The wrestling fever is here as individuals from across the state will begin the quest for a spot in the state wrestling tournaments in February by competing in tournaments, quads, triangulars, and duals over the next three months.

This year’s state dual wrestling tournaments are scheduled for Feb. 10, with the Class A tournament in Brookings and the Class B tournament in Watertown. The state individual wrestling tournament is set for Feb. 22-24 in Sioux Falls.

Here is a look at the team and individual outlook across northeast and north central South Dakota:

In Class B, Miller-Highmore-Harrold will look to continue to make large strides after an eighth-place team finish at the state tournament last season. The Bandits bring back the lone returning area state champion in junior Kellan Hurd, who captured the state title in the 126-pound division last year, finishing his 2022-2023 campaign with a 44-5 record. Miller-Highmore-Harrold also returns a trio of sixth-place finishers in senior Teagan Foreman, junior Colby Kolda, and sophomore Talon Ping.

Redfield will look to replace several experienced wrestlers from last season’s seventh-place team finish, including state champion Brady Risetter. However, the Pheasants return a pair of seniors that will look to lead a relatively young squad, including Grady Fey, who finished runner-up in the 285-pound division, and Chase McGillivary, who finished eighth in the 220-pound weight class.

Warner-Northwestern and Faulkton each return a pair of place finishers from last season’s state tournament. Warner-Northwestern returns senior Alex Pudwill, who finished seventh in the 170-pound division, and junior Preston Cavalier, a sixth-place finisher in the 220-pound class. The Trojans return a pair of eighth-place finishers in junior Lincoln Dikoff and freshman Sean Roseland.

Other top returning area wrestlers in Class B include Groton junior Christian Ehresmann, who finished runner-up last season in the 138-pound weight class, Webster sophomore Haeden Jorgenson, who also finished runner-up at 132 pounds, Clark-Willow Lake sophomore Cooper Pommer, a fourth-place finisher at 106 pounds, Hamlin-Castlewood sophomore Brody Randall, who placed fifth behind Pommer in the 106-pound division, and Potter County senior Nicholas Schlachter, who finished seventh at 113 pounds. Schlachter is coming off a sixth-place finish at the state cross-country meet this fall.

In Class A, Sisseton will look to build off of last season and returns a trio of quality wrestlers that can help the process. Sophomore Holden Hawkins earned a fourth-place finish last season in the 132-pound division, while juniors Ian Metz and Mason Shultz each earned eighth-place finishes at last season’s state tournament in the 120-pound and 182-pound weight classes, respectively.

Milbank must replace several top wrestlers from last season, and return just one place finisher in junior Owen Fischer, who finished eighth in the 106-pound weight class.

In girls’ wrestling, Sully Buttes sophomore Cateri Yellow Hawk finished runner-up last season in the 126-pound class and will look to continue to be among the top wrestlers in the state. Clark-Willow Lake senior Dani Batchelor returns after a fifth-place finish at 113 pounds, while Webster eighth-grader Brooke Grajczyk is also coming off a fifth-place finish in the 132-pound division.

(NOTE: A preview on the Aberdeen Central wrestling squads ran last week.)