By Rich Winter

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes senior Lucas Lenz had plenty of motivation for this weekend’s state tournament. 

Lenz was a runner-up in 2024 but won the Class B state title 165 Saturday with an 11-3 win over Parkston’s Wyatt Anderson

“When I was on the podium and I was thinking about my brother and that this is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt,” Lenz said. 

Lenz’s older brother, Carter, wrestled for a state title in 2023 falling to Canton’s Ayson Rice.

“The first thing I did was thank my brother Carter,” Lenz said. “I haven’t been able to wrestle with him the last two years because he graduated, but I owe a lot to him.” 

Lenz also gave credit to Sam Kruger, a three-time state champion who he had been practicing with leading up to the state tournament. 

The road to the championship wasn’t easy and it was filled with emotion. On Friday he watched his cousin Johnny Lenz advance to the finals at 144. Shortly after winning that match Johnny Lenz pointed to the heavens in memory of his father who passed away during the wrestling season. 

“That was really emotional when Johnny won and pointed to the sky,” Lucas Lenz said. “That was right before my match and I had to pull myself together. I was very happy for him and I know it meant the world to him.” 

On Saturday, Lucas Lenz got an early takedown and backpoints against Anderson, the same wrestler he defeated to win the Region 3B title. Lenz said the early lead gave him confidence and he was able to control the match all the way to the major decision. 

A year ago, Lenz reached the finals at 165 but lost to Wagner’s Jhett Breen. The senior said he put in the time to make the state title a reality. 

“It takes a lot and I put a lot of time knowing this is my final year,” he said. “This is my last year and I had a lot of motivation and knew I had to leave it all out on the mat.”