Archives

98-Pounds
First Team: Ramos
Second Team: Romero
Second Team: Martino

106-Pounds
First Team: Stacey
Second Team: Hess
Second Team: Mason

113-Pounds
First Team: Peterson
Second Team: Orr
Second Team: Mitchelle

120-Pounds
First Team: Mauger
Second Team: Reardon
Second Team: Taboa

126-Pounds
First Team: Summers
Second Team: Evans
Second Team: Talboa

132-Pounds
First Team: Keough
Second Team: Norman
Second Team: Beal

138-Pounds
First Team: Delarosa
Second Team: Zuffelt
Second Team: Rios

145-Pounds
First Team: Lovett
Second Team: Wilson
Second Team: Mathews

152-Pounds
First Team: Cordingly
Second Team: Giulio
Second Team: Williamson

160-Pounds
First Team: Fouret
Second Team: Nuekom
Second Team: Morris

170-Pounds
First Team: Shelley
Second Team: Miller
Second Team: Twiss

182-Pounds
First Team: Hobbs
Second Team: Fisher
Second Team: Winmill

195-Pounds
First Team: Fagen
Second Team: Boone
Second Team: Anderson

220-Pounds
First Team: Ojokwu
Second Team: Luna
Second Team: Jackson

285-Pounds
First Team: Copley
Second Team: McGinnis
Second Team: Heindel

The Idaho Wrestler Announces 2018-19 All State Team

The Idaho Wrestler's 2019 State Predictions

The critics have been out in full force this season--and for good reason. Two game-changing decisions have changed the face of wrestling in Idaho, at least for the immediate future. First, the realignment of classifications based on enrollment and school-wide performance has shook up all sports but maybe none more than wrestling. In an effort to foster greater athletic parity statewide, schools were evaluated for their overall success across all activities. Where schools tended to struggle across the board, they were considered for re-classification. Ironically enough, Kuna and Columbia, juggernauts in wrestling, were not having much success in nearly any of their other programs, sending them down to the 4A where maybe success could be found. It would seem that what might have been good for these schools--not necessarily their wrestling programs, might not have been in the best interest of the rest of the state. Undoubtedly, the state will be revisiting this decision at the conclusion of the present classification cycle (2020).
As if that were not enough, a newly applied seeding criteria has left many, including your truly, scratching their heads. The criteria which gives unprecedented weight to district champs has given rise to lopsided brackets where the otherwise championship matches will take place in the semi finals and in a few cases the quarter finals. Expect an uncommon number of #2 and #3 seeds to be knocked off in the early rounds (on the weaker sides of the brackets). The state coaches' association will likely want to review the new criteria which encourages remote districts to remain remote (i.e., avoiding stiff competition).

The Idaho Wrestler's 2018 State Predictions

The Idaho Wrestler Announces 2017-18 All State Team

98-Pounds
First Team: Alex Edelblute, Lakeland
Second Team: Kase Mauger, Twin Falls
Second Team: Brennan Rice, New Plymouth

106-Pounds
First Team: Destin Summers, Snake River
Second Team: Sam Edelblute, Lakeland
Second Team: Hunter Hill, Teton

113-Pounds
First Team: Ridge Lovett, Post Falls
Second Team: Will Edelblute, Lakeland
Second Team: Darrick Stacey, Shelly

120-Pounds
First Team: Angel Rios, Columbia
Second Team: AJ Delarosa, Post Falls
Second Team: Kade Krishnek, Capital

126-Pounds
First Team: Matt McLeod, Post Falls
Second Team: Dante Carreno, Caldwell
Second Team: Joe Rice, New Plymouth

132-Pounds
First Team: Caleb Call, Shelly
Second Team: Monte Zufelt, Emmett
Second Team: Kekana Fouret, Columbia

138-Pounds
First Team: Larry Johnson, Lakeland
Second Team: Sammy Eckhart, Fruitland
Second Team: Christian Hudson, Caldwell

145-Pounds
First Team: James Fisher, Centennial
Second Team: Braden Huber, Post Falls
Second Team: Max Miller, Rocky Mountain

152-Pounds
First Team: Ezekial Williamson, Jerome
Second Team: Koy Meredith, Minico
Second Team: Nate Cooper, Rocky Mountain

160-Pounds
First Team: Jaron Chavez, Centennial
Second Team: Austin Ford, Bonneville
Second Team: Pete Bradshaw, Challis

170-Pounds
First Team: Nate Clements, Columbia
Second Team: Jordan Sharp, North Fremont
Second Team: Sawyer Hobbs, South Fremont

182-Pounds
First Team: Casey Randles, CDA
Second Team: Hayes Neukom, Meridian
Second Team: Jonathon Fagen, Fruitland

195-Pounds
First Team: Jared Walker, Lakeland
Second Team: Nathan Sargent, Blackfoot
Second Team: Payson Anderton, Snake River

220-Pounds
First Team: Alex Marshall, CDA
Second Team: Ben Thomsen, Borah
Second Team: Alex Barbion, Payette

285-Pounds
First Team: Brandon Kipper, Columbia
Second Team: Michael Easterling, Canyon Ridge
Second Team: Keegan Freeborn, Rocky Mountain

The Idaho Wrestler Announces 2016-17 All State Team

2017 TIW Wrestler of the Year: Casey Randles, CDA

In keeping with tradition, a senior is selected as The Idaho Wrestler's Wrestler of the Year. For a second year in a row, Randles finished the season undefeated as he amassed more than 90-consecutive victories dating back to the middle of his sophomore year. In that span, Randles collected a pair of Tri State titles and three state titles (two in the 4A with Sandpoint and one in the 5A with CDA). In posting a 41-0 record, the future Wyoming Cowboy majored large-school state champions from both Montana and Washington and collected more than 150-takedowns.

Honorable Mention:
Sammy Eckhart, Fruitland
Brandon Kipper, Columbia.

2017-18 Idaho Wrestler Award Winners

The Idaho Wrestler's 2017-18 Wrestler of the Year

Shelley High School senior Darrick Stacey is The Idaho Wrestler's Wrestler of the Year. Stacey, who spent his first two years competing for Bonneville High School, captured his third consecutive state title after finishing second as a freshman. Stacey was nothing short of dominating during the course of the 17-18 season, posting a 46-0 record while stapling 37-opponents to the mat. And let there be no mistake, these victories came against quality opponents as Stacey claimed titles at both the Tiger-Grizz and the Rollie Lane. While spending time at both 113 and 120, Stacey claimed wins over state champions from the 3A, 4A and 5A classifications. Congratulations to Darrick Stacey.
Honorable Mention:
Joe Rice, New Plymouth
Jake Kesl, Salmon
Larry Johnson, Lakeland

The Idaho Wrestler's 2017-18 Coach of the Year

Coach Rob Edelblute of the Lakeland High School Hawks is The Idaho Wrestler's Coach of the Year. Edelblute once again guided the Hawks to a trophy finish--for a fourth time in the past four years. Under Edelblute's tutelage, the Hawks continued to rank among the top dual and tournament teams in the state despite an enrollment of 800-students ranking them as one of the smaller 4A schools in the state. In addition to another runner up finish at the state championships, the Hawks claimed a 4th place finish at the prestigious Rollie Lane as well as a 2nd place finish at the 85-team Sierra Nevada Classic. Congratulations to Coach Edelblute.

The Idaho Wrestler's 2017-18 Team of the Year

For a third time in four years the Post Falls Trojans stood head and shoulders above the rest of the state. The Trojans advanced a mind-boggling ten wrestlers to the championship round while racking up points as if they were playing a pinball machine. The Trojans surpassed the seemingly untouchable standard set by Centennial just a few years previous. In addition to the program's record-breaking performance at state, the Trojans claimed titles at both Tri State and the Rollie Lane. Congratulations to the Post Falls Trojans on another stellar season.

The Idaho Wrestler's 2016-17 Team of the Year: Columbia Wildcat

By season's end, the Wildcats of Columbia had clearly established themselves as the best team in Idaho. From 98 to 285, Coach Cady and company engineered a line up that dominated the 5A field, amassing nearly 60-points more than perennial 5A power Post Falls.

Twenty-one of Columbia's twenty-four competitors contributed to the Wildcats 276.5-points. The Cats sent 14-competitors to the podium, including a fireworks-worthy 5 for 5 in the championship finals. If the Cats weren't scoring advancement points, they were scoring bonus points as they racked up more than 50-pin points.

Unfortunately for the rest of the 5A, it appears the Wildcats have no intentions of going quietly into that good night--championship trophy in hand. While the 5A champs graduate eight state qualifiers, they return nearly 190-state points to the 2017-18 season.

At the season's outset, Post Falls' head coach Pete Reardon and Columbia's Todd Cady must have had a feeling that it would come down to this as both teams went out of their way to meet up on the road that has led to this moment. Columbia looked to have the upper-hand earlier in the season when capturing the Sidney Invitational, outdistancing the Trojans by more than 60-points. Ironically a month later at the Rollie Lane the margin was roughly the same--but this time favoring the Trojans. Not surprisingly, the varied results reflect the sort of tournament which each team thrives in. This conclusion, of course, begs the question, Which team does the 5A Idaho State Championship favor?

Before answering that question, let's consider the details:

Qualifiers--Columbia 22 Post Falls 16
Seeds--Columbia 13 Post Falls 14
Top Two Seeds--Columbia 4 Post Falls 5
Potentially Critical Match Ups

98-Pounds: Josh Scott, Columbia, may be meeting up with Braxton Mason, Post Falls. The two split earlier in the year with Mason winning by decision and Scott by fall.
132-Pounds: Kekana Fouret, Columbia, the second seed may meet up with Mathias Delarosa, the third seed, in the semi finals. Fouret has a 4-1 advantage--which speaks to his ability to beat Delarosa but few things are more difficult to beat a tough opponent on multiple occasions.
138-Pounds: Second seeded Jason Burchell, Post Falls, may be squaring off against third seeded Kade Grigsby in the semis. Burchell holds a 3-1 advantage here--but these matches have been close--3-1, 3-2, 6-5, and 5-2.

Ultimately, however, the nature of the 16-man bracket and the quality of competitors fielding those brackets will determine the outcome of this year's 5A title race. The Idaho Wrestler believes that the Columbia Wildcats with their 6-man advantage will capture the 2017 5A state title by a margin of 35-40 points with the Wildcats scoring roughly 240-points to Post Falls 205.

5A Title Race: Wildcats look to maul Trojans

4A Title Race: Spartans, Cougars, and Hawks standing tall

A year removed from a third place finish at the state tournament--130+ points removed from a title--the Minico Spartans have established themselves as the favorites entering the 2017 4A state championships. And for good reason. The Spartans are coming off arguably the school's finest season to date, hammering opponents in duals with a balanced line up and capturing multiple tournaments, striking an effective balance on both sides of the bracket. The Spartans qualified twenty quality competitors, 14 of whom are seeded in the top six.

Second to Minico in terms of seeds is the two-time defending champion Caldwell Cougars. As in the past Coach Kloetzer has his Cougars wrestling their best as the bell sounds the championship rounds. Caldwell's bus to the Nampa Center will include a state-best 23-qualifiers, including 11-seeds.

Last year's runner up, Lakeland Hawks, will be bringing with them half the town of Rathdrum (the Edelblute family) as no less than four of Lakeland's 17-qualifers carry the last name, including freshman Alex (#2 seed at 98); sophomore Sam (#2 seed at 106); junior Will Edelblute (#2 seed at 113); and senior Brian (#2 seed at 126). And, of course, the three brothers and cousin are coached by their uncle Rob Edelblute. In addition to the four seeds listed, the Hawks have four additional seeds, including defending state champs Larry Johnson and Jared Walker.

While both Caldwell and Lakeland field quality programs, The Idaho Wrestler believes that the Minico Spartans will capture the 4A Idaho State Championship by a margin of 33-38 points:

Minico 247
Caldwell 210
Lakeland 189

The Idaho Wrestler 2015-16 Award Winners

Team of the Year: Post Falls Trojans
The Idaho wrestler made a valiant effort to select a different team but the further one digs into the results, the more the Trojans' accomplishments shined. The nationally-ranked Trojans grabbed top honors at both Tri State and Rollie Lane, tournaments that include not your run-of-the-mill fields. State championship teams from both Oregon and Washington stood a distant second to Post Falls at both tournaments. Hermiston and Crook County both dominated their respective classifications in Oregon but fell behind the Trojans by 24- and 36-points respectively at Tri State and Rollie.

Person of the Year: Paul Kingsbury, Idahosportscom
Kingsbury once again spearheaded a live stream (with commentators!) of the Idaho State Wrestling Championships. Idaho wrestling fans nationwide were able to view the matches of their favorite wrestlers and teams. This access is critical in states such as Idaho where schools travel 500+ miles for the purpose of competing.

Coach of the Year: Chris Harris, Ririe
A year removed from claiming the state title by the slimmest of margins (1/2-point) Harris's Bulldogs returned with a much bigger bite, distancing themselves from runner up Challis by nearly 100-points! Harris guided 12-Bulldogs to the podium (six of whom return next year) to amass 269-points.

The Idaho Wrestler's 2016 All State Wrestling Team

98
First Team--Ridge Lovett, 9, Post Falls
40-0, 5A State Champion
Second Team--Destin Summers, 9, Snake River
   43-2, 3A State Champion
Second Team--Derek Ramos, 9, Hillcrest
38-8, 5A Runner Up

106
First Team--Joe Rice, 10, New Plymouth
   40-2, 2A 2X State Champiom
Second Team--Kreede Peterson, 10, Kuna
   37-8, 4A State Champion
Second Team--Darrick Stacey, 10, Bonneville
49-5 5A State Champion

113
First Team--Levi Austin, 12, New Plymouth
   35-2, 2A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Eddie Daniels, 11, Minico
34-2 4A State Champion
Second Team--Pierce Mederios, 11, Mountain Home
41-3 4A Runner Up (2x State Champion)

120
First Team--Joe Kesl, 10, Salmon
   39-0, 2A State Champion
Second Team--Matt McLeod, 10, Post Falls
   31-9, 5A State Champion
Second Team--Dekker Anderson, 10, Highland
46-6, 5A Runner Up

126
First Team--Larry Johnson, 10, Lakeland
   44-3, 4A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Kade Smith, 11, Pocatello
   31-1, 4A State Runner Up
Second Team--Jake Garrison, 12, Meridian
31-3 5A State Champion

132
First Team--Connor Burley, 12, Salmon
   31-0, 2A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Lane Hunt, 12, Blackfoot
   43-3, 4A 2x State Champion
Second Team--Konnor Cordingley, 10, Highland
53-2, 5A State Champion

138
First Team--Sammy Eckhart, 11, Fruitland
   50-2, 3A 3X State Champion
Second Team--Tyler Wolff, 12, Post Falls
   38-3, 5A 2x State Champion
Second Team--Kade Grigsby, 10, Columbia
46-9, 5A Runner Up

145
First Team--Alius Delarosa, 12, Post Falls
   39-1, 5A 4X State Champion
Second Team--James Fisher, 11, Centennial
   47-7, 5A Runner Up
Second Team--Ezekial Williamson, 9, Jerome
45-10, 4A State Champion

152
First Team--Dusty Jones, 12, Kuna
42-5, 4A State Champion
Second Team--Donivan Banks, 12, Bonneville
   48-4, 5A State Champion
Second Team--David Jenkins Griffin, 12, Meridian
   31-11, 5A Runner Up

160
First Team--Jaron Chavez, 11, Centennial
   42-1, 5A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Tyler Presser, 12, Sandpoint
   25-10, 4A State Champion
Second Team--Tyler Cobb, 12, Nampa
48-11, 5A Runner Up

170
First Team--Trager Abatti, 12, Challis
   33-2, 2A 3X State Champion
Second Team--Jared Bird, 12, Bonneville
   46-0, 5A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Jared Walker, 11, Lakeland
   41-3, 4A State Champion

182
First Team--Casey Randles, 11, Sandpoint
   36-0, 4A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Tate Grover, 12, American Falls
   40-4, 3A 2X State Champion
Second Team--Zach Anderson, 12, Ririe
58-12, 2A State Champion

195
First Team--Levi Perry, 12, Kuna
38-0, 4A 4X State Champion
Second Team--James Humphrey, 12, Centennial
   48-4, 5A State Champion
Second Team--Harrison McLenna, 12, Rocky Mountain
   38-8, 5A Runner Up

220
First Team--Scott McDonald, 12, Columbia
   45-6, 5A State Champion
Second Team--Shadyn Wassmuth, 12, Grangeville
   25-0, 2A State Champion
Second Team--Wyatt Silvis, 12, Nampa
   40-9, 5A Runner Up

285
First Team--Michael Easterling, 11, Canyon Ridge
   37-2, 4A State Champion
Second Team--Brandon Kipper, 11, Columbia
   34-4, 5A State Champion
Second Team--John Ojukwu, 11, Boise
   39-6, 5A Runner Up

Wrestler of the Year: Tucker Leavitt, Senior, Highland HS
Its difficult to compare the 2015-16 Leavitt to others, especially co-favorite and fellow 182-pounder Casey Randles, due to a nagging injury that held him out much of the year. Still the West Virginia-bound Leavitt's body of work speaks for itself as the Highland Ram amassed 20-pins in his 21-wins (the other was a technical fall). In claiming his third consecutive state title, Leavitt has established himself as a nationally-ranked competitor.

The back flip heard around Idaho

Minico's Eddie Daniels executes a back flip against Mountain Home's Pierce Mederios in the state's most exciting and controversial match. (Click image to view video.)

If you were in attendance of the 2016 Idaho High School State Wrestling Championships, you had the honor of watching the state’s best clash in what is regarded as the pinnacle event in the life of a high school wrestler.
But like all sporting events, the tournament was not without its controversies. Because its the nature of the state championship beast, fans, coaches, wrestlers, and, yes, even our typically mild mannered referees seem to be a little more on edge than what one might find at regular season events. So it should come as no surprise that the tournament’s biggest controversy seemed to draw the attention of every fan and coach in the stadium: The Backflip Heard around Idaho.

The Scenario:
Minico’s Eddie Daniels and Mountain Home’s Pierce Mederios squared up in the 113-pound 4A state title match, an amazing competition filled with sound but aggressive attacks. The two-time defending state champion Mederios looked to avenge a mid-January loss when he took a 4-3 lead with seconds remaining in the match. The top-seeded Daniels, however, escaped in the waning seconds after executing a stand up and finishing with an impossible-to-follow hip heist, causing onlookers to erupt in an ovation of cheers for both competitors.
With regulation ending in a 4-4 tie, one minute was placed on the clock and wrestlers assumed a neutral position. Mederios shot in, snagged the single leg, and elevated it, causing Daniels to balance precariously on one leg. By all appearances, the match looked to be almost over. Mederios swept at Daniel’s post leg at the same time that Daniels executed a back flip, sending the two wrestlers into a wild scramble with Daniels coming out on top, once again, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers and applause.

The Outcome:
Immediately referees declared Daniels the winner—and by all appearances that was the case. Mountain Home coach (and Mederios’ father), however, waved at the head referee, indicating that Daniels’ back flip is an illegal move; consequently, the penalty point and the match should have been awarded to Mederios. After several minutes that included Daniels leaping into his coach’s arms and Mederios (as instructed by his coaches) not leaving the mat, referees officially awarded Daniels the win.

The Arguments:
The argument, plain and simple, is that Daniels executed (and was rewarded for) an illegal move. The counter-argument (and the claim has been made) is that Daniel’s acrobatic was precipitated by Mederios’s foot sweep. This argument was likely nullified when Daniels himself admitted to it being a back flip.

Opinion from the Pros
Washington Referee #1: This shouldn’t be a controversy. The move is illegal.
Washington Referee #2: Illegal move.
Washington Ref #3: This is a clear violation of the flip rule and is precisely why they wrote the rule. The ref’s got it wrong but there is no video replay at the high school level so the appeal is very difficult if the call is missed.
Montana Official:

That was not a correct call. It was an illegal standing backflip no mistaken.
99. (7-1-5w) A back flip from the standing position is an illegal maneuver. (This was taken from out NFHS Rule Book.)
The backflip that was completed in the state finals was [a] little different than the backflip used in the video to clarify the rule. I’m not sure how this wasn’t taken care of in an appropriate manner especially since I heard there is a protest possibility. I could understand the wrong call got away from them if they were a new and/or inexperienced official, but since they had back up with that protest committee it should have been fixed.

Of course, discourse should be tempered by two overarching truths: first, errors are simply part of the human condition, especially when it comes to referees in any sport; and second, the argument could be made that the referee in this match may have missed a stalling call that could have given Daniels the win earlier in the match—still that is a judgment call, not something as cut and dry as an illegal maneuver.

Ultimately, what we do know for sure is that both wrestlers provided Idaho wrestling fans with a first-rate match, bringing fans out of their collective seats. What’s more impressive is the sheer class demonstrated by both parties. Despite feeling short-changed in the pinnacle of high school matches, Mountain Home coaches argued their case professionally and articulately. As both a father and coach, I am ashamed to admit that I do not believe that I would have been able to show the same sort of class. An important lesson for me and the rest of Idaho’s coaches. Mountain Home’s Pierce Mederios came across as the thoughtful and classy young man that he is. Minico’s Daniels’ celebration was neither over-the-top nor in-your-face--exuberant but likely fitting for something so exhausting and dramatic. The lasting image of the moment, however, might well have been Minico coach Brad Cooper embracing Mederios while he waited on the mat.

The Art of Seeding

The Sunday before the state tournament, coaches from all classifications converge on Boise for the purpose of ensuring that their respective athletes are placed in the bracket with a measure of fairness. Coaches from 2A through 4A gather in various rooms at the state athletic association's office while 5A coaches typically meet at Capital High School. In their hands, coaches carry the names of qualifiers from their respective programs, including how those qualifiers faired in each of their matches during the season. "Seedable" wrestlers are typically placed on a board and collectively coaches begin moving through the criteria for the purpose of determining how these wrestlers should be seeded. Non-seedable wrestlers are drawn into the remaining bracket lines.

In year's past, accessing opponents' individual match results could prove to be difficult, forcing coaches to linger over the various shoulders of their colleagues, hoping to get a glimpse of who exactly a given wrestler lost to and who they defeated. Technology--more specifically Trackwrestling--has afforded Idaho wrestling fans and coaches a transparency regarding this information. Not only does Trackwrestling afford a window into the results of other programs but to some degree can be programmed to rank/seed a demographic of wrestlers based on specified criteria--but it's not perfect. Out-of-state tournaments, spelling and input errors have all proven to keep the program from being faithful to the criteria. And when it comes to the state championships, coaches, wrestlers, and fans want accuracy and fairness.

Ultimately, it is the objective of coaches to be as accurate as possible when it comes to seeding wrestlers in a given weight class. Theoretically the one seed should be the best kid in the bracket--coming into the state tournament. The two seed, the second best; the three seed, the third best… . The driving force behind the seeding is the notion that we do not want the best kids wrestling each other in the early rounds of the tournament. Ideally, the best two kids in the bracket should not meet until the championship round. Evidence suggests that coaches typically do a pretty good job at ensuring that this objective is achieved. Occasionally, however, technicalities can undermine this objective and the "real" championship match takes place in the semi-finals.

The seeding is only as good as the criteria that determines it. Idaho high school wrestling relies on three different sets of criteria: 5A, 4A, and 3A/2A each has their own criteria. In fairness, the 2A/3A criteria is similar to the criteria used by the 4A. What distinguishes the 5A criteria is the premium that class places on the previous year's performance at state over common opponent. While all classifications give priority to head-to-head results, the 2A/3A and 4A criteria then gives priority to common opponent where the 5A gives priority to the results of the previous year's state tournament.

Critics of "common opponent" claim that how two different wrestlers perform against a given opponent offers little insight into how those two wrestlers would perform against each other. Critics of giving credence to the previous year's results claim that the previous year is too far removed to be an accurate indicator of the present.

So, which seeding has proven to be most accurate? At least as far as last year (2014-15) goes, the 5A's criteria proved to be the most accurate. The table reflects the number of times the wrestler fulfilled his exact seed. For example, 10 of 15 #1 seeds in the 5A finished in first places, while 3 of the #4 seeds finished in fourth place.

Ultimately, though, coaches know that 100% accuracy when it comes to seeding is impossible. A bad tournament or ONE bad match during the regular season can undermine a wrestler's seed. And once a wrestler reaches the state tournament, a difficult bracket (see 5A 152-pounds) or, again, a bad match at state can send one of the top seeds into the consolation bracket. Still, overall, seeded wrestlers should place somewhere within a given range of their seed. The #1 should place in the top three. The #2 seed should place in the top 3-4.
With that said, let's reconsider seed accuracy and consider the bigger picture. If we were to award 3-points for a wrestler fulfilling his seed (#3 seed finishes 3rd); 2-points for a wrestler placing within one place of his seed (#2 seed finishes 1st or 3rd); and 1-point for a wrestler finishing within two places of his seed (#4 seed finishes 2nd or 6th) here's what we get:

Regardless of how the accuracy is viewed, the 5A's criteria proved to be the clear winner when it comes to predicting a wrestler's ranking within the bracket--at least as far as the 2014-15 season goes. What might this accuracy be attributed to?
•   Strength of the 2014-15 5A classification where multiple wrestlers distinguished themselves, helping to clarify a ranking within a given bracket
•   Frequency of competition between the various 5A schools where the highly-regarded Head-to-Head criteria came into play more often
•   A more valid set of criteria

The last possible reason, however, would require that results from the past 3-4 years to be analyzed in a similar manner.
Until then, let the debate continue.

2014-15 Season

Post Falls, Caldwell, Snake, and Ririe Roll

The Idaho Wrestler's 2015
Award Winners

While no one would characterize this year’s crowned champions as upsets, their respective margins of victory (outside of the 2A) certainly had to raise some eyebrows.
In the 5A, the Post Falls Trojans came in favored but not heavily as Bonneville came in with a seasoned line up that included 23-participants. Still the Trojans wrestled like they have all year--tough to end up dominating the 5A field.
The 4A race certainly seemed a bit more wide open with Caldwell, Mountain Home and Kuna holding the cards—but that did not last long, either. The Cougars had a fantastic tournament to absolutely overwhelm the field.
In the 3A, Snake looked good on paper—but maybe not quite as good as either Sugar or American Falls. Fortunately for the Panthers, kids don’t wrestle on paper.
It was in the 2A where fans were treated to a hold-your-breath finish with Ririe leaning into the finish line ahead of New Plymouth by a half of a point!

5A

The top four finishers played out their scripts at least as far as brackets go. Going into state, The Idaho Wrestler predicted the top four finishers in the correct order, relying on power-points.

Post Falls compensated for their lack of participants, 19 compared to Bonneville’s 23, by way of pin and out-wrestling their seeds. The Trojans secured six more falls than the Bees, translating into an additional 12-points. But the Trojans real (unexpected) points emerged from their unseeded wrestlers. Brad Noesen (+7), Lucas Bolster (+13), and Steven Zettel (+12) contributed 32-points.

Bonneville secured a lot of falls but rarely surpassed their seeds—in most cases, however, that fact speaks to the difficulty of the brackets, rather than a poor performance by the Bees.

Quite simply, the Trojans had a spectacular year (because of a hard-working and experienced line up) that included a Tri State title and a state title.

4A

Did the Cougars have a good weekend? No, they had an amazing weekend. Caldwell entered the tournament with 12-seeded wrestlers. Eleven of those twelve wrestled to or above their seed—the one who didn't was beaten by a teammate who did! The Cougars had an additional two unseeded wrestlers who also placed. Maybe most devastating for the rest of the field was the performance of Caldwell’s first two weight classes; between 98 and 106, the Cougars accumulated a whopping 89-points, averaging just over 22-points/wrestler.

Helping the Cougar cause was a field of co-favorites that wrestled to or just under their expected performances. While neither Kuna nor Mountain Home had a particularly bad tournament, they certainly didn't have a good tournament either. Fourth place Lakeland, however, was second only to Caldwell in terms of surpassing expectations. Unseeded Chris Washburn (182) and Bryan Edelblute (113) combined for 31-points, helping the Hawks to a fourth place finish.

3A

Unlike their fellow champions, Snake River’s seeds pretty much wrestled to their expected finish, giving a lot of credence to how those kids were seeded. The Panthers did have a few kids surpass expectations, most notably Payson Anderton who finished first after being seeded fifth. Point-wise, such finishes can be profound. When a non-seed finishes sixth, he likely picks up an unexpected 6-8 points. When a fifth or sixth seed advances to the finals, he likely picks up an unexpected 10-12 points.

Much like the champions, runner-up Fruitland also pretty much fulfilled paper-point expectations with most wrestlers competing close to their seed.

Weiser proved to be the anomaly in the 3A. The Wolverines had three unseeded wrestlers place in the top five, giving them the third largest seed differential in the entire state.

2A

Twelve of the champion’s thirteen qualifiers contributed to the cause. Ririe had one unseeded competitor place, another four finish one spot above their expected finish, and yet another place two spots above his expected finish. In short, the Bulldogs did what they needed to do to claim the title—but it was close

Hot on Ririe’s heels was New Plymouth. The Pilgrims’ performance mirrors that of Ririe’s with no real anomalies in terms of finishers. They did have a non-seed finish 6th but also had three seeds finish one position below their expected finish—nothing to out of the ordinary.

Team of the Year: Post Falls High School
The Trojans were nothing short of dominating throughout the 2014-15 season, securing the 5A state title by a 66-point margin.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Kloetzer, Caldwell HS
Despite the uncertainty heading into the 4A state championships, Kloetzer's Cougars were firing on all cylinders at the 4A state tournament come Friday and Saturday at Holt Arena. Coach K had his kids ready to roll when it mattered most.

Person of the Year: Pat Owens, Kuna HS
Owens spearheaded a a much-needed event in Idaho: The Hall of Fame Classic. The Classic proved to be a well-executed event, spotlighting Idaho's hardest working talent.

2014-15 Idaho Wrestler All State Team

98
First Team-Kade Lincoln, Skyline
Second Team-Dante Carreno, Caldwell
Second Team-Emanuel Cerros, Caldwell

106
First Team-Pierce Mederios of Mountain Home
Second Team-Mysun Mather of Capital
Second Team-Matt Mcleod of Post Falls

113
First Team-Larry Johnson, Lakeland
Second Team-Bryce Fogleman, Nampa
Second Team-Treyton Nilsson, Snake River

120
First Team-Dorian Sapien, Borah
Second Team-Jacob Garrison, Meridian
Second Team-Boone Giulio, American Falls

126
First Team-Drake Foster, Post Falls
Second Team-Bridger Carpenter, Idaho Falls
Second Team-Devaughn Sapien, Borah

132
First Team-TJ Wolf, Post Falls
Second Team-Sammy Eckhart, Fruitland
Second Team-Taite Martin, Bonneville

138
First Team-Alius DelaRosa, Post Falls
Second Team-Jake Lords, Kuna
Second Team-Blake Ivie, Kellogg

145
First Team-Bryce Parson, Lewiston* (The Idaho Wrestler's Co-WOY)
Second Team-Spencer Rich, Rocky Mountain
Second Team-Donivan Banks, Bonneville

152
First Team-Demetrius Romero, Mountain View
Second Team-Ryan Klemp, Lewiston
Second Team-Dakota Wall, Centennial

160
First Team-Taylor Owens, Borah
Second Team-Drake Randall, Lewiston
Second Team-Rowdy Paul, Potlatch

170
First Team-Tucker Leavitt, Highland
Second Team-Casey Randles, Sandpoint
Second Team-Tragor Abatti, Challis

182
First Team-Seth McLeod* (The Idaho Wrestler's Co-WOY)
Second Team-Levi Perry, Kuna
Second Team-Jared Bird, Bonneville

195
First Team-Afton Silvis, Nampa
Second Team-John Hensley, Meridian
Second Team-Killian Estes, Lakeland

220
First Team-Eric Thrift, Borah
Second Team-Carrik Smith, Bonneville
Second Team-Colton Horn, Shoshone

285
First Team-Justin Farnsworth, Post Falls
Second Team-Stephen Boone, Bonneville
Second Team-Zion Dixon, Lake City

The Idaho Wrestler's 2105 Wrestler of the Year
145-Bryce Parson, Lewiston
182-Seth McLeod, Post Falls

The Idaho Wrestler Announces 2018-19 All State Team

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