By Rich Winter

605 Sports

KIMBALL — Every time Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes senior Lucas Lenz steps on the mat he is fueled by the memories of championships that could have been. 

Lenz reached the 165-pound finals of 2024 Class B state tournament and came out flat, dropping a 7-2 decision to Wagner’s Jhett Breen.

“I didn’t come out ready to wrestle,” Lenz said. “I was really nervous and gave up a takedown right away and never really recovered after that.” 

Lenz finished his junior season with a 41-5 record, and despite four of his five losses coming to Breen, the loss didn’t sit well with the multi-sport standout. The disappointing end to the 2023-24 wasn’t the first time Lenz felt the pangs of coming up just short of a state title.
As a sophomore, Lenz battled injuries but managed to qualify for the state tournament (152) with a 9-2 record. Lenz won a match before bowing out in the wrestlebacks. That season, his brother and training partner Carter Lenz, reached the finals (145) where he wrestled Canton’s Ayson Rice in the 2023 Class B final. 

“I remember going down and sitting matside for the match,” Lenz said. 

Lenz watched as his brother dropped a 7-3 decision to a wrestler who would go on to win four state titles. 

And it hurt. 

“It almost felt like I lost that match,” he said. “We had trained together all season and it was very emotional seeing my brother lose his opportunity to win a state title in his final high school match.”

Entering the weekend, Lenz is 28-0 on the season and the top ranked wrestler (165) in the latest Dakota Grappler rankings. 

Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes coach Thomas Konechne said he’s seen a different level of intensity from his senior captain. 

“He’s very determined this year and is wrestling for his brothers and himself and for his team,” Konechne said. “He’s a proud member of our wrestling team and you can see that all on the mat and you can see that he is very determined.” 

The passion of wrestling extends beyond Carter Lenz all the way to his oldest brother Caden, a 2020 graduate of Kimball High School.

“Caden was on his way to being a great wrestler but was held back because of injuries,” Lucas Lenz said. “He made the state tournament as a sophomore but didn’t wrestle his junior or senior seasons because of bad shoulders.” 

As his prowess on the mat has grown so has his leadership in the KWLPG wrestling room. 

Konechne called Lenz a big-time leader that demands respect from everyone in the KWLPG wrestling room. 

“When Lucas says something all of the underclassmen are listening and they all see that he is determined, motivated and hard working and he’s always had that,” Konechne said. “He’s pretty straightforward and knows what needs to be done. His brothers were the same way and he comes from a good family.” 

Konechne said Lucas’s brothers still poke their head into the KWLPG wrestling room and one or both can usually be found at the stands during weekend tournaments where their kid brother is wrestling. 

Konechne said Lenz’s performance in the state championship match was an anomaly and he’s seeing a different man on the mat this season. 

“Except for that finals match last year he's been ready to wrestle every match for the last few years,” Konechne said. “He’s back to showing those same qualities of preparation and getting focused before every match. Chalk it up as a learning experience and we’ll be ready to go at the state tournament.” 

As the final weeks of Lenz’s high school wrestling career draw to a close, the Kimball senior said he’s not thinking about the end, only the road ahead with a one match at a time mentality. 

“I’m trying to put in extra work and really work on my conditioning,”Lenz said. “Not many of my matches have gone the distance so I want to make sure I’m ready for anything that might happen at the state tournament.”

While the individual title and the familial push to bring home a family championship stands tall, team and team success is the ultimate goal for Lenz. 

“We sat down as a team and talked about some of our goals after practice on Thursday,” Lenz said. “We have a very good team that works extremely hard and we want to do well at the state tournament and the state dual tournament and that means everyone has to do just a little extra.”