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A pursuit decades in the making finally came to an end Saturday evening at the UW Field House.

A 31-29 win over Holmen in the Division 1 championship match gave Stoughton its first ever dual meet state title and first team state championship since 1988.

Since the dual meet format was implemented in 1992, the Vikings have qualified for Team State 12 times. They have finished runner-up on five occasions, including each of the last three seasons.

But a win over the top-seeded team in Saturday’s title match got a storied program off the schneid.

2018 state finalist Tyler Dow bumped up a weight class to take on two-time state place winner Kalyn Jahn of Holmen in the first bout.

Dow scored a 10-2 major decision at 170 pounds to give Stoughton a 4-0 lead.

Holmen answered immediately as Isaac Lahr won by fall in the ensuing match to put his squad up 6-4.

The 195-pound tilt marked the beginning of a pivotal sequence for Stoughton. Brooks Empey edged Kyle Burkhardt 8-7 to help the Vikings regain the lead.

That was the beginning of a streak of three straight wins that were decided by a total of five points.

“Winning a couple of those up top, Brooks Empey and Gavin Miller getting those wins at 195 and 220, those were huge,” Stoughton co-head coach Dan Spilde said.

But Holmen bounced back.

Alex Pellowski tallied a pin at 106 and Kody Klonecki earned a major decision at 113 to put their team back in the driver’s seat with a 16-13 lead halfway through the dual.

Hunter Lewis (120 pounds) and Braeden Whitehead (126) restored order for Stoughton with back-to-back falls. Luke Mechler tacked on a win by decision at 132 to give Stoughton a 12-point lead heading to the home stretch.

“Those hammers we have in there, getting pins out of Hunter and Braeden, unbelievable,”Spilde said. “Those guys are so tough. We’re just so blessed that they are Stoughton guys and they want to be a part of this program.”

Holmen had one last run left in it, winning three of the final four matches. But it wasn’t enough,

Reed Williams took to the mat in the final match of the dual needing a pin to tie the score. But Stoughton’s Luke Geister-Jones held Williams to a major decision and sealed Holmen’s fate.

Stoughton finishes the season with a 24-1 record, including its 3-0 run through the field in Madison this weekend.

Friday night, the third-seeded Vikings opened their march with a 47-13 win over Marshfield in the quarterfinals.

Then they edged No. 2 Kaukauna 34-30 in the semifinals. The Galloping Ghosts defeated Stoughton in each of the last three D1 state championship duals.

The title run was truly a team effort. The Vikings picked up at least one win at 13 of 14 weight classes over the course of three duals.

“This is my 25th year coaching and I’ve never coached a team this balanced. We still have the guys who are nearly unbeatable, but they are just so balanced. Every guy is going to give you everything every time,” Spilde said. “It doesn’t mean they are all going to win, but they don’t have to. It’s a team effort. They just keep coming at you. They don’t give up. They all have fight. And there’s no guaranteed points going the other way. That’s the big thing.”

The Vikings’ latest championship comes 50 years after their first title. That championship, as with all of their previous team crowns, was won under the guidance of the late Vern Pieper who passed away in October.

“This team was really inspired. We lost Coach Pieper this year. This was a tribute to Coach Pieper,” Spilde said. “Our shirts say 1968 state champions on them. That was the first state title that we won under Vern Pieper, that was 50 years ago this year. It’s been 30 years since we won one. It’s about time.”

Stoughton 31, Holmen 29

170: Tyler Dow (S) maj. dec. Kalyn Jahn, 10-2

182: Isaac Lahr (H) p. Will Neuenfeld, 1:05

195: Brooks Empey (S) dec. Kyle Burkhardt, 8-7

220: Gavin Miller (S) dec. Jack Westcott, 5-4

285: Aodan Marshall (S) dec. Jessie Fiers, 5-2

106: Alex Pellowski (H) p. Alexander Wicks, 1:27

113: Kody Klonecki (H) maj. dec. Nathan Rhein, 10-2

120: Hunter Lewis (S) p. Carter Vetsch, 4:35

126: Braeden Whitehead (S) p. Logan West, 4:55

132: Luke Mechler (S) dec. Trevor Plomedahl, 5-1

138: Tanner Schultz (H) p. Gavin Model, 3:29

145: Wyatt McCutchen (H) dec. Luke Spilde, 3-2

152: Cade Spilde (S) dec. Zach Gordon, 5-3

160: Reed Williams (H) maj. dec. Luke Geister-Jones, 11-2