There may be no other sport in the state that the 4A classification saw more affected by the realignment cycle of last spring than boys wrestling.
Where once just 13 schools occupied the space, a combination of Cache Valley and Washington County areas, numerous contenders entered the fray, including a three-time 5A state champion in Uintah.
Uintah’s way hardly changed as the Utes maintained a sizable lead against the field and ran away with its fourth straight state championship, this time in 4A, at the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University on Saturday night, scoring an overwhelming 287.5 points.
“It’s always a relief just knowing how difficult (team titles) are,” Uintah coach Phillip Keddy said. “There’s no such thing as an easy team title. There’s a relief there.”
Already fielding the most dominant team on the scene, Keddy indicated his team’s goal was more about raiding its own standard than beating everyone else’s like the Utes already had been for years.
“Last year we had seven in the finals, this year we had seven in the finals,” Keddy said. “My goal last year was to try to get more champs. We went from two to four. I’m proud of these boys for that.”