5 teams to beat, 25 Boise-area wrestlers to watch at Idaho state wrestling tournament
More than 1,110 wrestlers head to Pocatello this weekend as Idaho crowns its high school state champions inside Holt Arena.
We broke down every bracket in every classification to bring you the top individuals to watch from the Treasure Valley, and handicapped the race for all five team state championships below.
TOP WRESTLERS TO WATCH
Ryan Hirchert, Nampa (5A 98 pounds)
A 4A state champ for Caldwell last season, the sophomore (45-3) moved to Nampa and has yet to slow down against 5A competition. He pinned his way through the district tournament last week to earn the top seed.
Jerimiah Gonzalez, Meridian (5A 113)
The junior and reigning state champ at 113 pounds returns to defend his title. Gonzalez (45-5) has made the championship round every year so far. He enters state as the top seed and riding a 22-match winning streak, including a first-place finish at Tiger-Grizz.
Jaxson Freeman, Caldwell (4A 120)
A state runner-up last year, Freeman (45-3) mounted an impressive sophomore campaign with titles at Rollie Lane and Best of the West in Washington. He’s won 30 matches with a pin. But Idaho Falls’ Saxton Scott, a folkstyle and Fargo national champ, looms on the other side of the bracket.
Marcus Aleman, Fruitland (3A 120)
The sophomore and No. 2 seed has made quite a splash in his short time with the Grizzlies. A runner-up at 113 pounds last year, Aleman (54-6) took third at Rollie Lane and has racked up 41 pins this season, the second most in Idaho across all classifications.
Draven Johns, Caldwell (4A 126)
The junior makes up half of possibly the most anticipated matchup of the week. Johns (58-2) is the second seed in his bracket despite 41 pins and a Rollie Lane crown. That’s because Blackfoot’s Mack Mauger (39-3), a three-time state champ, two-time national Greco champ and Missouri signee, awaits on the other side of the bracket.
Cole Currin, Kuna (5A 132)
The senior (43-7) has reached the finals every year of his career, finishing second each time. He gets one last shot at a championship in Pocatello, where he’s seeded second. The top seed in his bracket is Lewiston’s Hoyt Hvass (52-6), who beat Currin 5-0 in the 126-pound finals last year and 7-3 at Rollie Lane in January.
Jake Castagneto, Bishop Kelly (4A 132)
The reigning national folkstyle runner-up and North Dakota State commit heads to Pocatello looking for one last medal. Castagneto (40-4) has already captured two state titles, including one at Glenns Ferry, and has made the finals every year.
Carson Exferd, Nampa (5A 138)
The Wisconsin commit became Nampa’s first three-time state champ last season. Exferd (46-4) can further cement his legacy as one of Idaho’s all-time greats with a fourth state title. He’s lost only twice to an Idaho opponent in all four years.
Clare Waite, Boise (girls 145)
A two-time state finalist, Waite (33-1) returns to the 145-pound division that she won in 2022. The North Central (Illinois) commit is 33-1 this season, dropping just one match at Rollie Lane while winning titles at Calhoun, Wiley Dobbs, Tiger-Grizz and Jaybird.
Jason Mara, Meridian (5A 152)
The Stanford commit and two-time national folkstyle champ can become the first four-time state champ in Meridian history this weekend. Mara (36-1) has lost just two matches ever to an Idaho opponent, and both came in his freshman season.
Matthew Martino, Bishop Kelly (4A 152)
The junior moved up four weight classes this season and continued to dominate, dropping one match — to Mara. The Princeton commit, a two-time state champ and three-time winner at Rollie Lane, is 25-1 at his new weight and 44-1 overall this season.
Kaden MacKenzie, Fruitland (3A 152)
The junior (45-6) made the state finals every year of his career so far, finishing an undefeated season at 145 pounds last year while competing with a torn labrum. With that shoulder healed, he’s taken first at Rollie Lane, Padilla and Weiser.
Jacob Shaw, New Plymouth (2A 152)
One of two returning state champs for the Pilgrims, the junior (28-2) added Calhoun and Juston Wolfe titles to his resume. He remains undefeated against 2A competition this season and has lost only one match in his classification the past two years.
Elise Twait, Meridian (girls 152)
The junior (19-1) and reigning state champ got a late start to the season, making her debut in late January. But she’s won every tournament she’s entered and is the state’s takedown leader with 84 in just 20 matches.
Jacob Blandford, Middleton (5A 160)
The senior and Western Colorado commit has taken home a silver medal each of the past two seasons. Blandford (37-4) gets one last shot at an elusive title as the second seed at 160 pounds. He was supposed to meet the top seed, Post Falls’ Trey Smith, at Rollie Lane. But Smith medically forfeited.
Jadon Skellenger, Bishop Kelly (4A 160)
The Fargo national runner-up and Pan-Am champion closes his high school career seeking back-to-back state championships. The Lehigh signee enters 40-2 with his only two losses coming at the Doc Buchanan in California.
Matthew Daniels, McCall-Donnelly (3A 160)
The senior’s title at Rollie Lane came as a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t have. Daniels (22-2), a defending state runner-up, has won every tournament he’s entered this season. He’ll need to knock off the division’s defending champ, Marsh Valley’s Ryker Gibson, for his first state title.
Kyra Richards, Nampa (girls 165)
The second-place finisher at 165 last season, the senior returns to the division as the top seed searching for her first state title. Richards (20-1) dropped her only match this season in the Rollie Lane finals, a tournament she’s won twice before.
Jonathan Seamons, Nampa (5A 170)
The senior (37-3) saw his 25-match winning streak end with an upset in the district finals. But the reigning state runner-up still claimed the top seed thanks to first-place finishes at Rollie Lane and Red Halverson. A potential rematch with Middleton’s Treven Hokland (44-6), the third seed, looms in the finals.
Hudson Rogers, Meridian (5A 182)
A 5A state championship has eluded the Oregon State signee and reigning national folkstyle champ so far. Rogers (41-3) won a 3A title as a freshman before missing his sophomore season. He finished second last year. He was named the most outstanding heavyweight at Rollie Lane in January.
Jordynn LeBeau, Eagle (girls 185)
A two-time state finalist and defending champ, the senior (22-4) remains one of the key cogs to the Mustangs’ bid for a fourth straight team title. She turned it on at the end of the season, winning her last nine matches with a pin. Only one reached the second round.
Carson Gooley, Meridian (5A 195)
The senior (35-8) captured his first major tournament title this season at district last week. But the reigning state champ at 195 and two-time finalist in the weight class always steps up at state, where he enters as the No. 1 seed.
Quinn Hood, Fruitland (3A 220)
The junior (45-7) scored a marquee victory at Rollie Lane, pinning four of the five opponents he faced for the crown. But one hole, a state title, remains in his resume. He enters as the top seed and with finals experience after taking second last year.
Shilo Jones, Mountain View (5A 285)
No Maverick has won a state title since Demetrius Romero in 2015. Jones (41-3), a North Dakota State commit and Fargo runner-up, remains Mountain View’s best shot in years — unless teammate Troy Grizzle (37-7), the top seed at 220, beats him to it. The defending heavyweight runner-up only losses this season came out of state.
Nathan Willoughby, New Plymouth (2A 285)
The senior (37-6) pinned all four opponents he faced on his way to the heavyweight title last year. Only one match reached the second round. He’s continued to rack up the pins this winter, entering state with 30 under his belt.
5A TEAM TO BEAT
No team has ever won four straight championships in Idaho’s largest classification. Meridian not only has a chance to make history, but also starts the weekend as the overwhelming favorite.
The Warriors send 24 wrestlers to state, including four No. 1 seeds, three defending state champs and eight seeded inside the top four. All four stats lead the 5A classification, giving the Warriors plenty of cushion for an upset or two.
Post Falls remains Meridian’s top challenger. The Trojans were three-peat champs before the Warriors’ run, and they bring 19 athletes and three No. 1 seeds to state.
Nampa always remains a threat, too. The Bulldogs field a top-heavy lineup with five wrestlers seeded either first or second. But with just 14 state qualifiers, Nampa will need to rack up quite a few upsets to catch up with Meridian’s depth.
4A TEAM TO BEAT
High school wrestling rules reward collective success over individual greatness. That’s how Minico won its second straight title last year despite placing one wrestler atop the podium compared to Bishop Kelly’s five.
Minico remains the favorite until someone knocks it off. The Spartans bring a 4A-leading 20 wrestlers to state, including three top seeds and nine seeded inside the top four.
Bishop Kelly returns all five state champs and fields six No. 1 seeds, the most in any classification. The Knights topped Minico at its own tournament, Red Halverson, in January. But Bishop Kelly’s first state title will likely come down to how its lesser-known athletes perform.
Bishop Kelly fields eight wrestlers inside the top four seeds, giving it more depth than a year ago and a chance to dethrone the Spartans.
3A TEAM TO BEAT
Fruitland captured its only state championship in 2014. But the Grizzlies have mounted a dominant season, finishing second at Rollie Lane by half a point and taking home titles from Weiser and Padilla.
Fruitland brings 26 wrestlers to state, the most in any classification. That includes four No. 1 seeds, four No. 2 seeds and 10 seeded inside the top four.
Buhl and South Fremont, the four-time defending champ, stand as the top challengers. Buhl fields eight seeded inside the top four, and South Fremont has seven, giving both the opportunity for plenty of points should the Grizzlies stumble.
2A TEAM TO BEAT
New Plymouth enters as the defending champ, winner of two of the past three titles and the favorite to capture another banner. Three Pilgrims earned No. 1 seeds, including Shaw, Gabriel Cox (182) and Willoughby, the most in the 2A classification.
Kellogg and Malad pose the largest hurdles. Both edged New Plymouth with 17 state qualifiers to the Pilgrims’ 15. And all three placed six athletes among the top four seeds.
GIRLS TEAM TO BEAT
Three-time defending state champ Eagle heads to Pocatello with a bona fide challenger. The Mustangs and Thunder Ridge traded places at the top of podiums all season long. Thunder Ridge won the Rollie Lane title in January, but Eagle edged the Titans at Jaybird earlier this month.
Both qualified seven wrestlers for state. Eagle fields more power at the top of the lineup with a No. 1 seed at 185 pounds (LeBeau) and a No. 2 seed at 145 (Holland Wieber). But Thunder Ridge can rely on more depth with four seeded inside the top four.
This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 1:33 PM.
