Four could be magic number for Post Falls in Pocatello
To Post Falls wrestling coach Pete Reardon, this group is already pretty special.
Should things go right for the 22 wrestlers the Trojans qualified for the state 5A tournament, it could be a really special weekend come Saturday night at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
Post Falls — winners of the Region 1 title for the fifth-straight year — had 21 qualifiers make it through, then found out Triston Rowe was named to the tournament after a wrestler from southern Idaho was unable to compete.
Regional titles are nice and all, but the Trojans are chasing a fourth state title in five years, a streak that started in 2015. Columbia High of Nampa won the 5A title in 2017.
“This group has grown close throughout the season,” Reardon said. “There’s been some adversity — not too major — and that has solidified the team as far as fighting for each other.”
Post Falls set the 5A scoring record with 338.5 team points in 2018.
“I really don’t know how to gauge where the scoring will come from,” Reardon said. “If something like that happened again, that would be awesome. I think for us, we’re just focusing on doing our best, but it’s hard to gauge with teams moving around divisions.”
Post Falls senior Ridge Lovett, a three-time state champion, will try to join Alius De La Rosa (2013 to 2016) as the school’s only four-time champs.
Of those in Lovett’s 145-pound bracket, Reardon added that Centennial senior Ryan Wilson — who’s 45-3 on the season — could pose a tough test.
“He looks really impressive and really tough,” Reardon said of Wilson. “In the past, Ridge has seen him, worked and trained with him for some of the national team stuff. Ridge has wrestled him in the past, but he’s no slouch. Ryan is a three-time state placer and had some close matches with some ranked kids. He’s going to be really tough.”
Coeur d’Alene, Lake City, Centennial, Meridian and Highland are expected to battle it out for second place.
“I think we’ll make a run” at a trophy,” said Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat, whose Vikings won state titles in 2010 and 2011, and last brought home a trophy in 2017, finishing third. “I think it’s going to be a dogfight (for second place).”
Lake City has never brought home a trophy from state wrestling. But the Timberwolves have been on the rise in recent years. They had five regional champions last weekend — the most in Corey Owen’s 10 seasons as coach.
“I like our chances (at state),” Owen said. “The kids every week, they go out and surprise me, and surprise everybody else.”
4A: Lakeland, which finished second to Minico by 29 points (241.5/212.5), qualified 16 wrestlers to state.
Senior Sam Edelblute won a state title at 113 pounds in 2018.
3A: Timberlake qualified 13 wrestlers for the 3A tournament after finishing ninth in 2018.
Timberlake junior Isaiah Evans was runner-up at 120 as a sophomore.
2A: St. Maries qualified 12 wrestlers to the 2A tournament, with Dylan Sotin (98 pounds) and Hayden Villa (138) winning regional titles last Saturday at the District 1-2 tournament at Orofino High.