BLUE EARTH — The Class A No. 12-ranked Blue Earth Area Bucs captured three individual wrestling championships to earn runner-up team honors to unranked Class AAA program Brainerd at the Maher Invitational on Saturday in Blue Earth.

While Brainerd fended off host Blue Earth Area, 191-176, the Class AA No. 12-ranked Fairmont/Martin County West Red Bulls battled Lake Mills and Maple River in a down-to-the-wire competition for third-place accolades.

Despite Jaxson Rohman, Payton Anderson and Collin Steuber earning three individual gold medals, the Red Bulls finished in fifth place with 154 team points, while Lake Mills (170 1/2) and Maple River (162) claimed third and fourth, respectively, out of the nine-team tournament field.

Class A No. 4-ranked 152-pounder Zach Buseman produced one of the hometown Bucs’ three gold medals by compiling a 3-0 record in his weight division.

Buseman pinned Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther’s William Castro in 1:02 during first-round action, earned the slap of the canvas over the Red Bulls’ Nathan Simmonds in 3:15 in their semifinal clash before posting a 12-1 major decision over Maple River’s Nathan Moore in the finals.

Wyatt Tungland pocketed the 170-pound invite crown for Blue Earth Area by needing only 37 seconds to pin Brainerd’s Tyler Wgeishofski in opening-round action, tallied a 15-0 technical fall over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton opponent Shae Wheelock in the semifinals, and capped his 3-0 record with a 15-0 technical fall over Maple River’s Dustyn Schmidt in the finals.

Bucs’ heavyweight Trevor Oppedal closed out the all-day competition by striking gold via a 2-0 record. After receiving a first-round bye, Oppedal pinned United South Central’s Ethan Morales in 1:19 during the semifinals.

Oppedal then pinned Maple River’s Connor Thorn in 2:17 to win the individual title.

Class A No. 6-ranked 145-pounder Cole Klinkner pocketed a fall and an overtime decision en route to a 2-1 mark and second-place showing in his weight division for the Bucs. Class AAA No. 4-ranked 145-pounder Andy Schlosser pinned Klinkner in the finals.

Caden Ochsendorf (120), Dalton Nagel (138) and Jordan Huse (220) each contributed third-place showings for Blue Earth Area.

Class A No. 4-ranked 220-pounder Jared Armon of Blue Earth Area suffered a first-round injury in the 195-pound bracket and was forced to default both of his matches.

In the 106-pound bracket, Rohman, who holds the No. 4 spot in the Class AA state rankings, followed his first-round bye with a fall in 1:49 over Mankato East’s Chase Groh during semifinal action.

The Red Bulls’ eighth-grade phenom then rolled to a textbook 13-4 major decision over Lake Mills’ Caiden Jones to earn the gold medal at 106.

Payton Anderson compiled a 3-0 mark during 132-pound action to earn a gold medal for the Red Bulls. Anderson opened with a 9-3 decision over WEM/JWP’s Adam Rients before netting a 9-1 major decision over Brainerd’s Brad Patnode in the semifinals.

Anderson merited the top spot on the medals podium by outdueling Mankato East’s Sheng Haley in the 132-pound finals with a 3-0 decision.

Class AA No. 9-ranked 152-pounder Collin Steuber generated a 3-0 record at 160 to exit Blue Earth with a gold medal for the Red Bulls.

Steuber pinned WEM/JWP’s Jayden Taylor in opening-round action in 1:52, earned a fall in 3:45 over Blue Earth Area’s Roger Ziegler in the semifinals, and pinned his way to the championship by taking the slap of the canvas in 4:55 over Lake Mills’ Michael Olsen.

Class AA No. 8-ranked 120-pounder Jordan Wolter of the Red Bulls produced a 33-second fall and an 8-0 major decision before losing a 6-2 decision to Brainerd’s Cole Kubesh in the 126-pound finals. Kubesh is ranked No. 4 at 126 pounds in the Class AAA poll.

Mario Maldonado (145) and Nathan Simmonds (152) contributed third-place showings for the Red Bulls’ solid team performance.

Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther 182-pounder Jordan Osborne pinned his way to a fifth-place finish. Osborne rallied from a first-round loss to post two falls bookended around a consolation defeat.

The Red Bulls travel to New Ulm on Tuesday for a triangular with the host Eagles and Waseca.

Blue Earth Area returns to the mats by hitting the road to Lake Mills, Iowa, on Thursday for a triangular with the host Bulldogs and Maple Valley.

Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther plays host to the Red Bulls, Redwood Valley and St. Clair/Mankato Loyola on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Madelia.

2016 Maher Invite

At Blue Earth Area H.S.

Team Standings: 1. Brainerd 191; 2. Blue Earth Area 176; 3. Lake Mills 170 1/2; 4. Maple River 162; 5. Fairmont/Martin County West 154; 6. Mankato East 99 1/2; 7. WEM/JWP 95; 8. United South Central 52; 9. Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther 10.

Individual Results

106: Championship: Jaxson Rohman (FHS/MCW) major dec. Caiden Jones (LM) 13-4. 3rd Place: Cole Ostrowski (BRA) dec. Chase Groh (ME) 4-0. 5th Place: Davis Sunken (BEA) major dec. Ethan Evenson (MR) 12-1.

113: Championship: Chad Orsburn (BRA) dec. Blake Legred (USC) 9-2. 3rd: Tyler Helgeson (LM) dec. Max Ehrich (BEA) 10-3. 5th: Trevor Pearson (MR) major dec. Braeden Hendel (ME) 17-5.

120: Championship: Noah Parish (ME) dec. Kyle Patnode (BRA) 2-1. 3rd: Caden Ochsendorf (BEA) dec. Kyle Beery (LM) 8-4. 5th: Reise Hanson (MR) pinned Blake Jagodzinske (FHS/MCW) 1:03.

126: Championship: Cole Kubesh (BRA) dec. Jordan Wolter (FHS/MCW) 6-2. 3rd: Nick Baier (ME) pinned Alex Martinson (LM) 3:49. 5th: Koby Nagel (BEA) dec. Micah Hamson (USC) 7-4.

132: Championship: Payton Anderson (FHS/MCW) dec. Sheng Haley (ME) 3-0. 3rd: Brad Patnode (BRA) dec. Adam Rients (WEM/JWP) 6-5. 5th: Dillon Schmidt (MR) won by injury default over Gavin Sonnek (USC).

138: Championship: Braydon Johnson (WEM/JWP) dec. Braden Kramer (BRA) 4-3 in 3 OTs. 3rd: Dalton Nagel (BEA) dec. Paul Hampton (ME) 6-0. 5th: Christian Hugget (FHS/MCW) dec. Wyatt Simon (MR) 10-5.

145: Championship: Andy Schlosser (BRA) pinned Cole Klinkner (BEA) 1:19. 3rd: Mario Maldonado (FHS/MCW) dec. Lincoln Arndt (MR) 3-2. 5th: Keenan Biddle (USC) dec. Kolin Baier (ME) 10-6.

152: Championship: Zach Buseman (BEA) major dec. Nathan Moore (MR) 12-1. 3rd: Nathan Simmonds (FHS/MCW) pinned Hunter Johnson (USC), 1:29. 5th: Max Boran (BRA) dec. Luke Borneke (WEM/JWP) 11-6.

160: Championship: Collin Steuber (FHS/MCW) pinned Michael Olsen (LM) 4:55. 3rd: Jared Moore (MR) dec. Chance Miller (BRA) 12-10 in OT. 5th: Roger Ziegler (BEA) dec. Jayden Taylor (WEM/JWP) 5-3.

170: Championship: Wyatt Tungland (BEA) tech. fall Dustyn Schmidt (MR) 15-0. 3rd: Cole Bergo (LM) major dec. Shae Wheelock (WEM/JWP) 14-6. 5th: Parker Anderson (FHS/MCW) pinned Tyler Wgeishofski (BRA) 3:54.

182: Championship: Noah Decker (MR) dec. Gabe Irons (LM) 2-1. 3rd: Gage Eastwood (WEM/JWP) pinned Morgan Gibson (BRA) 1:53. 5th: Jordan Osborne (MTML) pinned Isaac Martinez (BEA) 1:59.

195: Championship: Slade Sifuentes (LM) dec. Will Storch (WEM/JWP) 8-3. 3rd: Logan Theodore (BRA) pinned Dom Ortiz (FHS/MCW) 0:36. 5th: Jared Armon (BEA) won by a bye.

220: Championship: Max Johnson (LM) pinned Ethan Caven (MR) 5:40. 3rd: Jordan Huse (BEA) won by injury default over Luther Marc (ME). 5th: Donald Carlson (WEM/JWP) won by a bye.

285: Championship: Trevor Oppedal (BEA) pinned Connor Thorn (MR) 2:17. 3rd: Brett Tyler (LM) pinned Ethan Morales (USC) 2:46. 5th: Theo Krumholz (FHS/MCW) won by a bye.