Woodring caps historic career with 138-pound State Title

Tyler Woodring cemented his legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers in Tea Area High School history, capturing the 138-pound Class A State Championship at the SDHSAA State Wrestling Tournament held Feb. 26-28 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

Woodring’s title run was the exclamation point on a flawless senior season — and a historic career. The Tea Area standout completed his second consecutive undefeated season, finishing 46-0 this season. He closed his high school career on a school-record 90-match winning streak and rewrote the Titans’ record book along the way.

Woodring leaves Tea Area as the program’s all-time leader in wins with 209, in pins with 140, in near falls with 179, and in total points scored with 1,391.

An Augustana University commit, Woodring also became Tea Area’s first five-time state medalist, adding this year’s championship to a resume that includes a 126-pound state title last season and a previous fourth-place finish at 106 pounds in 2022, a fifth-place finish at 113 pounds in 2023, and a third-place finish at 120 pounds in 2024.

Woodring’s march to the 138-pound crown began with a technical fall over Mekhi Morgado of Sioux Falls Washington, 17-1 in 1:33. In the quarterfinals, he needed just over a minute to pin Will Allen of Aberdeen Central (1:02). A 4-1 decision over Steven Lamont of Harrisburg in the semifinals set up the championship showdown, where Woodring fittingly sealed his career — earning a third-period fall over Mason Hagen of Sturgis Brown at the 5:07 mark to claim the state title. 

This year’s State Championship title marked his second straight.

Woodring wasn’t the only Titan to reach the podium.

At 150 pounds, Trevin Audiss battled back through the consolation bracket to earn a fifth-place finish. Audiss opened with a pin over Rapid City Stevens’ Maverick Johnson. After falling in the quarterfinals to Ramsey Williams of Lennox by decision, 10-3, Audiss then won by major decision, 14-5, over Beresford/Alcester-Hudson’s Kanin Klentz and recorded a sudden victory thriller win, 4-1, over Aberdeen Central’s Porter Lozenski to advance to the Consolation Semifinals where he lost by technical fall, 20-5 in 4:42 to Pierre’s Jordan Schafer. Audiss went on to capture fifth via medical forfeit over Williams of Lennox.

Tea Area’s Aaron Halbur placed seventh at 120 pounds, responding from an opening-round loss to Harrisburg’s Griffin Felder by decision, 6-2, with two strong consolation wins. He first defeated Demetrius Sanchez-Gonzalez of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte by technical fall, 16-0, in 4:03 and then defeated Max Schoenhard of Rapid City Stevens by decision, 4-0, to advance to the Consolation Round 3. Here, Halbur lost by fall to Aberdeen Central’s Esten Foss in 2:25 before securing seventh in his final match, earning the win over Felder of Harrisburg due to an injury forfeit.

Emery Voelker added an eighth-place finish at 125 pounds, winning two consolation matches by fall to advance to the placement rounds. Voelker began State with an opening round loss to Moo B Say of Huron in 1:33. In the Consolation Round 1, Voelker pinned Alycia Stainbrook of Ethan/Parkston to advance to face Rapid City Stevens’ Kinsley Armstrong. Voelker pinned Armstrong in 59 seconds, advancing to the Consolation Round 3. Here, Voleker lost by decision, 10-9, to Brookings’ Kami Erickson, placing her in the seventh/eighth-place match. Kingsburg County’s Ivy Bendorf pinned Voelker in 3:47, giving Voelker eighth at State.

Also representing Tea Area at the state tournament were Kade Eimers (113), Slater Wilson (132), Trevor Cordell (157), Jeremiah Wilgers (175), Jaeden Waltner (215), and Aliyah Steveson (100). Each battled through competitive brackets at South Dakota’s premier high school wrestling stage.

Complete results are as follows:

A113—Varsity - Champ. Round 1 - Charles Aldana (Madison) over Kade Eimers (Tea Area) (Fall 5:42); Varsity - Cons. Round 1 - Kade Eimers (Tea Area) over Micah Bennett (Mitchell) (Fall 2:34); Varsity - Cons. Round 2 - Carter Nelson (Huron) over Kade Eimers (Tea Area) (Dec 8-5)

A132—Varsity - Champ. Round 1 - Slater Wilson (Tea Area) over Landen Adams (Dakota Valley) (TF 16-1 5:19); Varsity - Quarterfinals - Parker Graveman (Sturgis Brown) over Slater Wilson (Tea Area) (MD 13-5); Varsity - Cons. Round 2 - Jackson Dargatz (Aberdeen Central) over Slater Wilson (Tea Area) (Dec 6-1)

A157—Varsity - Champ. Round 1 - Ridley Waldo (Aberdeen Central) over Trevor Cordell (Tea Area) (TF 15-0 1:08); Varsity - Cons. Round 1 - Brylee Brennan (Chamberlain) over Trevor Cordell (Tea Area) (Fall 2:13)

A175—Varsity - Champ. Round 1 - Will Eilers (Pierre T.F. Riggs) over Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) (Dec 7-1); Varsity - Cons. Round 1 - Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) over Adam Willis (Madison) (Dec 11-5); Varsity - Cons. Round 2 - Bennett Lukken (Dakota Valley) over Jeremiah Wilgers (Tea Area) (Dec 7-0)

A215—Varsity - Champ. Round 1 - Hayes Petersen (Sioux Falls Washington) over Jaeden Waltner (Tea Area) (MD 13-1); Varsity - Cons. Round 1 - Jaeden Waltner (Tea Area) over Kalo Steely (Pierre T.F. Riggs) (Dec 8-4); Varsity - Cons. Round 2 - Alex Marich (Spearfish) over Jaeden Waltner (Tea Area) (Fall 1:51)

100—Champ. Round 1 - Clara Iverson (Sisseton) over Aliyah Steveson (Tea Area) (Dec 10-7); Cons. Round 1 - Aliyah Steveson (Tea Area) over Rinoah Gabriel (Brandon Valley) (Fall 2:25); Cons. Round 2 - Jamii Washechek (Rapid City Central) over Aliyah Steveson (Tea Area) (Dec 14-11)

For Woodring, the numbers tell only part of the story.

Two undefeated seasons. Two state championships. Five state medals. A 90-match win streak. Four all-time program records.

His name is now permanently etched in Tea Area wrestling history.