Boise State’s Hall returns to area for exhibition

A year ago, Bonners Ferry product and Boise State wrestler Adam Hall fell just short of earning All-American in his first NCAA Division I championships.

Hobbled by a knee injury, he was one of nine Broncos NCAA qualifiers, four of whom reached the round of 12 in their respective weight classes. Another was University High graduate Cory Fish.

Hall returns to Spokane Saturday for an exhibition benefit put on by the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association to benefit its Graham Baker Morin Memorial Scholarship. Morin was a Washington wrestler who died while competing in college.

Boise State and North Idaho College competed here a year ago and will be joined this time by the University of Northern Colorado for this year’s contests.

“Northwest wrestling (colleges) are few and far between, but there’s a good fan base in the Northwest,” Hall said in a phone interview. “It’s a good thing for our fans and we’re willing to make the trip up and provide good action.”

Boise State last year won the Pacific-10 championships and placed 24th in the NCAA. This year the squad has added depth, including freshman 125-pounder Brian Owen from U-Hi, and is ranked No. 13 nationally as a dual-match team and projected 10th at the tournament in preseason polls.

Hall was 163-4 and won three state titles at Bonners Ferry. The biology major had his collegiate choice of Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Stanford and Boise.

“At the time I was not thinking about being close to home,” he said. “I’d been all over the place and fit in anywhere.”

Boise State assistant Chris Owens, for four years his national coach, convinced him that local wrestlers could stay close and succeed. As a redshirt freshman last year, Hall went 25-7, but a knee injury and surgery a few weeks prior to the Pac-10 championships slowed him in postseason.

“I only had three days to prepare for the Pac-10,” said Hall, who reached the 149-pound final anyway.

He went 3-2 at the NCAAs, finishing a win away from being named All-American.

“I definitely left it unsatisfied,” Hall said. “All our matches were close and it made us realize we were up there with the best in the nation.”

Another knee surgery followed by rehabilitation and weight lifting has bulked him up to 157 pounds for this weekend’s exhibition. He said this is probably the best team Boise State has had.

The Broncos’ roster is heavy with Washington and Idaho wrestlers, among them Fish, Owen and Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) NCAA qualifier Levi Jones. Both at 141 pounds, Fish is fighting injury and Jones is expected to redshirt this year. Owen and Coeur d’Alene’s Ryan Allen at 197 will compete. Freshman Jacob Neumann, a Central Valley graduate, is on the roster and CV’s Lucas Chesher wrestles for NIC.

There also will be several USA Wrestling Folkstyle exhibitions between returning area high school state champions.