By Rich Winter

605 Sports

With the calendar flipping to 2025 wrestling season begins in earnest with a number of big-time tournaments scheduled for the weekend. 

The past month has given wrestling fans a glimpse of what is to come but over the next eight weeks headlines will change and different teams and wrestlers will stake their claim toward wrestling immortality. 

Wrestling headlines for 2025:

Watertown siblings Micah and Eden Hach are both top ranked 

For the past two seasons Watertown’s Micah Hach (285) has been on the cusp of winning a state wrestling title. In each of the last two years Hach lost to Brandon Valley’s Navarro Schunke in the Class A finals. With Schunke having graduated Hach is the top ranked wrestler in Class A and the heavy favorite to win a state title in February. At the 2024 South Dakota state girls tournament Micah’s younger sister Eden, then a freshman, finished fifth in the (250) weight class. Eden Hach is the top ranked girls wrestler (235) in South Dakota and is having a dominant sophomore campaign. 

Belle Fourche sophomore Kyra Vandenberg aiming for program’s first state title

A year ago Belle Fourche freshman Kyra Vandenberg finished eighth (100) at the South Dakota state tournament. At the start of this season Dakota Grappler had Vandenberg ranked No. 3 in her weight class but after winning the Rapid City Invitational and the Madison tournament Vandenberg is top ranked in her weight class heading into a very stiff tournament in Spearfish on Saturday.

Lakota Tech girls are ranked No. 2 in latest wrestling poll (Dakota Grappler)

In the last three seasons the pecking order in South Dakota girls wrestling has been Pierre followed by Canton. While the Governors are still the top ranked team in South Dakota the Lakota Tech girls are ranked No. 2, the highest in program history. Defending state champion Giada Scherich is top-ranked (132) while teammate Brandy Marshall is top ranked at (114)

Giedd siblings aiming for state titles with different programs

One of the sibling tandems to keep an eye on this year are Conner Giedd (Canton) and Jaidynn Giedd (Kingsbury County). A year ago Conner Giedd finished fourth in the Class B state  tournament (138) while wrestling for Kingsbury County. His sister Jaidynn, also wrestling at (138) finished third in the girls state tournament. In the latest Dakota Grappler rankings Conner Giedd is ranked No. 3 (157). Jaidynn Giedd, only an eighth-grader, is top ranked (152) for Kingsbury County.

Cousins Johnny and Lucas Lenz top ranked for Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes

Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes wrestler Lucas Lenz, along with his cousin Johnny Lenz are both top ranked for KWLPG - Rodney Haas / 605 Sports

While Canton is the favorite to win the Class B state title in February, the race for second place is shaping up to be a dandy. In the latest Class B rankings (Dakota Grappler) Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes is ranked No. 2. KWLPG has two top ranked wrestlers, cousins Johnny Lenz (150) and Lucas Lenz (165). 

Risse family making headlines for Bennett County

Bennett County senior Gavin Risse defeated Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall's Oakley Menzel at the Stanley County Invitational in December of 2024 - Rodney Haas / 605 Sports

It has been a minute since Bennett County has seen a top-ranked wrestler in their program. In the latest Class B rankings, Warrior freshman Maddux Risse is now top ranked at (120). Maddux’s younger sister Kendyll is ranked No. 7 at (114). 

Maddux and Kendyll’s cousins Gavin and Jordan are also part of the Bennett County wrestling team. Gavin, a senior, is ranked No. 4 (150) and his younger brother Jordan, a junior is unranked at 165. 

A distant cousin Bree Risse, a seventh grader that weighs about 80-pounds, is unranked but wrestlers varsity (100) for the Lady Warriors.