By Rich Winter

605 Sports

While the high school wrestling season has been over for a few weeks, the offseason is just beginning. 

This weekend in Council Bluffs Iowa, high school boys, high school girls and middle school boys teams from South Dakota will be competing at the Heartland National Duals. 

“Weigh-ins are Friday and the kids will wrestle folkstyle on Saturday and freestyle on Sunday,” Cory Neuharth, a board member for South Dakota USA Wrestling said. 

South Dakota has been attending this event for a number of years but new this year are high school boys and high school girls divisions. 

“This is a team invite only,” Neuharth said. “In the past there were between 70 and 80 teams wrestling.” 

South Dakota athletes will be competing at the Mid-America Center that has 36 mats spread out over three different venues on the same site. 

Neuharth explains how athletes are selected to Team South Dakota.

“Technically it was a board discussion and a board decision,” he said. “We go by placement at the high school state tournament, head-to-head competition. Basically we do this exactly the way Track Wrestling does.” 

Some of the middle-school athletes participating this weekend chose to attend the dual tournament instead of participating in the state AAU tournament this weekend. 

“They are going to see a lot better competition and they won’t be wrestling the same kids they have been all season,” he said. 

Headlining team South Dakota are two boys and two girls state champions. Watertown’s Gage Lohr and Canton’s Tanner Meyers along with Spearfish’s Taylor Graveman and Canton’s Zoe Adam will all be wrestling. 

South Dakota boys roster

• 109 - Gage Lohr, Watertown

• 116 - Landon Walker, Brandon Valley

• 123 - Graham Wilde, Sioux Falls Jefferson

• 129 - Parker Graveman, Spearfish

• 135 - Kaleb Johnson, Kingsbury County

• 141 - Mekhi Hayes, Lead-Deadwood

• 148 - Moses Gross, Huron

• 155 - Keenan Sheridan, Sioux Falls O'Gorman

• 163 - Miles Renner, Lead-Deadwood

• 173 - Jacob Ellingson, Spearfish

• 185 - Tanner Van Scoy, Rapid City Stevens

• 198 - Tanner Meyers, Canton

• 223 - Asher Peil, Spearfish

• 288 - Micah Hach, Watertown

South Dakota girls rosters

• 103 - Haven Baker

• 110 - Mary-Katherine Joseph, Brandon Valley

• 117 - Cassandra Witte, Rapid City Stevens

• 123 - Quinn Butler, Lemmon/McIntosh

• 129 - Dani Ringstmeyer, Pierre

• 135 - Taylor Graveman, Spearfish

• 141 - Abigail Lewis, Pierre

• 148 - Ali Bissell, Sioux Falls Roosevelt

• 155 - Jayden Lange, Flandreau

• 168 - Giahna Miller, Viborg-Hurley/Irene-Wakonda

• 188 - Zoe Adam, Canton

• 238 - Hope Orr, Watertown

Spearfish senior Taylor Graveman is one of two girls state champs representing Team South Dakota - Rodney Haas - 605 Sports

Middle school boys

• 75 - Summyt Larson

• 80 - Daniel Mason

• 85 - Bentley Klinkhammer, West Central

• 90 - Ryvr Larson, Bon Homme/Avon

• 95 - Kaden Haakinson, West Central

• 102 - Carter Kendrick, Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers

• 110 - Brody Gossen, Marion/Freeman

• 117 - Cole Hendrixson, Tri-Valley; Chase Adam, Canton

• 125 - Karson Vessells, West Central

• 132 - Langdon Klinkhammer, West Central

• 140 - Aiden Van Balen

• 150 - Gage Baumgarn, Webster Area

• 160 - Zhoel Irion, Sturgis; Caleb Heuertz, Elk Point-Jefferson

• 175 - Isaiah Crownover, Bon Homme/Avon

• 195 - Tryston Kvasnicka

• 220 - Devin Binger

• 275 - Charles Becker, Dell Rapids