High school wrestling: Top wrestlers compete at Layton Invitational

LAYTON— Winning an individual title at a prestigious early-season wrestling tournament like the Layton Invitational does not guarantee a state championship come February — but it certainly doesn't hurt.

"This is a good chance to come out and see what type of shape you are in and where you stack up against some of the best wrestlers in the state," said 189-pound winner Chunner Nyberg from Dixie, who pinned his opponent Hayden Snow of Mountain Crest in the finals. "I thought I had a really good tournament considering it has only been a couple of weeks since football ended. My wrestling was solid and I felt good out there. This is a good way to get the year started."

Another wrestler that kicked off what is expected to be a tremendous season was Alta's Carson Kuhn. The 112-pound champ is trying to back up his undefeated 49-0 sophomore year where he won the title at 103-pounds.

"It is nice to be back wrestling in high school," said Kuhn, who wrestles year-round and has wrestled in international competitions for the U.S. "It is different, but a lot of fun. There is just a different feel to it.

"The thing I am trying to work on the most is to just not let up at all in my matches. It is easy to say, but hard to do. I want to wrestle all six minutes as hard as I can with full focus and effort the whole time."

Two-time state champion Kade Moss from Bingham is working toward becoming a four-time champ. The junior won the 130-pound title by beating Tucker Ray of Box Elder.

"The last time I wrestled him was my freshman year here at this tournament and he beat me," said Moss. "It feels good to beat him and start the year off with a win."

One of the best matches came in the 135-pound weight class. Box Elder's Koleton Hardy trailed West Jordan's Chase Burns 4-2 with only 8.9 seconds remaining. Hardy was down for a restart, but scored two points on a reverse at the buzzer to force overtime. He got a takedown in the extra period to win 6-4.

"I was just thinking that I was going to give it my all to get that reverse," said Hardy. "Wrestling is the best because it is all on you. I knew that I had to do it, that nobody else could do it for me."

The wins for the individual wrestlers were nice, and the notoriety that goes along with a Layton Invitational can certainly boost a wrestlers reputation, but it is still a long season.

"It is a start," said Moss. "But really, that is all it is. I know I have a long way to go to win another state title, and people are trying to knock you off. Of course it is good to win, but there is a lot of work left."

Other individual winners included: Brayden Humphreys of Layton, Trae Bennett of Fremont, Mike Winger of Viewmont, Braiden Hart of Davis, Hayden Petersen of Springville, Caleb Christen of Springville, Jake Shelton of Roy, Taylor Peacock of Logan, Thomas Bryson of Layton and Dylan Stadel of Lehi.

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E-mail: mblack@desnews.com