The Maple River/United South Central Longhorns embarked on their wrestling season with a bang, hosting a triangular meet in Wells on Thursday night, December 5. This event not only marked the start of their journey but also introduced the new scoring rules that came into effect this season. Takedowns now carry three points, while near-falls can range from two to four points.

MR/USC vs NRHEG: A Dominant Display

In the opening contest, the Longhorns showed their mettle by downing the Panthers 46-18. Austin Niebuhr scored an 18-3 technical fall over Owen Schlaak at 107 pounds, putting the Longhorns in the lead 5-0. Alex Walser followed suit with a 16-2 technical fall over Grahm Jacobson at 114 pounds, increasing the lead to 10-0. Riley Sparks then secured a 7-1 decision over Charlie Tufte at 121 pounds, giving the home team a 13-0 advantage. Noah Gonzalez built a 14-1 lead over Dakota Schlaak at 127 pounds before pinning him at 2:22, extending the lead to 19-0. Jace Ignazewski received a forfeit at 133 pounds, boosting the lead to 25-0. Waylon Simon pinned Chase Johannsen in 1:10 at 145 pounds, making it 31-0. Wyatt Walters built a 13-2 lead over Khaiden Madson and pinned him at 2:22, further increasing the lead to 37-0. Isaiah Gonzalez pinned Logan Schiell at 152 pounds, making the score 43-0. NRHEG's Aidan Schlaak finally got the Panthers their first victory by pinning Brayden Mithun in 1:48 at 160 pounds, making the score 43-6. The Panthers then won another match when Harbor Cromwell earned a 10-3 decision over Kolt Bullerman at 172 pounds. With MR/USC forfeiting the 189-pound match to Ryan Schlaak, NRHEG picked up six more points to make the score 43-15. Cole Hutchens won a 7-1 decision over Max Fuller at 215 pounds, cutting the Longhorns' lead to 43-18. Dizel Butler and Jace Ihrke battled to a 0-0 tie through two periods, but Butler scored an escape and a takedown in the final period for a 4-0 decision, making the final score 46-18.

Martin County vs MR/USC: A Comeback Story

The Martin County Red Bulls faced an initial 24-0 deficit but managed to rally and defeat the MR/USC Longhorns 36-28. Austin Niebuhr and Alex Walser each received forfeits at 107 and 114 pounds respectively, giving the Longhorns a 12-0 lead. Riley Sparks pinned Adam Denson at 121 pounds and Noah Gonzalez won by forfeit at 127 pounds, putting MR/USC in front 24-0. Pierce Rohman then scored a 17-0 technical fall over Jace Ignazewski at 133 pounds, followed by Brock Stauffer's 9-3 decision over Waylon Simon at 139 pounds, reducing MR/USC's lead to 24-8. Torrey Paplow secured an 18-4 technical fall over Wyatt Walters at 145 pounds, making the score 24-13 in favor of the home team. Isaiah Gonzalez won a 14-6 major decision over Kaedin Lange at 152 pounds, extending the Longhorns' lead to 28-13. However, the Red Bulls won three consecutive matches to reduce the Longhorns' lead to 28-27. Maddex Faber won by a 19-4 technical fall over Brayden Mithun at 160 pounds. Ty Kolbe received a forfeit at 172 pounds and Aaron Becker scored a 9-2 decision over Kolt Bullerman at 189 pounds. Hunter Johnson won the 215-pound match by an 8-5 decision over Max Fuller, giving the Red Bulls their first lead of the night at 30-28. DJ Miller then pinned Dizel Butler in 1:15 to secure the victory for Martin County and give them six more points, making the final score 36-28.