MILBANK – Many high school wrestlers dream of being on top of the podium one day, claiming a state championship. For Milbank Area senior Barrett Schneck, the opportunity for that state title has eluded him his entire wrestling career. So far.

This season, the senior is taking it upon himself to finish what he has started and take home that coveted state title.

Schneck has been a dominant force on the mat this season. He holds a 30-0 record entering the Region 3A tournament today in Mission, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

“I would say that this season so far has been great,” Schnecksaid. “It feels great to be pretty dominant against all of my opponents so far this year and it’s because of all the hard work I do in the room with my teammates, coaches, and also a lot of work outside of the wrestling room.”

Schneck’s work ethic and energy has also caught the attention of his head coach, Josh Schmeichel, who is in his first season as the Milbank Area coach.

“He’s willing to put in the extra time,” Schmeichel said. “He’s always smiling, always happy and joking around, trying new moves out, and asking questions.”

The hard work has paid off for Schneck, as he has rolled through the competition this season in the 170-pound weight class in Class A. In his 30 wins, he has won 13 via pins, while also recording five decisions, three major decisions and two technical falls.

Though he has been dominant in most of his wins, Schneck has also had his share of difficult matches as well. One of his toughest matches this season came at the Sisseton Duals when Schneck decided to move up to the 182-pound weight class.

“I bumped up to wrestle Sisseton’s 182-pounder Mason Schultz,” Schneck said. “Granted, I didn’t wrestle my best match. I had some challenges getting in on shots because of his size.”

Despite the size differential, Schneck still came out with the win.

Schneck has also had a target on his back this season, as he has been the number one rated wrestler in the 170-pound class. However, having that target has only made him want to work harder.

“Being number one in the state definitely brings some nerves knowing everyone is gunning for you, but for me it just makes me work even harder to make sure I wrestle my best,” Schnecksaid.

Schmeichel says that although Schneck started the season wrestling at a high level, he has also improved throughout the season.

“I guess he’s probably on his feet a little more,” Schmeichel said. “He’s a little more confident, not trying to toss kids as much, more willing to shoot versus just trying to muscle kids like he did more in previous years as he was growing up.”

Schneck has also seen improvement, especially when he has opponents underneath him.

“In past seasons and even earlier this season I didn’t ride on top much because I felt I’m really good on my feet, but I’ve been working on many types of rides in the room and have gotten a lot better on top,” Schneck said. “I can confidently go top and turn opponents in tilts, or just ride them out for a period now.”

All the hard work that Schneck has put in has been paying off, and now it is time for the senior to turn his attention to the region tournament. If Schneck can place in the top four, he will qualify for next week’s state tournament, where he placed eighth as a sophomore at 152 pounds and fourth as a junior at 160 pounds.

“What I am expecting going into regions and state is just to wrestle my best, be tough mentally, and if I do that, I should be able to do great things,” Schneck said.

Schmeichel hopes that Schneck ends things the right way, just as he began them — with dominance.

“I’m hoping he goes out and dominates all of his matches,” Schmeichel said. “He’s been wrestling well this year and hopefully he can finish it off and hopefully win a state title.”

Schmeichel said he has been grateful for the special opportunity he has had to be Schneck’s head coach.

“He’s about the perfect athlete you could ask for,” Schmeichel said. “I probably couldn’t ask for a better athlete to be a head coach for my first year. He’s just something different. He’s motivated more than anyone else I’ve ever coached. He’s always in a good attitude. He’s fun to be around, positive, and good leader for the underclassmen.”

For Schneck, he hopes to fulfill the goal he has set for himself since he was young and win a state championship, while also helping his teammates to do well.

“My top goal for the rest of the season is to obviously go undefeated and get a state championship,” Schneck said. “I’ve been dreaming of having an opportunity like this since I was young and I’m gonna make sure my head’s in the right mind going in to fulfill that dream. A goal of mine this season has been to push my teammates to work as hard as they can so that they get the most out of their season.”