By Rich Winter

605 Sports

Redfield senior Brady Risetter has spent a lot of time this last year thinking about the last 30 seconds of his semifinal match at the 2022 state wrestling tournament. 

Leading Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes’ Gavin Braun, Risetter took a shot, a good shot for a takedown attempt. One little technical mistake on that shot cost the Risetter a slot in the Class B 106-pound championship.

“My hips were in a bad position,” Risetter said. “I ended up giving up a takedown and back points and lost the match 6-4.”

Initially devastated by the loss, Risetter had little time to feel bad for himself as his team needed him to bounce back as the Pheasants were battling for a high team placing. 

“It was definitely tough on my mindset,” he said. “We were in a really tight battle with Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers and I knew I had to keep my head up for team points.”

Risetter battled all the way back to finish in third place and the Pheasants edged the Brawlers 96-95 for a fourth-place team finish.

A young man of small stature, Risetter got his start in wrestling as a kindergarten student when his parents signed him up for the sport. Weighing less than 100 pounds early in his high school career, the son of Matt and Wendy Risetter didn’t even crack the varsity starting lineup until his sophomore year. 

“I was pretty light and we had some good kids there so it was tough to make varsity,” Brady said. 

Finally ready for the varsity as sophomore, Risetter’s wrestling season got off to a slow start following a football injury. On a special teams play Risetter said he blew out his ankle and broke his fibula and tibula. After months of therapy and treatment that continued into the wrestling season he was finally able to put on a Redfield singlet as a starter for a team and town known for wrestling excellence. 

At the state meet, in a loaded 106-pound bracket that featured KWLPG’s Kasen Konstanz and Winner Area’s Maxton Brozik, the then-sophomore finished fifth. 

The 2022-2023 season also started slowly for the Redfield senior. This year the South Dakota High School Activities Association implemented a new Optimal Performance Calculator format for weights and weight loss for high school wrestlers. 

“My coaches and I wanted to get certified at (106) again,” he said. “I was worrying about my hydration and the whole weight descension thing.” 

Risetter didn’t make his season debut until Dec. 19, initially wrestling at 113 pounds. In early January, Risetter made his 106-pound debut at the Miller/Highmore-Harrold Invitational where he pinned No. 3 ranked Cooper Palmer of Clark/Willow Lake in the first period.

Risetter is 11-0 on the season and hasn’t really been tested. He says he’s looking forward to Feb. 2 when his team duals Canton and a possible matchup with No. 2 ranked Zach Bartels of Canton.

With about six weeks left of the wrestling season Risetter has a goal of a state title, not just for himself but for the team and a town that loves wrestling. 

“Wrestling is huge in Redfield and anyone that puts on the singlet wrestles for the pride and tradition of the program,” he said. “This is my senior year and I need to wrestle to my full ability to score as many points at the state meet for the team.”