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VIEWMONT VIKINGS
“We have a great coaching staff because we have no egos,” Ripplinger said. “Each coach does what is necessary for us to be successful as a team.”
The Vikings kicked off the season with an upset of then-rankjed no. 1 Wasatch High School, 29-28. With the match starting at 160, Wasatch jumped out to a 21-0 lead after the first four matches. Viewmont chipped away and took its first lead 29-24 and when Wasatch’s Jake Salazar (no. nationallyt ranked 152 pounder) couldn’t pin Viking Moroni Redd, Viewmont celebrated a hard-fought win.
“That was a great way to get the season rol,ling,” Ripplinger said. “It put down the foundation of the rest of the year. The boys did a great job and could have quit when we were down early, but they didn’t quit and it became a theme for the rest of the year.”
The Vikings went undefeated through the season and won another in a strong of 5A Dual Championships. In the semi-finals, the hero was Andrew Kimber, who pinned his opponent from Davis High, someone Andrew had never beaten before, to give the Vikings the 34-30. Viewmont went rhrough the formalities of beating Hunter High in the finals of the tournament 44-22.
Viewmont has won five consecutive 5A State Dual titles and six in seven years.
“The 5A Duals was an exciting tournament,” Ripplinger said. “This team always finds a way to get the job done. We have beaten some teams by big scores, but when we have a kid like Andrew Kimber come through in a tight match when we absolutely needed him, it just shows the mental toughness of this team.”
Viewmont won the Region 1 championship picking up 390 points. Weber was second with 318, followed by Davis (276). Region 1 winners included Nate Larsen (112), Ikeru Abe (130, Sam Graham (171) and Ron Wyman (285).
“We clicked at Region,” Ripplinger said. “I think we surprised some people with our JV guys.We really ran away with this torunament.”
The state tournament started off great as Viewmont led for much of the early rounds. Upon the last round Thursday night, the Vikings dropped 16 of 18 matches, including six of seven in the semi-finals and actually trailed Weber heading into the final day of competition Friday morning.
“The guys were up against it that Thursday,” Ripplinger said. “We had a meeting and I told the guys they could give up and hand the state title to Weber or we could go home, get somke sleep and re-group and have a great day on Friday.
And that’s the Vikings did.
With defending national champion Nate Larsen in the finals, the Vikings had the following wrestlers earn points by placing in the top six at the tournament: Kenji Sato (112-6th), Josh Smoot (4th-125), Ikeru Abe (5th – 130), Mitch Rasmussen (5th – 135), Derek Wesche (6th-140), Eric Call (4th – 160), Sam Graham (3rd-171), Bryce Leavitt (5th – 189), Ron Wyman (5th – 285).
Nate Larsen won his final, 3-2 over Ryker Vanderoolen of Bingham, the Vikings stepped closer to its title. And after Brighton’s Jon Gappmeier stopped Weber’s last threat by beating Lew Woosley, the Vikings celebrated their championship.
“The guys wrestled great on that last day,” Ripplinger said. “They wouldn’t quit and all of those close matches started going our way.”
Back at Viewmont High, Channel 4’s Ken Rupe announced during the boys basketball game that the wrestlers had won the state championship. This led to an eruption by the crowd.
“It doesn’t surprise me that the people at the basketball game reacted like that,” Ripplinger said. “Viewmont is like that. Every team supports one another. The basketball coaches (Jeff Emery and Brad Christensen) had come down to watch and cheer at the first night of the tournament after their practice was over. We are happy for the success the basketball team and others had this year and they have been a great support to our team.”
“This is one of the things that makes Viewmont stand out.”
As for the state championship season, Ripplinger said, “Our guys deserved it. They outworked everyone. Our room is the toughest room in the state. And jmust like all season, when we were up against it, the guys came through.”
“I am so proud of all of them.”
The Vikings are working in the off-season attending camps throughout the nation, hitting tournaments, and lifting weights and running up the mountains with one goal in mind: to repeat as state champions.