The teams to beat, Boise-area title favorites at the Idaho wrestling state tournaments
The Idaho high school wrestling tournaments return to Pocatello this weekend, crowning 72 individuals and five teams as champions.
We sized up all the boys and girls brackets, and all the team races, to pick the favorites and the top Treasure Valley wrestlers to watch below.
6A TEAM TO BEAT
Meridian and Post Falls maintain a stranglehold on Idaho’s top classification, winning the past seven state championships. Don’t expect anyone to challenge them this week.
Meridian earned the favorite status by qualifying a staggering and all-class-leading 28 athletes for the tournament. That includes two wrestlers in every classification but 98 pounds and 285.
The Warriors may not field the blue-chip prospects that led them to a 6A-record four straight state titles. But Meridian’s depth up and down the lineup creates loads of points, including a record 905.5 points at the district tournament last week.
Meridian topped Post Falls for the Rollie Lane title in January, but the Trojans got revenge two weeks later by winning the Tiger-Grizz Invite in Idaho Falls.
Post Falls brings 20 wrestlers of its own to Pocatello, including three No. 1 seeds and nine athletes who drew top four seeds. So expect the Trojans to flood the semifinal round and give Meridian a run for its money.
5A TEAM TO BEAT
Minico and Bishop Kelly split the state title last year. But the Spartans start the week as the clear team to beat.
Minico brings 22 wrestlers to Pocatello, four more than the next team in its classification. The Spartans may not field a single No. 1 seed, but they’ll rack up points with their depth as nine of their 22 athletes earned a second, third or fourth seed.
Blackfoot (18 state qualifiers) and Middleton (17 state qualifiers) are the only schools with the numbers to challenge Minico’s depth. But Bishop Kelly just might have the star power. The Knights bring only 13 wrestlers to the tournament, but eight of those are top four seeds, including three No. 1 seeds.
4A TEAM TO BEAT
Reigning state champ Fruitland set a classification scoring record with 318 points last year. The Grizzlies may not match that total, but they enter as the clear favorite after taking second at Rollie Lane for the second straight year. They bring a 4A-leading 23 state qualifiers, three defending champs and 12 returning state placers to Pocatello.
Potential challengers include American Falls, which fields three top seeds and 21 state qualifiers, and Buhl, with two top seeds and 18 state qualifiers.
3A TEAM TO BEAT
Expect a tight race in the state’s smallest classification.
Kellogg, last year’s third-place finisher, leads the 3A ranks with 17 state qualifiers, including a class-leading seven wrestlers seeded inside the top four. But reigning champ Malad sends 13 to the tournament, and that group features three No. 1 seeds, giving the Dragons the opportunity for plenty of points late in the tournament.
Perennial powers Ririe (13 state qualifiers) and New Plymouth (12 state qualifiers) also loom ready to pounce on any slip-ups.
GIRLS TEAM TO BEAT
Thunder Ridge unseated three-time defending champion Eagle last season for the state championship, and the 2025 title looks like another tight race.
Rocky Mountain edged Eagle 227.5 to 224 for the District Three championship last week, but the Mustangs were Idaho’s top finisher at Rollie Lane, placing fourth ahead of Thunder Ridge (eighth) and Rocky Mountain (ninth).
Twin Falls qualified the most wrestlers for Pocatello (nine) while Rocky Mountain brings eight, and Thunder Ridge, Eagle, Post Falls and Sandpoint each field seven.
The Grizzlies and Titans have the most wrestlers seeded among the top 3, with three apiece. Rocky Mountain’s top wrestlers are Kiera Hersel (third at 100), Talea Nichols (second at 114) and Reece Moody (second at 235).
TOP WRESTLERS TO WATCH
Ryan Hirchert, Nampa (6A 106)
The junior (38-3) has already put together quite an impressive career, winning a state title each of his first two seasons. He’ll gun for his third this weekend. He’s lost just two matches against Idaho opponents in three seasons, posting an overall career record of 113-7.
Jaxson Freeman, Caldwell (6A 120)
An injury cost him a shot at the district title. But the junior (31-1) still earned the top seed as he chases his first state championship. The two-time state runner-up fell in overtime in the finals last year to a folkstyle and national champ. His bracket is anything but a cakewalk this weekend.
Jeremiah Gonzalez, Meridian (6A 120)
The two-time state champ and three-time state finalist somehow drew the second seed in this bracket despite earning the district title last week and going undefeated vs. Idaho competition this season. But he and Freeman did not face each other this year, and Gonzalez (37-5) lost his only high school match to the top seed in sudden-death overtime last year.
Blake Nevils, Meridian (6A 126)
The freshman (43-3) from Arkansas has already made quite a splash in Idaho, winning a Rollie Lane title in January and posting a 33-0 record vs. Idaho opponents this year. He rolled to the district title last week with four first-round pins and a tech fall but starts as the No. 2 seed in his weight class.
Draven Johns, Caldwell (6A 132)
The St. Cloud signee reached the semifinals each of the past three years, but the folkstyle All-American has yet to bring home a title. The senior (56-2) gets one last chance as the top seed and heavy favorite in his bracket after racking up 31 pins this season.
Holten Crane, Bishop Kelly (5A 106)
The sophomore (24-4) stands ready as the next multiple-time state champ for the Knights. He captured the 98-pound title as a freshman last year, pinning three of the four opponents he faced. He moved up a weight class this year and remains the favorite as the top seed at 106 pounds.
Matthew Martino, Bishop Kelly (5A 144)
The three-time state champ and Princeton commit tore his ACL at Fargo nationals in July and underwent surgery in August. That would spell the end of most high school careers. But the senior (6-0) returned to the mat Feb. 5 and enters state with four contested matches under his belt. He’s ranked No. 10 in the nation by FloWrestling.
Sam Buck, Emmett (5A 285)
The two-time, first-team All-Idaho offensive lineman returns to defend his heavyweight crown. But Buck (34-10) will need to do it as the No. 2 seed after getting pinned by the top seed, Hillcrest’s Austin Reeves, in December and dropping a 10-4 decision to him three weeks ago.
Jakobe Valle, Homedale (4A 98)
The freshman (41-1) already owns a haul of medals, finishing first at the Rollie Lane, Wiley Dobbs and Buhl invites. The only one missing is a state championship. He earned the No. 1 seed in his bracket, and he scored a tech fall against the No. 2 seed for the crown at the Weiser Invite three weeks ago.
Trevor Paynter, Homedale (4A 113)
Homedale isn’t known as a wrestling power, but Paynter (37-4) is changing that. He captured the school’s first state title since 2019 as a freshman last year. He’s the favorite for a repeat as the No. 1 seed in his bracket. But South Fremont freshman Greysen Packer (56-0) looms as the No. 2.
Kaden MacKenzie, Fruitland (4A 157)
The coach’s son brings his own impressive resume to the state tournament, where he’s a two-time champion and a three-time finalist. The senior (43-1) climbed the podium at Rollie Lane each of the past two years, and his only loss this season came at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Kash Cobb, Weiser (4A 175)
The first-team All-Idaho running back rolled to a state title last year with three first-round pins. The senior (45-4) hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, scoring 34 more pins this season. He is 2-0 vs. the No. 2 seed in his bracket, including a pin in January and a tech fall in the district finals.
Quinn Hood, Fruitland (4A 215)
The future College of Idaho linebacker looks to add to his wrestling trophy case in his last go-round on the mat. The reigning state champ and two-time Rollie Lane winner enters 46-3 during his senior season, racking up 32 of those victories with a pin for the heavy 4A team favorite.
Gabriel Cox, New Plymouth (3A 190)
Don’t blink when the Western Colorado commit takes the map. The senior won 40 of his 58 matches via a pin this season to go 53-5. He captured the state crown with four straight first-round pins last season.
Ava Bui, Centennial (girls 100)
A bit of a wildcard as the No. 6 seed in her weight class, the sophomore shouldn’t be underestimated. She placed second at Rollie Lane in a 7-6 decision and boasts an overall record of 30-5 this season, including a district title last week.
Taylor Drake, Kuna (girls 107)
She’s compiled a 36-5 record this season to earn the No. 1 seed in her weight class. Drake placed fourth at Rollie Lane behind two out-of-state wrestlers and Salmon’s Raelynn O’Connor, who will compete at 100 pounds this weekend.
Talea Nichols, Rocky Mountain (girls 114)
The two-time folkstyle national champ returns to defend her state title after winning a second straight district championship last week. She drew the No. 2 seed, however, after losing to favorite Joely Slyter of Lewiston in the semifinals at Rollie Lane. Nichols defeated Slyter for last year’s state title, setting the state for a highly anticipated rematch.
Charlee Noah, Tri-Valley (girls 120)
Although she’s only a freshman, Noah has the resume to back up her No. 1 ranking. She’s 34-1 this season, including a Rollie Lane championship one weight class down at 114 pounds.
Zoe Fries, Kuna (girls 138)
With a record of 38-0, the senior is on a mission to win state after placing second a year ago. She won the prestigious Rollie Lane Invitational in January as well as the eighth annual Jaybird Memorial Tournament.
Elise Twait, Meridian (girls 152)
At 41-0 this season and a two-time defending state champion, Twait is the undisputed favorite to secure the three-peat. She’s won all seven tournaments this season, including Rollie Lane and the Reno Tournament of Champions, and has racked up 35 pins.
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 2:28 PM.
