Home/Coaches

The coaching staff

You are handing us your kid for several hours a week. Here is who we are and how we run a room.

How we coach

Demanding, and worth coming back to

Our practices ask a lot. Wrestlers will be tired, they will lose in the room, and they will be asked to do things they are not good at yet. That is the work, and we think kids rise to it when the room is one they trust.

So we coach with clear instruction, steady correction, and respect for every wrestler in front of us. Kids learn skills fastest when they feel safe enough to try something and get it wrong, and we build the room around that.

The goal is a kid who wants to come back tomorrow. Everything else — technique, conditioning, results — follows from that, and nothing works without it.

This is year one. We are building a program our wrestlers will want to be part of for the next decade, and the standard we set in this room now is the one they will carry.

What we promise your family

Every coach is USA Wrestling certified, SafeSport trained, and background screened
Youth wrestlers compete at the weight they walk in at, and learn to fuel well
Beginners drill and go live with partners their own size and experience
Injuries are taken seriously the first time they are mentioned
Your wrestler's progress gets talked about with you, not just about them
Mat time and tournament entries are earned in the room, by every family alike

The staff

Who is on the mat

Five coaches on the mat, every one of them USA Wrestling certified, SafeSport trained, and background screened.

Head Coach & USA Wrestling Club Director

Jake Salazar

3× Utah State Champion
4× Fargo Nationals All-American
University of Michigan
2012 University Nationals champion, 74kg
U.S. Marine Corps, Major

Coach Jake leads the Deer Creek Riverhawks wrestling program as both Head Coach and USA Wrestling Club Director, overseeing everything from youth Little Hawks to the varsity squad. He also coaches football at Deer Creek, and stays active himself as a competitive wrestler, training year-round alongside the athletes he coaches.

A three-time Utah state champion and four-time state finalist at Wasatch High School, Jake compiled a 183–10 career prep record and was a four-time Fargo Nationals All-American. He went on to wrestle at the University of Michigan, where he won the 2012 University Nationals freestyle title at 74kg and placed second at the University World Team Trials.

Before coaching, Jake served ten years in the United States Marine Corps as a communications officer, reaching the rank of Major. He currently works in tech support for the Wasatch County School District.

Coach Jake is building the Riverhawks program from the ground up and is excited to continue growing wrestling in the Heber Valley for years to come.

Assistant Coach

Colton Salazar

Purdue University
4× NCAA qualifier
Big Ten runner-up
2× Utah State Champion

Coach Colton brings Big Ten wrestling experience to the Riverhawks staff. A two-time Utah state champion at Wasatch High School, he went on to wrestle at Purdue University, qualifying for the NCAA tournament four times. He capped his career as a Big Ten tournament runner-up.

Colton is Coach Jake Salazar's older brother, and the two grew up wrestling together in Midway before taking their careers to Michigan and Purdue, respectively. He brings that same passion and Big Ten-level technical background to developing Riverhawks wrestlers of every age.

Assistant Coach

Carson Brown

Utah State Champion, 171 lb
3× state finalist
High School All-American

Coach Carson captained the Wasatch Wasps wrestling program and helped lead the team to four straight state championships during his high school career, wrestling alongside Head Coach Jake Salazar.

He was a three-time state finalist, capturing a Utah state title his senior year while compiling a 155–16 prep record, and earned High School All-American status finishing as runner-up at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Coach Carson graduated from BYU in business and owns and operates a local pest control company. A Heber Valley native, he brings a wealth of knowledge and integrity to the Riverhawks wrestling program.

Assistant Coach

Heath Clyde

126 lb Utah State Champion
3× state placer
Heber Valley roots

Coach Heath wrestled for the Wasatch Wasps, one of Utah's most storied programs, placing at state three years running before capping his senior season as a 126-pound state champion. He brings that championship pedigree and Heber Valley roots to the Riverhawks coaching staff.

Assistant Coach

Mathew Shallenberger

Dean of Students, Deer Creek High School
10+ years coaching wrestling
All levels, youth to varsity
Strength & conditioning coach

Coach Mathew has coached wrestling for more than ten years at every level, from first-time youth wrestlers through varsity, and spent three years as a strength and conditioning coach in Las Vegas. He brings that background to how Riverhawks wrestlers train, recover, and build the engine that carries them through a season.

He also works at Deer Creek High School in student services as Dean of Students, so he is a familiar face to Riverhawks families well beyond the wrestling room.

Safety

The unglamorous part we take seriously

Screened and certified

Current USA Wrestling coaching membership, SafeSport training, and a background screening for every adult who coaches. We will happily confirm any coach's status if you ask.

Clean mats, every session

Mats are disinfected before practice. Wrestlers with any open cut, rash, or questionable skin patch get checked by a coach before stepping on — no exceptions and no embarrassment.

Head and neck first

Before any technique, new wrestlers learn how to fall, how to post, and how to keep their head in a safe position. Recognising a risky position and getting out of it is a skill we teach directly.

Matched by size and skill

Drill and live partners are paired by weight and experience, so every wrestler works against someone who makes them better at a speed they can handle.

Speak up, sit down, get checked

A wrestler who says something hurts sits down and gets looked at. Missing one practice to be sure is always the better trade, and we tell wrestlers that plainly.

Two-deep, always

A second adult is present any time a coach is with a wrestler, at practice and in transit. This is the SafeSport standard, and we hold to it.

Want to help?

A club this new runs on volunteers — and you do not need a wrestling background to be useful. We need help with scoring tables, tournament setup, team gear, snacks, photography, and social media.

If you wrestled and want to coach, even better. Coaching volunteers complete a USA Wrestling coaching membership, SafeSport training, and a background screening before stepping on the mat.

Email us about volunteering

Come meet us in person

The best way to judge a coaching staff is to watch one practice. Come do that, then decide.

Pay club dues

Paid to Deer Creek Wrestling Club. Covers coaching, mat time, and gear.

Choose your group

Join our USA Wrestling club

Paid to USA Wrestling. Required for insurance and to enter any tournament.

USA Wrestling Club ID 2600185802