May 12—PRESHO, S.D. — Lyman High School has named Blaine Brakke as its new wrestling head coach, the school announced Friday.

Brakke is a 2005 graduate of Lyman High School where he placed twice at the state meet, taking fourth as a sophomore and eighth as a senior. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 2011.

He replaces longtime coach Chad Johnson, who took over in 2003 and led the Raiders to three district titles with 60 state qualifiers. The Raiders will return three of the five wrestlers that qualified for the state tournament in 2023.

"Being able to step into the opportunity to coach a team that had such a huge impact on your life is any coach's dream. I started wrestling in the same gym I get to coach in — how cool is that?" Brakke said in a statement. "I get to lead a team in the same gym where I first laced them up. I could not be more proud and fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a team of Raider wrestlers.

"Lyman has a great wrestling tradition — a credit to all of the coaches that came before me. I am incredibly excited to be able to lead the next wave of Lyman wrestlers to be successful on and off the mat," he added.