ORDER GAME PHOTOS

The 4A division returns 8 State Champions with 43 placers overall. A total of 14 wrestlers are in position to earn a possible third or fourth state medal. This year’s 4A wrestling contingent is well balanced from the lightest to heaviest weight groups. As expected, each weight group will be highly contested and feature several wrestlers with impressive accolades. Keep an eye on the 145 pound weight division. The road to the top of the podium will not be easy this year with returning 2x State Champion Hunter Bidelman (Caldwell), All-American Carlos Valdez (Bishop Kelly), and sophomore standout DJ Neider of Idaho Falls in the mix. The pre-tournament favorite to win the overall team title is Minico, the defending champions of 2022. 

A total of eight wrestlers return in pursuit of earning another individual state title with a majority ranked number one in their respective weight groups. The leader among this strong contingent is 2x State Champion Mack Mauger of Blackfoot (120). Rated among the top lightweight wrestlers in the country, Mauger is a 4x Fargo National Champion, 2x USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner, and has 9 All-American honors to his credit. Only a junior, Mauger is committed to compete for the University of Missouri.

Entering this year’s state tournament with a 44-0 record and two titles to his credit, Caldwell’s Hunter Bidelman is the favorite at 145s. As mentioned, he will be challenged by Idaho Falls DJ Neider and Carlos Valdez of Bishop Kelly, each standout sophomores that have promising futures. Definitely a weight division to keep an eye on. Winning state last year as a freshman, Bishop Kelly’s Matthew Martino is a multiple time All-American and the top seed at 126s. An exceptional student-athlete, Martino is one of the best lightweight wrestlers in the state and is on track to join his older brother, Christopher, in pursuit of winning a rare four state titles.

Other returning State Champions include Mountain Home’s Gabe Rosales (106), All-American Jake Castegneto (132 – Bishop Kelly), Nakoa Fouret (170 – Columbia), Tradyn Henderson (182 – Blackfoot), and Garrett Vail of Minico (220).

Additional competitors to watch include fourteen wrestlers in position to earn either a third or fourth state medal (see lists below). To name a couple, Payton Hernandez of Columbia is a 3x state finalist and in position to challenge for a fourth medal. Despite being the third seed at 132s, he is on a collision course with Bishop Kelly’s Jake Castegneto, the number two seed. If their District III final’s match is any indication to what to expect, keep an eye out for this potential match-up, it will not disappoint. At 285s, Caldwell’s Miguel Perez is the number one seed and in position to earn a fourth state medal. Placing third three times, Perez (32-3 record) is the favorite to win it all this year. Also keep an eye on Jadon Skellenger of Bishop Kelly. Only a junior, Skellenger enters the state tournament undefeated (40-0) and is the number one seed at 152s. This being his first season to compete for a high school program, Skellenger has a wrestling resume that dates back well over a decade and is very impressive to say the least. Winning multiple national All-American honors and titles, Skellenger is a Fargo finalist and in 2019 earned a U15 World title in Greco-Roman. Pound for pound, he is one of the best in the tournament.

The overwhelming favorite to repeat this year in the team race is Minico High School. With ten returning state placers and 24 qualifiers overall, the Spartans are loaded with talent and have three wrestlers seed number one (Twiss, Vail, and Sonner-Cranney) and seven more seeded in the top six. Challenging Minico is traditional power Caldwell High School. Led by Bidelman and Perez, the Cougars qualified thirteen and have five returning placers overall. The team to watch is Bishop Kelly of Boise. Despite not having the large numbers as Minico, Bishop Kelly definitely has six potential finalists and few more that will score a lot of points. All underclassman, this strong contingent includes Mathew Martino (Soph., #1 seed – 126), Jake Castegneto (Jr., #2 seed – 132), Manual Valdez (Jr., #1 seed – 138), Carlos Valdez (Soph., #3 seed – 145), Jadon Skellenger (Jr., #1 seed – 152), Seiya Thompson (Jr., #2 seed – 160), and Phil Janquart (Jr., #3 – 220).

Overall, I expect the 4A division to be a great competition this year. Many of the weight divisions feature wrestlers with national and international credentials. Below is a comprehensive list of the top five teams, returning champions, state placers, All-Americans, and wrestlers ranked nationally. Enjoy!

TOP 5 TEAMS

MINICO (24 QUALIFIERS w/10 RETURNING STATE PLACERS)

106 – Greyson Molina (10), 5^th State

113 – Andre Valero (11), 4^th, 4^th State

126 – Jose Contreras (12), 5^th State

138 – Joseph Terry (12), 3^rd State

145 – Kale Osterhout (12), 6^th State

160 – Paxton Twiss (11), 3^rd State

182 – Spencer Pease (11), 5^th, 3^rd State

182 – Freddy Martinez (12), 6^th State

195 – Preston Sonner-Cranney (10), 4^th State

220 – Garrett Vail (11), State Champion

CALDWELL (13 QUALIFIERS w/5 RETURNING STATE PLACERS)

120 – Draven Johns (10), 3^rd State

126 – Jayce Wolf (10), 5^th State

132 – Dominic Alcantara (11), 6^th, 5^th State

145 – Hunter Bidelman (12), 2x State Champion, 2^nd State (ALL-AMERICAN)

285 – Miguel Perez (12), 3^rd, 3^rd, 3^rd State

BISHOP KELLY (15 QUALIFIERS w/4 RETURNING STATE PLACERS)

126 – Matthew Martino (10), State Champion (ALL-AMERICAN)

132 – Jake Castegneto (11), 1^st, 2^nd State (ALL-AMERICAN)

138 – Manual Valdez (11), 3^rd State ’21 (ALL-AMERICAN)

145 – Carlos Valdez (10), 4^th State (ALL-AMERICAN)

152 – Jadon Skellenger (11), ALL-AMERICAN/U15 World GR Champion

BONNEVILLE (15 QUALIFIERS w/4 RETURNING STATE PLACERS)

106 – Saxton Scott (10), 3^rd State

120 – Wyat Blanchard (10), 4^th State

120 – Ryan Nuno (12), 6^th State ‘20

138 – Ryker Vail (10), 4^th State

BLACKFOOT (15 QUALIFIERS w/3 RETURNING STATE PLACERS)

120 – Mack Mauger (11), 2x State Champion (ALL-AMERICAN)

160 – Kylan Guerra (11), 4^th State ‘21

182 – Tradyn Henderson (Blackfoot, 12), State Champion

RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS (2X)

120 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot, 11)

145 – Hunter Bidelman (Caldwell, 12)

RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS (1X)

106 – Gabe Rosales (Mountain Home, 12)

132 – Jake Castegneto (Bishop Kelly, 11)

126 – Matthew Martino (Bishop Kelly, 10)

170 – Nakoa Fouret (Columbia, 12)

182 – Tradyn Henderson (Blackfoot, 12)

220 – Garrett Vail (Minico, 11)

RETURNING STATE PLACERS (3X)

132 – Payton Hernandez (Columbia, 12), 2^nd, 2^nd, 2^nd

145 – Hunter Bidelman (Caldwell, 12), 1^st, 2^nd, 1^st

285 – Miguel Perez (Caldwell, 12), 3^rd, 3^rd, 3^rd

RETURNING STATE PLACERS (2X)

113 – Andre Valero (Minico, 11), 4^th, 4^th

120 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot, 11), 1^st, 1^st

120 – Carter Balmforth (Shelley, 11), 2^nd, 6^th

126 – Kaiden Rubash (Jerome, 12), 6^th, 5^th

132 – Jake Castegneto (Bishop Kelly, 11), 1^st, 2^nd

132 – Dominic Alcantara (Caldwell, 11), 6^th, 5^th

152 – Diego Deaton (Moscow, 12), 5^th, 6^th

170 – Nakoa Fouret (Columbia, 12), 3^rd, 1^st

182 – Spencer Pease (Minico, 11), 5^th, 3^rd

195 – Gavin Williamson (Jerome, 11), 4^th, 4^th

220 – Preston Colvin (Skyline, 12), 6^th, 2^nd

RETURNING STATE PLACERS (1X)

106 – Gabe Rosales (Mountain Home, 12), 1^st

106 – Saxton Scott (Bonneville, 10), 3^rd

106 – Greyson Molina (Minico, 10), 5^th

120 – Draven Johns (Caldwell, 10), 3^rd

120 – Wyatt Blanchard (Bonneville, 10), 4^th

120 – Matthew Williams (Lakeland, 12), 5^th ‘21

120 – Ryan Nuno (Bonneville, 12), 6^th ’20

126 – Clark Peterson (Shelley, 10), 3^rd

126 – Jayce Wolf (Caldwell, 10), 5^th

126 – Jose Contreras (Minico, 12), 5^th

138 – Joseph Terry (Minico, 12), 3^rd

138 – Manual Valdez (Bishop Kelley, 11), 3^rd ’21

138 – Ryker Vail (Bonneville, 10), 4^th

138 – Tavin Rigby (Preston, 11), 6^th

145 – Carlos Valdez (Bishop Kelly, 10), 4^th

145 – Kale Osterhout (Minico, 12), 6^th

145 – Timothy Hebdon (Skyview, 12), 6^th ’21 5A

160 – Paxton Twiss (Minico, 11), 3^rd

160 – Kylan Guerra (Blackfoot 11), 4^th ‘21

160 – Caleb Somers (Canyon Ridge, 11), 6^th

170 – Parker Bodily (Preston, 12), 5^th

170 – Levi Lockett (Jerome, 12), 6^th

182 – Tradyn Henderson (Blackfoot, 12), 1^st

182 – Micah Serr (Preston, 12), 2^nd

182 – Freddy Martinez (Minico 12), 6^th

195 – Preston Sonner-Cranney (Minico, 10), 4^th

220 – Garrett Vail (Minico, 11), 1^st

220 – Zahne Ruiz (Twin Falls, 12), 2^nd

285 – Jackson Geslin (Century, 12), 2^nd

WORLD MEDALIST

152 – Jadon Skellenger (Bishop Kelly), U15 World Champion (GR)

NATIONAL CHAMPION

120 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot) 6x

ALL-AMERICANS (Fargo/Folkstyle/UWW)

120 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot) 9x

152 – Jadon Skellenger (Bishop Kelly) 8x

126 – Matthew Martino (Bishop Kelly) 2x

132 – Treygen Morin (Ridgevue) 2x

145 – Hunter Bidelman (Caldwell) 2x

106 – Saxton Scott (Bonneville)

132 – Jake Castegneto (Bishop Kelly)

138 – Manual Valdez (Bishop Kelly)

145 – Carlos Valdez (Bishop Kelly)

4A DIVISION WRESTLERS RECOGNIZED IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

113 – Mack Mauger (Blackfoot, 11), #10 (WUSA)/#10 (FLO)

120 – Matthew Martino (Bishop Kelly, 10), #30T (WUSA)

138 – Hunter Bidelman (Caldwell, 12), Special Mention (WUSA)

152 – Jadon Skellenger (Bishop Kelly, 11), #18 (WUSA)