High School Wrestling Rankings

CS8 Boys Athlete of the Year: Kevin Farley, Lanphier

It’s rare to find a high school student who has never missed a day of school over a span of four years.

Perfect attendance is part of the resume of recent Lanphier High School graduate Kevin Farley. The star athlete was present every day from his freshman through senior years.

Farley, who ranked sixth in his graduating class, admitted he never planned to achieve perfect attendance.

“I didn’t set out with the goal,” he said. “That’s how it kind of ended.”

Farley was equally perfect in the shot put during track and field season. He was unbeaten this spring in the event and won his second straight Class 2A state championship.

“It’s a culmination of a great season,” Lanphier coach Mike Garcia said. “He’s had a record-breaking year all year.

“His best throw as a freshman was 35-5. To get to 62 (feet) at state, that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Farley’s senior season also included a runner-up finish in the discus.

Athletic newcomer

Prior to high school Farley, The State Journal-Register Central State Eight Conference Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year, never competed in organized sports. The first sport he ever participated in was shot put as a freshman. He later joined the football and wrestling teams and eventually earned All-CS8 first-team honors in the three sports.

He won the shot put title last month and set the Class 2A state record with a final throw measuring 62 feet 41/2 inches. The throw ranks 23rd on the Illinois High School Association all-time list. It ranks 26th in the nation, according to Dyestat Elite 100 rankings .

“When I first got to Lanphier, throwing shot put was the only sport I did, and I was not very good,” Farley said. “I never thought I’d be up there over 60.

“This is the way I wanted to end my senior year. I didn’t win the discus, but oh well. I’m leaving records behind, and that’s what I wanted to do.”

It was a dream season for Farley, who left nine meets with records.

Only a couple of inches kept Farley from taking home two state titles. His 1-inch loss in the discus is the slimmest margin in state history. Waterloo sophomore Brendan Duncan won with a mark of 170-9. Farley followed with a 170-8 after officials originally measured the throw at 170-10.

South Dakota Wrestlers Prepare for USAW National Freestyle Duals

Several successful South Dakota high school wrestlers are testing themselves this weekend at the USAW National Freestyle Duals in Oklahoma.

The South Dakota team has 13 members, including several West River wrestlers. State champion Morgan Engbrecht of Sturgis and and state runner-up Nate Rotert of Spearfish lead the way. Other area wrestlers competing are Rapid City Central’s Kyle Pfeifle, Hill City’s Marshall Swanson and Spearfish’s Gene Trimble.

The rest of the South Dakota roster is Derek Eldeen and Zach Schuman of Tri-Valley, Rick Heiman, Levi Merrick and Lance Merrick of Alcester, Ben Fichter of O’Gorman, Lucas Martin of Mobridge and Taylor Harris of Harrisburg.

This is the fourth consecutive year that a South Dakota team will compete in the tournament. Thirty-two teams are set to compete, with South Dakota expected to wrestle between seven and 10 duals during Sunday and Monday

action.

“Wrestling freestyle makes the wrestlers more well-rounded, and any wrestling during the summer is a great thing,”

SDUSAW state chair Ray Ringstmeyer said. “The wrestlers learn new techniques and they see some top-notch competition.

“This tournament is a real grinder and it is for the kids that really want to challenge themselves. Other tournaments can be more fun, but this is a good tournament.”

The team reported to Legends of Gold Training Center in Beresford on Tuesday, where it trained. Terry Pack and recently retired Howard and USAW Gold Level coach Kenny Ruml are leading this year’s squad.

Ringstmeyer said continuing to grow the freestyle team in South Dakota is key.

“It is really important because we lost a great senior class,” he said. “Last year, we lost Seth Lange and Josh Keszler, and this year we lost Kris Klapprodt . This year is one where we kind of had to rebuild and reload.”

The Greco-Roman competition follows freestyle.

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