Park Rapids seniors Ashton Clark and Cody Dravis lost their first-round matches at the state Class AA wrestling tournament Friday morning (March 1) at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Unranked Spencer Ruedy, a sophomore from Mankato East, posted a 5-4 minor decision over Clark in the opening round of the 120-pound bracket. A first-period takedown and third-period reversal gave Clark a 4-0 lead before Ruedy used a reversal and nearfall in the final 20 seconds to pull off the upset and hand Clark his first loss of the season. Clark, the No. 3 seed, will carry a 19-1 record into the wrestlebacks. Ruedy improved to 19-8.
Simley senior Jacob Hageman handed Dravis an 8-0 major decision loss in the opening round of the 160-pound bracket. Hageman, the No. 3 seed, used a first-period takedown and second-period reversal to build a 4-0 lead before a penalty point, escape and takedown in the third period sealed the win. Dravis fell to 36-5 on the season while Hageman improved to 32-8.
