OREM — Alta's Carson Kuhn loves wrestling at the state tournament.

"This is what it is all about," said Kuhn, a returning state champion and undefeated wrestler for the past two seasons. "It is great to get out in front of all the people and show them what you can do. A big tournament is fun, but there is nothing like state."

At the same time, it can be a little bit frustrating for someone as talented and proficient as Kuhn. He wasn't completely satisfied after his quarterfinal win because there are times when he faces an opponent whose whole goal is simply to not get pinned. It is a moral victory for them to survive the entire six minutes.

"Yeah, it can get to you a bit," Kuhn said of wrestling a defensive-minded opponent. "It is easier to turn someone when they are trying things and not just fighting up in a tight curl."

Kuhn was one of just two returning state champions in the 5A brackets as the state tournament began Wednesday at the McKay Events Center on the campus of Utah Valley University. The other was two-time state champion Kade Moss of Bingham.

"I like having the title and people gunning for me," Moss said after his quarterfinal win over Justin Olsen of Pleasant Grove. "To me, it is just a matter of going out there and wrestling my best. I figure if I do that, I am going to win regardless of whether or not they are putting in extra effort because I am a defending champ."

While neither Kuhn's nor Moss's team is truly in the running for the team title, the expected race for 5A supremacy is coming down to a Region 1 tournament along with Pleasant Grove in contention. Viewmont leads at 88 points with Davis second at 66. Weber is third (63.5), followed by Pleasant Grove (59.5), Fremont (56) and Bingham (55.5).

"We are right about where we wanted to be," said Viewmont coach Brandon Ripplinger. "We won some that we weren't sure we would, and we lost some we thought we were going to win. The real trick is for those guys that lost to come back tomorrow with a real fight and desire to come back and place. Just because you've lost once it doesn't mean your tournament is over."

"We need to come back and wrestle well in tomorrow's rounds," said Darts coach Neal Porter. "We had some disappointments today, but we can make it up with some good wrestling tomorrow."

Viewmont and Davis are expected to be right where they are, and the athletes love it that way.

"It would make it even sweeter since it is Davis," Viewmont's Josh Smoot said of leading the team's fiercest rival. "We all know what is at stake, and we feel we are the best team and are ready to go out and show it."

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