The state tournament was as difficult as I have seen in a number of years. This year's placewinners in each weight class proved to be very talented. This depth left many good kids short of the medal stand including some of ours.The tournament proved to be very exciting for the fans as the team race was undecided until the championship match at 160 pounds. Wagner won their third consecutive title over Canton. We were able to finish in a tie for 13th place with 47 points. While I wouldn't consider that position lower than we should have been, I feel we could have placed higher with a few breaks here and there. I do think that this tournament may have left a bitter taste in some of our mouths. It should help motivate us during the off-season so we can improve on it next year.
119 - Cody Bonte was wrestling in his first state tournament, but you wouldn't know it. He came out and wrestled aggressive on the first day and found himself in the semifinals. He faced a returning state champion in the semifinals and gave him all he wanted. Unfortunately, he came up short in the third period. He banged his knee up some and struggled to wrestle the same for the rest of the tournament. He should be extremely proud of what he accomplished this year.
* won by decision over Seth Ireland (Bennett County) 8 - 4
* won by decision over Jordan Stahn (Deuel) 2 - 0
* lost by decision to Pat Waring (Miller/Highmore) 8 - 2
* lost by major decision to Brook Anderson (Groton) 9 - 1
* lost by fall to Jay Kriz (Bon Homme) 2:19
* 6th place finish
135 - Tanner Donelan wrestled a smart tournament to come away with his second state title. He wrestled patient all weekend and took points when his opponents gave them to him. He worked extremely hard in the off-season and all that work paid off for him. Three of the four guys he wrestled placed on the weekend. He did not have an easy route and he still dominated throughout the matches. It will be fun to watch him continue to improve during this off-season so that he can possibly win another title next year.
* won by fall over Alex Horstman (Parkston) 5:34
* won by fall over Dwayne Redlin (Deuel) 1:10
* won by decision over Derek Dickerson (Wagner) 7 - 2
* won by decision over Logan Dolen (Canton) 5 - 3
* 1st place finish (2nd consecutive state title)
140 - Scott Howe found himself short of his goals after the weekend. He wrestled hard, but just didn't quite get it done. His weight class had a number of returning placewinners making it a very balanced weight class. He had nearly defeated the champion earlier in the year. I know he has the talent to do some great things during his senior year with a little extra work this summer.
* won by decision over Ben Juelfs (Harding County) 4 - 0
* lost by decision to Matt Braun (Ipswich/Leola) 6 - 3
* lost by decision to Bryce Sichmeller (Webster) 6 - 3
145 - Isaac Lukes wrestled in his first state tournament, but was the recipient of a very tough draw. His two losses came to the 3rd and 5th place finishers. He came a long way throughout the season. Only a sophomore, he has to solid years to look forward too. I really believe he could be a big factor for the team next season.
* lost by fall to Brady Harkless (Hot Springs) 3:17
* won by decision over Dominic Wollman (Ipswich/Leola) 3 - 2
* lost by major decison to Blake Lobdell (Philip) 10 - 0
160 - Zach Lukes ended his season in a disappointing way. What was an up and down season with his injury, continued that way over the weekend. He had a huge first round win over a guy that had beaten him earlier in the year. That however, did not last long and the ride was on the way back down. Zach wrestled a bit tentative in his last two matches and his hurt. There is no way of knowing how well he could have done this year without his injury. I really believe the lost practice days/conditioning hurt him in the end. To his credit, he never used his foot as an excuse, never whined about it, and never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. That attitude will benefit him greatly next year.
* won by decision over Logan Reuman (Lyman) 15 - 8
* lost by decision to Eugene Martin (Kingsbury County) 3 - 1
* lost by decision to Jon Curran (Dakota Valley) 6 - 2
171 - Brady Bonte earned his second state place winning as only a sophomore. I know he had higher goals for himself, but he did improve upon his placing from last season. He will continue to improve in the offseason with some weight room work and technique work on the mat. Brady is fun to watch because you don't really know what he will be doing out there. He definitely isn't afraid to take risks. Sometimes those risks hurt him though. I think he will be more determined to get to the top of the podium next year.
* won by decision over Jade Hoisington (Britton/Hecla) 6 - 4
* lost by decision to Troy Guptill (Philip) 5 - 3
* won by decision in overtime over Kody Aesoph (Faulkton) 9 - 4
* won by decision over Evan Soulek (Kimball/White Lake) 6 - 2
* lost by decison to Kyle Moe (Howard) 9 - 3
* lost by decision to Matt Harkless (Hot Springs) 3 - 1
6th place finish
189 - Ethan Storment ended his career on a disappointing note. He went out there and wrestled extremely hard, but came up a bit short. His draw had him wrestling the eventual state champion and the 5th place finisher. Although he never medaled in the state tournament, he competed hard and knows that his career was successful.
* won by decision over Chase Monson (Clark/Willow Lake) 4 - 2
* lost by fall to Jayd Docken (Winner) 0:54
* lost by fall to Colt Nehl (Lemmon/McIntosh) 4:36
* I will be trying to post a season summary as soon as possibe.
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