Bridger Ricks, hailing from Perry, Utah, has established himself as a prominent figure in the wrestling arena. His journey is marked by dedication, hard work, and exceptional achievements. A three-time All-American at Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Ricks has consistently demonstrated his prowess on the mat.
Bridger Ricks celebrates after winning a fourth high school wrestling state championship. (Patrick Carr, Standard-Examiner)
High School Success
Ricks' high school career is adorned with numerous accolades, solidifying his reputation as a top wrestler in Utah. Key highlights include:
- Three-Time UHSAA State Champion: Ricks consistently dominated his weight class, securing three state titles.
- Team Leadership: As a team captain, Ricks led Box Elder High School to four region titles.
- Dave Schulz Award Winner: This prestigious award recognizes Ricks' outstanding achievements and contributions to his team.
The Quest for a Fourth State Title
Every day, Bridger Ricks would jog past the big board filled with previous state champions in Box Elder High School's wrestling room, he thinks about it: the chance to join an exclusive club for four-time state champions. Winning four titles was a lifelong dream of his, Ricks told the Standard-Examiner last week. The Bees senior wrestled for a total of 43 seconds Wednesday to advance to the semifinals of the 120-pound bracket at the 5A state wrestling tournament, pinning his opponents from Mountain View and Woods Cross to set up Thursday's semifinals.
"Every day when I'm jogging for warmups, I picture myself winning a fourth state title," Ricks said. "It keeps me motivated. I've pictured myself at this tournament over 100 times this season." Now that's real and it's here, it's pretty easy to stay motivated."
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Winning is nothing new for Ricks, an all-star wrestler who is 45-1 on the year with 36 pins, per TrackWrestling. That would push his career record to 161-9 all-time, a record that includes three previous state titles - the first of which was perhaps his most difficult.
That was the one during his freshman year when Ricks was called for a stalling penalty in the final period before eking out a 7-5 overtime victory in front of a capacity crowd at Utah Valley's UCCU Center. Last year, when the state tournament moved to high school sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he easily captured the 120-pound championship 9-4.
"It's a moment I've been working for my whole life," he said. "My whole high school career, it's what I've been building up for.
With two wins Thursday, he'll become the third Box Elder wrestler added to the list and first since Brock Hardy from 2015-18. As he approaches his chance and his final state tournament, Ricks has one overriding emotion: gratitude.
"Honestly, it shows me how much I've taken this sport for granted sometimes. Thinking that I only have a day or two left, I'm grateful - for my teammates, my coaches, my parents. I'm grateful for the sport, and how much I've learned from it."
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A couple seconds later, the referee smacked his hand on the mat to signal the pin, which added Ricks’ name to the list of four-time boys wrestling state champions in Utah. “It’s awesome. I mean, I don’t really know how to put it into words right now if I’m being completely honest,” Ricks said.
Recruitment and Future Aspirations
Ricks' wrestling career is set to continue at the collegiate level. Head coach Adam Hall announced his 2024 recruiting class this afternoon. Ricks' wrestling career will continue - he's looking at in-state Utah Valley.
"I'm really excited and encouraged about the first recruiting class of my head coaching career. Our staff is proud to have several Utah and Idaho incoming freshmen and transfers who have decided to stay close to home. In total, six western states are represented by incoming guys, plus a strong addition in Pat Mullen from Illinois.
The Wolverines add Mahyki Smith, a transfer from Big 12 foe California Baptist. He saw time last year in a dual against Cal Poly and at the Roadrunner and Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, where he placed third at 184.
The 2024 class continues with five junior college transfers: Kasey Curtis, Luke Peltier, and Christian Slack join the Wolverines after spending time at Snow College. Curtis hails from Mount Pleasant, Utah, and wrestled at North Sanpete before attending Snow College. While in a Badger singlet, he became a NJCAA national qualifier after a second-place finish at the Region 18 championships and finished with a 26-12 overall record. In the classroom, he finished as a two-time NWCA Academic All-American.
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Peltier is a native of Palmer, AK, and competed in high school for Palmer High School. He was an ASAA state qualifier and an AKUSAW Folkstyle state champion. Slack is the third in this class to transfer from Snow College. The Midway, Utah native wrestled at Utah power Wasatch High School, where he placed twice at the UHSAA State Championship, including a second-place finish.
After a stellar career at Layton High School, Kaden Bennie enters Utah Valley as a freshman. He helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back state titles as a two-time UHSAA finalist and earned All-American honors while wrestling for Adam Fager.
Jake Castagneto is a four-time state finalist and a three-time state champion from Glenns Ferry, Idaho. While at Bishop Kelly, he helped lead his team to the 2024 Idaho 4A State Championship team title.
Caleb Farrar is a Freshman from Las Vegas, Nev. Ryker Fullmer hails from Driggs, Idaho, and wrestled at Teton High School. He is a two-time Idaho State Champion and wrestled for his father, James Fullmer. Patrick Mullen comes to Utah Valley from Naperville, Ill.
Jackzen Rairdon was a three-time Colorado state champion and a four-time finalist at Thompson Valley High School. The Loveland, Colorado native helped his team to three titles in high school. Talen Eck comes to Utah Valley from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Thunder Ridge High School. He was the first three-time state champion from Thunder Ridge and a national runner-up twice for Idaho. Jacob Myers won a pair of colorado state championships and was a three-time state finalist at Ponderosa High School.
Hailing from Langley, Washington is Smokey McClure. The 2023 Pennsylvania Prep State third-place finisher has won on both the high school and national stages. He was a Freestyle 2021 Fargo All-American and added Greco All-American in 2022 to his resume.
Levi Kovacs returns to the UVU program after redshirting in the 2021-2022 season, finishing 7-8 while wrestling unattached. He placed second at the Roadrunner Open and sixth at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open.
"We are very excited about the young men we are bringing in this year," Williams said. "These student-athletes are all serious about performing well and keeping up with our recent success in the classroom. A pair of incoming newcomers are transfers in Jaron Chavez (Cornell) and Dayton Racer (Clackamas CC), while 14 others will come to UVU out of high school.
Chavez was a three-time high school state champion for Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho, before heading to Ithaca, New York, to redshirt the 2017-18 campaign for national power Cornell. Chavez is also a Greco-Roman National Champion (2017) and has been an All-American in all three styles.
Racer, who is originally from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, was a four-time state finalist and two-time state champion in Missouri. He was also a Senior National High School champion before winning an NJCAA National Championship while wrestling at Iowa Central Community College during his freshman year in 2017. He then went on to wrestle the 2017-18 campaign at Clackamas Community College in Oregon before deciding to transfer to UVU.
Lofthouse, who is the nephew of UVU assistant coaches Ethen and Luke Lofthouse, recently won a 2018 Utah State Championship for Mountain Crest High School and is a four-time state placer for the Mustangs. He then went on to become an All-American at the national folkstyle tournament this spring.
Tanner will first serve an LDS Church Mission to San Jose, California, before joining the Wolverines for the 2020-21 season. Ringel, who hails from Coalville, Utah, is a multiple-time state champion for North Summit High School.
Trussell, who is from Morgan, Utah, is a three-time high school state champion out of Morgan High School. He is also a three-time Utah Triple Crown winner and a two-time All-American in all three styles of wrestling (freestyle, folkstyle and Greco-Roman). He also won the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions this past season.
Rubio, who is from Fontana, California, was a state qualifier and a CIF placewinner for Wilmer Amina Carter High School in Southern California. The UVU coaching staff has been very impressed with his work ethic and attitude on the mat and looks forward to having him come to Utah Valley to continue his development.
Tolentino, who is a graduate of wrestling power Poway High School just north of San Diego in Poway, California, joins the Wolverines after a successful prep career in which he was a California state placewinner and a two-time CIF champion. He was also a folkstyle All-American and a runner-up at the renowned Reno Tournament of Champions.
Nava, who is from Pueblo, Colorado, was a three-time state finalist at Pueblo County High School. He also earned National Folkstyle All-American honors as well as a championship at the esteemed Doc Buchanan Tournament.
Woodruff, who hails from Parker, Colorado, was a state champion wrestler during his prep career at Ponderosa High School. Edelblute, who is from Hayden, Idaho, was a two-time state champion for Lakeland Senior HS. He compiled an impressive 170-21 record during his prep days.
Gissel, who hails from Fruitland, Idaho, earned a 2018 state championship for Fruitland High School. He also wrestled his way to a runner-up finish at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Delgado, who is from El Paso, Texas, was a two-time state champion and a three-time state finalist for Eastwood High School in the Lone Star State. He also earned a pair of national folkstyle All-American honors.
Haddock, who is out of Southlake, Texas, was a two-time state champion for Carroll Senior High School in the state of Texas. He also earned folkstyle All-American accolades as well a pair of Brute National Championships.
Estrella, who is from Maui, Hawaii, was a four-time state placer and a two-time state champion for Lahainaluna High School in Hawaii. Rino, who hails from Farmington, New Mexico, was a four-time state champion for Piedra Vista HS.
Frampton, who is from Cross Lanes, West Virginia, was a 2018 state champion grappler for Nitro High School. The majority of the newcomers will join the Wolverines for the upcoming 2018-19 season.
Wyoming Defeats Utah Valley
University of Wyoming wrestling head coach Mark Branch wanted his team to wrestle aggressively on Friday in front of a home crowd that hadn't seen their Pokes in 76 days. The Cowboys claimed six of the final seven bouts en route to a lopsided 25-10 victory over Utah Valley inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.
"It was a dominating team score and a team effort," Branch said. "I thought we fought hard, and we are not at our best yet. Utah Valley took the first two matches and had one of its two ranked wrestlers at the third bout, eying control of the dual. But Cole Brooks (141) flipped the script and logged the biggest win of his career, a 7-2 decision win over No.
"That's a huge win for him for so many reasons," Branch said. Brooks created a wave of momentum that wasn't squelched. No. No. 15 Jared Hill (157) bounced back with an 8-6 decision win over Ryker Fullmer. Eddie Neitenbach (184) registered an 11-4 decision win in his UniWyo debut.
Friday marked Wyoming's second consecutive win and its third win in the last four matches.
Match Results:
- 141: Cole Brooks (Wyoming) decision No.
- 149: No.
- 157: No.
- 165: No.
- 197: No.