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ORDER GAME PHOTOS
The national publication Wrestling USA Magazine (WUSA) has been promoting wrestling at all levels and age groups since the early 1960s and to date is among the longest family operated publications (Bryant Family) still in existence. To my knowledge, only Amateur Wrestling News has been in circulation longer. Since 1968, WUSA has recognized the top high school seniors in the country by featuring All-American teams consisting of two categories; All-American (AA) and Honorable Mention All-American (HM). Beginning in 1976, WUSA added an additional category called the Dream Team, which featured the top ranked senior in each weight group. Then, a decade later added the Academic Team to promote the top tier student/athletes.
The first Idaho wrestler to be featured on an WUSA All-American team was Mark Bittick of Notus High School in 1971. Up to now, the Gem State has had 132 wrestlers selected for this great honor with several going on to do very well at the collegiate level. Leading this exceptional group includes Dream Team selections Chris Owens (Idaho Falls HS/Oklahoma St., 1988), Jared Lawrence (Sandpoint HS/Minnesota, 1998), Jake Rosholt (Sandpoint HS/Oklahoma St., 2001), Adam Hall (Bonners Ferry HS/Boise St., 2006), Clayton Foster (Kamiah HS/Oklahoma St., 2007), and Tanner Hall (Meridian HS/Arizona St., 2011). In addition, Travis Bell, an Academic All-American in 1988 for Highland High School went on to earn two collegiate level All-American honors for BYU-Idaho (JUCO) in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Idaho seniors selected for the 2024 WUSA All-American teams include TIER I wrestlers Mack Mauger (Blackfoot), Jason Mara (Meridian), Jadon Skellenger (Bishop Kelly), and Shilo Jones of Mountain View. Rated among the top prep lightweights in the country, Mauger is the seventh Idaho wrestler to be selected to the Academic All-American Team (Travis Bell of Highland was the first in 1988) and since taking the mat at an early age has had an exceptional mat and academic career. For starters, Mauger earned four Idaho State titles, five Fargo titles (8 total in all styles), and multiple All-American honors in Freestyle, Greco, and Folkstyle. On top of that, he also earned medals at two of the most prestigious high school tournaments in the country, the Walsh Ironman in Ohio and Clovis Doc Buchanan Invitational in California, respectively. To cap off his senior season, Mack earned the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Dave Schultz High School Excellence award. By far one of the top prep lightweight wrestlers in Idaho history, Mauger is headed to the University of Missouri to continue his education and wrestling career.
The next Idaho wrestler to receive this great honor (All-American) is four-time State Champion Jason Mara of Meridian High School. Rated among the top middleweight wrestlers in the country, Mara has also accumulated quite an impressive wrestling and academic resume. Since his early beginnings at the youth level, Mara has earned national titles and multiple All-American honors at Fargo and the Folkstyle Nationals. Additionally, Mara defeated several state and national ranked wrestlers to win the tough Reno Tournament of Champions this past season. An exceptional student/athlete, Mara is headed to Stanford University to continue his academic and wrestling career.
The sport of wrestling has been a fixture in this next wrestler’s life since an early age and to date he has earned state, regional, national, and world level accolades. Earning a U15 World Greco title in 2019, Jadon Skellenger of Bishop Kelly High School is one of the most decorated wrestlers to ever come out of Idaho. Earning two individual 4A state titles, Jadon has earned a multitude of All-American honors at all age group levels, three Pan American medals, which includes a Gold in 2023, and has earned a spot on several world teams. With ambitions to make an Olympic team in the future, Skellenger is headed to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania to continue his next step in his academic and wrestling career.
The fourth Idaho wrestler to earn 2024 All-American honors is Shilo Jones of Mountain View High School in Meridian. Rated among the top tier heavyweights in the country, Jones is a four-time state medalists with one individual title to his credit. There is the old saying, “Summer wrestling makes winter champions.” Without a shadow of a doubt, Shilo has lived by this motto. Since the beginning of his prep career at Mountain View, he has traveled the country earning a total of 14 All-American honors at the Folkstyle, US Open, and Fargo Nationals collectively. Also, an exceptional student, Jones is headed to North Dakota State to continue his academic and wrestling career.
On average, the Gem State has had approximately two to three wrestlers selected each year. The highest number of All-Americans selected in a season is six (aka, The Club of Six), which has happened only five times since the early 2000s. Below is the Club of Six.
THE CLUB OF SIX
2021
Drew Roberts – Coeur d’ Alene (AA)
Michael Mitchell – Kuna (HM AA)
Lane Reardon – Post Falls (HM AA)
Preston Owens – Kuna (HM AA)
Dante Roggio – Kuna (HM AA)
Charley Hastritter – Capital (HM AA)
2018
Darrick Stacy – Shelley (HM AA)
William Edelblute – Lakeland (HM AA)
Caleb Call – Shelley (HM AA)
Larry Johnson – Lakeland (HM AA)
Braxton Balmforth – Shelley (HM AA)
Konnor Cordingly – Highland (HM AA)
2006
Adam Hall – Bonners Ferry (DREAM TEAM)
Shawn Jones – Snake River (AA)
Dylan Whitling – Skyview (HM AA)
Brandon Palaniuk – Lakeland (HM AA)
Jared Leuzinger – Challis (HM AA)
Derek Mestrovich – Skyview (HM AA)
2005
Luke Smith – Idaho Falls (AA)
Daniel Erekson – Eagle (HM AA)
Jayson John – Idaho Falls (HM AA)
Justin Gardner – Bonneville (HM AA)
Sean Conner – Skyline (HM AA)
Vance Beeson – Eagle (HM AA)
2003
Andy Patrick – Meridian (AA)
Jordan Johns – Aberdeen (HM AA)
Clint Leonard – Lakeland (HM AA)
Dillon Brower – Challis (HM AA)
Paul Ricks – Skyline (HM AA)|
Tad Berry – Challis (HM AA)
Since the first Idaho wrestler to be selected in 1971, Idaho Falls High School has produced the most All-Americans for the state of Idaho with twelve, followed by Meridian with nine and Post Falls at eight. Below is a list of the top three schools and sixth others with five or more All-American honors.
IDAHO FALLS (12)
Josh Warner – HM, 2009
Luke Smith – AA, 2005
Jason John – HM, 2005
Matt Hodges – HM, 2002
Chris King – AA, 1999
Torry Taylor – HM, 1999
Shane Hanson – ACADEMIC TEAM, 1993
Jeff Gardnier – HM, 1989
Chris Owens – DREAM TEAM, 1988
Scott Davis – HM, 1986
Russell Hall – HM, 1983
Sam Orme – HM, 1973
MERIDIAN (9)
Jason Mara – AA, 2024
Tanner Hall – DREAM TEAM, 2011
Andy Patrick – AA, 2003
Fred Bartlett – AA, 1999
Joseph Corral – HM, 1999
Robert Ho – ACADEMIC TEAM, 1990
Jon Watson – HM, 1987
Chris Pratt – HM, 1986
Sean Moon – HM, 1984
POST FALLS (8)
Lane Reardon – HM, 2021
Ridge Lovett – AA, 2019
Alius De La Rosa – HM, 2016
T.J. Wolf – HM, 2016
Drake Foster – AA, 2015
Seth McLeod – AA, 2015
Tyler Booth – HM, 2012
James Ost – HM, 2012
OTHER IDAHO HIGH SCHOOLS (5 or more AAs)
Centennial (6)
Lakeland (6)
Columbia (5)
Kuna (5)
Highland (5)
Pocatello (5)
In summary, the Gem State has represented well in the last several decades. Since the first Idahoan, Mark Bittick (Notus HS) was selected in 1971, Idaho has had 132 wrestlers selected for this great honor. I want to extend my congratulations to Mack Mauger, Jason Mara, Jadon Skellenger, and Shilo Jones for being the Gem State’s most recent seniors to be selected for this prestigious group. Job well done and good luck at the next level and beyond.
I also want to give a “BIG THANK YOU” to the Bryant Family and Dan Fickel for their hard work and commitment to making this annual All-American feature a possibility for all these years. Their extensive efforts to put this project together is greatly appreciated and to date has done so much for the promotion of prep wrestling across the country.
To be considered for the WUSA All-American teams requires a coach to submit a nomination form (Seniors only) after the state meet of a wrestler’s senior season (via WUSA Magazine subscription or online). Below is a list of All-Americans from Idaho dating back to 1971.
DREAM TEAM
Tanner Hall – Meridian HS, 2011*
Clayton Foster – Kamiah HS, 2007*
Adam Hall – Bonners Ferry HS, 2006*
Jake Rosholt – Sandpoint HS, 2001*
Jared Lawrence – Sandpoint HS, 1998*
Chris Owens – Idaho Falls HS, 1988*
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Mack Mauger – Blackfoot HS, 2024
Aden Attao – Borah HS, 2023
Lex Case – North Fremont HS, 2000
Shane Hanson – Idaho Falls HS, 1993
Gary Johnson – Pocatello HS, 1992
Robert Ho – Meridian HS, 1990
Travis Bell – Highland HS, 1988
ALL-AMERICANS
Jason Mara – Meridian HS, 2024
Jadon Skellenger – Bishop Kelly HS, 2024
Derek Matthews – Declo HS, 2022
Rylan Rogers – Coeur d’ Alene HS, 2022
Nico Rodriguez – Columbia HS, 2022
Drew Roberts – Coeur d’ Alene HS, 2021
Kase Mauger – Twin Falls HS, 2020
Ridge Lovett – Post Falls HS, 2019
Jonathon Fagen – Fruitland HS, 2019
Casey Randles – Coeur d’ Alene HS, 2017*
Tucker Leavitt – Highland HS, 2016
Drake Foster – Post Falls HS, 2015
Bryce Parson – Lewiston HS, 2015
Seth McLeod – Post Falls HS, 2015
Michael Cook – Kuna HS, 2014
Hayden Tuma – Centennial HS, 2014
Blaine Invernon – Bonners Ferry HS, 2013
Jared Johnshoy – Melba HS, 2013
Colby Kloetzer – Caldwell HS, 2011
Taylor West – Borah HS, 2011
Trevor Rupp – Pocatello HS, 2010
Jacob Scharbrough – Weiser HS, 2008
Joey Fio – Sandpoint HS, 2007
Kirk Smith – Centennial HS, 2007*
Shawn Jones – Snake River HS, 2006
Luke Smith – Idaho Falls HS, 2005
Nick Smith – Centennial HS, 2004
Andry Patrick – Meridian HS, 2003
Brock Zollinger – Sugar-Salem HS, 2002
Tony Hook – Sandpoint HS, 2002
Clint Wolfley – Snake River HS, 2000
Fred Bartlett – Meridian HS, 1999
Chris King – Idaho Falls HS, 1999
James Huml – Sugar-Salem HS, 1998
Zane Jones – Skyline HS, 1981
Cordel Anderson – Preston HS, 1980*
ALL-AMERICANS (HONORABLE MENTION)
Shilo Jones – Mountain View HS, 2024
Tanner Frothinger – Eagle HS, 2023
Michael Mitchell – Kuna HS, 2021
Lane Reardon – Post Falls HS, 2021
Preston Owens – Kuna HS, 2021
Dante Roggio – Kuna HS, 2021
Charley Hastritter – Capital HS, 2021
Angel Rios – Columbia HS, 2020
Kenneth Copley – Sugar-Salem HS, 2020
Sam Edelblute – Lakeland HS, 2019
Ezekial Williamson – Jerome HS, 2019
Darrick Stacy – Shelley HS, 2018
William Edelblute – Lakeland HS, 2018
Caleb Call – Shelley HS, 2018
Larry Johnson – Lakeland HS, 2018
Braxton Balmforth – Shelley HS, 2018
Konnor Cordingly – Highland HS, 2018
Sammy Eckhart – Fruitland HS, 2017
Jaron Chavez – Centennial HS, 2017
Brandon Kipper – Columbia HS, 2017
Levi Austin – New Plymouth HS, 2016
T.J. Wolf – Post Falls HS, 2016
Alius DeLaRosa – Post Falls HS, 2016
Jared Bird – Bonneville HS, 2016
Blake Ivie – Kellogg HS, 2015
Casey Cobb – Kuna HS, 2014
Tristan Jarboe – Columbia HS, 2014
Jon Jay Chavez – Centennial HS, 2014*
Tim McDonald – Columbia HS, 2013
Ray Evans – New Plymouth HS, 2012
James Ost – Post Falls HS, 2012
Tyler Booth – Post Falls HS, 2012
Casey George – Lewiston HS, 2011
V.J. Giulio – American Falls HS, 2011
Holden Packard – Mountain View HS, 2010
Brandon Richardson – Lakeland HS, 2010
Luke Weaver – Salmon HS, 2010
Josh Warner – Idaho Falls HS, 2009
Spence Patrick – Mountain View HS, 2008
Avery Garner – Centennial HS, 2007
Dylan Whitling – Skyview HS, 2006
Brandon Palaniuk – Lakeland HS, 2006
Jared Leuzinger – Challis HS, 2006
Derek Mestrovich – Skyview HS, 2006*
Vance Beeson – Eagle HS, 2005
Sean Conner – Skyline HS, 2005
Justin Gardner – Bonneville HS, 2005
Jayson John – Idaho Falls HS, 2005
Daniel Erekson – Eagle HS, 2005*
Jordan Johns – Aberdeen HS, 2003
Clint Leonard – Lakeland HS, 2003
Dillon Brower – Challis HS, 2003
Paul Ricks – Skyline HS, 2003
Tad Berry – Challis HS, 2003
Mike Wilding – Highland HS, 2002
Matt Hodges – Idaho Falls HS, 2002
Drew Dickerson – Weiser HS, 2001
Stacey Mello – McCall-Donnelly HS, 2001
Greg Holman – Sugar-Salem HS, 2000
Travis Jacobson – Blackfoot HS, 2000
Joseph Corral – Meridian HS, 1999
Jonathan Padgett – Fruitland HS, 1999
Torry Taylor – Idaho Falls HS, 1999
Jedediah Clacke – Pocatello HS, 1998
Matt Cobb – Weiser HS, 1998
Craig Van Sickle – Highland HS, 1995
Jeff Gardnier – Idaho Falls HS, 1989
Ryan Nash – Homedale HS, 1988
John Andrews – Wallace HS, 1987
Jon Watson – Meridian HS, 1987
Breck Crystal – Skyline HS, 1986
Scott Davis – Idaho Falls HS, 1986
Chris Pratt – Meridian HS, 1986
Sean Moon – Meridian HS, 1984
Russell Hall – Idaho Falls HS, 1983
Stan Armstrong – Pocatello HS, 1981
Tom Hugie – Blackfoot HS, 1980
Creed Ricks – Rexburg HS, 1980
Darby Lewis – Boise HS, 1979
Clayton Armstrong – Pocatello HS, 1978
Sam Orme – Idaho Falls HS, 1973*
Mark Bittick – Nofus HS, 1971
*COLLEGIATE LEVEL ALL-AMERICAN
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