The admission for Tuesday night’s wrestle-off was at least one bottle of unopened sports drink, and walking into Riggs High Gym you would think the Governors acquired a Gatorade sponsorship overnight. The boys and girls team received hundreds of bottles as hundreds of wrestling fans and family filled up the gym to watch teammates turn opponents for a few matches.
With a majority of the gym dark, both the boys and girls were able to dual it out under the spotlight for all to see. The goal of the wrestle-off was to determine starting rotations for both squads, but there was a deeper underlying reason why the Governors program holds this event. Assistant coach, Jebben Keyes, says Tuesday night was more about mental preparation than the physical battle itself:
As Keyes noted, Pierre fans do indeed love their wrestling. It was apparent in the masses that came out for this exhibition event as seen below.
Riggs High Gym with a big crowd for the wrestle-off
It’s not hard being a Pierre Wrestling fan, both programs have seen immense success over the last few seasons. Boys head coach Shawn Lewis is beginning his 13th year at the wheel, hoping to improve his crews 11th-place finish last year at state. Lewis was present at last night’s event, but in the form of official as he stepped in to manage the girls matches. They’ll return four State place finishers, including senior Alex Oedekoven, who finished runner-up at 132 pounds, as well as sophomore Gable Uhrig, a runner-up two years ago and a fifth-place finisher last season at 106.
Meanwhile the five-time defending State Champion Governor girls squad will begin the season with a new head coach for the first time, as Ben Caven replaces Matt Thorson, who just completed his first season as the head football coach at West Central in Hartford. Caven has been instrumental in guiding a strong Pierre youth program in recent years. Pierre returns five State place finishers from last season, including junior Abbigail Lewis, who won her second straight State individual title at 152 pounds. Senior Kezrey Benning, runner-up at 138 pounds, and sophomore Lexie Hillmer, who finished third at 132, will be back to help lead this year’s team as well. The season schedule begins on Dec. 5 with a girls invitational tournament at Watertown, while the boys open at a Mandan, ND, tournament Dec. 5-6.
DRG Media Group’s Brian Oakland contributed to this story
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