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Mar. 28—TYNDALL, S.D. — Peyton Hellmann ended her high school wrestling career the same way she started it: On top.
There wasn't much let-up along the way, either.
In the five years of South Dakota High School Activities Association-sanctioned girls wrestling, the Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon superstar has known practically nothing but winning. To cap her career, Hellmann became the state's first five-time state champion in the girls ranks, finishing with 128 consecutive victories dating back to December 2022.
Providing the emphatic final mark to her decorated prep career, Hellmann overcame a serious knee injury from the offseason en route to a 45-0 record as a senior, including yet another commanding state tournament run to claim the 145-pound state championship on March 1 in Rapid City.
Not too bad for someone who initially landed on wrestling because she didn't enjoy basketball and had already tried gymnastics.
"I never expected when I started that first year to be where I am now. Looking back on the last five years and the growth I've seen in myself, I'm just truly grateful for all the support and everyone pushing me because other people saw it in me before I ever saw it," Hellmann said. "I was just wrestling because I wanted to be in a sport, but there really wasn't anything else for me. I fell in love with it, and it's taken me all the way here."
For her exceptional individual effort and dominant displays, Hellmann was selected as the Mitchell Republic's girls wrestler of the year for a third consecutive season. Much like her unwavering place atop the podium, Hellmann remains the lone grappler to receive the annual award, which was introduced following the 2022-23 season.
The award was selected by the newspaper's sports staff via a point-based voting system that awards five points to the top wrestler on the ballot, four points to second and so on. Other wrestlers receiving consideration were McCook Central/Montrose's Alexis Bryant and Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon's Hadlee Kracht.
Barely two months after winning state title No. 4, Hellmann's path toward a fifth championship was thrown into question.
Competing at the U.S. Open's High School Girls National Showcase in Las Vegas late last April, Hellmann was in the middle of a semifinal bout when she took a shot and immediately experienced severe pain in her right knee. Imagery soon revealed Hellmann had torn her ACL, and in mid-May 2024, she underwent surgery.
As she embarked on the road to recovery, her only real target was to return in time for the regional qualifying tournament in mid-February so that the quest for a fifth title was still alive. That, as it turned out, was one of the few times in her wrestling career so far that an ultra-confident Hellmann underestimated herself.
Attacking rehab with a similar ferocity to her time on the mat and following the everyday instructions and advice of her physical therapist to the letter, Hellmann was back competing in varsity events by Dec. 6, just over six months removed from the operation.
"I figured she would be wrestling (this season), but I thought maybe it would be in January or so before she'd start competing," said Jim Kocer, a BHSA wrestling assistant who has a leading role with the girls program. "But she went through the rehab and put in the work and started again a lot sooner than I thought she would be able to.
"At first maybe she was a little tentative, but it didn't take long. Once she got that first takedown, she was back to being the same Peyton she had been," he added. "Especially at the end of the season, you would never guess that she had that injury."
Practically the only thing different about Hellmann on the mat this season was the BHSA team-colored navy blue and gray leg sleeve she sported. The results certainly backed up that observation.
Hellmann led the state in takedowns with 146 and won 31 of her 45 matches this season by pinfall, with another seven victories by technical fall.
"She's just really disciplined, mentally tough and always sticks to a gameplan," said BHSA coach Darren Kriz of Hellmann's dominance following her state tournament triumph. "Her motivation, discipline and work ethic, it's next to none."
One of the few bouts that didn't end early was a 15-4 major decision in the state title match, as Hellmann was named the most outstanding girls wrestler at the tournament.
"It really didn't matter how much I won the matches by; I just wanted to get back on the mat," Hellmann said of her final season. "Luckily, I never really had too many setbacks. I just wanted to stay healthy and do as best as I could."
As was often the case throughout her prep career, Hellmann's best was the best of anyone. Kocer had long known this to be the case, but his belief was cemented at the regional qualifying tournament in Aberdeen after an opposing coach approached him.
"He just came over, shook my hand and said, 'She's just at a different level,'" Kocer recalled.
Hellmann was a trailblazer of South Dakota high school girls wrestling well before capturing the last of her five state titles. However, as the very first five-time champion in state history, she ensured that her name would be among the first remembered by history for countless years to come.
That is a mantle Hellmann takes very seriously, as she strived to leave a positive impact on the sport in her home state.
"One of my big goals this year was to inspire younger girls and to just get out there more and make those connections," Hellmann said. "I was really inspired because not many people get the opportunity to do what I can do. If I can take it and use that to help other people, that's what I tried to do, and I hope that's what I did.
"I really don't have enough words for how grateful I am to have the opportunity to push girls wrestling in South Dakota to grow as fast as it did and to help inspire other girls to come out for it and not be afraid to do it," she added. "To have these memories, it truly means so much."
Of course, Hellmann's impact was even further magnified closer to home.
Spurred by the excellence of Hellmann and three-time state champion Britney Rueb, the BHSA girls wrestling program has exploded in the half-decade of sanctioned wrestling. Even with Rueb, who will be a senior next year, sidelined by a season-ending injury this winter, BHSA qualified seven girls for the 2025 state tournament. Five finished with a top-eight podium placement, paced by Hellmann's championship triumph. Those efforts powered BHSA to a fifth-place team finish, checking off a goal to win team hardware for the first time in program history.
"One of the things that I'll never forget is, when she came off the mat after her last match, the rest of her team circled around her off to the side, and they were all bawling and the tears were a-flowing," Kocer said. "They knew what she meant for them and did for them, and I know they were happy for her, but I think they were also crying a little bit because they thought, 'Geez, she's not going to be in the practice room anymore.'"
After winning her final state title, Hellmann put her hands in the shape of a heart and turned to face the entire Summit Arena. Moments later, she produced a large poster, signed it and lifted it for all to see. Effectively a large letter of intent, it served to announce that Hellmann will continue her athletic and academic career at Fort Hays State University, an NCAA Division II institution in Kansas.
For those close to Hellmann, there's little doubt she's prepared to apply her many talents at the next level, too.
"She's not afraid to work and really puts in the time. She wants to succeed and listens to the people who want to make her better," Kocer said. "You put that with her character and as a fine person as she is, those athletes don't come around very often."
As Hellmann — the No. 9-ranked high school girls wrestler at 145 pounds by February's USA Wrestling rankings — prepares to trade the BHSA wrestling room for her new collegiate home, her own ambitions on the mat remain sky-high.
"I really hope to take this as far as I can — to win national titles, a world team and possibly even go to the Olympics if I get the opportunity to go to the trials," Hellmann said. "My true goals are to settle down eventually, but I want to win all I can while I have the ability and time to do that."
Here's a look at the other wrestlers who received consideration, with their point totals in parentheses.
Alexis Bryant, McCook Central/Montrose (16 points): Bryant successfully defended her title at 114 pounds from last year, picking up a 1-0 decision in the title match over Sisseton's Vi Anderson. The junior from Montrose went 43-3 with 29 pins and was ranked third in the state with five major decisions.
Hadlee Kracht, Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon (12): Kracht was third in the state with 43 pins en route to a 53-16 record and a fourth-place finish at the girls state tournament at 126 pounds. The BHSA junior also led all South Dakota high school girls wrestlers with 27 reversals.
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There wasn't much let-up along the way, either.
In the five years of South Dakota High School Activities Association-sanctioned girls wrestling, the Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon superstar has known practically nothing but winning. To cap her career, Hellmann became the state's first five-time state champion in the girls ranks, finishing with 128 consecutive victories dating back to December 2022.
Providing the emphatic final mark to her decorated prep career, Hellmann overcame a serious knee injury from the offseason en route to a 45-0 record as a senior, including yet another commanding state tournament run to claim the 145-pound state championship on March 1 in Rapid City.
Not too bad for someone who initially landed on wrestling because she didn't enjoy basketball and had already tried gymnastics.
"I never expected when I started that first year to be where I am now. Looking back on the last five years and the growth I've seen in myself, I'm just truly grateful for all the support and everyone pushing me because other people saw it in me before I ever saw it," Hellmann said. "I was just wrestling because I wanted to be in a sport, but there really wasn't anything else for me. I fell in love with it, and it's taken me all the way here."
For her exceptional individual effort and dominant displays, Hellmann was selected as the Mitchell Republic's girls wrestler of the year for a third consecutive season. Much like her unwavering place atop the podium, Hellmann remains the lone grappler to receive the annual award, which was introduced following the 2022-23 season.
The award was selected by the newspaper's sports staff via a point-based voting system that awards five points to the top wrestler on the ballot, four points to second and so on. Other wrestlers receiving consideration were McCook Central/Montrose's Alexis Bryant and Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon's Hadlee Kracht.
Barely two months after winning state title No. 4, Hellmann's path toward a fifth championship was thrown into question.
Competing at the U.S. Open's High School Girls National Showcase in Las Vegas late last April, Hellmann was in the middle of a semifinal bout when she took a shot and immediately experienced severe pain in her right knee. Imagery soon revealed Hellmann had torn her ACL, and in mid-May 2024, she underwent surgery.
As she embarked on the road to recovery, her only real target was to return in time for the regional qualifying tournament in mid-February so that the quest for a fifth title was still alive. That, as it turned out, was one of the few times in her wrestling career so far that an ultra-confident Hellmann underestimated herself.
Attacking rehab with a similar ferocity to her time on the mat and following the everyday instructions and advice of her physical therapist to the letter, Hellmann was back competing in varsity events by Dec. 6, just over six months removed from the operation.
"I figured she would be wrestling (this season), but I thought maybe it would be in January or so before she'd start competing," said Jim Kocer, a BHSA wrestling assistant who has a leading role with the girls program. "But she went through the rehab and put in the work and started again a lot sooner than I thought she would be able to.
"At first maybe she was a little tentative, but it didn't take long. Once she got that first takedown, she was back to being the same Peyton she had been," he added. "Especially at the end of the season, you would never guess that she had that injury."
Practically the only thing different about Hellmann on the mat this season was the BHSA team-colored navy blue and gray leg sleeve she sported. The results certainly backed up that observation.
Hellmann led the state in takedowns with 146 and won 31 of her 45 matches this season by pinfall, with another seven victories by technical fall.
"She's just really disciplined, mentally tough and always sticks to a gameplan," said BHSA coach Darren Kriz of Hellmann's dominance following her state tournament triumph. "Her motivation, discipline and work ethic, it's next to none."
One of the few bouts that didn't end early was a 15-4 major decision in the state title match, as Hellmann was named the most outstanding girls wrestler at the tournament.
"It really didn't matter how much I won the matches by; I just wanted to get back on the mat," Hellmann said of her final season. "Luckily, I never really had too many setbacks. I just wanted to stay healthy and do as best as I could."
As was often the case throughout her prep career, Hellmann's best was the best of anyone. Kocer had long known this to be the case, but his belief was cemented at the regional qualifying tournament in Aberdeen after an opposing coach approached him.
"He just came over, shook my hand and said, 'She's just at a different level,'" Kocer recalled.
Hellmann was a trailblazer of South Dakota high school girls wrestling well before capturing the last of her five state titles. However, as the very first five-time champion in state history, she ensured that her name would be among the first remembered by history for countless years to come.
That is a mantle Hellmann takes very seriously, as she strived to leave a positive impact on the sport in her home state.
"One of my big goals this year was to inspire younger girls and to just get out there more and make those connections," Hellmann said. "I was really inspired because not many people get the opportunity to do what I can do. If I can take it and use that to help other people, that's what I tried to do, and I hope that's what I did.
"I really don't have enough words for how grateful I am to have the opportunity to push girls wrestling in South Dakota to grow as fast as it did and to help inspire other girls to come out for it and not be afraid to do it," she added. "To have these memories, it truly means so much."
Of course, Hellmann's impact was even further magnified closer to home.
Spurred by the excellence of Hellmann and three-time state champion Britney Rueb, the BHSA girls wrestling program has exploded in the half-decade of sanctioned wrestling. Even with Rueb, who will be a senior next year, sidelined by a season-ending injury this winter, BHSA qualified seven girls for the 2025 state tournament. Five finished with a top-eight podium placement, paced by Hellmann's championship triumph. Those efforts powered BHSA to a fifth-place team finish, checking off a goal to win team hardware for the first time in program history.
"One of the things that I'll never forget is, when she came off the mat after her last match, the rest of her team circled around her off to the side, and they were all bawling and the tears were a-flowing," Kocer said. "They knew what she meant for them and did for them, and I know they were happy for her, but I think they were also crying a little bit because they thought, 'Geez, she's not going to be in the practice room anymore.'"
After winning her final state title, Hellmann put her hands in the shape of a heart and turned to face the entire Summit Arena. Moments later, she produced a large poster, signed it and lifted it for all to see. Effectively a large letter of intent, it served to announce that Hellmann will continue her athletic and academic career at Fort Hays State University, an NCAA Division II institution in Kansas.
For those close to Hellmann, there's little doubt she's prepared to apply her many talents at the next level, too.
"She's not afraid to work and really puts in the time. She wants to succeed and listens to the people who want to make her better," Kocer said. "You put that with her character and as a fine person as she is, those athletes don't come around very often."
As Hellmann — the No. 9-ranked high school girls wrestler at 145 pounds by February's USA Wrestling rankings — prepares to trade the BHSA wrestling room for her new collegiate home, her own ambitions on the mat remain sky-high.
"I really hope to take this as far as I can — to win national titles, a world team and possibly even go to the Olympics if I get the opportunity to go to the trials," Hellmann said. "My true goals are to settle down eventually, but I want to win all I can while I have the ability and time to do that."
Here's a look at the other wrestlers who received consideration, with their point totals in parentheses.
Alexis Bryant, McCook Central/Montrose (16 points): Bryant successfully defended her title at 114 pounds from last year, picking up a 1-0 decision in the title match over Sisseton's Vi Anderson. The junior from Montrose went 43-3 with 29 pins and was ranked third in the state with five major decisions.
Hadlee Kracht, Bon Homme/Scotland/Avon (12): Kracht was third in the state with 43 pins en route to a 53-16 record and a fourth-place finish at the girls state tournament at 126 pounds. The BHSA junior also led all South Dakota high school girls wrestlers with 27 reversals.
Continue reading...
