BONNERS FERRY — Recent Bonners Ferry graduate “Action” Jackson Rickter will be wearing Warrior purple next school year as he has signed to wrestle at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa.

He will be attending Waldorf on a scholarship and will be pursuing a criminal justice degree.

Rickter is a two-time state wrestling placer and took second place this year at state for the Badgers. He has also been on the USA Idaho wrestling Cadet national dual team for two years and represented Team Idaho at Fargo USA Freestyle and Greco Nationals this past year.

Jackson said that he was unshaken when competing at state because he has competed on a bigger stage.

“Nationals prepared me mentally for matches, because I’d seen bigger, badder and better [athletes],” he said.

Bonners Ferry High School wrestling coach Kevin Campbell said that Rickter’s success is due to the time and commitment he has given to the sport.

Rickter told the Bonners Ferry Herald that he is looking forward to leaving Bonners Ferry and seeing the world.

He started wrestling with the Bonners Ferry Wrestling Club when he was 7 years old. Rickter said he hopes to keep wrestling and go as far as he can with the sport.

His mother, Kristie Rickter said that Jackson couldn’t have done it without the help from the wrestling club and the supporting coaches and parents of current and former wrestling athletes.

“It’s truly a village here helping our kids to succeed,” she said.

Jackson thanked his family for their support, especially his father for encouraging him to wrestle. He thanked his coaches, Kevin Campbell, Conrad Garner and Corey Richards for investing in him.

He also thanked his friend and wrestling teammate, Eli Richards. He also thanked Roland and Lucinda Endow Hall for their support of him and the BFWC. He said community supporters like the Halls help encourage wrestlers to go to college.

Rickter said that he will not be competing this summer for BFWC, rather he will be working to raise money for travel expenses to college.