OREM – By Cari Doutre – Feb. 16, 2020
When Bear River High’s Trenton Ward sets his mind to something, he gets it done.
In Feb. 2019, Trenton made it the 4A state wrestling championship finals in the 106-pound weight division. That year, as a sophomore, he lost in the finals landing him in second place. It was at that moment that Trenton decided something needed to happen if he was to make it back into the finals in 2020 but this time the victor.
“This year has been about the hardest work I can do. I stayed after every practice working out and cutting weight,” said Trenton.
“I didn’t take time off since last season. I wrestled all summer with Team Utah and I just focused on all my shots and set ups and getting up and all that. I knew I needed to become a more technical wrestler,” he added.
That hard work and dedication paid off for him – big time. On Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, Trenton was once again the finals at 106 in the 4A state championships, but he was a much different wrestler compared to last year.
“I focus on myself and how I’m going to set up my shots what to do,” Trenton said about preparing for the state finals match. That focus includes listening to music and advice from his coaches.
Trenton showed confidence and focus on the mat. The kind that takes months of perfecting advanced wrestling techniques and skill to achieve.
With that focus and improvement Trenton earned his first state championship title on the wrestling mat that night. He pinned Easton Evans from Mountain Crest in the finals and made it look easy.
“I was so excited. It’s everything I worked for,” he said.
Bear River High’s head wrestling coach Jeff Smart could tell that Trenton worked hard for that title and it showed.
“Trenton’s had unfinished business from last year,” Smart said. “We knew that, and Trenton knew that.”
“He puts in a lot of extra work and hard work pays off for these guys,” Smart added.
Trenton is the son of Josh and Tara Ward and he’s not the only wrestler in his family on the Bear River High wrestling team. Younger brother Kayden, a sophomore, has developed that same talent on the wrestling mat as Trenton.
This year Kayden took fourth place at 113 in the Division B tournament on Feb. 8, good enough to qualify for the state tournament. Although he didn’t place in the top six in his weight division in the 4A state tournament, there’s still two more years of high school wrestling left for him.
Anything can happen in two years in the world of high school wrestling.
And in case readers were curious about where Trenton keeps his new first-place state medal and last year’s second place medal, don’t worry, they are safe.
Trenton keeps them in a fashionable Nike fanny pack around his waist. Not many people can pull off a fanny pack but Trenton can - especially if it’s filled with state titles.
