Mountain Ridge junior Layne Kleimann put a nice finishing touch on his season with a dominant performance at the Class 6A state wrestling tournament. Kleimann, who went 45-4 during the regular season, won the title in the 138-weight class at the championships, held Feb. 16–17 at Utah Valley University. 

Kleimann was ranked No. 1 in his weight class coming into the tournament, and he didn’t disappoint. He won in the first round by fall in 1:54 and then pinned his quarterfinals opponent in just 35 seconds. His semifinals opponent, Jace Lemons of Layton, was his toughest matchup at state. Kleimann prevailed, however, 16-4. In the championship round against Jason Worthley of Fremont, Kleimann secured the state title and top spot in his weight by winning 12-0.

The Mountain Ridge boys wrestling team nearly cracked triple digits in points at the Class 6A state wrestling tournament, earning the Sentinels sixth place overall. 

Mountain Ridge scored 99 points as a team, just 1.5 points away from reaching the top five. The Sentinels were 2.5 points ahead of seventh-place Davis at state. The two-day event, comprising the state’s top wrestlers, featured a competitive, deep field in which the Sentinels equipped themselves well. 

Last season, Mountain Ridge placed fifth in 6A. 

This time around, the Sentinels sent 13 wrestlers to the tournament, with 12 of them winning at least one match to score points for the team. In the 150-pound class, junior Coen Maxwell placed fifth. He won his first match by fall in 2:45. Then, after losing in the quarterfinals, he advanced in the consolation bracket with a pair of wins. He came up short in a bid to get to the third-place match but then defeated Treyson Hunt of Fremont in the fifth-sixth match by the score of 10-8. 

Preston Stevens finished third in the 157-pound class. The senior was seeded No. 1 after a 34-9 record during the regular season. Stevens won his first two matches by fall in 2:41 and 2:47, respectively. After a tough loss in the semifinals by a 5-2 decision, Stevens rebounded with 7-5 and 7-4 victories to capture third place. Incidentally, his victory in the third-place match came against teammate Hayden Johnson. Johnson, who was 6-7 in the regular season, lost his first match but caught fire in the consolation round with four wins in a row before losing to Stevens. 

In the 190-pound division, Mountain Ridge’s Jayce Wilbon came in sixth. The senior was 27-16 during the regular season and got the fifth seed in Division B. He won his first match 6-4 before a quarterfinals loss by fall in 2:27. However, Wilbon won two matches in the consolation bracket to advance, eventually losing in the fifth-sixth matchup 8-4. 

Another sixth-place finisher was junior Jackson Olsen. The 215-pound competitor was 21-12 coming into the tournament. He won 4-3 in round one before falling in the quarterfinals. Olsen then scored back-to-back wins, which preceded a pair of losses, including a 12-5 defeat in the fifth-sixth match. λ