Frasier brings home fifth place at regions

Hill City seventh grader Aspen Frasier placed fifth in the 106-pound weight class bracket at the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) Region 4B wrestling tournament held in Hill City Feb. 21.

The 93-pound Frasier faced opposition from five opponents, beating three. Frasier took on seventh grader Traedyn Stirling of Harding County early in the day in a one period match up. Frasier next faced Whitten Luper of Hot Springs. The match went two periods with two Frasier takedowns.

New Underwood freshman Tommy Studt was Frasier’s first loss of the day in a one period bout. Frasier also lost to St. Thomas More seventh grader Lennox Duffy in the consolidation semifinals, which head coach Josh Robison called the “blood round.”

“We got the match up we wanted going into consolations,” said Robison, who thought a little panic set in for Frasier in the intense high-pressure situation. 

Frasier, who placed third in middle school last year, faced competition at a whole new level this year, coming up for high school.

“He handled the pressure well,” Robison said. “We have something we can learn from now.” 

Robinson admitted that Frasier took the loss “tough” but “rebounded well,” coming back to defeat Mason Stoeser, a senior from Stanley County, giving him a fifth place title. 

“Losing the blood round is a bummer,” said Robison, who saw the loss as an opportunity to continue to grow and has himself experienced that loss. 

“He’s gonna have this different motivation next year,” Robison said. “He’s a competitor. He’ll remember this for the rest of his life.”

And he’s certain Frasier will “use this for fuel” to pursue the “big goals for next year.” He said Frasier is a “very fun kid to coach.”

Robison said the team had a great season and is proud of the other boys who stuck with the team. 

“They’re growing. They understand the grind and they wanna do that,” he said.

Justin Malone took home a win in his 138- pound class while Brayden Cullum got some experience facing two opponents in his 113-pound class. 

Nineteen schools participated in the tournament, and Hill City placed 12th overall. This ends the wrestling season for the Rangers.