Matt Butler got the Panthers started with a 5:20 fall in the opening match at 106 pounds.
At 113, Dillon Kubiatowicz had four takedowns and a near fall on the way to a 17-2 victory.
Cordell Peterson was awarded a forfeit win at 120.
But, Maple River answered with six straight wins, including two falls. The key match was at 145 where Trey Hoppe dropped a 4-2 decision to Noah Decker.
“We figured this was a match that could go either way so it was a big win for Maple River,” said Larson.
At 170, Dillon Parpart stopped the Eagle run. He had eight takedowns as he romped to a 24-9 victory.
Nick Bartness was just as impressive at 182-pounds. Bartness had a pair of near falls before settling for a 17-2 win.
MR clinched the win with consecutive falls against Keith Maxon and Zeke Erickson, both in the second period.
NRHEG’s Todd Erickson ended the night with a first-period pin at 285 pounds.
Redwood Riot
REDWOOD FALLS – NRHEG competed at the Redwood River Riot in Redwood Falls Friday and Saturday.
The Panthers finished with 114 points, earning them eighth place among 29 teams. A year ago, NRHEG scored 69 points to place 16th.
Sibley East had four individual champions and won the meet with 154 points. Maple River finished second with 148.5 points.
Kubiatowicz had the highest Panther finish of the meet, capturing third place at 113-pounds. He did it the hard way, losing his first match and then rattling off five wins in a row, including a first-period fall in the third-place match.
Tyler Logan (160) and Parpart (170) both finished fourth in their weight classes.
Logan won five matches, but dropped an 8-2 decision in the third-place match.
Parpart, who is now 12-2 for the year, won three of five matches over the weekend, losing 10-6 for third place.
Cordell Peterson (120) and Maxon (195) were sixth-place finishers for the Panthers. Peterson won two of five bouts, and Maxon was 3-3 in the tournament.
Zeke Erickson (220) and Wyatt Fitterer (285) placed seventh for NRHEG. Both recorded first-period falls in their seventh-place matches.
NRHEG had six wrestlers that did not place. Hoppe (145) was the only Panther that did not win a match.
Merritt (132) had three wins, Palmer Peterson (126) and Bartness (182) both won twice, while Butler (106) and Jet Wayne (152) added one win.
The NRHEG wrestlers had a 34-26 record during the tournament.
The Panthers are idle until Jan. 3 when Blue Earth, Triton and St. Clair come to town.
