RAPID CITY — Perfection at 51-0.
That’s what it took for Jackson Remmers to reclaim status as a Class B wrestling champion.
Putting the finishing touches on his unblemished campaign, the McCook Central/Montrose junior rebuffed Parkston’s Porter Neugebauer with a 7-3 decision in the 152-pound title match. It’s Remmers’ second state title, as he won the 132-pound division in 2021 before finishing as runner-up at 145 last season.
“After missing out and not being able to win one last year, it’s been a while,” Remmers said. “It feels good, proving that I’m at the top again.”
After a scoreless first period, Remmers escaped and notched a takedown to carry a 3-0 lead into the final period. Neugebauer escaped in the third period to make it 3-1, but Remmers responded with another takedown and a two-point near-fall. The entire sequence played almost right into Remmers’ plan.
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“I just needed to score, get those takedowns,” Remmers explained. “If I got the first takedown, it was going to be hard for him to get one so that kind of sealed it up.”
“He’s just relentless,” added MCM coach Scott Andal. “That’s what it was at the end was just attack, attack, attack.”
If Remmers was feeling pressure at any point during the weekend, he didn’t let on. However, he did survive a close call in the quarterfinals, needing a 4-2 sudden victory to slip by Elk Point-Jefferson’s Lucas Hueser. His other wins were by technical fall (17-1) in the first round and an 8-1 decision in the semifinals.
“I knew everyone was coming at me, but I knew I’m just the better wrestler,” Remmers said.
“We just needed to stick with our game,” Andal added. “Jackson’s one of the calmest, coolest kids I’ve coached. You see it when he wins a state title and just walks off the mat.”
And just minutes after reclaiming the throne, his thoughts had already drifted toward defending it in 2024.
As Remmers put it: “Another year, another one to win.”
Note: MCM had a second state finalist, Kade Grocott, at 220 pounds, but Grocott yielded the championship match because of an injury default. The injury occurred in the semifinals, which was how Grocott was moved past Parker’s Levi Wieman, the top seed in the bracket.
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