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Show 4 FEBRUARY 16, 1983 Ho Exot3 It Was A Earner Year Lancers Second Best In The State Tide Hunt By KEITH DUNCAN Journal Spats - LAYTON All you can do is all yo can do. That has to be the general feeling at Layton a week after the state wrestling championships came to a close. The Lancers finished second in the state title hunt, but trying to overcome Brighton may be a task that a few more years might solve. THE LANCERS finished with 122 A points while the tradition-ric- h Brighton Bengals had 168. Hillcrest was a few behind Layton with 120 and Granite was fourth with IO2V2. Layton entered only one finalist on Saturday evening when the championships began but had seven other wrestlers place within the top six in state. BEING DENIED a state championship was Eric Hyde at 1 12. After posting an impressive 2 victory over Brightons Todd Norton in the semis, Hyde was beaten by Dave Lucero of Cyprus in the finals. Hyde being only a junior, will be back however for another year of action. The Lancers other top placers included Donny Zamora at 98 with a sixth place, Rodney Rientjes at 105 with a third place position, at 126 with Brian Bailey and a fourth place. Rich Gallegos at 132 with a fifth place, Tracy Jones a third place at 155, Blaine Tracy a fourth place at 167 and finally Mark Wilson who captured a fifth slot in the bracket. the better ones. His losses were always slim defeats. Brian ended the year 16-- 9 as a record. He appears excited about next season. Being a football player, having led the sophomores to a perfect 0 record and being the first soph since Chuck Ehin to dress varsity, Brian claims hell be putting on more weight and will wrestle next year wherever there is a place for him. Bailey dressed the final four varsity games in football behind Brad Merrill. 8-- TRACY JONES defeated Trent Jones of Bountiful 1 for third place at 155, a year that was quite a contrast from last. "I had a pretty good year, even though I wanted to take state deep down inside. But everyone cant take it so the third place finish was fairly satisfying to me. 2-- 9-- 185-pou- BLAINE TRACY has no regrets about the past season. He went 23-- 6 over the past year at 167. It was frustrating going through the season and never losing a dual match but never doing himself justice at a tournament. Blaine would make it to the semis and never quite come out match. ahead in that semi-fin. For Rodney Rientjes at 105, he claims all the dieting and suffering paid its dividends. A third place finish in that bracket cant be too bad for a junior. JONES ENDED the season with an impress1 mark. "Sometimes after looking back on things, youd wished youd worked harder as a sophomore and junior. I envy the juniors and sophomores coming back. ive 25-5-- ITS NOT THAT I regret things, because I gained a lot of experiences my first couple years out. I wouldnt be here today if I hadnt wrestled guys like Duane Martinson, Kyle Stone and Kurt Gallegos. Youve also got to include Coach Mike (Hansen) in there, said Jones. Rich Gallegos concluded an impressive senior year by beating Chris Cardinet for the first time this year and taking fifth place. That goes on top of the region championship which he won the week before in Smithfield. ': $..-- 1 Aj 'I al ITS HELL SOMETIMES to keep your weight, but it pays off if you let it, said Rodney. There is no question that Rodney will be weighing over 120 pounds in the next two I1' i'l weeks' I was matter that no told I what, . myself season 105. the after But wrestle to got going moving, I wasnt quite sure Id made the right decision. Im happy that I kept it going, despite getting disappointed at times, said Rientjes. NOT TAKING state this year has made me want to gut it up for next year. I think Ill be trying just a little harder, he said again. A very big surprise this past season has been the emergence of Brian Bailey at 126. Bailey gave Dave Blaucr of Viewmont all he could handle in the fight for third and fourth place, but Blauer just pulled it out. THE LAYTON sophomore started out at 132 behind Rich Gallegos, but after most of the team dropped a weight, Bailey took over at 126. Through the season he failed to win a medal despite looking very strong for a sophomore. Then in the final tourney of the year at Pleasant Grove, Bailey claimed his first Utah medal. "That really got me going for region, said Bailey. BAILEY, WHO moved here from Oklahoma with his family, wrestled nearly every state placer. He beat his share and lost his share to r IT WAS THE fourth time that Chris and I had wrestled over the past two years and it was the first time I had beaten him, said Gallegos in review. What would I do without family and friends? They all expected significant things from me in this tournament and I didnt want to let them down. I wrestled harder just because J of them. "v - :.v rx :;v .V:;--- 3-- A Laytons Mike Hansen - Leads The Charge 4 ... By KEITH DUNCAN y Journal Sports - , r v ' IM SATISFIED with fifth, its a lot better than not getting there at all, said Gallegos. Gallegos ended the year with a 25-- 6 mark and now looks forward to a break from athletics. ERIC HYDE took second in a state tournament for the second straight year. Last year he and in his first year as a wrestled in star, Hyde again placed second. It was Dave Lucero of Cyprus that put it to Hyde like no one else had. "He (Lucero) and I wrestle two completely different ways. We clashed and consequently he stuck it to me. Im used to shooting high on the leg and taking people down with that but Dave was an excellent thrower who knew his moves. WtSi r itf s , When Mike Hansen talks LAYTON wrestling, people usually listen! , 4" IN FACT IF Hansen hadnt come to Layton High eight seasons ago, its doubtful that Lancer wrestling would be as notable as it is today. The former Teton High graduate loves his work and from the first day he grabbed the reigns of the Layton High program, its been his desire to see kids become successful at a sport he has been a part of for more than two decades. v , - , 4-- A HIS PEERS respect him. Perhaps that is one of the grandest tributes of all. Guys like Don Neff, Brightons Dave Chavis and Box Elders Lamoni Merkley sincerely believe i he is one of the finest. Said Neff about Hansen, You cant talk about northern Utah wrestling without mentioning Layton High. Mike knows his stuff and has been successful in finding the right kids to teach it to. Hill-cres- ts .!. ? I LET HIM have some things that I shouldnt have, said Hyde who mentioned that Lucero would have ripped Todd Norton of Brighton apart. Hyde said he didnt realize how tough Lucero was and now totally respects him. I DID IT for me this season. You have to want it for you most, or youll fall short. But in the finals I guess I didnt want it bad enough, MIKE HANSEN he said. r fH . V CHAVIS of the always tough Brighton school, stated, "Through the past year I kept my eye on Layton, simply because I knew theyd be one of the tougher teams in state. I have the finest respect for Hansen and what he has done with the wrestling program at Layton High. Finally it was Merkely to comment. If we get teamed up with Region One next winter, Layton and Box Elder will give each other all they can handle when it comes time for wrestling. Mike knows wrestling and who to teach it to, said the Box Elder coach. ' SINCE COMING to Layton, Hansen has put the right combinations together to win a couple of region championships. He hasnt led his kids to a state title yet, but if he continues to lead out, theres no telling what will happen. Just last week his Lancers placed second in the title run, finishing second to powerful Brighton. When he stepped in at Layton, Hansen wasnt afraid to rid the schedule of easy dual matches and mediocre tournaments. I WANTED THE kids to meet the best, thats the only way they would learn. Dual matches have their place, but they dont mean anything compared to what takes place at region and state. Weve tried to emphasis the importance of doing well at the final two tournaments of the year, said Hansen in review of the past. Hansen, who was a state champion in Idaho his junior and senior years at Teton, knew the importance of putting his soul and heart into the sport. He did the same as a coach because of it, Layton is known for a clearly outstanding program. NOT LONG after he arrived, Layton began winning their share of titles and more importantly, some steady fans began to accummu-lat- e at meets. Theres nothing like getting some devoted and vocal crowds to back you up, Hansen said. Hansen wants a state championship to come Laytons way more than anyone. He knows all too well however, that schools like Brighton and Box Elder have the jump because of rich tradition and excellent youth programs. IF A FAMILY has a wrest'er and theyre about to make a move, theyll probably pick up and move to Brighton or somewhere where the tradition has been tops. Then too, the junior high kids in those areas have gone through programs that in many instances make them more competitive at that level than kids already in high school. WEVE GOT SOME things going here in Layton. The city helped us sponsor a clinic for the kids in which 35 showed up. Weve got more to do and more to get involved, but were on oup way, he said. The Hansen clan love their wrestling. Mike has six brothers, all but one which have wres- tied at BYU and received honors including himself. It might be six for six if the youngest Hansen, now a sophomore, makes it in the next couple of years. Ben Gillespies state tournament came to a frustrating end as Blaine Tracy puts the clamp on to win. HERDT IS pretty confident that hell be moving up a weight or two next season, maybe even up to 132. I plan on working out on the weights to improve on the skinny body that Ive got here, said Herdt. : AFTER TAKING state titles at Teton his junior and senior years, mainly because he was supposed to do it that way, Hansen went to Ricks for a year then went on a two year mission for the LDS Church. Mike returned and enrolled at BYU and his career was over with the Cougars, hed ended up taking fourth one year in the nationals. : ' be-fo- re I OWE A lot to mom and dad. They were always involved and still are. The more I wrestled, the more I enjoyed it. I learned to love to win gnd I hope the kids we have here (Layton) learn tRe same thing, he concluded. Falcon Juniors Excel 21-1- ; C continued mission with the LDS church. I reached my goal of placing in state. Next on the agenda is taking state, he said. Rick went 1 through the last season. , Mike Sorenson at 155 lost to Laytons Tracy Jones for the third time this year, but the Falcon junior was still able to finish sixth in state at a weight that loaded with star grapplers. SORENSON plans on wrestling 185 next season with plenty of lifting weights and working out. The sixth place in state had to be some kind of honor for Sorenson who worked all year long and failed to place in a tournament besides the second place finish in region. : : |