District wrestling titles were clinched Wednesday. These were the champs in 5A, 4A, girls
The Treasure Valley’s 5A, 4A and girls high school wrestling programs converged Wednesday for a first-of-its-kind competition this week.
The three tournaments joined forces under one roof at Expo Idaho, determining their champions and a bounty of state tournament berths.
Here were the highlights from an action-packed two days at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds.
MERIDIAN FOUR-PEATS AS DISTRICT CHAMPS
The Warriors solidified their status as the Treasure Valley’s top program and reasserted themselves as the team to beat at next week’s state tournament with their fourth straight 5A District Three championship.
Six Meridian wrestlers climbed to the top of the podium Wednesday, and 22 clinched their tickets to state. The Warriors could add even more once the IHSAA awards its wildcard berths this weekend.
Meridian finished with 748.5 points in a two-team race for the district title, edging Nampa’s total of 704. Mountain View took third at 416.5, and Eagle finished fourth at 382.
“Over the past couple years, this program has really grown,” Meridian senior Cade White said. “It shows with everyone wanting to come to our program seeing the success we have.”
White (37-5) remains the one constant during Meridian’s four-year run as district champs. The Oregon State signee hung on for his fourth straight district title Wednesday, fighting off a pair of late takedowns by Nampa’s Jonathan Seamons at the edge of the mat for a 3-2 decision in the 160-pound finals.
But White wasn’t the only Warrior to add another multiple championships to his resume. Junior Jason Mara (48-4) and senior Isaiah Twait (41-4) clinched their third straight district championships at 152 and 182 pounds, respectively. And senior Carson Gooley (40-6) repeated as the 195-pound champ.
Junior Hudson Rogers (43-5), another Oregon State commit at 170 pounds, and Jerimiah Gonzalez (45-4), a sophomore at 113, also captured their first district titles in a Warrior uniform.
The depth that allowed Meridian to send nine wrestlers to the district finals has powered the Warriors all season. They’ve won every tournament they’ve entered except the River City Duals in North Idaho. And it remains the key to capturing a third straight state championship next week at the Ford Idaho Center.
“It’s gonna be tough,” Meridian coach Brad Muri said. “Post Falls is loaded. They have a really good team, and, obviously, Nampa is really good. I think it’s going to be whoever shows up and competes better.”
BISHOP KELLY WINS RARE DISTRICT TITLE
Wrestling remains the only Bishop Kelly athletic program to never win a state title. The Knights will try to break that streak next week. But first, they rode eight champions and 15 automatic state qualifiers to the first 4A District Three championship in recent memory.
Bishop Kelly racked up 501.5 points at Expo Idaho, edging second-place Caldwell by 79 points. The performance solidifies the Knights as a wrestling power, not just a school with a handful of individual contenders.
“BK definitely has some studs,” Bishop Kelly coach Manny Ybarra said. “But as a team, we are really improving and becoming a good tournament and dual team.”
Jadon Skellenger led the Bishop Kelly parade of district champions. The undefeated junior (40-0) pinned all three opponents he faced for the 152-pound title. No match made it to the third round.
Junior Seiya Thompson (38-11) also racked up four straight pins for the 160-pound title, and sophomore Matthew Martino (39-3) captured his second straight district championship with the 126-pound crown.
Dylan Dottaviano (106), Jake Castagneto (132), Manuel Valdez (138), Crew Nelson (182) and Phil Janquart (220) rounded out Bishop Kelly’s champions as the Knights went 8-2 in the final round.
Castagneto (37-6) provided the night’s most dramatic finish. Columbia’s Payton Hernandez (17-1) caught him peeking at the clock to score a takedown with 3 seconds left and force overtime. But Castagneto rallied in the sudden-death extra period, scoring a takedown 21 seconds into overtime for a 6-4 victory.
EAGLE GIRLS REPEAT AS DISTRICT CHAMPS
The Mustangs remained the unquestioned leaders of the Treasure Valley, repeating as the all-class district champs in the tournament’s second year.
Eagle finished with 167 points, 53 points ahead of Boise in second place.
Eagle’s upperweights led the way again with three individual champions. Junior Jordynn LeBeau (23-2) pinned her way to the 165-pound title, and twin sisters Reece Woods (22-2) and Olivia Woods (12-3) did the same at 185 and 235.
Olivia Woods needed just 9 seconds to pin Rocky Mountain’s Reece Moody for the heavyweight crown.
“They’re kind of the stable of the team,” Eagle coach Michael Stone said of the trio. “They’ve been the foundation, and all the other girls are adding onto it.”
No other girls team had more than one individual champ.
Eagle will send at least seven qualifiers to next week’s state tournament, where it remains the heavy favorite to repeat there as well. Another two could make it as wildcards, Stone said.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS
Eagle senior Tanner Frothinger captured his fourth straight district title. The Nebraska signee scored four unanswered points in the third round for a 7-4 victory in the 5A 130-pound finals.
Borah senior Aden Attao stretched his perfect record to 32-0 with a 14-0 major decision against Mountain View’s Shilo Jones in the 5A heavyweight championship.
Nampa senior Dedrick Navarro (40-8) cruised to his third district title, routing Eagle’s Joe Madden 23-8 for a tech fall in the 5A 120-pound finals.
Nampa junior Carson Exferd (39-7) made it 3-for-3 in his career at district, tech falling Eagle’s Wylie Stone 18-3 for the 5A 132-pound crown.
Caldwell senior Hunter Bidelman protected his perfect season (44-0) with the 4A 145-pound title. He scored a reversal with 8 seconds left to edge Bishop Kelly’s Carlos Valdez 8-6 and avoid overtime.
Columbia senior Nakoa Fouret (24-3) pinned all three opponents he faced for the 4A 170-pound title, his third straight district championship. No match made it to the third round.
Caldwell junior Nia Avelino (37-6) found little competition en route to the girls 100-pound title. All four matches end in the first round with a pin.
Rocky Mountain senior Mia Furman (35-1) rode three straight first-round pins to the girls 145-pound title.
5A District Three Tournament
Tuesday-Wednesday
At Expo Idaho, Garden City
BOYS TEAM SCORES
1, Meridian 748.5. 2, Nampa 704. 3, Mountain View 416.5. 4, Eagle 382. 5, Middleton 354. 6, Kuna 326. 7, Rocky Mountain 255.5. 8, Timberline 217. 9, Capital 191.5. 10, Centennial 183. 11, Borah 177. 12, Boise 161. 13, Owyhee 143.
BOYS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
Top 9 to state, 1 statewide wildcard
98 pounds: 1, Ilan Shank, Nampa. 2, Mason Motley, Meridian. 3, Dylan Frothinger, Eagle. 4, Dezmond Burch, Centennial. 5, Wyatt Pearson, Timberline. 6, Dakota Jenkins, Mountain View. 7, Teagan Navarro, Nampa. 8, Austin Juarez, Rocky Mountain. 9, Ryan Fuhriman, Kuna
106: 1, Vincent Contreras, Nampa. 2, Gabriel Arnold, Meridian. 3, Joey Strickland, Kuna. 4, Chase Jensen, Rocky Mountain. 5, Isidro Cortez, Rocky Mountain. 6, Daniel Garcia, Meridian. 7, Cooper Robbins, Mountain View. 8, Nolan Hackney, Borah. 9, Parker Newby, Timberline. 10, Dean Hoskovec, Boise.
113: 1, Jerimiah Gonzalez, Meridian. 2, Aulani Macias, Nampa. 3, Ashton Ramos, Capital. 4, Alijah Macias, Nampa. 5, Braeten Jorgensen, Centennial. 6, Ryan Amoureux, Meridian. 7, Noyd Monroe, Kuna. 8, Eli Martin, Kuna. 9, Christian Segali, Middleton. 10, Caleb Garner, Eagle.
120: 1, Dedrick Navarro, Nampa. 2, Joe Madden, Eagle. 3, Logan Shaver, Meridian. 4, Jabyn Kemble, Middleton. 5, Cantril Nielsen, Boise. 6, Justus Briggs, Meridian. 7, Steven Brooks, Nampa. 8, Jordan Woodies, Owyhee. 9, Ahsten Beverlin, Middleton. 10, Fisher Walgren, Centennial.
126: 1, Cole Currin, Kuna. 2, Simon Alberto Luna, Nampa. 3, Matthew Papa, Meridian. 4, Cael Bullock, Rocky Mountain. 5, Nate Galloway, Rocky Mountain. 6, Walker Gunnell, Middleton. 7, Jayden Dodge, Nampa. 8, Cole Clint, Timberline. 9, Porter Hoopes, Middleton. 10, Christian Demars, Centennial.
132: 1, Carson Exferd, Nampa. 2, Wylie Stone, Eagle. 3, Kellen Kolka, Meridian. 4, Trever Clemans, Capital. 5, Akio Sanders, Nampa. 6, Sebastian Delgado, Eagle. 7, Fisher Matlick, Owyhee. 8, Parker Romero, Timberline. 9, Graden Blue, Centennial. 10, Andrew Boyle, Centennial.
138: 1, Tanner Frothinger, Eagle. 2, Nikko Gonzalez, Nampa. 3, Adrien Wess, Mountain View. 4, Titus Nichols, Rocky Mountain. 5, Hunter Lowe, Kuna. 6, Jackie Webb, Borah. 7, Gabriel Brown, Capital. 8, Camdyn Crespi, Meridian. 9, Gage Heck, Middleton. 10, Nicholas Kadooka, Mountain View.
145: 1, Joseph Mozes Jimenez, Nampa. 2, Guiseppe Guerra, Mountain View. 3, Kody Rich, Kuna. 4, Patrick Lakey, Centennial. 5, Richard Altman, Kuna. 6, Jacob Campbell, Nampa. 7, Maxwell Crespi, Meridian. 8, Demeon Mason-Simonson, Timberline. 9, Ryan Lewis, Middleton. 10, Fahad Hillesland, Meridian.
152: 1, Jason Mara, Meridian. 2, Jacob Blandford, Middleton. 3, Jean-Luc Guerra, Mountain View. 4, Ehler Say, Boise. 5, Chaz Ponton, Mountain View. 6, Andrew Ferguson, Eagle. 7, Trevor Hardy, Nampa. 8, Robert Lee, Timberline. 9, Bradley Bones, Meridian. 10, Nick Stace, Kuna.
160: 1, Cade White, Meridian. 2, Jonathan Seamons, Nampa. 3, Calvin Fillmore, Rocky Mountain. 4, Jackson Gallian, Meridian. 5, Jesse Espinoza, Middleton. 6, Maxwell Brown, Eagle. 7, Greysen Dormier, Mountain View. 8, Loren Allen, Borah. 9, Ehler Htoo, Boise. 10, Oliver Edmunds, Capital.
170: 1, Hudson Rogers, Meridian. 2, Treven Hokland, Middleton. 3, Benjamin Miller, Boise. 4, Antonio Genovesi, Eagle. 5, Owen Sabus, Timberline. 6, Wyatt Romero, Timberline. 7, Fabrizio Argana, Meridian. 8, Gavin Mortensen, Middleton. 9, Daniel Roecker, Owyhee. 10, Cyprien Mutoni, Capital.
182: 1, Isaiah Twait, Meridian. 2, Tristan Smilie, Meridian. 3, Mason Rasmussen, Owyhee. 4, Jacob King, Mountain View. 5, Will Wise, Middleton. 6, Micah Roberts, Nampa. 7, Austin Lattimer, Kuna. 8, Thomas Farmer, Eagle. 9, Owen Spring, Boise. 10, Tyler Wells, Rocky Mountain.
195: 1, Carson Gooley, Meridian. 2, Kody Biggs, Kuna. 3, Maxim Osmond, Owyhee. 4, Troy Grizzle, Mountain View. 5, Ethan Kincheloe, Nampa. 6, Tarik Dzanic, Mountain View. 7, Alexis Gonzalez, Eagle. 8, Oscar Otero, Borah. 9, Josh Pierce, Timberline. 10, Alexander Smith, Meridian.
220: 1, Cash Weeks, Middleton. 2, Seth Brock, Eagle. 3, Kaeden Lincoln, Borah. 4, Tucker French, Capital. 5, Micheal Warwick, Meridian. 6, Joey Duke, Nampa. 7, Hyrum Heindel, Kuna. 8, Francois Bayoma, Mountain View. 9, Hugo Afamasaga, Nampa. 10, Austin Flaherty, Borah
285: 1, Aden Attao, Borah. 2, Shilo Jones, Mountain View. 3, Payton Gunter, Nampa. 4, Braden Moore, Mountain View. 5, Anthony Toomey, Eagle. 6, Bridjer Bivens, Meridian. 7, Julian Tapia, Nampa. 8, Kollin Bailey, Rocky Mountain. 9, Dallyn Grimes, Middleton. 10, Cristian Cervantes, Capital.
4A District Three Tournament
Tuesday-Wednesday
At Expo Idaho, Garden City
BOYS TEAM SCORES
1, Bishop Kelly 501.5. 2, Caldwell 422.5. 3, Vallivue 295.5. 4, Ridgevue 223. 5, Columbia 222. 6, Emmett 216.5. 7, Skyview 146.5.
BOYS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
Top 4 to state, 3 statewide wildcards
98 pounds: 1, Ryan Hirchert, Caldwell. 2, Camus Book, Caldwell. 3, Darren Hays, Bishop Kelly. 4, Patrick Miller, Ridgevue. 5, Asher Vernor, Skyview.
106: 1, Dylan Dottaviano, Bishop Kelly. 2, Brennan Sheirbon, Skyview. 3, Jayden Proctor, Columbia. 4, Michael Bess, Bishop Kelly. 5, Mason Palmer, Vallivue.
113: 1, Jaxson Freeman, Caldwell. 2, Jackson Norman, Caldwell. 3, Fox Green, Emmett. 4, Tristan Sears, Vallivue. 5, James Capser, Vallivue.
120: 1, Draven Johns, Caldwell. 2, Hunter Bidiman, Caldwell. 3, Isaac Duarte, Vallivue. 4, Steve Mateo, Columbia. 5, Connor Kelsch, Bishop Kelly.
126: 1, Matthew Martino, Bishop Kelly. 2, Jayce Wolf, Caldwell. 3, Kelvin Martin Gomez, Caldwell. 4, Peyton Gurney, Ridgevue. 5, Isaac Oviedo, Ridgevue.
132: 1, Jake Castagneto, Bishop Kelly. 2, Payton Hernandez, Columbia. 3, Dominic Alcantara, Caldwell. 4, Keven Martinez, Vallivue. 5, Treygen Morin, Ridgevue.
138: 1, Manuel Valdez, Bishop Kelly. 2, Marquez Arredondo, Caldwell. 3, Tensei Thompson, Bishop Kelly. 4, Boone McMillian, Emmett. 5, Chad Ferguson, Vallivue.
145: 1, Hunter Bidelman, Caldwell. 2, Carlos Valdez, Bishop Kelly. 3, Callen Conklin, Emmett. 4, Tim Hebdon, Skyview. 5, Alexander Larson, Ridgevue.
152: 1, Jadon Skellenger, Bishop Kelly. 2, Gracin Go, Caldwell. 3, Dawson Conklin, Emmett. 4, Zakin Bolander, Ridgevue. 5, Finnian McAuliffe, Vallivue.
160: 1, Seiya Thompson, Bishop Kelly. 2, John Reimers, Emmett. 3, Roberto Corona, Ridgevue. 4, Damian Munster, Columbia. 5, Parker Allumbaugh, Bishop Kelly.
170: 1, Nakoa Fouret, Columbia. 2, Joe Hippler, Bishop Kelly. 3, Jonathan Burrell, Vallivue. 4, Bronson Lyman, Ridgevue. 5, Jack Kirkman, Skyview.
182: 1, Crew Nelson, Bishop Kelly. 2, Jacob Andrae, Vallivue. 3, Samuel Reynolds, Emmett. 4, Dreyan Luna, Bishop Kelly. 5, Robert Demicell, Columbia.
195: 1, Sebastian Flores, Vallivue. 2, Isak Pitones, Ridgevue. 3, Henry Hester, Emmett. 4, Buster Church, Columbia. 5, David Romero, Columbia.
220: 1, Phil Janquart, Bishop Kelly. 2, Troy Olmos, Columbia. 3, Takota McMillian, Skyview. 4, Sam Buck, Emmett. 5, Devin Zora, Ridgevue.
285: 1, Miguel Perez, Caldwell. 2, Colby Coates, Vallivue. 3, Eddie Garcia, Skyview. 4, Colin Carpenter, Bishop Kelly. 5, Dade Jordan, Columbia.
Girls District Three Tournament
Tuesday-Wednesday
At Expo Idaho, Garden City
TEAM SCORES
1, Eagle 167. 2, Boise 114. 3, Columbia 108.5. 4, Emmett 103. 5, Meridian 73.5. 6, Payette 69. 7, Rocky Mountain 68. 8, Caldwell 67. 9, Borah 56. 9, Fruitland 56.
11, Weiser 52. 12, Owyhee 50. 13, Middleton 46.5. 14, Capital 46. 15, New Plymouth 45. 16, Timberline 41. 17, Kuna 36. 18, Vallivue 33. 19, Mountain View 31. 20, Centennial 28. 20, Tri-Valley 28.
22, McCall-Donnelly 26. 23, Nampa 23. 24, Garden Valley 20. 25, Homedale 16. 26, Bishop Kelly 8. 27, Marsing 7. 28, Skyview 4. 29, Cascade 0. 29, Greenleaf 0. 29, Melba 0. 29, Nampa Christian 0. 29, Parma 0. 29, Ridgevue 0.
INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
Top 5 to state, 1 statewide wildcard
100 pounds: 1, Nia Avelino, Caldwell. 2, Ryleigh Slocum, Borah. 3, Tommy Stone, Eagle. 4, Kary Takashige, New Plymouth. 5, Jayla Goslin, Emmett. 6, Marlie Skidmore, Owyhee.
107: 1, Dahlia Yerby, Emmett. 2, Livia Briggs, Meridian. 3, Toni Avelino, Caldwell. 4, Leah San, Nampa. 5, Samantha del Fierro, Timberline. 6, Rihanna Mora, Vallivue.
114: 1, De Ci Aye, New Plymouth. 2, Chloe Scott, Payette. 3, Brooklyn Lanningham, Columbia. 4, Aviyanah Gonzalez, Borah. 5, Abby Eckhart, Fruitland. 6, Kaitlynn Thomas, Timberline.
120: 1, Audrey Deleon, Weiser. 2, Mikyla Waggoner, Tri-Valley. 3, Avery Hoefer, Boise. 4, Kyra Cobb, Timberline. 5, Mira Palagi, Boise. 6, Reiley Havens, Fruitland.
126: 1, Sophie Sarver, Mountain View. 2, Zion Rushton, McCall-Donnelly. 3, Hallie Esmiol, Centennial. 4, Holland Wieber, Eagle. 5, Shekina Happuc, Boise. 6, Maya Hidasi, Caldwell.
132: 1, Jordan Barrett, Payette. 2, Kiana Dullanty, Fruitland. 3, Gianna Coburn, Emmett. 4, Michael Bernier, Borah. 5, Emma Stansell, Middleton. 6, Amanda Neff, Owyhee.
138: 1, Elise Twait, Meridian. 2, Lizzy Hodges, Capital. 3, Clare Waite, Boise. 4, Aliyah Alhilla, Weiser. 5, Elena Guerena, Owyhee. 6, Angela Aviles, Vallivue.
145: 1, Mia Furman, Rocky Mountain. 2, Zoe Fries, Kuna. 3, Maria Sifuentes, Columbia. 4, Kiara Dixon, Meridian. 5, Mariah Kiser, Homedale. 6, Reese Habel, Middleton.
152: 1, Hallie Campbell, Columbia. 2, Ornella Kero, Boise. 3, Ella Elordi, Eagle. 4, Gracin Dennis, Emmett. 5, Vanessa Ebert, Nampa. 6, Avery Cornell, Emmett.
165: 1, Jordynn LeBeau, Eagle. 2, Emma Schneider, Capital. 3, Kyra Richards, Columbia. 4, Jady Cook, Middleton. 5, Sydney Scott, Payette. 6, Lyla Buck, Emmett.
185: 1, Reece Woods, Eagle. 2, Gracie Castillo, Garden Valley. 3, Alexis DeAlba, Boise. 4, Olivia Burciaga, Kuna. 5, Phoebe McAuliffe, Vallivue. 6, Myra Jean Koon, Homedale.
235: 1, Olivia Woods, Eagle. 2, Reece Moody, Rocky Mountain. 3, Alexandra Wright, Emmett. 4, Emry Woods, Eagle. 5, Cameron Spicer, Rocky Mountain.
This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 10:34 PM.
