Two-time state Class A champion topped field in the 15-and-under 57-kg freestyle division

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Watertown High School freshman Gage Lohr has taken his standout wrestling ability from South Dakota to a national stage.

The two-time South Dakota state Class A individual champion became a national champion on Friday night when he downed Weston Burgers of Beast Mode Wrestling (Ohio) 14-9 to win the 57-kilogram (around 125 pounds) 15-and-under freestyle championship in the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships.

2023-24 Watertown Wrestling Recap: Arrow boys, girls grapplers each can take plenty of good memories from the 2023-24 season

Lohr, representing the Berge Elite Wrestling Academy of Brookings, went 6-0 over two days to top a field of 64 wrestlers in his division.

On Thursday, he posted wins over Lincoln Robideau of the Minnesota Elite Wrestlign Club 4-2, Diego Garcia of the New Mexico Bad Boyz 12-2, Steven Robles of Aces Wrestling Academy (Ariz.) 8-0, Grayson Davis of Steller Training Wrestling (Penn.) 9-6 and Thomas Banas of Illinois 9-0 to reach Friday evening's championship.

Lohr has enjoyed a dominant start to his high school wrestling season for Watertown.

As an eighth-grader in the 2022-23 season, he capped a 47-4 season by winning the 106-pound state Class A championship.

State Wrestling 2024: Area wrestlers bring home four titles, eight runner-up finishes in three-day state tourney

This past winter, Lohr went 47-0 and repeated as a state championship with a 6-5 win over Brandon Valley senior Trevon Oehme in the 120-pound state Class A title match.

With three years of high school wrestling remaining, Lohr is on pace to either join or surpass Rick Jensen for the most state individual championships in program history. Jensen won four state titles from 1971-74 and is the only four-time champion in the history of the Arrows' storied wrestling program.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Two-time state Class A champion topped field in the 15-and-under 57-kg freestyle division