By Rich Winter

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — Every time Webster Area’s Tayten Kurkowski sophomore steps on the mat his grandmother’s memory is never far away

After finishing sixth at 106 as a freshman, Kurkowski’s grandmother passed away last year.

“My cousin Haeden Jorgenson (also of Webster Area) and I lost our grandma last year,” Kurkowski said. “We try to do well in our wrestling careers for her.”

For a while it looked like Kurkowski’s dream of placing at another state tournament might be in jeopardy. 

At one of the first tournaments of the year he suffered a broken arm. 

“I got picked up with an arm bar in and I landed on it funny,” he said.

Kurkowski spent all of Christmas vacation in a cast and then spent the entire month of January only able to watch his team compete. Kurkowski wondered if the arm would heal in time. 

“With losing my grandma the broken wrist was kind of emotional,” he said. “It was tough to just sit there and wonder if I’d be able to come back and be at the state tournament.”

Kurkowski was cleared to continue wrestling and got back on the mat with a couple of duals before the regional tournament. 

The sophomore finished fourth in the regional tournament to punch his ticket to the state tournament. 

Kurkowski avenged that region loss when he beat Groton Area’s Keegan Kucker, 11-6. In Friday’s quarterfinals he suffered a 14-1 loss to top seeded Landon Walker of Canton. 

“The biggest thing right now is I’m not in shape,” he said. “All of that running and stuff doesn’t compare to being able to practice and go hard on the mat.”

On Friday, Kurkowki guaranteed a top-eight finish with an 11-2 MD over Elk Point-Jefferson’s Kamryn Dice. 

“It’s a big deal but I’m looking to do better than seventh or eighth place,” he said. “After I took that loss to Walker I wasn’t sure but all I know to be in the placing rounds is great.”