Raiders get solid finish to the season at state wrestling tournament behind Denny's 2nd place finish

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It was quite an achievement for three Whitehorse High School wrestlers this past weekend – making it to the 1A Utah State Tournament for the first time in their careers.
Not only did they compete at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield, they performed very solidly. Junior Marcus Denny led the Raiders with a runner-up finish at 215 pounds, earning 17 points for his team.
Denny earned a quarterfinal bye and beat Cole Harland of Panguitch by fall in the second period of his state semifinal match.
He suffered a loss by fall to Jaden Kreigh of Tintic in the state championship match in the third period. Denny finishes the year with a nice 16-5 record for the Raiders.
Wrestling at 285 pounds for Whitehorse, sophomore Lucas Collins suffered a first-round loss to Rich’s Eli Brooks but bounced back for a win over Camren Carpenter of Monticello in the consolation bracket.
But he lost to Arik Blevens of Panguitch in the third-place semifinals, ending his run in Richfield with the final two points for the Raiders. Collins ended the year with three wins and 15 losses.
Also wrestling at 285 pounds, junior Preston Hathale suffered a first-round loss to Panguitch’s Arik Blevens then lost to Kaleb Witbeck of Altamont in the third-place semis. He ends the season 6-12.
Whitehorse scored 19 points at the state tournament, finishing in 11th place. Congratulations to the coaches and wrestlers on an excellent 2021-22 season.