Woodring wins State title, DeBoer runner-up: Titan boys take sixth as a team
The Tea Area Titans wrestling team delivered an impressive performance at the 2025 State A Wrestling Tournament, held from February 27 to March 1 at Summit Arena at the Monument in Rapid City. Led by a state championship win from Tyler Woodring and a runner-up finish by Chase DeBoer, the Titans earned sixth place overall, marking their third consecutive season bringing home a team plaque.
Woodring dominates at 126 pounds
In a commanding display, Tyler Woodring captured the 126-pound state title with four consecutive pins. He opened the tournament by pinning Camden Tebay of Dell Rapids in just 1:03, followed by a quarterfinal victory over Tarver Zebroski of Sturgis Brown in 1:26. In the semifinals, Woodring dispatched Brody Randall of Watertown in 1:11 to advance to the championship match. There, he faced Brendon Oehme of Brandon Valley and secured the title with a lightning-fast pin in just 32 seconds.
“Tyler Woodring is truly one-of-a-kind,” said head coach John Niesen. “I told Dakota Grappler in our preseason interview that he is the most exciting kid in the state to watch; it’s fireworks every time he’s on the mat, and he did not disappoint. He was voted to compete in the Class A feature match as the pinnacle event and won by fall in just 32 seconds over a returning state champion. He lived on the mat this offseason and it has truly paid off. We’re so proud of Tyler and glad that he was finally able to earn his first state title.”
DeBoer makes finals debut
Chase DeBoer also delivered a remarkable performance in the 285-pound division, finishing as the state runner-up. DeBoer pinned Dylan Reynolds of Brookings in 1:42 during the opening round, then advanced to the semifinals with a 5:09 pin over Tyce Uherka of Sturgis Brown. In a hard-fought semifinal match, DeBoer defeated Rocky Clark of Mitchell by decision, 8-4. The championship bout saw DeBoer fall to Micah Hach of Watertown in 49 seconds, but his second-place finish capped an outstanding tournament run.
“Chase DeBoer made his finals debut at 285 (despite only weighing 215 or so) and had a great tournament top-to-bottom,” said Niesen. “Though his final bout didn’t end how we had hoped, we knew it would be a monumental task and are glad he has the experience under his belt and will hopefully return next year to claim his title. If you’ve ever met that kid, you know he’s a fierce competitor, an absolute workhorse, and all-around great kid.”
Other Titan boy medalists
In addition to Woodring and DeBoer, several other Titans reached the podium:
• Dawson Eimers claimed third place at 165 pounds, bouncing back from a narrow 9-8 semifinal loss to finish strong with a fall over Levi Veskrna of Brandon Valley in 2:47in the third/fourth place match.
• Gabriel Bastemeyer secured fourth place at 190 pounds, winning four consecutive consolation matches before falling to Kishmar Eberline of SF Lincoln in the third/fourth place match.
• Slater Wilson earned fourth place at 120 pounds, advancing to the semifinals before finishing with a sudden victory win in the consolation semifinals. He then fell to West Central’s Brody Gossen by technical fall, 17-0 in the third/fourth place match.
• Parker Wilson took seventh place at 144 pounds, finishing his tournament with an 11-4 decision over Jace Thurman of Sturgis Brown in the seventh/eighth place match.
• Jeremiah Wilgers finished eighth at 175 pounds, battling through the consolation rounds to place on the podium.
Girls division highlights
In the girls’ competition, Lainey Haines placed seventh at 132 pounds. She opened with a fall over Chyanne Guerdet of Clark/Willow Lake and finished her tournament with a pin over Daytona Paris of Burke/Gregory in 2:27. Emery Voelker also represented the Titans at 100 pounds, earning a consolation-round victory.
Season reflection
Reflecting on the Titans’ performance, Coach Niesen expressed pride in his team’s effort and sportsmanship. “We couldn’t have asked for any more out of our kids - for the most part, everyone wrestled at or above their seeded expectations. They competed extremely hard, lost with grace, and won with humility. We are so proud of their efforts, and they represented Tea well. Our younger kids grasped a valuable learning experience, and our seniors went out on a performance they can hang their hat on.”
With a state title, a runner-up finish, and several podium placements, the Titans showcased their strength throughout the tournament. With young talent gaining valuable experience and seasoned athletes leading the way, the future looks bright for Titan wrestling.
Complete results from the State Meet are as follows:
Titan Boys
A106— Champ. Round 1 - Jackson Dargatz (Aberdeen Central) over Kade Eimers (Tea Area) (Fall 5:21); Cons. Round 1 - Kade Eimers (Tea Area) over Isaac Weerhein (Brandon Valley) (Fall 4:26); Cons. Round 2 - William O`Connor (O`Gorman) over Kade Eimers (Tea Area) (Fall 2:20)
A113—Champ. Round 1 - Max Schoenhard (Rapid City Stevens) over Henry Fortin (Tea Area) (TF 18-0 3:59); Cons. Round 1 - Henry Fortin (Tea Area) over Cooper Conry (Belle Fourche) (Dec 6-5); Cons. Round 2 - Chase Mathews (Watertown) over Henry Fortin (Tea Area) (MD 14-1)
A120—Champ. Round 1 - Slater Wilson (Tea Area) over Derick Merrival (Lakota Tech) (Fall 1:23); Quarterfinals - Slater Wilson (Tea Area) over Noah Bennett (Mitchell) (Fall 3:23); Semifinals - Shea Richter (Watertown) over Slater Wilson (Tea Area) (TF 19-1 5:25); Cons. Semis - Slater Wilson (Tea Area) over Wyatt Pickard (Madison) (SV-1 5-2); 3rd Place Match - Brody Gossen (West Central) over Slater Wilson (Tea Area) (TF 17-0 3:00)
A126—Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Woodring (Tea Area) over Camden Tebay (Dell Rapids) (Fall 1:03); Quarterfinals - Tyler Woodring (Tea Area) over Tarver Zebroski (Sturgis Brown) (Fall 1:26); Semifinals - Tyler Woodring (Tea Area) over Brody Randall (Watertown) (Fall 1:11); 1st Place Match - Tyler Woodring (Tea Area) over Brendon Oehme (Brandon Valley) (Fall 0:33)
A132—Champ. Round 1 - Tristan Stoeser (Harrisburg) over Braeden Dunkelberger (Tea Area) (TF 16-0 3:54); Cons. Round 1 - Mason Ryman (Rapid City Stevens) over Braeden Dunkelberger (Tea Area) (Fall 4:30)
A144—Champ. Round 1 - Orlando Whiting (West Central) over Parker Wilson (Tea Area) (SV-1 12-9); Cons. Round 1 - Parker Wilson (Tea Area) over Joelton Reimnitz-Hahn (Yankton) (Fall 1:19); Cons. Round 2 - Parker Wilson (Tea Area) over Grant Larson (Lennox) (Dec 7-2); Cons. Round 3 - Lincoln Peters (Harrisburg) over Parker Wilson (Tea Area) (Fall 2:51); 7th Place Match - Parker Wilson (Tea Area) over Jace Thurman (Sturgis Brown) (Dec 11-4)
A165—Champ. Round 1 - Dawson Eimers (Tea Area) over Dylan Ulmer (Rapid City Central) (Fall 1:50); Quarterfinals - Dawson Eimers (Tea Area) over Tayge Privett (Harrisburg) (MD 17-3); Semifinals - Joseph Nadig (Sturgis Brown) over Dawson Eimers (Tea Area) (Dec 9-8); Cons. Semis - Dawson Eimers (Tea Area) over Elias Biegler (Aberdeen Central) (MD 10-1); 3rd Place Match - Dawson Eimers (Tea Area) over Levi Veskrna (Brandon Valley) (Fall 2:47)
A175—Champ. Round 1 - Zach Green (Rapid City Central) over Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) (Dec 7-4); Cons. Round 1 - Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) over Lucas Chaparro (Huron) (Inj. [time]); Cons. Round 2 - Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) over Tucker Mason (Rapid City Stevens) (Dec 7-4); Cons. Round 3 - Joseph Tunge (Sioux Falls Lincoln) over Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) (Fall 0:53); 7th Place Match - Zander Eidem (Sioux Falls Washington) over Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) (Dec 5-3)
A190—Champ. Round 1 - Kishmar Eberline (Sioux Falls Lincoln) over Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) (Dec 12-5); Cons. Round 1 - Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) over Tayden Nguyen (Harrisburg) (Fall 2:53); Cons. Round 2 - Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) over Jesse Schneck (Milbank) (Dec 7-5); Cons. Round 3 - Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) over Cooper Myers (Rapid City Stevens) (Dec 5-4); Cons. Semis - Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) over Jacob Ellingson (Spearfish) (Dec 8-4); 3rd Place Match - Kishmar Eberline (Sioux Falls Lincoln) over Gabriel Bastemeyer (Tea Area) (MD 13-2)
A285—Champ. Round 1 - Chase DeBoer (Tea Area) over Dylan Reynolds (Brookings) (Fall 1:42); Quarterfinals - Chase DeBoer (Tea Area) over Tyce Uherka (Sturgis Brown) (Fall 5:09); Semifinals - Chase DeBoer (Tea Area) over Rocky Clark (Mitchell) (Dec 8-4); 1st Place Match - Micah Hach (Watertown) over Chase DeBoer (Tea Area) (Fall 0:49)
Titan Girls
G100—Champ. Round 1 - Jewel Gannon (Canton) over Emery Voelker (Tea Area) (Fall 1:25); Cons. Round 1 - Emery Voelker (Tea Area) over Vanessa Anderson (Watertown) (Fall 0:57); Cons. Round 2 - Hailey Schafer (Miller/Highmore-Harrold) over Emery Voelker (Tea Area) (TB-1 8-7)
G132—Champ. Round 1 - Lainey Haines (Tea Area) over Chyanne Guerdet (Clark/Willow Lake) (Fall 1:15); Quarterfinals - Lexie Hillmer (Pierre T.F. Riggs) over Lainey Haines (Tea Area) (MD 14-3); Cons. Round 2 - Lainey Haines (Tea Area) over Brynn Mulder (Canton) (Fall 0:48); Cons. Round 3 - Mathilde Matsuda (Spearfish) over Lainey Haines (Tea Area) (MD 12-4); 7th Place Match - Lainey Haines (Tea Area) over Daytona Paris (Burke/Gregory) (Fall 2:27)