Region 2A Action Kicks Off
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| Vermillion's Brett Bye puts the squeeze on Harrisburg's Payton Sim during their 132-pound match in the Region 2A Wrestling Tournament on Thursday at Vermillion High School. (James D. Cimburek/P&D) |
BY JAMES D. CIMBUREK
james.cimburek@yankton.net
VERMILLION — Yankton, Vermillion and Dakota Valley all left themselves with work to do entering the final day of the Region 2A Wrestling Tournament at Vermillion High School.
The Bucks, Tanagers and Panthers each had three wrestlers advance to today’s (Friday) finals with victories on Thursday’s opening day, but each team had several more wrestlers that will need to win one match today to earn their trip to the South Dakota State Class A Wrestling Tournament, Feb. 24-25 at Aberdeen.
Sioux Falls Washington had the most productive opening day, scoring 168.5 points and sending seven wrestlers to region finals. Brandon Valley is a distant second at 129, followed by Sioux Falls Lincoln (120) and the host Tanagers (104). Yankton is in sixth at 91 points, with Dakota Valley in seventh in the nine-team event with 68 points.
Vermillion will take Brett Bye, the state’s top-ranked 132-pounder, 138-pounder Regan Bye and 170-pounder Alex Osborne to finals matches. Brandon Steenholdt, the Tanagers’ 113-pounder, is not in the finals but is guaranteed a top-four spot due to a wrestler in his class not making weight.
“We had some nice matchups and our boys wrestled well,” said Vermillion head coach Kyle Seibel. “The only disappointment was that last one: Will (Mart) was up 6-0 and got pinned.”
Washington’s Chris Vroman, ranked 12th at heavyweight, pulled off the upset of the seventh-ranked Mart. He will draw Dakota Valley’s Tanner Lambert, an upset winner over third-ranked Dylan Van Steenburg of Harrisburg, in the heavyweight final.
Brett Bye will face Washington’s Dylan Larson, a semifinal winner over Yankton’s Casey Skillingstad, in the 132-pound final. Regan Bye, who drew the top seed at 138, wrestled fifth-ranked Landon Stroud of Lincoln in the final.
“But Brett and Regan wrestled well today. Being the number one seed they’re expected to win like this,” Coach Seibel said. “They will both have tough matches in the final.”
Kyle Seibel (106), Steenholdt (113), Carter Kratz (120), James May (145), Brandon Hertz (152), Avery Garcia (182), Seth Heine (220) and Mart (285) will wrestle in consolation for the Tanagers today, with one win securing a berth in the third place match and the state tournament.
Returning state champion Logan Smith leads the trio of Bucks that have already punched their ticket for Aberdeen. The senior and second-ranked wrestler at 145 pounds scored a major decision over Harrisburg’s Jake Devine in the semifinals to earn a matchup with Brandon Valley’s Mason Bender.
“Smith is a smart wrestler. He knows it’s not about the pin but about advancing,” said Yankton head coach Ryan Hage. “He has a tough matchup with Bender, who’s gone 1-1 against Logan. He does a good job of slowing Logan down.”
James Hisek earned a trip to state at 160 with an opening round pin of Tea Area’s Chris Kuhl and a 5-3 upset over Lincoln’s Seth Haper, the eighth-ranked wrestler in the class. Hisek draws Washington’s Michael Buchman, ranked sixth at 160, in the final.
“Hisek was the third-seeded wrestler and wrestled his way into the finals,” Hage noted.
C.J. Warren, the top seed at 170 pounds, made quick work of his competition on the way to the finals, scoring a 60-second pin over Tea Area’s Matt Fowler and a technical fall over Brandon Valley’s Austin Eigenberg. He draws Vermillion’s Osborne in the final.
Spencer Huber (106), Mason Strahl (126), Skillingstad (132), Levi Davis (152), Thomas Kruse (195) and Royce Reisner (285) step onto the mat today needing one win to go to state.
“We need to come in with guns blazing, get those guys that are alive going to state,” Hage said.
Michael Montoya (120) and Jordan Lightner (220), both first-year varsity wrestlers, saw their seasons end with 0-2 days. Lightner, a freshman, wrestled well in the opening period before falling to Washington’s Devon O’Farrell, the top-ranked wrestler in the state.
“Jordan’s main weakness right now is his lack of experience,” Hage noted. “I’m confident that Jordan’s experience this season was a positive one. He’s going to be a good one if he chooses to stick it out.”
Dakota Valley has qualified the Lambert twins, Taylor (220) and Tanner (285), and 126-pounder Blake Perryman for the finals and for state.
Perryman needed overtime to claim an 8-4 decision over Brandon Valley’s Grant Dougherty in the semifinals. Perryman opened with a pin of Lennox’s Alex Kock. Lincoln’s Ryan O’Connor, ranked 10th, awaits in the final.
Taylor Lambert needed all of 57 seconds to secure pins over Vermillion’s Seth Heine (35 seconds) and Brandon Valley’s Clayton Ebright (22 seconds) to advance to the 220-pound final, where he will face Washington’s O’Farrell.
Tanner Lambert opened with a pin of Tea Area’s Brenden Bauman, then scored a 9-4 decision over Harrisburg’s Dylan Van Steenberg to earn a shot at Washington’s Vroman in the final.
Tyler Schrunk (120) is the only wrestler alive in wrestlebacks for Dakota Valley.
Competition begins at 6 p.m. today at Vermillion High School.
REGION 2A
Thursday at Vermillion
The Bucks, Tanagers and Panthers each had three wrestlers advance to today’s (Friday) finals with victories on Thursday’s opening day, but each team had several more wrestlers that will need to win one match today to earn their trip to the South Dakota State Class A Wrestling Tournament, Feb. 24-25 at Aberdeen.
Sioux Falls Washington had the most productive opening day, scoring 168.5 points and sending seven wrestlers to region finals. Brandon Valley is a distant second at 129, followed by Sioux Falls Lincoln (120) and the host Tanagers (104). Yankton is in sixth at 91 points, with Dakota Valley in seventh in the nine-team event with 68 points.
Vermillion will take Brett Bye, the state’s top-ranked 132-pounder, 138-pounder Regan Bye and 170-pounder Alex Osborne to finals matches. Brandon Steenholdt, the Tanagers’ 113-pounder, is not in the finals but is guaranteed a top-four spot due to a wrestler in his class not making weight.
“We had some nice matchups and our boys wrestled well,” said Vermillion head coach Kyle Seibel. “The only disappointment was that last one: Will (Mart) was up 6-0 and got pinned.”
Washington’s Chris Vroman, ranked 12th at heavyweight, pulled off the upset of the seventh-ranked Mart. He will draw Dakota Valley’s Tanner Lambert, an upset winner over third-ranked Dylan Van Steenburg of Harrisburg, in the heavyweight final.
“But Brett and Regan wrestled well today. Being the number one seed they’re expected to win like this,” Coach Seibel said. “They will both have tough matches in the final.”
Kyle Seibel (106), Steenholdt (113), Carter Kratz (120), James May (145), Brandon Hertz (152), Avery Garcia (182), Seth Heine (220) and Mart (285) will wrestle in consolation for the Tanagers today, with one win securing a berth in the third place match and the state tournament.
Returning state champion Logan Smith leads the trio of Bucks that have already punched their ticket for Aberdeen. The senior and second-ranked wrestler at 145 pounds scored a major decision over Harrisburg’s Jake Devine in the semifinals to earn a matchup with Brandon Valley’s Mason Bender.
“Smith is a smart wrestler. He knows it’s not about the pin but about advancing,” said Yankton head coach Ryan Hage. “He has a tough matchup with Bender, who’s gone 1-1 against Logan. He does a good job of slowing Logan down.”
James Hisek earned a trip to state at 160 with an opening round pin of Tea Area’s Chris Kuhl and a 5-3 upset over Lincoln’s Seth Haper, the eighth-ranked wrestler in the class. Hisek draws Washington’s Michael Buchman, ranked sixth at 160, in the final.
“Hisek was the third-seeded wrestler and wrestled his way into the finals,” Hage noted.
C.J. Warren, the top seed at 170 pounds, made quick work of his competition on the way to the finals, scoring a 60-second pin over Tea Area’s Matt Fowler and a technical fall over Brandon Valley’s Austin Eigenberg. He draws Vermillion’s Osborne in the final.
Spencer Huber (106), Mason Strahl (126), Skillingstad (132), Levi Davis (152), Thomas Kruse (195) and Royce Reisner (285) step onto the mat today needing one win to go to state.
“We need to come in with guns blazing, get those guys that are alive going to state,” Hage said.
Michael Montoya (120) and Jordan Lightner (220), both first-year varsity wrestlers, saw their seasons end with 0-2 days. Lightner, a freshman, wrestled well in the opening period before falling to Washington’s Devon O’Farrell, the top-ranked wrestler in the state.
“Jordan’s main weakness right now is his lack of experience,” Hage noted. “I’m confident that Jordan’s experience this season was a positive one. He’s going to be a good one if he chooses to stick it out.”
Dakota Valley has qualified the Lambert twins, Taylor (220) and Tanner (285), and 126-pounder Blake Perryman for the finals and for state.
Perryman needed overtime to claim an 8-4 decision over Brandon Valley’s Grant Dougherty in the semifinals. Perryman opened with a pin of Lennox’s Alex Kock. Lincoln’s Ryan O’Connor, ranked 10th, awaits in the final.
Taylor Lambert needed all of 57 seconds to secure pins over Vermillion’s Seth Heine (35 seconds) and Brandon Valley’s Clayton Ebright (22 seconds) to advance to the 220-pound final, where he will face Washington’s O’Farrell.
Tanner Lambert opened with a pin of Tea Area’s Brenden Bauman, then scored a 9-4 decision over Harrisburg’s Dylan Van Steenberg to earn a shot at Washington’s Vroman in the final.
Tyler Schrunk (120) is the only wrestler alive in wrestlebacks for Dakota Valley.
Competition begins at 6 p.m. today at Vermillion High School.
REGION 2A
Thursday at Vermillion
