POST FALLS - Austin Wilson loves to snowboard.

But you wouldn't know it because of dedication to wrestling.

Up until his eighth-grade year, he'd be on the mountain as often as the wrestling mat, but once he got into high school, the extreme sport took a back seat during the wrestling season.

"I just do it because I don't want to get hurt," said Wilson, a senior who wrestles at 160 pounds for Post Falls High. "Which sucks because I've only gone once since my freshman year. But other than that, I haven't really done it because I don't want to get hurt and miss any time."

Wilson got into wrestling at an early age after his father, Ernie, got him interested.

"I've been wrestling since I was in fourth grade," Wilson said. "It's really fun. I just enjoy wrestling around with people. I wrestled my dad when I was little and always enjoyed it."

When he's not on a wrestling mat, Wilson enjoys being in the outdoors.

"I do a lot of hunting and fishing with my dad," Wilson said. "I also love surfing and snowboarding. It almost feels like I'm floating on a cloud when I'm snowboarding. There's nothing like riding a wave or being on a snowboard."

Wilson can also become the second four-time state placer for Post Falls. The other is Tyler Booth, who is redshirting at North Idaho College as a freshman.

"He's the next in line to be able to do that," Post Falls coach Pete Reardon said. "To have a kid that constantly places that high at the state tournament, it's a good thing. He's always right in the running for a state title and scores a ton of points for the team. He's been really valuable the last three years."

Wilson placed third at state as a freshman and second as a sophomore, both at 145 pounds, before finishing second as a junior at 160.

Of Wilson not snowboarding during the season, Reardon said it speaks to his determination to his commitment to wrestling.

"Not on a personal level have I mentioned it to him," Reardon said. "I never told him to stop it. It's more that he's willing to put that stuff to the side on his own, because he's had this goal in mind to become a state champion."

"He's a real focused kid on his wrestling," Reardon said. "He spends a lot of time getting better at the sport. He's been going to a lot of national camps in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and he's been an All-American a couple times. He spends a lot of time honing his skills and getting better and trying to get a state title."

In order to work this fall, Wilson opted not to run cross country after running as a sophomore and junior.

"I worked at Scarywood this year," Wilson said. "I ran around as a ghost and walked with a puppet and had to run around and not run into people. I was kind of like his escort. It was a good job."

Wilson's record was 98-20 entering this season, and he reached the 100-win mark in high school with a pair of victories in the Trojans' season opener last Thursday at The Arena.

"This year, he's working on coming out first at the end of the year," Reardon said. "He's been doing this a long time and has a real sharpened skill set and works hard at what he does. He's one of the hardest working guys in the (wrestling) room day in and day out. He's not one of those guys that you've got to be prodding along - he's just going after it. That kind of focus and hard work will get him far by the end of the year."

Wilson added his dad, as well as his younger brothers, have helped inspire him throughout his wrestling career.

"My little brother (in eighth grade) is really good, but I can't let him be better than I am - but they (he and his fourth-grade brother) are probably going to be better than I am."

Wilson and his Post Falls teammates will compete at the 41st annual Tri-State Invitational on Friday and Saturday at North Idaho College.

Wilson finished fourth last year at 160 pounds, where he'll be wrestling again this year.

"I'm going for it all this year," Wilson said. "Placing in the top three would be cool, and winning it would be cool - but I'd settle for top three."

The tournament, which features some 50 teams from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana, begins Friday at 10 a.m., with quarterfinals at 7 p.m.

Action resumes Saturday with wrestlebacks (consolation rounds) at 9 a.m., semifinals at noon and the finals tentatively at 5 p.m.

All-session passes are $20.

Most wrestlers climb a couple weight classes between seasons, but Wilson, despite his best efforts, didn't see a change.

"I just didn't grow any (over the summer)," said Wilson, who is 5-foot-8. "I tried to, but remained around 160. I haven't really grown and I lift weights, but I just haven't grown."

"He's going to be in the running for a championship (at Tri-State)," Reardon said. "He'll be in the hunt, but there's going to be tough guys there like there always is. There's always going to be 3 to 4 tough kids, but no matter who's there, he's going to be right there with them."

Earlier this year, the Post Falls wrestling team did a "Pushin' for the Gold" fundraiser, where they had to push pickup trucks for 5 miles as a group.

"It was a little tough," Wilson said. "We had to show some determination to do it, but it's still pushing a full-sized truck 5 miles."

To relax before a match, Wilson often listens to rock music.

"I just sit there and try to relax," Wilson said. "Because if you get all antsy, you'll wind up freaking yourself out. I'll listen to old-school rock, 80s stuff like AC/DC or Pink Floyd at home. Before a wrestling match, I'll listen to Metallica or something a little fast-paced to get me going."

Once started, he could be tough to stop.