Herriman wrestling starts off strong

What’s the difference between a first-year wrestling program and a second-year wrestling program at Herriman High?

“It’s like night and day,” head coach Daniel DuPaix said.

The Mustangs went into winter break this year with 11 wins and only four losses.

“I don’t think we even won four matches total all year last year,” DuPaix said.

The Mustangs ended the first half of the season Dec. 22 by defeating rival Riverton High in an annual dual tournament the two schools have named the “Diamondback Duel.”

The winning team keeps more than just their pride. They take home a custom-made championship boxing belt. The belt weighs about eight pounds, reads “Herriman vs. Riverton” on the front and displays the Silverwolves logo on one side and the Mustang logo on the other.

Last year, the Silverwolves won with a solid 20-point victory. This year the Mustangs defeated the Silverwolves 61-15 and brought home the belt to display.

“It was a phenomenal performance,” DuPaix said. “They were good last year, but we were worried this year because they have eight seniors on their varsity squad. But our kids stepped up and had some tough matches but pulled through. For two of our bigger kids, it seemed a toss up either way. We weren’t sure we would win, but both kids turned their guys over and pinned them and basically secured the match for us with that momentum on our side.”

Many of the Herriman athletes wrestled for Riverton as freshmen or sophomores, creating a hot rivalry.

“We’re still on Cloud Nine,” DuPaix said. “It was great for our wrestlers, and it was great for our school.”

The tournament was held at Herriman High this year.

One of the biggest differences between this year’s team and last year’s is the experience. Last year, many of the athletes were trying wrestling for the first time. This year, much of the team already has varsity experience, and many have region and state-level competition experience.

The team has 10 seniors this year, led by Zac Hewitt and Conrad Tirado.

The team has experience but is still young, holding promise for not only a strong season this year, but for many years to come. Three sophomores stand out for the Mustangs including Chandler Strand, who placed at region last year and Kenner French, who, at 152 pounds, wrestles up in the 160 weigh division.

Rounding out the sophomores is Jed Deiderich, who moved to Herriman this year from Alaska, alongside his brother Jentry, a senior caption. Both competed in the Alaska state competition last year and Jentry placed.

“That is a huge accomplishment for them, and to have both brothers move in is a huge strength. They are two great wrestlers in every aspect,” DuPaix said.

The biggest contribution in how well the team is performing this year DuPaix said is how hard they work.

“We are the best conditioned team in the state. We are the most fit team in the state, and we are proud of it,” he said. “And they’re asking for it. They say, ‘Coach, what do I need to do to get better?’ and then they do it. They’ll be literally falling on the ground because what they’re asked to do is so hard, they can’t keep up. Then they’ll ask for more. It has been really an amazing experience for me.”

The Mustangs compete in the region tournament Feb. 1 at Westlake and DuPaix said they expect to take a group of people to the state tournament Feb.8 at UVU and hope to surprise some people