At Payson High School, wrestling is a tradition spanning many generations.
“We do have a strong background in wrestling in the community. A number of wrestlers have fathers who wrestled here,” said Chris Loveless, Payson Head Coach.
“Uncles who wrestled here… you got a community here where a lot of people stick around. You get second and third generations coming through the program.
The team has won two state 4-A championships in the last year, including Senior Mitch Brown who has won three state championships and defeated a big school opponent Brighton’s Rami Haddadin at the all-star challenge last weekend.
“Pretty much everyone on my dad’s side has wrestled,” said Jed Mellen, a junior who had a perfect 50-0 record last year. “It’s boring, isn’t it? It’s natural, it’s just what happens in my family.”
