The Class 6A field was deep and talented in boys wrestling this season, and Riverton made a strong showing in the state meet. 

The Silverwolves placed seventh in 6A at the tournament, held at Utah Valley University Feb. 14, 15. Riverton scored 93.5 points, well ahead of eighth-place Skyridge. Riverton placed ninth last season. 

“This was our best state tournament as a school since 2004, so I am extremely happy,” head coach Joseph Gorman said. 

In the 106-pound class, Riverton’s Easton Olson captured the individual state championship after a tremendous tournament. Olson entered the tournament with a 35-7 record, seeded second. Olson defeated Kacen Jones of Corner Canyon 11-9 in the final round. Jones had defeated Olson earlier in the season by the score of 4-3. Gorman was thrilled to see Olson avenge that loss. Olson is the latest in a family of excellent, accomplished wrestlers. 

“Easton is a scrappy, tough kid and a smart wrestler,” Gorman said. “He doesn’t really make mistakes, so he is hard to beat. He’s the third Olson that has placed in the state tournament. Kaden took second in 2022, and Carter took sixth last year. It’s a great wrestling family.”

Olson began his title march with a win by technical fall in 1:31. He then won by fall in 3:18 before prevailing in the semifinals in overtime. Olson is just a sophomore, so he still has two more season to wrestle for the Silverwolves. 

He wasn’t the only Riverton wrestler to advance in the tournament. 

Sophomore Sam Moody, who took first in the 106-pound class last season, placed third in this year’s tournament. He wrestled in the 126-pound weight class this time around after going 38-9 during the season. Moody won by technical fall in 1:41 in his first match and then reached the semifinals with a 13-1 victory. There, Moody was upset 10-7. Gorman said Moody might have been looking ahead to the finals. Still, he was happy with Moody’s efforts as he rebounded in the consolation bracket. Gorman expects Moody to come back next season prepared to recapture his state crown. 

“He did not wrestle his best in the semis, but he showed resilience and beat two tough kids afterwards to take third,” Gorman said. “I’m proud of him win or lose. This will serve as motivation to win state next year.”

In the 175-pound group, Riverton’s Dylan Shafizadeh finished fourth. The senior was 31-14 during the season. He began the tournament with a pair of victories, first winning by fall in 1:57. In the quarterfinals, he won by fall in 2:19. With a chance to get to the finals, Shafizadeh faced a tough opponent from Fremont, losing by fall in 44 seconds. However, Shafizadeh won a consolation bracket match by fall in 3:28 and got to the third-fourth match. His season ended with a loss by technical fall in 2:40. 

Sophomore Colton Peshell was fifth in the 132-pound class. He opened with a victory by technical fall in 4:46 and then lost in the quarterfinals by fall in 3:31. Peshell rebounded with a win by fall in 26 seconds and another victory, by fall in 5:51, before losing 15-4. In the fifth-place match, Peshell won by fall in 4:20. 

Another Riverton wrestler, Garrett Bracken, finished fifth at state. The sophomore joined Olson in the 106-pound class. Bracken won his first match in dominant fashion, prevailing 13-0. After a loss by technical fall in 2:41, Bracken won by fall in 4:55 and then again by fall, this time in 5:50. After a 19-6 loss, Bracken won the fifth-place match. 

Gorman loved how Shafizadeh, Peshell and Bracken wrestled at state. He said all three improved throughout the year and gave it their all. Peshell and Bracken were first-time state placers this season. 

“Dylan turned a corner this year and got way more confident with his attacks, so it is awesome to see him place as a senior,” he said. “Neither Garrett nor Colton qualified for state last year, so for them to both place is crazy. They put in a ton of work in the offseason and improved dramatically. Those two work so hard. I’m very proud of all of them.” 

Shafizadeh will graduate at the end of the school year, so his wrestling career at Riverton is over. However, the other state placers have two more seasons to go, so the Silverwolves’ program could be in good shape. Gorman is optimistic that the team could be a force in 2025–26. 

“We’ve got a great young group to build around,” he said. “Of our 16 qualifiers 12 will be coming back.” λ