Idaho state wrestling glance

Idaho state wrestling on Friday and Saturday at the Ford Idaho Center, Nampa:

At a glance: Post Falls is seeking a third straight State 5A championship. Post Falls had little resistance the last two years, but all signs are the Trojans are in for a tug-of-war with Columbia. Post Falls and Columbia have taken turns beating each other this season. Post Falls’ strength is in the lower weights where it is doubled up in some spots. Columbia has more balance.

Post Falls takes two state champs back to state – Ridge Lovett (30-0) at 113 and Matt McLeod (25-9) at 126. “These guys have grown a lot,” PF coach Pete Reardon said. “My kids will show up. We’ve had a couple great weeks of practice. They’ve been very responsive and focused. I feel as confident as the last couple years.”

The Trojans qualified 16 while Columbia advanced 22.

Coeur d’Alene has a shot at earning a state trophy. The Vikings are led by Casey Randles (182), who won two state titles at Sandpoint before moving to CdA. He’s undefeated at 37-0 and the top seed at his weight. He was 40-0 last year and 159-11 overall. He has signed with Wyoming. The Viks have another No. 1 seed in Alex Marshall (36-5) at 220.

In 4A, Lakeland, a runner-up a year ago, will challenge defending champ Caldwell. The Hawks are led by defending champs Larry Johnson (138) and Jared Walker (195), both seniors. Johnson led Stanford-bound Dalton Young of Lakeside late in the title match at Tr-State before Young got a reversal with 18 seconds remaining to win 5-4. Young capped his career last weekend at the Washington 1A state tournament and finished his career 170-0.

In 3A, Taylor Bush (40-3) at 98 and Tanner Figueroa (41-4) at 145, both from Kellogg, are No. 1 seeds. Noah Jamison (38-6) of Priest River top seeded at 160.