• Groton placed third in a very competitive tournament held at Stanley County over the weekend. Five wrestlers placed in the finals.
• Kelby Hawkins placed first at 106, Rayce Harder placed fourth at 113, Brook Anderson was second at 132, Jeric Albrecht was fourth at 138 and Dalton Locke was third at 285.
• Parkston won the tournament with 283.5 points followed by Winner with 145, Groton was third with 122 points, Potter County was fourth with 115, Stanley County fifth at 90, Chamberlain had 86, Miller-Highmore 80.5, Mobridge-Pollock 78.5, Bennett County 74.5, Todd County 64.50, Harding County 61, Sunshine Bible 52, Pine Ridge 40, Kimball/White Lake/Platte-Geddes 29, Wessington Springs/Woonsocket/Wolsey-Wessington 23, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte/Dupree 16 and Little Wound 4.
• Coach Chris Kucker had the following thoughts from the tournament. "We wrestled very well down in Stanley County. We had two great rounds that helped us to hold tight at number three. I am very pleased with how we finished up in the team placing. We were without a couple of kids that could have very easily scored points for us as well. This was a great tournament competition wise. It gave us a good look at some teams that we don't usually see until the state meet so it was a real positive. Anytime you can get on the mat with those state caliber teams that have kids in the rankings, it helps you see where you stack up against them.
• "We saw plenty of kids today that we will see again come February 22nd. We have video of them now to look at as well as mat time with them. We had a couple of set backs in the tournament that I hope will help keep the boys hungry and focused. I was very impressed with how they handled themselves when faced with hardship. They carried themselves very well and showed a lot of maturity in handling some very tough losses.
• "We have another good tournament this weekend down in Howard that again we will get to see some different teams in preparation for the state meet. At this stage in the season, we really will pound conditioning and try to stay as healthy as possible. We have two weeks until the region meet to tweak any last little things we want to accomplish. I feel the kids are setting themselves up for a real strong run in these final weeks. I look for some really great things as the end draws near."