Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The NRHEG wrestling program traveled to Blue Earth Saturday for the Section 2A individual tournament to determine who would earn a spot at the state tournament this weekend. 

Four Panthers, including sophomore Ryan Schlaak who finished as section champion, punched their tickets to the state tournament. Other qualifiers include seventh grader Grahm Jacobson, and seniors Harbor Cromwell and Cole Hutchens. 

Schlaak was the lone panther to win his weight class, going 2-0 at 172 pounds. He dominated in both of his matches, winning via a first-period pinfall in the semifinals before taking down WEM-JWP’s Maddox Moreno in a 17-0 technical fall. 

Jacobson went 3-1 at 107 pounds, with his only loss coming in the finals against the No. 56 ranked wrestler in the class. He won via pinfall in both the quarterfinals and semifinals before falling victim to a pinfall himself in the finals. In the wrestleback, Jacobson got back to his winning ways, recording his third pinfall win of the day and stamping a second-place finish. 

Cromwell also went 3-1 on the day, earning two technical falls in the first two rounds at 160 pounds. Leading up to his finals match, Cromwell outscored his first two opponents 33-1. He met No. 9-ranked Chase Bade of St. Clair/Mankato Loyola in the finals where he lost a 14-7 decision. He continued his high scoring in the second-place match, however, winning in another technical fall 21-6. 

NRHEG’s final qualifier, Hutchens at 215 pounds, won in close matchups leading up to the finals. He won his quarterfinal match in a 7-2 decision before winning his semifinal by decision in overtime. In the finals Hutchens lost a 6-1 decision to WEM-JWP’s Avery Fall. He claimed second place after no wrestleback was needed. 

Seven other Panthers competed at the tournament but came up just short of qualifying, those wrestlers included Charles Tufte (fourth, 114 pounds); Dakota Schlaak (seventh, 121 pounds); Chase Johannsen (sixth, 133 pounds); Khaiden Madson (fifth, 139 pounds); Logan Schiell (fifth, 145 pounds); Noah Weller (seventh, 152 pounds); and Wyatt Larson (third, 189 pounds). 

Jacobson, Schlaak, Cromwell and Hutchens will get started at the state tournament Friday morning at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.