The top-ranked Sturgis Scoopers went 1-2 on the opening day of the The Clash high school national wrestling duals in Rochester, Minn., on Friday.
The Scoopers lost their opening dual to Collins Hill, Ga., the 26th-ranked high school team in the country and the defending Georgia state champion, 38-22.
The Scoopers then won their second match against Mt. Carmel, Ill., 33-30, and tied Iowa City West, 31-31 in their final dual, but lost the tiebreaker - which goes to the team that accumulates more points on falls, forfeits or disqualifications. Both Iowa City and Sturgis had two pins apiece, but the Scoopers forfeited the 171-pound match against Iowa's Derek St. John and the win went to West.
West's lineup features three wrestlers nationally ranked in their weight class.
The Mt. Carmel win was cemented early on as the Scoopers won every match beginning in the 103-pound class through 135 pounds.
The Scoopers got a typically strong performance on the day from 119 to 135 pounds as Josh Keszler (119), Seth Lange (125), Jason Duprel (130) and Nate Wilson (135) all won their matches. Kyle Kopplin (145) also won three decisions, including a couple of one-point victories, for Sturgis while Clint Wilson had a couple of injury default wins at 171 pounds in addition to an 8-5 win at 189 pounds against Iowa City's Berkley Strand.
No. 3-ranked Apple Valley, Minn., went on to win the bracket posting a perfect 3-0 day one.
The Scoopers took sixth place in their initial group which puts them in the sixth bracket with Roseburg, Ore., and Kenyon Wanamingo, Minn., and another team to be determined. Those matches start at 3 p.m. MST and the top two teams in each bracket receive trophies.
