Winter Sports Preview: Good mix of quality veterans, rookie talent cues Lynx wrestlers for winning season
By:
Jamie Hult, Staff writer
Brandon Valley senior Jack Smith attempts to turn his opponent in a 2018 match. Jamie Hult/File photo
Damion Schunke is one of the most explosive wrestlers to return to the mat this season for the Lynx. His goal to capture another state title, which will in turn, help the Lynx win a state team title.
Derek Outland is just going to put it on the table: This could be the year of the Lynx.
The head coach of Brandon Valley High School’s wrestling team has a strong inkling that this could be the year the team takes Class A state – and if not, they’re surely poised to make a big roar trying.
“We are gunning for a state championship; it’s a big goal that will be an incredible challenge based on the other teams in the state we’re competing with,” Outland said. “We’re looking forward to chasing that goal this season.”
This team brings 10 letter-winners back to the mat, nine of whom qualified for state last season. Among the four who scored medals, sophomore Damion Schunke was crowned the 160-pound weight class champion.
And, with a promising crop of underclassmen reinforcing the more seasoned matmen, a state title isn’t beyond Brandon Valley’s grasp come spring.
“It’s a good mix of athletes,” Outland said. “We return an experienced, competitive group of wrestlers and are adding a solid group of freshmen who will look to step in and make some immediate contributions as well.”
The Lynx went 14-5 in duals in 2018 and snagged the Region 2 championship. Despite placing seventh at state as a team, this year’s version of the Lynx boasts a stronger representation across the board, Outland said, from lightweights to heavyweights. Another advantage for this squad is they have two mat-worthy wrestlers for half of their weight classes. With a surplus of athletes vying for varsity mat time this winter, the competition will likely be fiercer, Outland observed.
“With 14 weight classes, there will be some competition in a few spots between guys who are very capable of making contributions this year,” he said. “Some years it’s easier; this year, we have a good problem in that we will have a few weight classes where more than one athlete could compete successfully.”
If the past two seasons are any indication, Schunke and junior Isaac Klinkhammer will be key to the Lynx’s road to state. Schunke, who’s bulked up to 182 pounds, took third at state as an eighth-grader in 2017, and Klinkhammer – runner-up in the 138 class last year and state champion as an eighth grader – stands to score his second state title in his new 152-pound role.
Brandon Valley wrestling fans may also want to keep an eye on seniors Jack Smith, who ferreted fourth at state last season, and Kobi Terpstra, who was seeded third heading into the tournament but edged onto the podium in eighth place after an unexpected defeat in the 132-pound class.
As he embarks on his final prep season, Terpstra has personal targets he set to reach and team-oriented objectives.
“As a senior, our goal for the team is to be in the top three and win the championship duals (which is back again this year),” he said. “As a wrestler, your goal is always to win state. It takes focus and hard work each day in practice to reach that goal … Mentally, I just try to focus on one match at a time and hopefully it will lead me to my goal at the end of the season.”
State championships, Terpstra said, come with discipline and drive.
“I think if everyone wrestles to their ability, it is very possible,” he added.
Still, there’s more to the sport than simply striving for the tallest trophy, Outland said.
“First off, we want all of our athletes to improve over the course of the year and develop their wrestling abilities to the best they can,” he explained. “Wrestling is a unique sport because it’s both an individual and a team sport. Finding ways to best fit those individual goals into the bigger team picture is something we’re aware of and constantly working on.”
The Lynx aren’t expecting any landslides this winter in their favor, however. Their schedule sends them up against some of the top programs in the ESD, including Watertown, Pierre, Sturgis and Rapid City Stevens. The Rapid City tourney, Terpstra said, is new to BV’s scheduled and considered one of the most competitive events of the season.
“We’ll compete against the best throughout the year thanks to our ESD schedule and a few tough tournaments we’re in,” Outland added.
Brandon Valley returns another five state-qualifiers this year – Jacob Wolfe, Teygan Harstad, Jorey Sorenson, Dominic Tucker and Riley Pletten – plus years of experience from seniors Caleb Klatt and Isaac Rodriguez. Clocking in at 126 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively, Klatt and Rodriguez look poised to pull in points from both ends of the weight class spectrum.
But these next few months of competition will likely show that there’s even more talent among this group of matmen, Outland noted, in the form of seven incoming freshmen and a pair of eighth-graders.
The team gained new athletes in most of the weight classes – freshmen Trason Oehme (106 pounds), Jordon Oehme (113), Jesse Johnson (120), Ryan Presler (126), Kaden Podzimek (138), Lucas Slack (145) and Charles Hermann (220).
Eighth-graders Greyson Bortnem (138 pounds) and heavyweight Navarro Schunke round out the roster.
It feels pretty good, Smith said, to be a Lynx right about now.
“The goal for my season is pretty much to be better than I was last year,” said Smith, one of six seniors on BV’s 2019-20 roster. “I know I’m where I should be. But it’s not so much for me; I want the team to be – because if anything, it’s already here right now. We’ve got all the good wrestlers … Damion, Isaac, Kobi, Lucas Slack, Jorey. I’m pretty excited.”
Brandon Valley hosted its annual “meet the wrestlers” contest Monday, which gives Outland and assistant coaches Mike Walker, Tom Meester and Kraig Presler one last look before solidifying the varsity lineup.
The Lynx begin their 2019-20 campaign on the road at Saturday’s Sioux Falls Roosevelt Invitational, which gets underway at 9 a.m.. BV hosts Dakota Valley in their first home dual at 5 p.m. Dec. 12 before weaving their way west Dec. 13-14 for the Rapid City Invitational.
BV Wrestling Roste
106 - Trason Oehme
113 – Jacob Wolfe/Jordan Oehme
120 – Jesse Johnson
126 – Caleb Klatt/Ryan Presler
132 – Cayden Langenhorst
138 – Greyson Bortnam/Kaden Podzimek
145 – Lucas Slack
152 – Isaac Klinkhammer
160 - Jack Smith
170 – Kobi Terpstra/Jorey Sorsenson
182 – Damion Schunke/Josh Solorio
195 – Dominic Tucker/Riley Pletten
220 – Charles Hermann/Navarro Schunke (or 285)
285 – Isaac Rodriguez
