SPEARFISH — The Spearfish Spartans Girls Wrestling team opened their season with a statement win on Tuesday night, powering past the Sturgis Scoopers, 45–30, in a dual that showed the depth and toughness of a squad expected to contend statewide.
Despite falling into an early deficit after forfeiting the first several weights, the Spartans took control once the competitive matches began. Head Coach Joel Martin said his team expected to be tested right away.
“Overall, we knew Sturgis was a good team and that we’d have some ground to make up after the first open matches,” Martin said. “We wrestled great from that point on and Sturgis was the perfect test for our first match.”
Girls Dual — Spearfish 45, Sturgis 30
After Sturgis jumped ahead with early forfeits, the Spartans responded with a dominant stretch of performances.
Jayden Werlinger (125) delivered one of the night’s biggest momentum swings with a fall at 5:06.
Candice Matsuda (130) followed with an 8–1 decision to keep Spearfish rolling.
Kimberlyn Heisler (135) earned a dramatic 9–8 decision in one of the dual’s most competitive matches.
Harlow McCauley (140) pinned Anya Juelfs at 5:54 to stretch Spearfish’s lead.
Mathilde Matsuda (145) added a 6–0 decision over Shelby Werlinger for another crucial three points.
Makita Raysor (155) wasted no time, pinning Shaylen Stuen in just 51 seconds.
Vanorah Carlson (170) won by forfeit, while
Sydney Badwound (190) continued the surge with a fall at 1:16.
Marlee Heltzel (235) closed out the scoring with another forfeit victory.
Spearfish’s combination of experience and emerging talent proved too much for the Scoopers, who struggled to match the Spartans’ pace once the dual reached the middle and upper weights.
Boys Dual — Sturgis 75, Spearfish 3
The boys side faced a tall task against a powerhouse Sturgis program, falling 75–3. Spearfish earned its lone points at 144 pounds, where Kaden Gonzales secured a 4–0 decision over Wyatt Marler.
The rest of the dual leaned heavily toward the Scoopers, who capitalized on multiple forfeits and recorded several first-period falls. Despite the challenging opener, the Spartans showed bright spots in effort and positioning from several young wrestlers stepping into varsity roles for the first time.
Both teams traveled to Sideny, Montana for the next match.
