Category Archives: State

Winner came out on top winning the Class B state dual championship.

After claiming third place in the individual tournament Friday night, the Warriors went to work and put their whole heart into winning the dual tournament.

That excitement started with coaches Spencer Novotny and Jayd Schuyler and was transferred to each wrestler who stepped on the mat. It was electric and as each wrestler won in the championship match the excitement grew.

Winner dominated Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon in round one 70-9, handled Parkston in round two 57-8. The Warriors notched the championship title with a 33-25 win over Kimball/White Lake/ Platte-Geddes.

This was the first Class B dual title for the Warriors. “We’ve gotten second the last four years in individuals, we’ve gotten second in duals to Canton the last two years and with five seniors it is awesome to get this done,” said coach Spencer Novotny. “To go out there and avenge our only loss of the season against Kimball, it’s just a great day.”

Winner had two wrestlers, Maxton Brozik at 113 pounds and Kaden Keiser at 145 pounds pick up state championships.

In addition to the two champions, Winner had five other wrestlers place at the state level.

Both Kaleb Osborn at 126 and Jack Kruger at 182, wrestled in a championship match but were defeated and took runner-up honors.

Riley Orel at 160 took third, Achilles Willuweit at 220 took fourth and Charley Pravecek at 195 took fifth.

For Kaden Keiser it was a great way to end his senior year in high school as plans to further his wrestling career in college.

Keiser was named the outstanding wrestler in Class B.

His fourth state title puts him in the record books at Winner High  School. He is  the first WHS wrester to four state titles. There have been others who have won three, but Keiser is the first to win four.

Friday in the semifinals of the individual tournament, Keiser set a state record for the most wins with 281. A Rapid City wrestler held the record at 280. What is neat, Keiser holds the record for both Class A and B.

“I am just grateful for everything and every opportunity I get,” Keiser told Ryan Deal of 605 Sports. “I can’t be more thankful for my friends, family, coaches and all of them.”

Keiser is now one of 11 wrestlers in state history to earn four state championships.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment for a long time and it just finally happened,” he said. He will continue his wrestling career at Appalachian State in North Carolina.

Wyatt Turnquist of Winner has been named to the NSIC wrestling first team all-conference.

Turnquist wrestles for Northern State University.

The all conference team was selected by the league coaches with the top point receivers at each weight class being named first team and the next named second team.

Turnquist wrestled in the NCAA Super Region V tournament Feb.26 in Moorhead, Minn. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the NCAA championships March 11-12 in St. Louis, Mo. 

In the final NCAA Division II Coaches Rankings prior to the postseason, the Northern State University wrestling team came in with 11 points and receiving votes in the team poll. In addition, three Wolves are ranked individually including No. 11 Kolton Roth (141), No. 8 Wyatt Turnquist (149), and No. 10 James Burks (157).

Turnquist posts a team best 16-2 record in 2021-22 with nationally ranked victories over No. 4 Speelman of Augustana and No. 7 Bailey of UIndy. In addition, the junior is 9-0 in NSIC action and holds a team best four technical fall wins.

Northern State competes next Saturday, Feb. 26 from the NCAA Super Region V Tournament in Moorhead, Minn.

Colome High School graduate Matt Campbell is having a big season for the Doane University men’s indoor track and field team.

Campbell, a former thrower at Dakota Wesleyan, has won in three straight appearances in the men’s weight throw and four of his last five meet appearances in the event overall. His best throw this season came in Doane’s Fred Belle Classic in last January as part of a two event sweep. He had a throw of 64 feet, 8.5 inches to win the weight throw and also won the shot put with a throw of 51 feet-7.25 inches.

On Jan. 22, he was the weight throw champion at the Concordia Polar Dog meet at Seward, Neb., with a throw of 62-8.75 and was second in the shot put at 51-4.5.

His indoor season is coming off a series of top performances in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and NAIA outdoor meets in the spring of 2021. Campbell earned all-American outdoor honors with a fifth pace finish in the hammer throw, 195-6, and was all GPAC in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw with top five finishes in each including second place in the shot put.

For the current indoor season, Campbell has met the NAIA qualifying standard in the weight throw   where he ranks No. 2 in the GPAC has the NAIA B qualifying standard in the shot put where he ranks No. 5 in the GPAC.