Monticello Buckaroos come home with fourth place in 1A Utah State Wrestling Tournament

by Anna Fredericks
Contributing Writer
The Monticello Buckaroo Wrestlers closed out their season at the 1A Utah State Tournament this past weekend, finishing fourth as a team. The Buckaroos had a good showing, placing eight of their 12 wrestlers in the medals.
The Buckaroos had four wrestlers who earned a chance to wrestle on the center mat for a state championship.
Seniors Zac Thayn and Thomas Fullmer along with freshmen Arturo Gutierrez and John Leber each battled hard to earn a spot in the feature matchup, and all four earned second-place medals on the weekend.
Gutierrez, at 106 pounds, earned a first period win by fall in round one and had an exciting semifinal match with a huge 13-4 lead before earning the win by fall in the final minute of the match. In the finals he was defeated by Levi Scott of Altamont in a tough match by a final of 7-5.
Leber, at 120 pounds, wasted no time in round one earning a 47-second pin. In the semifinal round he worked to build an 8-4 lead before earning a fall with only two seconds remaining in the second period. In the finals he was defeated by Krey Bradbury of Wayne in a hard-fought 8-2 decision.
Thayn, at 144 pounds, was up 2-0 after the first period in round one, when he reversed from the bottom to start the second period and earned a win by fall.
In the semifinal round Thayn was down 5-8 after the second period, but came from the bottom off the whistle in the third to reverse his opponent and score a near fall.
He then closed the match out with a fall in the final minute. In the finals he was defeated by Cameron Atkin of Panguitch in a hard-fought 9-2 decision.
Fullmer, at 165 pounds, built a six-point lead in round one before pinning his opponent with a minute left in the first period.
In the semifinal round Fullmer was locked in a tough 0-0 battle after the first period when he turned his opponent for a win by fall in the second period. He was defeated in the finals by fall by Brayden Webb of Altamont.
Earning fourth-place medals for the Buckaroos were sophomore Ronnie Harris, senior Chandler Henderson, and juniors Tavon Black and Camren Carpenter.
Harris, at 138 pounds, earned an exciting sudden victory win in the first round before a second-round loss to the eventual state champion in the weight.
Harris came back strong to win by fall in the consolation semifinals but was defeated in the consolation finals in a 12-6 decision.
Henderson, at 157 pounds, earned a win by fall in the first round before a tough loss in the semifinals. In the consolation rounds he came back to win by fall in the second period and was defeated in the consolation finals by fall.
Black, at 175 pounds, earned a first-period win by fall in round one and was defeated by the eventual champion in the weight in round two. He fought back in the consolation semifinals to win by fall but was defeated in a heartbreaker, 2-1 in the consolation finals.
Carpenter, at 285 pounds, earned a 46-second win by fall in round one before being defeated by the eventual champion in round two. Carpenter came back strong in the consolation rounds to earn a first-period win by fall before being defeated by fall in the consolation finals.
Also earning wins for the Buckaroos at the tournament were junior Jarum Robison at 215 pounds by fall in the opening round and sophomore Evan Carpenter at 113 pounds in an exciting 7-5 decision in the second round.
Also competing hard for the Buckaroos were sophomore Landon Shumway at 132 pounds and senior Caleb Coleman at 138 pounds.