Postseason Wrestling

DISTRICTS

(Sophomore Parker Allumbagh with a powerful takedown in the district tournament)

Bishop Kelly wrestling chased after postseason glory this last winter, in their district and state championships. The Knights rode eighth district champions and thirteen automatic state qualifiers in the district III championships.

Racking up 505.5 points, a score calculated through the number of matches won where the average team in the district tournament scored 150. Bishop Kelly beat the next-best team, Caldwell High School, by 79 team points. This performance is evidence of their coming into a wrestling power in the state of Idaho. Jadon Skellenger who remained undefeated for the season put together the most dominant performance, with no match reaching the third round. Juniors, Skellenger and Thompson, pinned all their opponents for their respective district titles.

Other district champions include Fr. Dylan Dottaviano (106), So. Matthew Martino (126), Jr. Jake Castagneto (132), Jr. Manuel Valdez (138), Jr. Crew Nelson (182), and Jr. Philip Janquart (220)

The most exciting match of the district finals was with Jake Castagneto. Facing a three-time state placer from Columbia, Castagneto entered sudden death over time after his opponent falsely started with a single-leg attack. However, Castagneto rallied to win 6-4 to win his district championship and secured the 2nd seed heading into state.

Martino, Thompson, and Janquart repeated as district champions for Bishop Kelly.

STATE

Bishop Kelly brought fifteen wrestlers to state and produced 7 state placers in the state championship tournament. The most significant event was the team going 5 for 5 in the finals, garnering the most champs of any 4A school team, to take home third place as a team overall.

Sophomore, Matthew Martino (126), claimed his second straight state title in a 14-1 Major decision after coming into the state as the number one seed. Matthew Martino aims to become a four-time state champion and wrestle at the Division 1 level after high school. Martino finished with an impressive record of (43-3) for the season.

Junior, Jake Castagneto (132), also claimed his second state title, his first as a freshman at Glenns Ferry High School. In this state tournament, coming in as the second seed, Jake may have had the most intense match of the tournament for the Knights: a rematch with his district finals opponent in the semi which ended with a narrow victory in double overtime. Castagneto did not let the close match get to him and won a decisive victory of 9-0 in his final match to secure gold. Castagneto finished the season with a record of (41-6).

Junior, Manuel Valdez (138), a 3rd place finisher his freshman year, Valdez finally achieved his goal of taking gold home at the state tournament. Valdez came in as the number one seed in the state tournament and matched against his district finals opponent in the first round whom he beat by a major decision 12-0. The following round, Valdez found himself in the only BK vs BK match of the tournament, against freshman Tensei Thompson, whom he beat to continue to the semifinal round. Valdez won his finals by decision 14-9. Valdez’s finals match also marked his 100th win in his high school record. Valdez would finish his wrestling season with a record of (43-4).

(Seiya Thompson smiles and flexes after his finals win at the state tournament)

Junior, Jadon Skellenger (152), had all the eyes of Idaho state wrestlers this season. Even before entering the high school season, his accolades in Freestyle and Greco and his dominance earned him the title of the best wrestler in the state. Skellenger easily clinched his state title with a 7-1 decision in the finals. Skellenger finished the season with an undefeated record of 44-0, obtaining the Outstanding Wrestler award at the Reno: Sierra Nevada Classic tournament, a regional level tournament, and taking first at all tournaments he attended in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. The Junior’s excellence was unmatched in the 4A tournament and the season.

Junior, Seiya Thompson (160), achieved his first state title this year. Thompson started the season at 152 lbs but switched mid-season after having trouble competing at a lower weight class. This sparked the turning point for Thompson as he quickly found a home in the higher weight class. Thompson entered state as the 2nd seed and met with the 1st seed in the finals. There Thompson would win a narrow victory in which he reversed his opponent in the last 30 seconds to be up by 1 point and held on until the timer hit zero. Thompson, it can be noted is the first Bishop Kelly state champion to start his career in the TVCS middle school program, his victory proves the efficacy of the program and shines a positive light on the future of Bishop Kelly wrestling as a whole. Thompson won his finals match 6-5 and finished the season with a record of (42-11).

Sophomore, Carlos Valdez, finished in third place, a step higher than the previous year, finishing with a record of (32-11) and a 10-4 decision win in his final season match.

Junior, Phil Janquart, achieved his first placement in the state tournament, taking 6th as well as ending his season with a record (31-14).

The Knights also took home the award for Academic State Champs and their head coach, Manny Ybarra, was awarded coach of the year. The program has been slowly improving over the years, with last year’s 7th place finish breaking a program record, to this years third place finish. Another record that the Knights were able to break was Home-Dual attendance, a Wrestling parent commented that “the program has never felt more alive and full of energy than this season”. The student section at duels brought a new kind of energy that the team used as fuel to continue their dominance in the district. The program only graduates three seniors this year and retains its five state champions for the next season. The future looks bright for Bishop Kelly wrestling and their dominance will come again the next season in hopes of capturing an elusive state championship banner that they have yet to win.