ORDER GAME PHOTOS

On November 18, 2023, Team Idaho gathered together at Skyview High School in Nampa to celebrate the winning of the Junior Greco-Roman National team title in Fargo, North Dakota by presenting championship rings to members of the team, coaches, and support staff in addition to acknowledging the overall 19 All-Americans (top 8) from each of the three divisions. In attendance for this celebration dinner were members of Team Idaho, coaches, family and friends, volunteers, as well as the Mayor of Nampa, Debbie Kling and Lieutenant Governor, Scott Bedke.

To put it into perspective, this is the first time in Gem State history that Idaho has brought home a national team title in any style or division at Fargo. What are the odds of achieving this arduous feat? Well, since I am too lazy to perform the probability calculation, I can say with confidence that the odds are very low. In fact, since the first Junior National Greco competition in 1972, only seven other states besides Idaho have won this prestigious event in Greco.

To date, the Prairie State of Illinois is the King of Greco and leads the states with a record 29 team titles since winning their first in 1972. They are followed by Pennsylvania (6), California (5), Iowa (4), Minnesota (3), New York (1), Oregon (1), and now Idaho in 2023. It must also be noted that Idaho just broke Illinois’ 14-year win streak, which was a herculean task to say the least. What’s more, Idaho is the lowest populated state at just under 2 million to ever win a Fargo title in either 16U or Junior divisions. The state of Iowa is next with a population at just over 3 million.  

STATES THAT HAVE WON THE JUNIOR GRECO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SINCE 1972

• Illinois (pop. ~13 million): Record 29 titles (14 in a row since 2008)
• Pennsylvania (pop. ~14 million): 1983 (tie Iowa), ’89, ’91, ’93, ’03, ’05
• California (39 million): 1985, ’88, ’98, ’00, ’01
• Iowa (pop. 3 million): 1983 (tie PA), ’84, ’02, ‘06
• Minnesota (pop. ~6 million): 1990, ’95, ‘07
• IDAHO (pop. ~2 million): 2023
• New York (pop. ~19 million): 2004
• Oregon (pop. 4 million): 1973

According to Chris Owens, an All-American himself in 1987 and now the Director of Wrestling Operations for Idaho USA Wrestling, “I started coaching the Fargo Team for Idaho in 1995. We started out just trying to have an All-American every year. Then it was to increase the number of names going on the shirt every year and now Idaho is competing for National Team titles! For me, this is a benchmark accomplishment for our state. Credit should go to the wrestling for putting the work in and to the great people (coaches, parents, and wrestling supporters) for figuring out the importance of working together and being on the same team!! Hopefully, there is more great things on the horizon for Idaho. So much love and respect for our great wrestling community!”

Another noteworthy milestone achieved by Idaho is the state record number of All-Americans produced by the Junior Greco team at 10. The previous record was 7 achieved in 2021 and duplicated the following year. On top of that, this year’s team also tied the state record for individual champions in Junior Greco at 2, which was also achieved in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Below highlights the top 5 team finish, list of Idaho’s 2023 All-Americans (GR), and other interesting historical facts.

2023 JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN TOP 5 STATE TEAM SCORES

1 – IDAHO (10 AAs/2 Individual Champions): 141 points (pop. 1.9 million)

2 – Iowa (8 AAs/2 Individual Champions): 120 points (pop. 3.2 million)

3 – Illinois (8 AAs/2 Individual Champions): 106 points (pop. ~12.5 million)

4 – California (9 AAs/1 Individual Champion): 97 points (pop. ~39 million)

5 – Oklahoma (7 AAs): 91 points (pop. 4 million)

2023 JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN ALL-AMERICANS

100 – Gabriel Rosales (Mountain Home), 4^th Place*

100 – Hunter Anderson (Rigby), 5^th Place

113 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot), NATIONAL CHAMPION*

120 – Jaxton Packer (South Fremont), 5^th Place

126 – Treygen Morin (Ridgevue), 6^th Place

138 – Tanner Frothinger (Eagle), 5^th Place

152 – Jadon Skellenger (Bishop Kelly), 2^nd Place

182 – Isaiah Twait (Meridian), 7^th Place

285 – Aden Attao (Borah), NATIONAL CHAMPION*

285 – Shilo Jones (Mountain View), 2^nd Place*

*DOUBLE ALL-AMERICAN (FS/GR)

TEAM IDAHO HISTORICAL STATS (JUNIOR GRECO)

• Top 10 Team Finishes – 2001 (9^th), ’04 (7^th), ’05 (7^th), ’06 (4^th), ’10 (8^th), ’13 (7^th), ’14 (7^th), ’21 (6^th), ’22 (3^rd), and ’23 (National Champions)
• Total All-Americans produced since 1980 – 86 (First – Zane Jones ’80)
• Individual National Champions – 18 (First – Brock Zollinger ’01)
• Total Finalists since 1985 – 32 (First – Glenn Amador, 2^nd Place ’85)
• Number of Junior GR All-Americans by Year – 1980 (1), 1983 (1), 1985 (1), 1987 (2), 1989 (1), 1995 (2), 1999 (1), 2000 (3), 2001 (3), 2002 (3), 2004 (4), 2005 (4), 2006 (6), 2008 (2), 2009 (2), 2010 (3), 2011 (2), 2012 (4), 2013 (5), 2014 (4), 2015 (1), 2016 (1), 2017 (3), 2018 (2), 2019 (1), 2021 (7), 2022 (7), and 2023 (10)

TEAM IDAHO 2023 FARGO HIGHLIGHTS

• Produced a state record four finalist in Greco (Mauger, Skellenger, Attao, and Jones). The previous state record was 3 in 2022 (4 finalist in JR FS in 2022)
• Mack Mauger became the first Idaho wrestler to earn 5 individual Fargo titles and the fourth to earn 6 All-American honors overall (FS/GR)
• Aden Attao became the fourth Idaho wrestler to earn 3 Fargo titles and sixth to earn 5 All-American honors overall (FS/GR)
• Gabriel Rosales, Mack Mauger, Aden Attao, and Shilo Jones each earned double All-American honors (FS/GR)
• Gabe Rosales, Jaxton Packer, Treygen Morin, Tanner Frothinger, and Jadon Skellenger all joined 2x All-American Club

Also recognized at this great event were the remaining members of Team Idaho that participated in as well as those earning All-American honors in their respective divisions and styles.

This included Kaidance Gerg, the second Idaho wrestler in the Junior Women’s Freestyle to win an individual title since Anneliese DeAragon first achieved her titles in 2009 and ’10.

Also recognized was 2023 State Champion Amie Hartman of Mountain Home High School for placing third in the 16U Women’s Freestyle division. Over and above that, Kaidance enters this upcoming season ranked #1 in the country while Amie has moved up the ladder to #3.

Congratulations on their outstanding achievements thus far. This is a noteworthy leading indicator that women’s wrestling in Idaho is growing on an upward trajectory and setting a strong precedence for future generations to follow.

The total number of All-Americans produced by Team Idaho in 2023 was 19 (all styles), the third highest since 2021 where the Gem State produced a state record 24.

On top of that, Saxton Scott of Bonneville High School earned the “Outstanding Wrestler” Award for his exceptional performance in the 16U Greco division, the second wrestler from Idaho to achieve this honor in the 16U division (First – Matthew Park ’14).

Below is the remaining list of Fargo All-Americans produced by Team Idaho in 2023.

16U GRECO ROMAN (GR)

106 – Saxton Scott – National Champion (OW)

145 – Carlos Valdez – 5^th Place

JUNIOR FREESTYLE (FS)

100 – Gabriel Rosales – 8^th Place*

113 – Mack Mauger – 3^rd Place *

285 – Aden Attao – 2^nd Place*

285 – Shilo Jones – 6^th Place*

JUNIOR WOMEN’S FREESTYLE (FS)

138 – Kaidance Gerg – NATIONAL CHAMPION

144 – Clare Waite – 8^th Place

16U WOMEN’S FREESTYLE (FS)

200 – Amie Hartman – 3^rd Place

*DOUBLE ALL-AMERICAN

I have stated many times in the past that an achievement of this level is attainable, but very rare. For the state of Idaho, it did not happen by circumstance. In fact, it has been an “All-Hands” on deck effort by many involved in the Gem State for many years leading up to this achievement. Furthermore, to emphasize how tough it is for one to earn an individual Fargo All-American honor, several returning All-Americans from Idaho did not place this year. On the other hand, several others that lost early in the competition, regrouped, and match-by-match rose to the occasion to earn a hard-fought spot on the All-American podium. It was their focus and ability to battle back in the tough consolation side of the bracket, which helped anchor Idaho to its first national title along with breaking Illinois’ long 14-year winning streak. The quote from Olympic Gold medalist Dan Gable comes to mind when I think of what has just happened, “We, as a wrestling community, better remember it is more than one individual that makes a winner.”

The future has not been written yet, nor is there any guarantee that Idaho will ever win another team title at Fargo. Do I believe it is possible? Without hesitation, YES! The Blueprint for Action established and set in motion by Chris Owens and all those involved is a proven system. What was achieved in the summer of 2023 is set in stone and a precedence for all future generations to meet or exceed. Below is Team Idaho’s BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION:

• Grow wrestling throughout the state
• Build a wrestling culture
• Create a TEAM IDAHO concept – Bring each region of Idaho together (North, South, East, West)
• Grow all three styles of wrestling; Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Folkstyle
• Working with coaches and clubs throughout the state
• BEST ON BEST PRACTICES – Conduct state practices three times a week with kids in the Treasure Valley area. Expanding to other regions of Idaho (Open to all wrestlers with USAW Membership)
• Facilitate travel opportunities to National Duals, Folkstyle Nationals, World Trials, Fargo, etc.

According to State Director, Josh Anderson, “I believe winning Idaho’s first Junior National Championship this summer has awaken a mighty sleeping dragon within our coaches, athletes, and wrestling community that will continue to propel Idaho to the highest levels of success in the wrestling world. We are so grateful for all the hard work from everyone involved with USA Idaho and for the plans all of our athletes have made to build a dynasty around the Olympic styles.”

On a final note, I want to give a huge thanks to Skyview Head Coach, Dusty Vaughn for putting together an awesome meal for this historic event and to Chris Owens, Josh Anderson, Fred Bartlett, and the entire staff at Idaho USA Wrestling for sharing this great moment in Idaho wrestling history with me. I am honored to be an integral part of Idaho wrestling and, in a position, to write about and promote the many great things happening here! It’s not difficult to surmise that with this team title in addition to all the outstanding national level performances by the members of Team Idaho, it has been brought to light that Idaho is no longer a HIDDEN GEM. WE’RE ONE IDAHO!