By DALE KUGATH
Sportswriter
BLOOMING PRAIRIE – The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva wrestling squad kept its hopes for a Gopher Conference championship alive at Blooming Prairie Thursday.
Coach Paul Cyr’s Panthers crushed Blooming Prairie 61-15 to improve to 2-0 in the conference, tied with United South Central for the top spot.
“I was pleased with our aggressiveness in this meet,” said Cyr.
The Panthers won the first seven matches, including five falls, to explode to a 37-0 lead to decide the outcome early.
Cole Lenort opened with a second-period fall after building up a 10-1 lead at 106 pounds.
Cordell Peterson followed suit at 113, sticking his opponent in 3:01.At 120, Palmer Peterson put his opponent to the mat with seven seconds remaining in the opening period.
Jet Wayne made it four consecutive falls with a 3:06 pin at 126.
The pinning streak continued at 132 when Dustin Burshem recorded a 1:14 fall to make it 30-0.
Allen Zimmerman could not extend the pin streak but was all over his foe and ended up with a 16-2 major decision at 138.
Trey Hoppe scored seven points in the final period to earn a 13-10 victory at 145.
The Blossoms earned their first win at 152 pounds. BP’s Riley Olson squeezed past NRHEG’s Karter Sletten 12-11.
Nick Bartness got the Panthers right back on track, getting a 1:21 fall at 160 pounds. Jon Weller received a forfeit at 170.
Blooming Prairie’s second win came at 182 pounds. Zach Nick pinned NRHEG’s Cody Ripka.
Keith Maxon (1:04) and Todd Erickson (5:40) had consecutive pins for the Panthers at 195 and 220.
Wyatt Fitterer survived until the final period before being pinned with 36 seconds left in the final bout of the evening.
“Anytime you have nine falls in a match, you must have been doing a few things right,” said Cyr. “BP is down, but it was great for our guys to get a chance to be the aggressor in a meet.”
The Panthers also had a pair of dual-meet tournaments, Friday at Lakeville North and Saturday at Wabasha.
At Lakeville, the Panthers lost to Lakeville North and Eden Prairie, but picked up a win against Minneapolis South.
Lakeville North
Lakeville North jumped to a 20-0 lead, increased it to 60-6 and had no problems dealing the Panthers a 60-18 setback in the first of three duals at Lakeville.
“Lakeville is expected to be a contender for the section championship,” said Cyr.
Burshem got NRHEG on the scoreboard with a fall at 132.
The Panthers ended the match on a high note, getting falls at 220 and 285. Todd Erickson picked up a first period fall and Fitterer followed with a 4:19 pin to end the match.
South
NRHEG overcame a deficit to capture a 46-25 win over the Minneapolis South Tigers.
NRHEG took an 18-0 lead, a forfeit at 106, followed by pins from Dillon Kubiatowicz at 113 and Palmer Peterson at 120.
South answered with six straight wins to take a 25-18 lead.
The Panthers had three consecutive tough losses. Wayne fell 10-7 at 126, Burshem was edged 98-6 in overtime at 132 and Zimmerman lost a 4-3 decision at 138.
NRHEG regrouped to win the final five weight classes.
Dillon Parpart started the Panther rally at 170, getting a second period fall. Ripka gave the Panthers the lead for good at 182 with a 15-2 major decision. Maxon, Todd Erickson and Fitterer ended the match with consecutive pins, all coming in the first period.
Eden Prairie
Eden Prairie jumped out to a 38-6 lead before settling for a 43-22 victory over NRHEG in the final match of the day.
The Eagles showed their strength early, winning eight of the first nine matches.
Cordell Peterson got the Panthers off to a good start with a first-period fall, but the Eagles won the next eight weights.
Parpart earned NRHEG four points with a 12-3 major decision at 170.
Erickson recorded a 1:44 fall for the Panthers at 220 and Fitterer got a forfeit win in the final match.
“We wrestled well from 170 to the end,” said Cyr.
At Wabasha, the Panthers suffered close defeats to Wabasha-Kellogg and Lake City, and earned a win against Winona.
“We wrestled well in all three meets, but could only come away with one win,” said coach Cyr. “We were without Todd Erickson and Wyatt Fitterer which had an impact in both of our losses.”
Lake City
NRHEG gave up a forfeit and four falls in a 34-21 loss to the Lake City Tigers. Lake City led from start to finish, although the Panthers pulled within one point and two points during the match.
Palmer Peterson’s 12-9 win at 120 pounds was the only NRHEG win in the first four weights.
Burshem picked up a 4-1 win at 132, Zimmerman earned a 9-7 victory at 138 and Logan captured a 9-4 decision at 145 to pull NRHEG within 15-12.
Parpart won 9-4 at 170 and Ripka won by fall in 1:54 fall at 182.
Winona
NRHEG defeated a short-handed Winona team 42-29.
A forfeit at 113 was the only Panther win of the first four weights. A forfeit at 132 and Hoppe’s first-period fall gave NRHEG an 18-16 advantage.
NRHEG got another forfeit at 152, but Bartness was nipped 5-4 at 160, leaving the Panthers clinging to a 24-23 lead.
Weller’s 1:17 pin at 170 and a Winona forfeit at 182 stretched the Panther lead to 36-23.
NRHEG had to forfeit at 195, but the Panthers got wins from Zeke Erickson (:30 fall) at 220 and a forfeit at 285 to seal the victory.
Wabasha-Kellogg
The final match of a long week could not have been any closer. NRHEG and Wabasha-Kellogg tied 34-34, with the Falcons winning on the eighth criteria
After Cordell Peterson dropped a 9-5 verdict, Kubiatowicz won 13-2 and Palmer Peterson followed with a 4:38 fall.
Burshem’s won by fall, Zimmerman prevailed 9-4 and Logan won 2-0 win to give NRHEG a 22-6 lead.
Parpart stuck his opponent in 3:53.
Maxon’s second-period fall gave the Panthers a 12-point advantage with just two matches to go, but Zeke Erickson was pinned and NRHEG had to forfeit the final bout to create a tie.
The eighth criteria was points accumulated in the first points scored in a match and W-K held a 15-10 advantage.
“This was one of our better overall performances of the season,” said Cyr.
NRHEG will battle the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Grizzlies in Janesville tonight.
The Panthers are in Northfield to wrestle against Orono, St. Paul Harding and Northfield Friday.
NRHEG and United South Central will square off in a noon match at New Richland Saturday.