Panthers struggle in Thursday duals, fall to 0-6

Published 1:04 pm Friday, January 29, 2021

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It was a tough night of wrestling for the NRHEG wrestling team Thursday.

The Panthers took on Westfield and Lake City in a triangular in Blooming Prairie, coming up short in both duals.

The Panthers caught a tough break in their first dual of the night in which they finished tied with Westfield, but lost in the tiebreaker with fewer falls than the Razorbacks.

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Freshmen Parker Bunn and George Roesler were the only two Panthers to pick up wins in contested matches in the dual. Bunn won his match at 113 pounds in a 11-6 decision, and George Roesler won in a first-period fall at 170 pounds.

Freshman Daltyn Harshman, sophomores Ethan Thompson and Makota Misgen, junior Ralph Roesler and senior Thor Routh all picked up forfeit victories. The match ended in a 39-39 tie, until the fifth tiebreaker awarded the win to Westfield.

“To be honest, the match against Westfield was not our best showing,” said head coach Shawn Larson. “They have some tough kids and some open spots in their lineup, but in the end we did not do what we needed to do to win. When it came down to a tie match, we lost on the fifth criteria — most falls, which is a little tough to take because maybe we would have earned falls in the matches that were forfeited. Like a few of the matches we have had this year, we will look forward to a chance to wrestle them again.”

NRHEG found an even tougher opponent in Lake City, losing 65-9.

Ralph Roesler and senior Max Seltun were the only Panthers to notch a win in the dual. Roesler won in a 7-0 decision at 182 pounds, and Seltun won in a first-period fall at 195 pounds.

“Against Lake City, we were just outmatched,” Larson said. “Lake City is much older and more experienced than we are. They were good in almost every weight, and even though we wrestled more competitively in this dual, we found ourselves on the losing end of most matches. Ralph Roesler had a good night tonight, and won a very disciplined match against Lake City.”

The Panthers drop to 0-6 on the season and will be back on the mat Monday when they host the Buccaneers of WEM/JWP.

About Tyler Julson

Tyler Julson covers sports for the Albert Lea Tribune.

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