HOT SPRINGS, SOUTH DAKOTA – The combined Lingle-Fort Laramie/Southeast (LFL/SE) boys’ wrestling team rounded out 2024 in a three-way tie for third place at the Holiday Extravaganza hosted by Hot Springs, South Dakota, on Saturday, December 21.

LFL/SE tallied 135 team points to advance to third on the leaderboard along with teams from Custer and Miller/Highman-Harrold, South Dakota. Overall, the tournament featured 21 schools from across the region in a bracket-style competition.

Three LFL/SE grapplers captured the title in their various weight classes. Senior Nathan Fish bagged the championship at 120 pounds. Fellow senior Louden Bremer clinched the title in the 165-pound bracket. 

Fish pinned his opponent from the host school in the semifinals at 120 pounds to advance to the championship round. The finals pitted Fish against Bennett County’s Maddux Risse. Fish won by an 8-0 major decision.

Bremer won by fall against Thor Fish, of Hot Springs, in the 165-pound semifinals. In the title match, Bremer defeated Tyce Gropper from Philip-Wall by technical fall, 18-2.

Senior Carter Blevins finished second at 190 pounds. Blevins pinned his opponent from St. Thomas More 20 seconds into the second period of the semifinal match.

Freshman Kaiden Hill took third place in the 113-pound bracket after defeating Preston Aesoph of Miller/Highmore-Harrold in the third-place match by a 12-7 decision.

Senior Alec DeMarce finished fourth in the 215-pound bracket. Fellow senior Emmett Coxbill advanced to fourth place at 285 pounds.

In the 285-pound bracket, junior Colter McFarlin took fifth place. 

Freshman DeAngelo Gann rounded out top finishes at Hot Springs and placed eighth at 215 pounds.

On Thursday, December 19, the LFL/SE boys’ wrestling team came up short against Mitchell, Nebraska, in a dual it hosted at Yoder.

LFL/SE scored 12 points with pins by Fish and Bremer at 126 pounds and 175 pounds, respectively. Freshman Urijah Fish won the 120-pound match by a 15-3 major decision. McFarlin defeated his opponent by technical fall, 18-1, at 285 pounds. Blevins won the 190-pound match by a 10-8 decision. DeMarce won at 215 pounds by open forfeit.

LFL/SE girls

The LFL/SE girls’ wrestling team advanced to fourth place on the leaderboard at the Holiday Extravaganza girls’ tournament hosted by Hot Springs, South Dakota, on Saturday, December 21.

LFL/SE tallied 71 team points to snag fourth in a field of 14 schools, primarily programs from South Dakota.

Senior Grace Gibson battled her way to second place in the 107-pound bracket. Gibson pinned Bennett County’s Paesyn Wilson in the third period of the semifinal match after receiving a bye in the quarterfinals.

In the 114-pound bracket, junior Kennedi Blevins captured silver. Blevins received a bye in the quarterfinals before going on to pin Chloe Lee of Lead-Deadwood 26 seconds into the semifinals.

Senior Hallie Fuller clinched second place at 138 pounds. Fuller pinned Lemmon’s Dina Beyers 2 minutes, 29 seconds into the quarterfinal match. Squaring off against Kinley Fees of Faith High School in the semifinals, Fuller won by fall at 18 seconds.

Freshman Abbey Boyd garnered third place in the 100-pound division. Boyd defeated Faith High School’s Lizzy Fees by a 6-1 decision in the third-place match.

Senior Andrea Valenza advanced to third place at 120 pounds, beating Newell’s Cody Winkler by a 4-3 decision in the third-place match.

Junior Lilley Lawrence and sophomore Olivia Kile both placed fourth in the 138-pound and 145-pound brackets, respectively.

On Thursday, December 19, the LFL/SE girls’ wrestling team came up short against Mitchell, Nebraska, 42-27, in a home dual hosted by Southeast High School.

Fuller scored six points for LFL/SE with a pin at 140 pounds. Blevins beat her opponent at 115 pounds by a 16-12 decision. Gibson, Valenza and sophomore Trinity Martin both won by open forfeit.