Thomas Howe takes Oliver Aesoph of Faulkton to his back for the pin in his 5th place match.
Thomas Howe on the award stand with his 5th place finish.
Thomas Howe wrestled in his first state tournament and did so in fine fashion. We knew going in that he was needing to wrestle an outstanding tournament and that is exactly what he did. He wrestled aggressive throughout the weekend and was rewarded in his efforts by recording 3 falls out of 6 matches. He lost in the quarter-final round to the eventual champion of the tournament, Nolan Richie of Webster. He then drew back to Dylan Konechne of Kimball/White Lake who had been rated #1 at this weight most of the season. Thomas was very smart in this match and came away with a huge 8 - 3 win to earn his first state placing. We are very fortunate to have Thomas as our "spark plug" for our team. He starts our team out on the right path nearly every time out. He will be a huge part of our team success next season when he returns to improve on his 5th place finish. Great Job Thomas!
Thomas Howe - 103
* won by fall over Patrick Wilson of Lemmon/McIntosh 1:16
* lost by major decision to Nolan Richie of Webster 12 - 1
* won by decision over Dylan Konechne of Kimball/White Lake 8 - 3
* won by fall over Marshall Swanson of Hill City 0:50
* lost by decision to Weslee Dvorak of Parkston 2 - 1
* won by fall over Oliver Aesoph of Faulkton 0:51
5th place finish
Brady Bonte works a front headlock on Jade Hoisington of Britton-Hecla/Langford Area.
Brady Bonte on the awards stand after receiving his 4th place medal.
Brady Bonte earned his third state tournament placing while working his way up the podium again this year. Brady wrestled a good tournament in achieving 4th place. He ran into an extremely strong wrestler, Ryan Baier of Harding County, in the semi-finals to end his goal of being a state champion. One of the hardest things in this tournament is to follow up a semi-final loss with a win to advance into the 3rd place match. Brady was able to refocus his thoughts and do just that with a close win over Levi Collins of Hot Springs. With one more year left to wrestle for the Blue Dragons, I know Brady has one goal in mind. As he moves up the podium each season, I believe he will have the opportunity to complete his career on top next season. He will be counted on a leader for us next year.
Brady Bonte - 189
* won by fall over Clay Seidler of Custer 1:44
* won by decision over Jade Hoisington of Britton-Hecla/Langford Area 3 - 2
* lost by fall to Ryan Baier of Harding County 2:44
* won by decision over Levi Collins of Hot Springs 1 - 0
* lost by decision to Kody Aesoph of Faulkton 5 - 4
* 4th place finish
Scott Howe finishes a takedown against Cody LaCompte of Stanley County.
Scott Howe works a crossface on Cody LaCompte of Stanley County.
Scott Howe entered the tournament trying to complete his career as a three-time state placewinner. Unfortunately, destiny was not on his side. Scott lost the first round of the tournament to the eventual runner-up 2 - 0. He wrestled extremely well and was very close to winning that match. He just came up a bit short. He was eliminated from the tournament by the eventual 7th place finisher. Scott had a great year and career. He is a two-time state placewinner. The coaches were very pleased with how he wrestled. Sometimes we just don't have answers to the results. Scott will be missed a great deal one next season comes around. We wish him the best of luck now that his career is over.
Scott Howe - 171
* lost by decision to Dallas Jungwirth of Redfield 2 - 0
* won by decision over Cody LaCompte of Stanley County 10 - 3
* lost by decision to Lane Severson of Clark/Willow Lake 6 - 2
Tanner Donelan wrestling Evan Donahue of Howard in the state finals.
Tanner Donelan being crowned the 135 lb. state champion.
Tanner Donelan after receiving his state champion medal.
Tanner Donelan received the John W. Konechne Memorial scholarship. He is pictured with members of the Konechne family.
Tanner Donelan received the Scott Mechtenburg Memorial scholarship. He is pictured with the Mechtenburg family.
Tanner Donelan capped off an impressive career with his third state title. He did so in controlling fashion by having two major decisions and one technical fall out of 4 matches. He finished the season with a 49 - 0 record. He has only lost two matches over the past three years. Tanner now finds himself somewhere among the greats of past Blue Dragons wrestlers. Where does he exactly land in that conversation is debatable over coffee uptown. The coaching staff is honored to have been a part of what he accomplished over the years. Tanner was a six-time state qualifier, four-time state finalist, and three-time state champion. He worked hard during the season and dedicated himself during the off-season to be better every time he stepped on the mat. He will be missed by our program greatly! Tanner was also fortunate to be recognized at the state tournament by two families that honor family members by giving scholarships to senior wrestlers. Both scholarships are handed out by the families based on criteria they have set to their standards. These are not scholarships that Tanner had to apply for to be selected. These families chose him based on what they saw from Tanner and what they heard about him from outside sources. It was as joy to see him recognized for being a good person and not just as a great wrestler. The first scholarship he received was the John W. Konechne Memorial scholarship. John was an undefeated state champion for Kimball High School. The second scholarship was the Scott Mechtenburg Memorial scholarship. Scott was the head wrestling coach at Parkston High School. It is truly an honor for Tanner to be recognized by these families.
Tanner Donelan - 135
* won by major decision over Logan George of Redfield/Doland 10 - 1
* won by major decision over Austin Soukup of Wagner 14 - 2
* won by decision over Pat Waring of Miller/Highmore-Harold 6 - 4
* won by technical fall over Evan Donahue of Howard 17 - 2
* 1st place finish - STATE CHAMPION
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