4 Idaho wrestlers win national championships. Can they finish the triple crown?
Four Idaho wrestlers brought home U.S. championships earlier this month, earning them national recognition and setting them up for a shot at the prestigious triple crown.
Meridian High freshman Jason Mara (126 pounds), Eagle resident Matthew Martino (106) and Blackfoot High freshman Mack Mauger (94) all won their weight classes in the 16-and-under division at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals in Iowa.
Brogan Bingham of Gooding also won the 105-pound title in the 10-and-under division.
The folkstyle national tournament is the first of USA Wrestling’s triple crown, which includes national championships in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in July in Fargo, North Dakota.
U.S. high schools and colleges compete in folkstyle wrestling. Freestyle and Greco are used in the Olympics.
Mara started his high school career with a bang last winter, going 40-2 to win the 5A state championship at 126 pounds. That momentum carried into the offseason and the national tournament, where he opened with 16-0 and 11-1 victories before pulling out 4-2 and 4-3 decisions to reach the finals. He beat Joseph Toscano of Clovis, California, for the title, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Martino steamrolled through the tournament. His closest decision was a 7-2 victory in the quarterfinals, and he scored a 12-2 major decision over Anthony Lopez of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the finals.
Martino is an eighth grader at St. Ignatius Middle School in Meridian. He plans to enroll as a freshman at Boise’s Bishop Kelly High in the fall.
Mauger rounded out Idaho’s strong showing at the 16-and-under tournament, edging South Fremont freshman Jaxton Packer 3-2 in an all-Idaho, 94-pound championship match. Mauger was Idaho’s 4A, 98-pound state champ in February.
Idaho’s last national folkstyle champ was Post Falls’ Ridge Lovett, who won junior national titles in 2018 and ‘19 before signing with Nebraska. He’s since made the NCAA national tournament twice in two seasons with the Huskers.
This story was originally published April 13, 2021 at 4:30 PM.
