News

Actions

Utah wrestlers grapple in lights-out bouts after power outage in St. George

Posted at 8:23 PM, Feb 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-03 22:28:34-05

ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Several wrestling matches at a 4A Divisional Championship went on even after the lights went out Saturday.

Adam Legas tells Fox 13 News his son Cooper, who plays quarterback for the Orem Tigers and is a state champion in javelin, won his final match in the 195-pound division under the glow of screens rather than the lights in the gym around 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

Video shot by Legas captured a portion of the match, and Orem Tigers Football also tweeted a photo of the scene.

Legas said the power went out with 30 seconds remaining in the final match of the 170-pound division. Event organizers waited for the power to come back on, but Legas said as the kids became more anxious and spectators gathered with their phone lights they decided to resume the bouts.

Legas said organizers told the crowd: “Everybody just gather round the mat', so a just bunch of people with their cell phones gathered around the tournament mat."

The impromptu lights carried the contestants through the final 30 seconds of the 170-pound match and then the entirety of the final matches for the 182, 195, 220, and heavyweight divisions. Legas said the medals were also presented to winners by the light of the screens.

St. George Power tweeted about a large outage Saturday, which they said was fixed as of about 7:40 p.m.

Cooper Legas and the other winners from this event will advance to the State Championships, which are scheduled for next weekend at Utah Valley University.