RAPID CITY – Aberdeen Central claimed a top 10 finish in the boys team race and a state champion on the girls’ side as the individual portion of the Class A State Wrestling Tournament came to a close Friday in Rapid City.

Junior Katrina Gibson earned her state title – the first in Aberdeen Central history – with a second-period pin in the 154-pound division. The championship is the first of Gibson’s career, bringing her season to a close with a record of 38-8.

“She’s the first girl state champ in the three short years we’ve been doing it,” said Central coach Donnie Bowden. “She did it the most dominant way possible – she pinned everybody.”

The top overall seed in that division, Gibson eased through the bracket with three straight pins, including the fall in the championship match over Elena Brennan of Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes, who was 12-8 coming into the tournament.

“It’s really exciting,” Gibson said of the state championship. “All the work paid off, and just to see how much I’ve grown and changed since last year.”

Gibson said the manner in which she won the title was a dream come true.

“I don’t know if it’s really set in, yet,” she said.

Fellow junior Madyson Gillen, who made it to the semifinal round, ended up in sixth place for the Golden Eagles. Clark/Willow Lake’s Dani Batchelor, who lost to Gillen by fall in the second round, returned the favor in the placing round, pinning Gillen to finish in fifth.

Those two performances helped Central to 43 team points, just outside the top 10 in team standings.

On the boys’ side, the Golden Eagles entered the day with seven wrestlers alive in the championship semifinals and the consolation wrestlebacks.

Of those seven, Central ended with an eighth place finish, three sixth place showings, one fifth, one fourth and one third.

Mason Schrempp came home with Central’s highest finish, claiming third in the 145 pound division. Schrempp used an escape in the final four seconds of the match to break a 7-7 tie over Wyatt Stuntebeck of Tea Area.

Tate Huff had Central’s other placing match victory, earning fifth at 132 pounds. Huff defeated Beau Peters of Sturgis 4-2.

As a team, Central scored 88 points to finish in ninth place.

“I thought we could have improved in a few more places, but ultimately this is where we ended,” Bowden said. “Now we’re just trying to get back on the horse to compete (today in the duals tournament).”

Bowden admitted the Golden Eagles are a bit dinged up after two straight days of wrestling.

“We’ll be alright,” he said. “We’ll get one more day in. We’ve got some alternates we can fill in the spots if we need to.”

Elsewhere in Class A action, Barrett Schneck of Milbank rebounded from a semifinal loss to earn third in the 170-pound class. Schneck was trailing 1-0 in the final 20 seconds of action, but used a reversal in the last 13 seconds and held on for the win.

Sisseton’s Holden Hawkins finished fourth at 132 pounds.

Brandon Valley took home the team trophy with 204.5 points. Watertown was a somewhat distant second with 184.5 points, edging Pierre in third with 182 points.

Central is the eighth seed in today’s team duals competition. The Golden Eagles will face top-seeded Brandon Valley in the opening round.

To see complete state tournament boys’ results, click on the following link:

https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=683626132

To see complete state tournament girls’ results, click on the following link:

https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=724450132

113 Pounds

PORTER LOZENSKI: pinned by Tyler Woodring, Tea Area, 1:49; lost to Hudson Cisar, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 3-1. EIGHTH PLACE.

126 Pounds

RAYDEN ZENS: lost to Nolan Miles, Brookings, 7-4; lost to Weston Everson, Watertown, by injury default; lost to Carter Ractliffe, Harrisburg, by injury default. SIXTH PLACE.

132 Pounds

TATE HUFF: def. Holden Hight, O`Gorman, 6-4; pinned by Holden Hawkins, Sisseton, 3:17; def. Beau Peters, Sturgis, 4-2. FIFTH PLACE.

145 Pounds

MASON SCHREMPP: lost to Moses Gross, Huron, 11-3; def. Jackson Boonstra, Dakota Valley, 8-7; def. Wyatt Stuntebeck, Tea Area, 8-7. THIRD PLACE.

160 Pounds

LOGAN OPITZ: def. Gavin Chapman, Brandon Valley, by forfeit; lost to Peyton Fridrich, Beresford/Alcester-Hudson, 4-0; lost to Zack Soderlin, Rapid City Central, 7-1. SIXTH PLACE.

182 Pounds

COLE DUNLAVY: pinned Mason Shultz, Sisseton, 3:25; pinned by Chet Carda, West Central, :18; pinned by Jackson Maag, Watertown, 4:44. SIXTH PLACE.

285 Pounds

JACOB KRENZ: pinned by Navarro Schunke, Brandon Valley :26; pinned Antuan Duran, Sioux Falls Jefferson, 2:09; lost to Joshua Rydberg, Pierre, 4-2. FOURTH PLACE.

GIRLS

113 Pounds

MADYSON GILLEN: pinned by Brooklyn Baird, Sturgis, 5:40; lost to Lexie Hillmer, Pierre, 1-0; pinned by Dani Batchelor, Clark-Willow Lake, 4:59. SIXTH PLACE.

154 Pounds

KATRINA GIBSON: pinned Natalia Long, Canton, 4:55; pinned Elena Brennan, Kimball-White Lake-Platte-Geddes, 2:13. FIRST PLACE.