Mitchell's Havlik wins third straight state title; Wagner's Kocer wins fifth title

Mitchell’s Brent Havlik won the 170-pound Class A state wrestling championship Saturday in Aberdeen to become the school’s second-ever three-time state champion.

Havlik beat Dell Rapid’s Jackson Entringer 9-7 in overtime to win his third straight title. Havlik led 7-2 in the third period but was thrown to his back in the final seconds. The match was tied at 7, but Havlik got an overtime takedown for the win. Mitchell’s only other three-time state champion is Doyle Everson, who won state wrestling championships in 1980, 1982 and 1983.

Mitchell finished in fifth place with 110 points in the team race. Pierre won the Class A state title with 158 points. Huron was second with 145 points and Rapid City Central was third with 143 points. Sturgis was fourth with 132.5 points.

Mitchell’s Jason Greenway also was a state champion. He won his second straight title, beating Huron’s Hartman Katz 9-1 in the finals. The Kernels’ Lakin Neugebauer lost in the 126-pound championship match to take runner-up for the second straight season.

At the Class B state tournament in Rapid City, Wagner took fourth place with 103.5 points, getting a highlighted state championship from senior Alex Kocer.

Canton won the Class B state title with 123.5 points, and Tri-Valley was second with 106.5 points. Webster, which won last year’s Class B title, was third with 105 points.

Kocer won his fifth straight state title and was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. He beat Newell’s Taygen Schuelke 14-5 in the championship match. Wagner’s Tyler Dion was a state runner-up.

Howard’s Luke Loudenberg won the 106-pound championship, beating Beresford’s Justin Haneke 6-3 in the finals. Loudenberg’s lone loss this year was to Haneke in the region tournament. Howard, which took eighth place with 73.5 points, also had Bailey Neises in the state championship. He lost to Webster’s Nolan Richie in the finals.

Winner had three wrestlers finish in second place. They were Sean Bice (120), Tyce Meyer (160) and Tate Novotny (170). Novotny lost to McCook Central/Montrose’s Dominic Blindert 9-4 in the championship.

Parkston took seventh place with 78.5 points and had one wrestler in the state championship match. Mitch Heisinger (145) took second place.

For more coverage of the state wrestling tournaments, see Monday’s edition of The Daily Republic.

Tags: sports, mitchell, kernels, wrestling, parkston, howard, wagner, winner, breakingnews