Haggberg, Warburton, sign with colleges

“It means a lot,” Warburton said. “When you are just starting wrestling, you don’t think it’s something you go to college for. It’s really cool.”

Warburton went 37-24 across his last two seasons, including a 19-9 mark his senior year, according to TrackWrestling. He also finished as the 157-pound runner-up at the Class 4A state tournament in February. Warburton also finished third his junior year.

“I’m proud of this kid and what he has done along the way,” Bison coach Jojo Ojeda said. “If there was anybody that battled as much adversity as him, I don’t think they would have come out of it. (Our coaching staff) did everything we could to set him up for success.”

While he didn’t have a ton of recruiting interest during his four years at South, he credits a trip to the state title match and the national meet in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to helping kickstart some interest from colleges.

It eventually led to a conversation with Trinidad State College, but what sold him on the school was the ability to be with a growing program and his conversations with the coaching staff.

“That was cool, and I like being with a growing school,” Warburton said. “They only had freshmen last year, and I will be the second graduating class of wrestlers, ever.

“... They’re fighters and people who don’t give up, and I’d like to be that.”

Warburton plans to study welding at Trinidad State College.

Haggberg signs with Chadron State College

South senior Noah Haggberg knew from third grade that pursuing football at the collegiate level was going to be in his future.

Through a tremendous work ethic and dedication to the sport, Haggberg achieved that goal. On Thursday, in the South library, he signed a preferred walk-on offer to play for Chadron State College.

“It’s a blessing,” Haggberg said. “I dreamed of playing college football at any level, and it finally came true. I’m just excited to get up to Nebraska and start this next chapter.”

Haggberg finished ninth in Class 4A in defensive points per game, averaging 12.1 during his senior season. He also led the team in tackles (65), tackles per game (7.2), solo tackles (40) and defensive points (109).

In total, Haggberg accounted for 170 tackles across his four years, as well as a first-team all-conference nod as a linebacker and a honorable mention as a running back in his final season. He was also a honorable mention for both positions in his junior year.

One of the biggest points of growth wasn’t the on-the-field intangibles, but rather in his leadership qualities.

“He has the personality that he is going to get along with everybody, and people want to be around him,” second-year coach Eli Moody said. “When we told him that he had to be a leader (coming into this season), that was one of his biggest strengths.

“He was liked, and he interacts with everybody, so he could bring everyone along with him.”

Haggberg used the power of social media to help propel his recruitment. During his sophomore year, Haggberg began sending his film to different schools on X (formerly Twitter) with the hopes of coaches liking what they saw.

He ended up getting 10 offers throughout that process, but the one that stuck out the most came from Chadron. After taking his official visit to the campus, Haggberg knew that was where he was going to spend the next four years of his life.

“I went on that visit to Chadron, and the coaches really treated me right,” he said. “The athletic facilities, the coaches, the players, it just felt like home.”

Another thing that helped sell Haggberg on Chadron was its connection to Wyoming. Currently, the Eagles have 17 members of their team that are from Wyoming, five of whom are from Cheyenne.

“I have a couple people that I know there, and they say they enjoy it,” Haggberg said. “... The coach that recruited me said he really likes Wyoming kids because they are kind of the rough kids. He wants me to come up there with a chip on my shoulder, and that just sparked a flame in me.”

Haggberg is planning on studying communications, with the intent of stay in the sports realm as a member of the media. Whether that is in the form of writing or on television is yet to be determined.