RAPID CITY – Liza Krueger of Groton capped a stellar season with a state championship, while other area wrestlers found their way to the podium during the final day of the Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament at The Monument on Saturday afternoon.
Krueger punctuated her 100-pound title with a pin in the final period.
“Honestly, it’s a crazy feeling. I’m still kind of in shock from it,” Krueger said. “It was crazy.”
The sophomore steadily built a lead and was up 6-0 late in the match before finding a way to pin her foe with 34 seconds remaining.
“I was really expecting it. I just figured it was going to be a small scoring match and I was just going to stall out, but I caught her,” Krueger said. “She gets really extended on her shots, and I knew I’d be able to catch her if I could and it happened.”
Krueger’s path to the state title included an overtime win over Aberdeen Central’s Madison Little, a former teammate, in the semifinals on Friday.
“Yes, she’s my friend. Yes, she was in our room last year. Yes, I’ve taught her a lot of stuff and helped her throughout the summer,” Krueger said, “but when I step on the line with them, they’re still my opponent, and they’re not my friend anymore.”
Krueger was top-rated all season and went into the state tournament as the top seed at her weight. She said she could feel the pressure.
“Everyone expects me to win, and everyone is kind of out for you,” Krueger said. “They will do anything to get you on your back, because they’ve got nothing to lose. So, they’re going to put themselves in danger to try and pin me.”
In the end, Krueger was up the challenge on the way to winning the state championship.
“I’ve been dreaming about it since I was little,” Krueger said. “All my work and everything that I’ve put in and trusted, it all come together.”
Vi Anderson of Sisseton and Cateri Yellow Hawk of Sully Buttes both finished runner-up.
Aberdeen Central, which finished seventh as a team, had five placewinners led by Little in third. Lilly Nelson was fourth, Rakyrah Wallace was sixth, Lin Paw Jone was seventh, and Jasmine Maas was eighth.
“We came up a little short of our team goal of top six with a seventh-place finish,” said Central coach Jake Flakus. “I am still proud of the effort from our ladies and what we accomplished all season. Five state placewinners is something to be proud of, and we look forward to them returning next year.”
Peyton Hellman of Bon Homme-Scotland-Avon won her fifth consecutive state championship and extended her winning streak to 126 matches. Regina Stoeser of Harrisburg won her fourth state title.
Other area placewinners included third place Kayla Logan and Reganne Miles of Doland, fifth place Tahnie Yellow Hawk of Sully Buttes, sixth place Brooke Grajcyzk of Webster, seventh place Hailey Schaefer of Miller-Highmore-Harrold, and eighth place Hadley Gjerde of Clark-Willow Lake.
To see complete tournament results, click on the following link:
