RAPID CITY — Barrett Wren of Redfield Area claimed his first state title during the Class B State Wrestling Tournament and led the Pheasants to a third-place team finish on February 23rd at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Wren, who entered the tournament as the number two seed at 195 for the Pheasants, employed a 6-0 decision against Garrett Heil of Hot Springs in the semifinals to earn a berth in the title match. He forced an overtime win against EJ Leetch of Howard, who upset top-seeded Cullen Rutten of Canton in the semifinal round, to claim the state title with a 2-1 decision.  Wren capped his season with a 34-3 record to end his high school career.
Also reaching the championship round for Redfield Area were junior Riley Whitley at 106 and sophomore Bradyn Robbins at 120.
Whitley climbed past second-seeded Owen Hansen of Burke/Gregory 3-2 in the semifinals and then faced top-seeded Riley Weber of Philip Area in the title match, where he was defeated 7-3. Whitley finished the season with a 35-4 mark.

Robbins, also seeded second, earned a 3-1 decision against third-seeded Lance Soukup of Wagner in the semifinals to earn a championship spot. Top-seeded Kaden Keiser of Winner Area marked an 8-1 decision vs. Robbins in the title match.
Robbins ended his season with a 25-3 record.
Senior Carsten McNeil of Redfield Area also reached the semifinals at 183 pounds. He fell by pin at during his semi-final match against Turnquist, but reloaded with back-to-back victories to claim third place. McNeil earned a 7-0 decision against Seth Peterson of Canton in the wrestlebacks, and them served up a 9-1 major decision against JD Carter of Stanley County in the third-place match to finish his season with a 35-6 record.
Mason Fey claimed fourth place at the 145-pound division. Fey won on back-to-back pins to reach the third-place match. He fought past Brody Weavill of Elk Point-Jefferson in 2:17 and then ended his match against Hunter Peterson of Philip Area. Jaden Dominisse of Canton decisioned Fey, who ended the season at 38-6, 8-1 in the third-place round
Other Pheasant state qualifiers included senior Drew Masat and sophomore Dylan Whitley.
Canton earned the 2019 Class B state team title with 200 points, followed by Winner Area was second at 140.5. Redfield Area captured third with 104 points, followed by Wagner at 86 and Custer/Edgemont at 84.