10 wrestlers and four stories to watch at the Idaho state wrestling tournaments
The Idaho high school state wrestling tournaments return to Nampa’s Ford Idaho Center again this year. But the championship event will look different.
The two-day event will split into two, separate one-day tournaments in an effort to limit crowds and slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The 5A and 4A classifications will go first, hosting their entire tournament into Friday. The 3As and 2As will follow and crown their champions Saturday.
Tickets will not be sold at the Idaho Center. Schools will distribute tickets to their fans, and masks and social distancing are required inside the Idaho Center.
Wrestlers from the Treasure Valley stand poised to rack up medals, and several schools are in the hunt for team titles. Here are the top things to watch for.
TOP WRESTLERS TO WATCH
Hunter Mitchell, Kuna: The senior can etch his name into the record books with a fourth state championship this week. Only 29 Idaho wrestlers have ever done that, including just one from Kuna.
He hasn’t dominated as in years past, finishing sixth at Rollie Lane and fourth at Minico’s Red Halverson Invite. But Mitchell (36-6) is still the top seed in 5A’s 132-pound bracket and the clear favorite.
Charley Hastriter, Capital: The Oregon State signee didn’t get much of a senior season as Boise schools could only compete in eight duals. But Hastriter (14-0) has pinned every opponent he’s faced. He will look to make up for lost time and earn his second state title as the No. 1 seed in 5A’s heavyweight division.
Kaleb Smith, Meridian: The senior and reigning state champ leads Meridian’s charge for its first team state title in 34 years. With a 28-1 record, his only loss came because of an injury in the finals at Rollie to McCall’s MaHonri Rushton.
Dante Roggio, Kuna: A three-time state finalist, Roggio broke through with his first title last year. Then he made a big leap to 170 pounds and moved up to 5A this year. A rematch with Coeur d’Alene’s Gunner Giulio, whom Roggio beat 3-2 for a Rollie Lane title, looms in the finals.
Christopher Martino, Bishop Kelly: Already the school’s only two-time state champion, the junior can keep rewriting the record books at Bishop Kelly. He’s 32-1 this year, 110-4 for his career and the top seed in 4A’s 126-pound bracket.
Dedrick Navarro, Nampa: No Bulldog has ever won three or four state titles. Navarro (31-1) has a shot to become the first to do both. The sophomore’s only loss came to Blackfoot’s Mack Mauger, who looms as the No. 2 seed in 4A’s 98-pound division.
Carson Exferd, Nampa: Any records Navarro sets, Exferd could quickly break . The freshman enters 32-0 and won Rollie Lane as the ninth seed. He quickly earned respect around the state and is the top seed in 4A’s 106-pound bracket.
MaHonri Rushton, McCall-Donnelly: The senior joined the Vandals this season as a defending Oregon state champ. He’s undefeated at 37-0, won a Rollie Lane title and is seeking to add another championship as the top seed in 3A’s 195-pound division.
Joel Campbell, New Plymouth: The son of Pilgrims’ coach Caleb Campbell, the junior is already a two-time state champ. He enters undefeated (46-0), on a 60-match win streak and the favorite in 2A’s 145-pound bracket.
Kyle Rice, New Plymouth: The younger brother of a four-time state champ, the Pilgrims junior is on pace to win four of his own. Rice (33-0) is the heavy favorite for a third championship Saturday in 2A’s 126-pound division.
TOP STORYLINES TO WATCH
Meridian seeks elusive title: The Warriors enter as the clear favorite for their first state championship since 1987.
Meridian qualified 29 wrestlers for the 5A state tournament, the most in any classification. And it won the prestigious Rollie Lane Invite in January, a tournament often considered tougher than state.
The Warriors hoisted that trophy thanks to their superior depth, which they will turn to again this week. Meridian qualified two wrestlers in every weight class but one (195), giving it plenty of opportunities to rack up points around the Idaho Center.
Smith and sophomore Cade White (35-3 at 138 pounds) lead the way as defending state champs and No. 1 seeds. But Meridian will have plenty of competition from Post Falls, the three-time defending champ, as well as Kuna, a two-time defending 4A champ that moved up to 5A this season.
Post Falls sent 20 wrestlers to state. Kuna will bring 19, including four No. 1 seeds.
New Plymouth chasing first title: The Pilgrims have come oh-so-close in recent years, finishing second in 2020, ‘17 and ‘15. Ririe has kept New Plymouth under its thumb with a dominant run of six straight team championships, tying the longest streak in state history.
But New Plymouth enters with a pair of undefeated athletes in RIce and Campbell. And Trent Myers (32-3) gives the Pilgrims another No. 1 seed at 152 pounds. All three are returning state champs.
The Pilgrims also sent more wrestlers to state (20) than Ririe (14), giving them a shot to finally hoist the trophy.
The last year of boys vs. girls: A record 18 girls qualified for this year’s state tournament, the final one before Idaho starts a separate competition for its female wrestlers.
Only two girls have ever placed at state — Mountain Home’s Aerial Groene (fourth at 4A 106 in 2012) and Post Falls’ Cierra Foster (third at 5A 106 in 2014). None qualified this year above the 132-pound weight class.
The top threats to reach the medal stand this week include Highland-Craigmont’s Kadence Beck (21-6), the No. 4 seed at 2A’s 106 pounds, and Moscow’s Skyla Zimmerman (16-1), the No. 6 seed at 4A’s 106 pounds.
One of the nation’s best: Coeur d’Alene junior Rylan Rogers enters state as one of Idaho’s most heavily recruited wrestlers in recent history.
Ranked No. 2 in the nation at 182 pounds by TrackWrestling, Rogers competed for national powerhouse Blair Academy in New Jersey the past two years, winning a national prep school championship last season.
The Clarkston, Washington, native announced his final six schools earlier this month, and they included Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon State, Oklahoma and North Carolina State.
At 11-0 this season, he’s the No. 2 seed in the 5A 195-pound bracket behind Idaho Falls’ Jovon Howe (21-0).
This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
