by Brady Schleuter, Head Coach and Carrie Moritz, Gazette
The high school wrestling team traveled to Salem this past Saturday to compete in the Region 2B wrestling tournament. There were eight young men and women looking to punch their ticket to compete in the state tournament. Out of the eight wrestlers, five of them qualified for state: Preston Bohl, Hunter Abraham, Jaden Richter, Autumn Gaspar, and Hannah Frewalt!
"We came into the [regions] tournament with focus and determination," said Assistant Coach Oran Sorenson. "That day, it all just felt right."
Senior Preston Bohl (138 lb) may have been taken down in his second round, but he won both comeback rounds by fall over Ray Sandine of McCook Central/Montrose and decision over Michael Even of Parker. Bohl received third overall in the 138-pound weight class.
"Preston was a man on a mission on Saturday," said Head Coach Brady Schleuter. "He looked real impressive and wrestled well. I'm looking forward to him competing next week. He's been a leader all year and we are lucky to have him!"
Bohl has been paired against Konnor Osborn of Winner Area for his first match at the State tournament.
Senior Hunter Abraham (145 lb) punched his ticket, winning two of his four matches, both by fall, and placing fourth. His first match he took out Lawson Loiseau of Tri-Valley, and his third match he pinned Zac Sayler of Marion/Freeman.
"Hunter will be wrestling in the 145lb weight class," Schleuter commented. "Hunter is a great kid to have in the room and on your team if he puts his mind to it, he will succeed and that makes him a dangerous wrestler this coming week. I can't wait to see what he does!"
Abraham will dual with Drew Gerlach of MVPCS in his first match of the tournament.
Jaden Richter, a senior, will be competing at the 285lb weight class after placing fourth overall. He won his first match by decision over Zaul Centeno of Parker, punching his ticket. He will take on Lucas Rowland of Ipswich/Bowdle in his first dual at State.
Said Schleuter, "Jaden has been one of our leaders and captain this year and I was really proud on how he competed in the region tournament. He had to beat a tough kid from Parker to punch his ticket to state. Zaul Centeno from Parker had beaten Richter two weeks ago and had all the confidence in the world, but that wasn't until Richter ended Centeno's run. I was real proud of Jaden and how he handled his match. He wrestled a smart and physical match!"
Sophomore Autumn Gaspar, in her first year ever wrestling, has a chance to compete in the state.
"Autumn has been a nice addition to our team this year as she is always going to give her best and push to get the best out of her teammates!" exclaimed Schleuter.
Gaspar will battle in the 120 weight class, with her first opponent being Danny Borja of Mitchell.
Hannah Frewaldt, a junior, also qualified for her State ticket and will take on Johanna Steinlicht of Brookings in the 132 weight class in Rapid City.
"Hannah is one of the most dedicated people I know, she had a goal this year and has succeeded. I hope she builds off that goal and has a successful state tournament!" Coach Schleuter said.
Other moments included the strong fights put up by sophomore Brock Bonte and junior Caleb Westerbuhr, which Sorenson stated were notable, despite the two athletes not taking home the win.
Sorenson credited the great coaching choices of Schleuter with the success of the athletes, pointing out that at practice the week before.
“This success came from a good week of practice and focus,” said Sorenson. “We called them out, told them to show their school pride. The last practice before Saturday, at the end Brady turned down the lights and asked them to visualize what they were going to do for their opening attack, what they would do if they were two points down, and what they would have to do to cinch that win. I told them that we’re getting a new placard up in the practice room for the wrestling champions for Garretson, and that they had to visuals seeing their names on that placard. I think they wrestled harder this Saturday than they’ve ever done before. They showed school pride and even when they lost they fought harder than ever. I was very proud of them and I give full credit to Brady for giving them the focus they needed to do it. They could hold their heads high regardless of whether they qualified for State, and to have five qualify is a real acheivment.”
The 2023 SDHSAA State Wrestling Tournament will be held in Rapid City. First day of competition will be on Thursday. Good luck to all the Garretson kids competing this week!
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