He was a freshman wrestler at Box Elder High then, competing in the 5A, 106-pound state championship match.

But Ricks was highly touted even as a freshman and picked as a favorite in the weight class.

Eventually, Ricks won the state title in a match where he was called for a two-point stalling penalty in the third period, then won 7-5 with a takedown in overtime.

Ricks said it was his hardest state title of the three he’s won so far. His sophomore year at 113 pounds, he got a pin in the finals. Last year wrestling at 120 pounds, he won 9-4.

This week, Ricks will attempt to win his fourth state championship at the 5A state wrestling tournament, which is returning to Utah Valley University this winter after the COVID-19 pandemic forced state wrestling tournaments to be held at mostly high school sites last year.

“It’s come by really fast. I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete and the opportunity to even go out there and wrestle and win a fourth state title,” Ricks said in a phone interview Saturday.

The first rounds of the tournament are Wednesday with semifinals and finals on Thursday.

Now wrestling at 120 pounds, Ricks has a 43-1 record this season, according to TrackWrestling, which would put his career record to date at 159-9.

“Every day, I always envision myself in the state finals winning my fourth state title. It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life, one of my goals that I’ve had for my whole life. Its crazy that it’s so close,” Ricks said.

More than 20 boys wrestlers have accomplished the four-peat in Utah prep wrestling history. Before every practice, while doing a warmup jog around the BEHS wrestling room, Ricks passes a board with the names “Jeff Newby” and “Brock Hardy” on it, the two Box Elder wrestlers who’ve won four wrestling state titles.

“I’ve been looking at that board all growing up,” Ricks said.

It turns out the warmup jog around the wrestling room does more for Ricks than get his legs loose and his heart pumping. The run helps him hone in mentally.

“Before practice, I’m always envisioning myself winning that fourth state title, I’m always envisioning myself being successful and that makes it pretty easy to work hard,” Ricks said. “And being a captain on my wrestling team, I want to be an example, show the kids what it takes to be the best, I’m always trying to be an example and work hard for those guys.”

There’s a lot that motivates Ricks to be successful in wrestling. He loves the sport, loves winning — his one loss this season “freakin’ motivated me,” he said — and he eventually wants to wrestle in college. Ricks credited former teammates, his head coach Jed Craner and his parents for helping him get to this position.

“(My parents have) given me a lot of opportunities that a lot of kids don’t have. They’ve paid for a lot of good training, they’ve helped me travel to go to some big tournaments … they’ve blessed me with a lot of opportunities that, basically, I owe them to put in the effort,” Ricks said.

Ricks is one of five Region 5 boys wrestlers who earned a No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament. Viewmont twins Moses and Marcus Espinoza-Owens (157 and 165 pounds, respectively) are top seeds in their brackets, as are a pair of unbeaten, 41-0 wrestlers from Woods Cross in Colton Erickson (144) and Cash Henderson (215).

Box Elder qualified 15 wrestlers, the most from Region 5, and Viewmont qualified 13. Both teams would need an impressive showing to crack into the top three of the team standings, as Payson, Uintah and Wasatch are expected to be the team frontrunners.

5A GIRLS PREVIEW

The 5A girls wrestling state tournament will be held simultaneously alongside the boys tournament.

Northridge High’s girls team, which captured the Region 5 championship, qualified 14 wrestlers for the state tournament, the second-most of any team in the field.

Northridge finished second at the divisional tournament behind Uintah, which qualified a tournament-high 19 wrestlers in the state tournament. But the Knights qualified 14, the second most behind the aforementioned Utes.

Northridge has three No. 1 seeds with senior Karla Padilla Zapeda (235), sophomore Mikalah Whitehouse (120) and freshman Fe Speredon (170).

Padilla Zapeda is a defending state champion who, in the second year of girls wrestling being a sanctioned sport, is looking to be one of the first girls wrestlers to win repeat state titles in Utah.

Bonneville senior Patience Smith is a No. 1 seed in the 135-pound weight class.