NEW RICHLAND &045; At the start of the season, the popular pick to win the Section 2A wrestling championship was either defending state champion Medford or a young but talented Blooming Prairie squad.

Both will watch the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers represent their section in the state tournament.

The Panthers captured the section championship at Triton High School in Dodge Center Saturday.

&uot;We were able to figure out a way to win, I guess,&uot; said Panthers coach Paul Cyr. &uot;It was a good tournament for all of us. We wrestled well. The kids are excited. It’s one of those things that’s fun to do.&uot;

It’s the first state tournament appearance for Cyr’s Panthers since 1999, when they finished second.

While not many people expected the Panthers to contend for this year’s section crown &045; they never did crack the Guillotine’s Class A top 12 &045; they were seeded No. 1 after winning the Gopher Conference title. But Cyr said it was far from a sure thing.

&uot;We beat Medford by three, we tied Blooming Prairie, and Blooming beat Medford by one (in the regular season),&uot; said Cyr. &uot;It was pretty much a toss-up type thing.&uot;

The Panthers opened with 53-15 win over eighth-seeded Kenyon-Wanamingo and defeated No. 4 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown in the semifinals while Medford topped Blooming Prairie 39-33 to reach the finals.

Trailing 17-3 and 30-15 in the championship meet, the Panthers rallied past Medford 33-30, with the Tigers forfeiting the heavyweight bout to James Petsinger.

Kaleb Jacobson, who went 3-0 on the day, started the Panthers’ comeback with a 9-6 decision at 171 pounds. Matt Holland, who won two of three matches, got a first-period fall at 189. Bill Root won 4-3 at 215, giving him a 2-0 mark for the tournament.

The rest of the Panthers’ lineup included: 103, Krey Cory; 112, Cody Christensen; 119, Brian Bos; 125, Carl Pederson, Taylor Holland; 130, Tim Rysavy; 135, Brandon Bartness, Andy Tomsche; 140, Curt Pederson; 145, Anders Mattson; 152, Nick Christensen; 160, Patrick Petsinger, Sonny Berg; 215, Chris Hager.

Jacobson, a junior, has the most victories for the Panthers with a record of 26-10. Matt Holland, a sophomore, is 20-4. Root is 25-10, James Petsinger 23-9.

The Panthers, 19-10-4, will face Frazee &045; the No. 1 rated Class A team in the state &045; in the opening round of the state tournament Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8:15 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Cyr said there won’t be much pressure for a squad that includes only three seniors and that it will be a great experience for the Panthers’ younger wrestlers.

&uot;We have no superstars to speak of, and I would say we’re probably not the greatest team around, but we were good enough to win,&uot; said Cyr. &uot;The guys kept on battling and figuring out ways to win. I guess that’s what makes us good. We figure out a way to win.&uot;