The Brandom Podcast

Rapid City Central Cobbler Wrestling Program Making Great Moves on the Mat. 

By Brandon Jones

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City Central wrestling coach Lance Pearson says the school’s program is climbing out of a rebuild — and the rapid rise of girls wrestling has become one of its biggest strengths.

Pearson, in his 24th season as head coach, said Central has leaned on strong individual performers while working to restore overall team depth. He pointed to the girls team as a sign of progress, noting several athletes have already surpassed 100 varsity wins despite the sport being sanctioned in South Dakota only in recent years.

“We’ve got probably three girls on our team right now with more than 100 varsity wins already,” Pearson said. “That says a lot about the girls that we have in our program.”

Central junior Anna Henstein, who has wrestled for four years, said the sport quickly became a fit after Pearson visited her school to recruit athletes.

“I just fell in love with it,” Henstein said. “Once you get on the mat, everything disappears. You’ve just got to focus on that match.”

Pearson said his practices are fully integrated, with girls completing the same training as the boys.

“We run the practice. They do the exact same practice our boys do,” he said. “It’s just wrestling.”

He said girls wrestling has also opened new doors for participation and confidence, calling it a valuable form of self-defense and personal accountability.

“The confidence that we can give girls … is one of the things that I try and encourage people to have their daughters come try it out,” Pearson said. “There’s nobody else you can really blame. It’s you out there — win or lose.”

Henstein said the sport has helped her mentally as much as physically, including at home with her twin sister.

“She won’t even wrestle with me anymore,” Henstein said, laughing. “The first move I put her in, I put her in a split … and now she’s like, ‘Don’t ever touch me again.’”

Henstein said her biggest motivation this season is a rematch with a Canton wrestler she chased all the way to the state finals. After getting pinned in their first meeting, she said she closed the gap over multiple matches and lost the championship bout 2-1.

“I want to wrestle her again,” Henstein said. “I want to see how much better I’ve gotten.”

Pearson said Central’s aggressive schedule — with competitions in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming, along with trips across South Dakota — helps accelerate growth by giving wrestlers more mat time early in the season.

“The more times you can get on the mat, the more things we can see as coaches,” Pearson said. “The more things they can feel … and we can improve upon.”

Pearson also credited youth wrestling for building the pipeline, saying Central’s youth club has topped 200 participants this year. He encouraged families to focus on learning before chasing constant competition.

“Don’t get too anxious to compete,” he said. “Treat it like a club. When they feel they’re ready to compete, then go do some competitions.”

Henstein said she hopes her success encourages more girls to try the sport — and to ask questions without feeling intimidated.

“A lot of people are intimidated by me,” she said. “But I’m probably one of the nicest people in the room.”

Looking ahead, Henstein said she wants to continue wrestling after high school, even if it isn’t at the Division I level.

“I most likely want to wrestle at a college level,” she said. “I enjoy the sport.”

Pearson said he often hears the same thing from athletes who join later,  “Their only complaint would be, ‘I wish I’d have started earlier,’” he said.

For the full interview go The brandoM Podcast available anywhere. 

If you are a coach of any local sport in the Black Hills area Brandon would love to chat with you.  Email him at brandon@katradio.com to schedule an interview.