Rosholt Grabs Nation’S Attention Sandpoint Wrestler Touted As Top Recruit

Sandpoint High School has produced a handful of state championship wrestlers in recent years who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in college.

Zac Taylor and the Lawrence brothers, Jared and Brett, come to mind immediately.

Perhaps the best is yet to come.

According to one high school wrestling recruiting Website, senior Jake Rosholt could be the top recruit in the nation this year.

InterMat identifies the top recruits each year.

“The 2000/2001 class may be the most talented class in some time with many impact wrestlers,” an InterMat press release said. “This class may have one of the best heavyweight prospects in some time. Thus, it’s ironic that given all this talent, InterMat believes the best is from the state of Idaho. Jake Rosholt, who will compete at 184 pounds in college, has shown the ability to dominate top-notch opponents. He was extremely impressive in winning the Junior Nationals this summer, and many college coaches took note.”

Rosholt appreciates the praise.

“It’s pretty neat,” he said. “Everybody knows Idaho’s not a big wrestling state, so it’s really nice to get that kind of attention.”

Rosholt is preparing for five recruiting visits, beginning in early October and concluding in early November. He plans to take trips to national powers Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and Oklahoma State. He’ll also visit Boise State.

Three other schools - Arizona State, Michigan and Oregon - would love for Rosholt to visit. But for various reasons, those schools don’t intrigue him.

“The schools I’m looking at have really good programs and really good traditions,” Rosholt said.

Taylor began a recruiting connection to Minnesota. The Lawrences also made the trek to Minneapolis.

Although he’s planning a trip to Minnesota, Rosholt isn’t necessarily locked into keeping the recruiting pipeline alive.

“He’s probably not as focused on one school as the others were,” Sandpoint High coach Mike Randles said. “He’s taking a hard look at the other schools.”

Rosholt plans to announce his college decision during the early signing period, Nov. 11-18.

Randles believes the national recruiting attention is warranted.

“It’s a payoff for a lot of hard work,” Randles said. “He’ll probably have to work even harder (in college), but the rewards will be even greater there.”

Rosholt, a two-time state champ, will be moving from 171 to 189 pounds this year.

“I’m doing it to help the team; it’ll help us be able to cover most of the weights,” Rosholt said. “I could probably make 171, but this is good for the team.”

Rosholt captured the junior national freestyle title at 178 pounds this summer. His title included a semifinal technical fall of Travis Pascoe, the Rathdrum product by way of Gonzaga Prep and a freshman at University of Nebraska.

Rosholt counts the win among his top accomplishments.

“That was a big feat for me,” he said. “We wrestled when we were littler. He’s always gotten the best of me.”