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Jan. 16—WINNER, S.D. — Entering this wrestling season, Apollo Willuweit was faced with an interesting question: How does one improve on perfection?

As an eighth grader, the Winner wrestling standout went 44-0 en route to a Class B state title at 106 pounds. Now a freshman but back in the same weight class, Willuweit is aiming to one-up himself, improving in the fine margins to be as assertive as he can be on the mat.

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Midway through this season, Willuweit is right where he wanted — and expected — to be: 24-0 and a clear frontrunner for a state title repeat.

His answer to that difficult, almost philosophical question: Dominate.

“I try to be as dominant as I can, and I know what I have to do,” Willuweit said. “I try to think that no one’s better than me, and if I go out there and wrestle as hard as I can, no one can mess with me. I believe that, and my work shows.”

Even though Willuweit went undefeated last season, it was a campaign during which he was learning and adjusting to the different style of wrestling faced at the varsity high school level compared to many of his prior experiences in AAU or middle school.

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With an entire state title-winning varsity season to build upon, Willuweit has started to exert his control more often. Last season, among his 44 wins, 21 came by pin and five by technical fall. This season, he’s already notched 12 pins and matched his mark with five tech falls. Of his 24 victories this season, only six matches went the distance, and half of those were major decisions. Willuweit has 72 takedowns to his credit, seventh-most of any wrestler in the state regardless of class and weight, and hasn’t surrendered a single one.

Among Willuweit’s triumphs so far are the Rapid City Invitational and Mid-Dakota Monster, which each required five victories. In both tournament title matches, he handled Sullivan Sigman, a sophomore standout for Class A power Sturgis, first by decision and then by major decision. Notably, Sigman is 23-3 on the season with just two losses against South Dakota opposition — both to Willuweit.

Elsewhere, Willuweit already has victories over many of the other top Class B 106-pound contenders, including Dakota Grappler’s No. 2-ranked Bode Walker (Canton), No. 3 Cole Scott (Custer) twice, No. 5 Will Hosman (Miller/Highmore-Harrold) and No. 8 Jace Edgar (Redfield).

“I want to be a five-timer,” Willuweit said. “I want to be one of the greatest that’s ever done it in South Dakota, so that keeps me going every day.”

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While Willuweit is confident in his own abilities, he’s also quick to credit his teammates for continuing to push him, saying much of his stiffest competition is within Winner’s own wrestling room.

“I think it’s the best wrestling room in the state,” Willuweit said. “I get my butt kicked a lot, I’ll tell you that.”

A perennial wrestling power in Class B, Winner has a lineup filled with standouts from top to bottom. Even still, the smallest guys on the roster in terms of physical size are some of the Warriors’ biggest stars on the mat.

Alongside Willuweit at 106 pounds, the Warriors have Judd Hansen, a transfer from Gregory, at 113, along with Rylan Robbins at 120 and Roukyn Robbins at 126. So far this season, that quartet has a combined record of 87-5. Fellow freshman Roukyn Robbins, like Willuweit, has yet to be defeated.

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Willuweit strives to learn from all three of his closest peers. He said Hansen is the toughest for him to handle in head-to-head competition. Meanwhile, he looks to Roukyn Robbins when it comes to technique, and Rylan Robbins serves as a top motivator.

Together, they hope to help the Warriors do something special this season. Winner has finished second in the Class B team standings six times in the past eight years, but spurred by its crew of top lightweights, the Warriors hope this is the breakthrough season.

“We really want that state championship,” Willuweit said. “We know we can do it, and it might be our only chance to do it. This is the year.”