By Rich Winter

605 Sports

With the South Dakota state wrestling championships set to kick off Thursday, Canton and Brandon Valley are expected to add to their legacies.

The C-Hawks enter the Class B tournament winners of the last five Class B state tournaments. Since wrestling became a two-class sport in 1971 only the Wagner teams of 2008-10 have won three straight so Canton looks to set its bar even higher. 

Brandon Valley enters this year’s tournament aiming for a third consecutive title. The Lynx look to join the Sturgis teams that won three consecutive from 2005-07. Mitchell in the late 1990s and Pierre from 2015-18 are the only two Class A schools to win four consecutive state team titles.

Class B previews - Ayson Rice, Owen Hansen and Burk Blasius looking for 3-peats

Among the headlines to keep track of this year are three grapplers that are hoping to join the exclusive list of three time winners in the Class B ranks. 

Canton junior Ayson Rice won titles in each of the last two seasons. Rice is 44-3 this season (145) and seeded No. 2 behind Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes’ Carter Lenz. Burke/Gregory senior Owen Hansen (132) will be looking for a third consecutive title. Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawler, Burk Blasius a 22-1 junior (170) will also be looking for a third straight individual title. 

The 2023 Class B field features eight returning state champions. 

KWLPG’s Gavin Braun, Winner Area’s Maxton Brozik, Stanley Counties Chase Hanson, Bon Homme’s Isaac Crownover and Canton’s Tanner Meyers along with Rice, Hansen and Blasius are returning state champions. 

KWLPG’s Kasen Konstanz won a state title in 2021 at 106 while McCook Central/Montrose’s Jackson Remers won a 2021 title at 132.

Canton is the heavy favorite to six-peat but after that the battle for high team placings is going to be a dogfight as Winner Area, Brawlers, Custer, KWLPG and MCM all are in the mix. 

Class A Preview - Sloan Johannsen, Reese Jacobs and Navarro Schunke reaching for consecutive state titles records

As the tournament begins Thursday Watertown’s Sloan Johannsen (120) will be looking for a third consecutive state championship. Only 38 grapplers in the history of Class A wrestling have won three consecutive titles. Johannsen hasn’t lost in two years and is 124-1 over the last three seasons. Sturgis athlete Reese Jacobs won titles in 2021 and ‘22 and is undefeated heading into this year’s state tournament. 

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Brandon Valley junior Navarro Schunke will be looking for a fourth consecutive state title. He’ll be looking to join Chamberlain’s Nash Hutmacher, Watertown’s Rick Jensen, Yankton’s Nick Smith, Pierre’s William Turman, Huron’s Dustin Walraven and Sturgis’ Seth Lange as the only Class A athletes to win four consecutive state wrestling titles. 

The Class A field returns nine defending state champions. Brandon Valley’s Trevon Oehme, Johannsen, Tea Area’s Maddix Slykhuis, Huron’s Moses Gross, Brandon Valley’s Alex Mentzer, Mitchell’s Jagger Tyler, Rapid City Stevens’ Corter Doney, Jacobs and Schunke. 

Mitchell's Jagger Tyler won a state title in 2022 and will be looking to repeat this week.

Brandon Valley’s Trason Oehme won a state championship in 2021.