By Rich Winter

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — Every time the Canton or Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers wrestling teams control a takedown this weekend, listen for the enormous crescendo of “TWWWOOOOO” from the crowds of two communities that travel well and support their teams. 

Both teams, and in the Brawlers case, multiple communities should have plenty to cheer about this weekend. 

Canton enters the tournament already owning a record six-year winning streak as team champions (were it nor for Beresford/Alcester-Hudson winning it all in 2017 the C-Hawks would be going for a ninth consecutive Class B title). Canton qualified 13 athletes for the state tournament with Ashton Keller (42-1, 132) and Ayson Rice (38-1, 150) both grabbing top seeds in their respective weight classes. 

Traun Cook (285) is the defending Class B champion but is seeded No. 2 in his weight class. Carter Kendrick (106) is seeded No. 2 in his weight class and wrestled in the championship match (106) for Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers last season. Aiden Schrempp (126) and Teague Granum (144) both are seeded No. 4 in their weight classes. 

Canton senior Traun Cook (285) is the defending Class b champion in his weight class.

In 2023, Winner Area edged the Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers, 126.5-126 as the Warriors snatched a second place trophy away. Since the split to the two-class wrestling system in 1971, the Brawlers have never won a state title. Philip had runner-up finishes in 1985, 1989, 1990 and 2013. Philip Area was the runner-up to Parkston in 2014.

In 2024 the Brawlers managed to qualify 11 wrestlers from Region 4B. Two of those athletes, Jace Blasius (144) and Burk Blasius (175) are both top seeded in their brackets. Senior Ryker Peterson (150) and junior Kale Crowser (157) are both seeded No. 2 in their brackets. Athletes like Gatlin Cordes (106), Tukker Boe (120), Thane Simons (165), Quinn Moon (190) and Jensen Fitch (215) will try to add ‘extra’ team points at every point possible during the three-day tournament. 

Winner Area has finished as Class B runner-up in five-of-the-last-six seasons and the Warriors will be in the hunt again this week. Custer, Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes and Wagner are all teams that will be in the mix for big-time team hardware. 

Milestones Matter: Another reason C-Hawk and Brawlers fans are expected to be extra vocal this weekend are the attempts by Ayson Rice and Burk Blasius to win four Class B individual titles. 

• Ayson Rice – Rice won state titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023 most recently defeating KWLPG’s Carter Lenz in the 2023 finals. Rice will be looking to join 11 other prep athletes, including former teammate Kellyn March, who have four state titles to their name.

• Burk Blasius - Blasius won state titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023 most recently defeating Custer’s Parker Noem in the 2023 finals. Like RIce, Blasius looks to join the exclusive four class b individual titles  group of (Dan Bonte, Garretson; Dakota Galt, Beresford; Kaden Keiser, Winner Area; Luke Loudenburg, Howard, Kellyn March, Canton; David Rowe, Mobridge; Travis Slaba, Wagner; Chad Uhrug, Sully Buttes, Cory Wallman, Marion/Freeman; Gary Wallman, Miller and Troy Wallman, Freeman). 

Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers senior Burk Blasius is aiming for a 4th consecutive Class B wrestling title - Rodney Haas - 605 Sports

• Howards’s Jackson Remmers will be looking for a third state title this weekend. Remmers is seeded No. 1 (157) has already won state titles while with McCook Central/Montrose in 2021 and 2023. He lost to former Winner Area grappler and current Appalachian State matman Kaden Keiser in the 2022 finals. 

• In the history of Class B wrestling Canton has the most team titles (8). The C-Hawks delivered a Class B record 240.5 points from their 2020 team. 

• Undefeated wrestlers: Brody Randall, Hamlin/Castlewood, 40-0, Jackson Remmers, Howard, 43-0; Levi Wieman, Parker, 48-0, Grady Fey, Redfield, 45-0. 

Class B top seeds and their placing at the 2023 state meet:

Rylan Robbins, Winner Area (106) - 6th at 106 in 2023

Brody Randall, Hamlin/Castlewood (113) - 5th at 106 in 2023

Kasen Konstanz, Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes (120) - runner-up at 126 in 2023

Maxton Brozik, Winner Area (126) - 3rd at 120 in 2023

Karstyn Lhotak, Wagner (132) - state champion (120) in 2023

Kellen Hurd, Miller/Highmore-Harrold (138) - state champion (126) in 2023

Miller/Highmore-Harrold junior Kellen Hurd defeated Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes's Kasen Konstanz in the 126 final in 2023

Jace Blasius, Brawlers (144) - state champion (138) in 2023

Ayson RIce, Cato (150) - state champion (145) in 2023. 

Jackson Remmers, Howard (157) - state champion (152) in 2023

Jhett Breen, Wagner (165) - 3rd at 138 in 2023

Burk Blasius, Brawlers (175) - state champion (170) in 2023. 

Parker Noem, Custer (190) - runner-up at 170 in 2023

Levi Wieman, Parker (215) - 3rd at 220 in 2023

Grady Fey, Redfield (285) - runner-up in 2023.