Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
2 Pioneers compete at state meets
Both Okoboji/HMS wrestling squads enjoyed success on the mats during their 2023-24 seasons.
The Pioneer girls ended their dual season with winning records overall (7-2) and in the Siouxland Conference (5-1). They finished in a second-place tie at the conference tournament. Senior Avery Ballis, the only senior on the roster, and freshman Brooke Stockdale were at-large selections for the all-conference second team.
Junior Amelia Sirola advanced to the girls' state wrestling championships where she won her first match and lost the next two.
Two H-M-S freshmen saw mat action during the season. Miley Appeldorn finished with a 6-9 match record and Madi Lauer was 2-7.
The Pioneer boys also had a successful season, finishing in third-place tie in the Siouxland Conference dual standings with a 5-2 record. Okoboji/HMS's overall dual record was 10-3.
Tyce Hanson was an at-large selection for the Siouxland Conference first team. H-M-S wrestler James Gellerman and Nathaniel Franklin were named to the second team.
Hanson was the only Pioneer to compete at the boys' state wrestling tournament. He won two of his four matches but did not place.
Sixteen H-M-S athletes participated in the shared program. Those with match records (JV or varsity) were: Seniors Aidan Espeland 1-9, Bryce Ortega 15-19 and Ethan Wiersma 18-12; juniors James Gellerman 30-13 and Jose Perez 1-1; sophomores Camden Ball 2-2, Nathan Stofferan 24-15, and David Wetrich 3-7; and freshmen Nathaniel Ball 0-5, Taylor Dykstra 0-4, Austin Greer 3-5, Mykle Meyers 3-3 and Easton Teal 1-3.
