RAPID CITY – As the State Girls’ Wrestling Tournament gets underway today at The Monument in Rapid City, the Golden Eagles of Aberdeen Central will be concentrating on getting off to a quick start during the three-day event.

“We’re focused on that first round matchup, because it can be really easy for girls to start making all these imaginary brackets in their head, and figuring if I win, but they lose, or if I lose but she wins, all this stuff,” said Central coach Jake Flakus. “We’re just focused on that first match, because it’s a really big one.”

Central will be represented by nine wrestlers at the state tourney.

Flakus said he told his girls that anything can and usually does happen at a state tournament.

“One other thing I’ve been telling my girls, it’s state. It doesn’t matter what’s happened all year,” Flakus said. “State’s the time when people get nervous, upsets happen, people lose matches they shouldn’t, so why can’t it be us?”

As was evident at last week’s first ever regional round for girls’ wrestling, the matches aren’t over until the final second runs off the clock.

“I don’t know what it is about girls’ wrestling,” Flakus said, “but they can sure find a way to either give up or get a lot of points really quickly, so definitely makes it really interesting to watch.”

The majority of Central’s participants have previous state tournament experience, something that Flakus said should be beneficial for the Golden Eagles this weekend.

“I think a lot of the girls on our team wrestled at it last year, and that alone will help. I think back when I was an athlete. My first year at the state tournament I was nervous, but the second year those nerves kind of went away, because I’d been there before,” Flakus said. “So, I think a lot of our girls wrestling in it for the second time, that’ll get rid of those nerves. And those girls that are wrestling in it for the first time, we’ve just got to find a way to work through those nerves.”

There are numerous area girls who are competing in this year’s state tournament. Groton’s Liza Krueger is the top-seeded wrestler at 100 pounds.

Central is coming off a solid Region 3 performance where the Golden Eagles finished runner-up in team points. Flakus would like to see that carry over to the biggest tournament of the season.

“It’d be great to keep that momentum going from regions, and just finish out with a strong finish,” Flakus said. “We can get a lot of girls onto the podium, a lot of those can finish in the top half, top portion of their podium, so hope we just keep the ball rolling for this last little go.”

To see complete brackets for the girls’ tournament, click on the following link:

https://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/MainFrame.jsp?newSession=false&TIM=1740598406465&pageName=%2Fpredefinedtournaments%2FBracketViewer.jsp&twSessionId=jphhshywti