San Juan boys wrestling team comes home fourth from 2A Utah State Championships

by Art Adair
Contributing Writer
The San Juan High School boys wrestling team wrapped up their season this past Friday and Saturday, February 6-7 at the 2A Utah State Championships at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.
The Broncos delivered a gritty performance that resulted in a fourth-place team finish with 134.5 points, narrowly edging Duchesne who finished fifth with 130.5 points.
South Summit, a new addition to the 2A division this season, claimed the state title with 293 points. Millard was second with 272 points and Beaver took third with 266.
For the Broncos, sophomore Liam Lacy led the way with a standout performance at 113 pounds. Lacy opened the tournament with a lightning-fast fall in just 21 seconds in the quarterfinals, followed by another quick pin in 49 seconds to advance to the semifinals.
In his semifinal match he faced the eventual state champion and fell by technical fall. Undeterred, Lacy battled back in the consolation semis, earning a third-period fall to reach the third-place match.
He finished his run in dominant fashion, securing a fall in just 45 seconds to claim third place.
At 144 pounds, junior Miken Keith started strong with a technical fall in round one and followed with a second-period fall in the quarterfinals.
Keith fell to the eventual runner-up in the semifinals but rebounded with a first-period pin in the consolation semis.
In the third-place match Keith battled his Millard opponent to the final seconds but came up just short, losing 4-2 to earn a fourth-place finish after a successful junior season.
Junior Hunter Keith also turned in an impressive tournament at 165 pounds. He earned a first-round fall and followed with an 11-3 major decision in the quarterfinals.
Keith fell to the eventual state champion from Beaver in the semifinals but responded with a hard-fought 8-5 decision over a familiar Grand County opponent in the consolation semifinals.
In the third-place match, he dropped a 7-2 decision to South Summit, finishing fourth.
Senior Grady Lacy received a first-round bye at 120 pounds before competing in one of the most exciting matches of the tournament, a back-and-forth quarterfinal that ended in a narrow 18-17 loss to a Grand County opponent.
Lacy stormed back with two quick falls in the consolation rounds before falling 12-6 in the consolation semifinals to Duchesne. In his final state appearance, Lacy finished strong, earning a first-period fall to claim fifth place.
At 138 pounds senior Koyer Johnson also made the most of his final state tournament. Johnson opened with a fall before losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual runner-up.
He battled back with two consecutive pins, including a 53-second fall, to reach the consolation semifinals.
After falling to a Beaver opponent, Johnson capped his tournament with a dramatic second-period fall in the fifth-place match to earn fifth place.
Freshman River Von Haden impressed in his first state appearance at 175 pounds. He earned a first-period fall in round one before dropping a tightly-contested quarterfinal match to a South Summit opponent.
Von Haden rebounded with a fall and an 11-0 major decision in the consolation rounds before falling in the consolation semifinals.
In the fifth-place match he wrestled a determined, physical bout and earned a 9-8 victory to finish fifth.
At 190 pounds junior Thomas Hardin opened his tournament with a fall followed by a medical forfeit win. In the semifinals, Hardin pushed his opponent to the limit before falling by decision, 13-11.
He dropped his consolation semifinal match but responded with a gritty performance in the fifth-place bout, earning a 6-4 decision to secure fifth place.
Senior Chance Laws began his tournament with a quick fall at 150 pounds and followed with a hard-fought 1-0 decision in the quarterfinals.
After a loss in the semifinals, Laws battled through the consolation bracket but came up short, finishing sixth in his final state tournament.
Other Broncos contributing points and gaining valuable experience included Kage Johnson who earned a fall, Aundre Yellow who gained quality mat time before being eliminated by a teammate, and Ender Lacy who competed in his first state tournament.
Jayce Raisor earned two major decisions (15-3 and 15-1) before narrowly missing the medal round. El’Myron Begay returned from injury but was unable to advance after two losses.
Tallon McArthur earned a first-period fall at 175 pounds, while Ian Mark, Adney Singer, and Cian Mark each recorded falls before being eliminated.
The Broncos graduate four state qualifiers but will return a strong core of young talent, many with valuable state tournament experience and multiple placers.
Following the conclusion of the season San Juan Head Coach Shane Musselman reflected on the team’s performance and looked ahead to the future. “Our boys wrestled great,” he stated.
“We had a tough day as many did not reach their goals, but as a coach I was very proud. We only had one third place, but eight total boys placed and we were able to take fourth as a team.
“We were ranked fifth the entire season. We get most of our placers back next year along with a host of young men who were very close to placing and a great group of eighth graders coming in.”