By Matt Gade

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — Hard work and determination paid off for Sturgis’ Annalee Pierson on Saturday.

A year after finishing as state runner-up at 107 pounds, Pierson was determined to stand atop the podium this year.

The freshman and top-seeded wrestler at 110 pounds came away with the Scooper girls' team's lone gold medal during the South Dakota High School Association’s state tournament at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.

Pierson defeated Aberdeen Central’s Madison Little 3-0, by a take-down in the last 30 seconds of the third period of the championship match.

“It just feels great. I got to the finals last year, so it was nice just to come back and know that all my work paid off,” Pierson said. “I knew going into it that it was gonna be tough. It was gonna be a dog fight. She's definitely tough. But I was mentally prepared.”

Pierson said it felt good to be on the podium, receiving gold alongside the Sturgis boys' wrestling team, who won their third-straight title on Saturday.

“It definitely feels good to be up on top,” Pierson said. “It feels good to be up there with our boys, since our boys are always taking the spotlight and stuff and doing good, and I'm glad that the girls have finally hit their stride.”

Sturgis Head Coach Jon Pierson celebrates Annalee Pierson's win over Aberdeen Central's Madison Little in the girls 110-pound championship match on Saturday morning during the 2026 SDHSAA state tournament at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

The Sturgis girls finished with 72 points and 10th overall in the girls' standings. The Canton girls took the team title with 169 points.

As a freshman, Pierson said she’s already excited about what the future holds for her. But she knows it’s going to take a lot of hard work in the off-season.

That includes working with her dad and the Sturgis girls’ head coach, Jon Pierson.

“I think he's doing great,” Annalee said. “He's definitely a really good coach. I think he's doing good and our girls are definitely hitting our stride, and I think we should expect to see some really big things.

“I'm really glad that our girls are finally getting out there. Last year, we only brought a couple of girls, but now you can see we represented a little bit. You can see who we are now.”

Sturgis' Annalee Pierson is congratulated by her teammates after her win over Aberdeen Central's Madison Little in the girls 110-pound championship match on Saturday morning during the 2026 SDHSAA state tournament at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)