CENTENNIAL SEEKS CHAMPIONSHIP THREE-PEAT
By Jordan Rodriguez
Defending team champion: Centennial Patriots
Returning individual champions (last year’s weight class):
Peter Huntsman, Borah (98 pounds),
Shea Randall, Borah (106),
Dorian Sapien, Borah (113),
Alius Delarosa, Post Falls (120),
Jaron Chavez, Centennial (126),
Matthew Park, Centennial (132),
Dakota Wall, Centennial (138),
Ryan Klemp, Lewiston (152),
Tucker Leavitt, Highland (160),
Jared Bird, Bonneville (4A, 170),
John Hensley, Meridian (182).
Notable departures:
Hayden Tuma, Centennial (four-time champion), John Jay Chavez, Centennial (two-time champ), Harley Dilulo, Meridian (two-time champ), Matt James, Coeur d’Alene (285 champ).
Notable additions:
Bonneville, Columbia, Nampa (moving up from 4A).
Patriots lead a crowded 5A title chase
Idaho’s toughest wrestling classification just got tougher, and the race for the 5A team title promises to be heated come state tournament time.
Two-time defending champion Centennial returns as the favorite after scoring a 5A state-record 320.5 points to run away with the title last season. Defending champions Jaron Chavez, Matthew Park and Dakota Wall lead a talented group of returning wrestlers for the Patriots, who will be coached by Sean Moon this season after former coach Collin Robertson left to become a principal in Gooding.
A three-peat could be within reach, but the Patriots are far from alone at the top. State runner-up Borah returns six state finalists—including defending champions Peter Huntsman, Shea Randall and Dorian Sapien—while Post Falls has seven top-three finishers back in uniform, led by two-time defending champion Alius Delarosa.
Former 4A powerhouse Columbia also joins the 5A fray this fall, and coach Todd Cady’s squad will be an interesting addition after capturing four of the past six 4A team championships.
Individually, Lewiston senior Ryan Klemp is chasing history this season as he seeks a rare four-peat. Klemp has captured consecutive titles at 152 pounds after taking the 138-pound crown as a freshman.
“It’s fun [to be a three-time champ],” Klemp said after defeating Borah’s Taylor Owens for the title last year. “I’m just going to keep working hard and trying to get better.”
Owens, a senior, is among the wrestlers looking to stop Klemp from becoming Idaho’s eighth four-time 5A champion. Centennial’s Hayden Tuma became the seventh last season, narrowly defeating Lewiston’s Bryce Parson—a returning senior who will be hungry to earn his second career title this year. Delarosa, a junior, also has a shot at winning four straight titles. He’s halfway there after winning at 106 pounds as a freshman and 120 last season.
Regionally, the north should once again be strong with Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston all battling for District 1-2 supremacy and a shot at the state title. Post Falls has the most depth—and is seeking its first-ever team wrestling title under coach Pete Reardon—while Lewiston won it all in 2012 and Coeur d’Alene captured back-to-back titles in 2010-11.
In the Treasure Valley, Columbia should join perennial contenders Centennial, Borah, Meridian and Capital in the District 3 title race. The Wildcats don’t have any returning champions from last year’s 4A tournament, but the program should have enough depth and talent to make a smooth transition to 5A competition.
In eastern Idaho, Highland is the District 4-5-6 favorite after a sixth-place state tournament showing last season. Junior Tucker Leavitt leads the Rams after winning the 160-pound title as a sophomore. Bonneville, another former 4A program, moves up and could make some noise after a third-place showing in 2014. Jared Bird won the 170-pound title last season as a sophomore, and he is one of five returning 4A state finalists for the Bees. Idaho Falls, Skyline, Madison and Hillcrest also will be gunning for the podium as the east looks to produce its first team champion since Idaho Falls in 2009.
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