ORDER GAME PHOTOS

The National High School Coaches Association Championships (NHSCA) has long been the prep level tournament that has brought together many of the nation’s top wrestlers to do battle, seeking to not only win an individual national title, but to gain a spot on the All-American medal stand by placing in the top eight in their respective weight groups. The first annual NHSCA tournament was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1990 and was for seniors only that had within their four year span earned a spot in the finals of their respective state tournaments. Several years later, the NHSCA expanded the tournament setting to include divisions for all underclassman and more recently added a girls and middle school division, which presently the entirety of the tournament is open to all and does not require state level placings to qualify.

Traditionally, power states, such as Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York have produced the largest sum of individual champions, All-Americans, and team titles since the first competition. As of this writing, the state of Idaho has produced a total six (6) individual champions and twenty-five (25) senior All-Americans overall since 1990. I recall back in 2006 when I was the Team Leader for California and observed the outstanding performance by Bonners Ferry’s Adam Hall, who at the time was among the top high school wrestlers in the country. By tournaments end, he had capped his stellar prep career by dominating a very strong 152 pound weight division. As a result, Hall earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award among a talented field of seniors that in the following years went on to win NCAA Division I titles and produce multiple All-American honors. This group included NCAA Champion Anthony Robles (Arizona State) and seven-time World and Olympic Champion Jordan Burroughs of New Jersey to name a couple. Post NHSCA, Hall went on to earn two PAC-10 titles, two NCAA Division I All-American honors, and multiple academic honors for Boise State University. Currently, Hall is the Associate Head Wrestling Coach at North Carolina State University.

This past weekend, Mountain View’s Shilo Jones and Clare Waite of Boise High School represented the Gem State very well in Virginia Beach, Virginia and brought home All-American honors by placing in the top eight in their respective divisions. Only a junior, Jones has a built quite an impressive wrestling resume to date and is among the top heavyweights in the country. Placing third in the Junior Division, Jones is a three-time Idaho state medalist (6^th, 5^th, 2^nd) and now has five prep level All-American honors to his credit. Also, a junior, Waite is a two-time state finalist, earning a title in 2022. By placing fifth in the Girl’s Division, Waite earned her first prep level All-American honor and now has established herself among the top wrestlers to watch in 2024.

Congratulations to both Shilo Jones and Clare Waite for representing Idaho on the national stage and putting their talents on the line against the nation’s best. A job well done!

NHSCA Nationals – ALL-AMERICANS (IDAHO)

285 – SHILO JONES (Mountain View H.S., 11), 3rd Place (Junior Division)

• Rd. 1 – Won by Fall vs. B. Talbot (Maine)
• Rd. 2 – Won by Fall vs. T. Hammonds (West Virginia)
• QTR FINALS – Won by Fall vs. G. Howard (Virginia)
• SEMI FINALS – Lost 12-4 vs. N. Schunke (South Dakota)
• CONSO SEMIS – Won 12-0 vs. W. Cox (Alabama)
• 3^rd/4^th Match – Won 7-1 vs. G. Garibaldi (New York)

HIGH SCHOOL ACCOLADES

• 2^nd Idaho State (5A), 2023
• 5^th Idaho State (5A), 2022
• 6^th Idaho State (5A), 2021

• 3^rd NHSCA – All-American, Junior Division, 2023
• Reno Tournament of Champions – All-American, 2022
• Fargo All-American – Junior GR, ‘2022
• USAW Folkstyle All-American – Junior Division, 2022
• USAW Folkstyle All-American – 16U Division, 2021

138 – CLARE WAITE (Boise H.S., 11), 5^th Place (Girls Division)

• Rd. 1 – Won by fall vs. C. Farber (Maryland)
• Rd. 2 – Won by MD, 9-1 vs. R. Alhashash (Ohio)
• QTR FINALS – Lost 4-2 vs. A. Elliott (New York)
• CONSO. Rd. – Won 6-1 vs. T. Lopardo (Georgia)
• CONSO. Rd. – Won 3-0 vs. M. Hemo (New Jersey)
• CONSO SEMIS – Lost 4-1 vs. S. Gassel (California)
• 5^th/6^th Place Match – Won by fall vs. R. Alhashash (Ohio)

HIGH SCHOOL ACCOLADES

• NHSCA All-American (Girls), 2023
• 2^ND Idaho State, 2023
• Idaho State Champion, 2022