The NRHEG wrestling team traveled to Lake Crystal on Saturday to participate in the LCWM invitational.

The Panthers had six wrestlers finish third in their respective weight classes, while two finished in fourth, one in fifth and two more in sixth.

Seventh-grader Annabelle Petsinger at 106 pounds was one of the Panthers to reach third place. She recorded three pinfall victories in her four matches on the day, only losing one match — via a 16-1 technical fall. Freshman Nikolas Petsinger also took third place, gaining two victories by pinfall but losing his other two matches, one by a 14-2 major decision and one via an 8-0 major decision.

Freshman Clay Stenzel took third place in a light 120-pound bracket. Stenzel won his third-place match by a 9-8 decision, but fell in his first two matches of the day, a 13-0 major decision and a 6-0 decision. Junior Andrew Reich was the lone Panthers wrestler to win fifth place, winning three of his five matches by pinfall. In his other two matches, Reich lost by a pinfall and by a 13-2 major decision.

Seventh-grader George Roesler came in sixth place at 138 pounds, losing by pinfall in three matches. Sophomore Thor Routh came in third place behind two pinfall wins and a victory by decision. His only loss on the day was a fall in the second round. Junior Argo Gushwa also came in third, with two decisions and one pin — his only loss on the day also coming by pinfall.

Freshman Ralph Roesler and sophomore Connor Okland each took fourth place at the tournament. Roesler, at 160 pounds, lost three matches on the day, each by decision. Okland, at 182 pounds, also fell in three matches, two by late pinfalls and one by a close 7-5 decision.

Eighth-grader Makota Misgen came in sixth place at 220 pounds, also falling in his three matches throughout the day. Two losses came by fall, while one came by a 3-1 decision. Senior Quentin Arndt was the last of the Panthers to come in third place at the invitational. Arndt won one match on the day with a pinfall in the first period.

Despite not placing anyone higher than third place, head coach Shawn Larson was still pleased with his team’s overall performance on the day.

“We had a difficult round in the semifinals in this tournament, but other than that we were the best we have been this year,” he said. “When you learn that you can fight back in tough times, you learn how to get better. That is what we have been doing lately. There have been several matches where we have come from behind, or increased our leads late in matches. This shows that we are not willing to give up, this intensity is what we have been looking for.”

The Panthers will be back on the mats Thursday when they head to Rochester for a triangular meet with John Marshall and Faribault.