a loss, bringing home fourth-place medal from his final state tournament.
The final Bronco to earn a spot in a state championship match was senior JD Palmer at 175 pounds. Palmer won his first two matches by fall before squaring off with Morgan Tingey of Millard in the semifinals.
Tingey, a two-time defending state champion, gave Palmer a tough match, but after a controversial takedown Palmer was able to escape and secure a huge upset win by 5-4 decision.
In his championship match Palmer faced Titan Hunter of Beaver, who he wrestled two weeks earlier for the divisional championship.
In a very physical and hard-fought title match Hunter came away victorious over Palmer by decision 10-7. Palmer ends his high school career as a two-time state runner-up.
The final placer for the Broncos was 190-pound sophomore Thomas Hardin. He won his first match by fall before losing in the quarterfinals, then won back-to-back matches by 5-3 decision and by fall.
In the consolation semifinals, Hardin wrestled Beaver’s Marshall Williams. It was a tough physical match that ended with Hardin losing by decision 6-1.
In the fifth place match he again faced off against Mason Holgreen, also from Beaver, and in much the same fashion, he was defeated in a very physical match by decision 6-2.
Hardin just missed out on the medal stand as a freshman, but was able to reach the podium with his solid sixth-place performance.
Other Broncos just missing the state medal podium were El’Myron Begay who went 2-2 at 190 pounds with both wins coming by fall.
Senior Taren Bayles also went 2-2 at 157 pounds, earning a win by technical fall and one by fall. In a very physical match, Bayles battled with everything he had but was defeated 16-8, barely missing the medal round.
Junior Koyer Johnson went 2-2 at 126 pounds, also narrowly missing the medal round. He earned one win by fall and one by 16-4 major decision.
Other San Juan wrestlers who battled hard at the state tournament included juniors Chance Laws and Ryus Blackhorse; sophomores Jack Kartchner, Staley Dandy, Hunter Keith, and Jayce Raisor; and freshman Gaige Palmer.
Dandy and Palmer both earned wins by fall, while Raisor got a 4-1 decision victory.
The Broncos graduate five seniors from this year’s squad, but will return a host of talent and young wrestlers with quality state tournament experience.