TILTING — Martin County Red Bulls wrestler Jesse Potts (right) tilts Morris Area/Hancock Area/Chokio-Alberta opponent Andrew Marty before turning him to his back for a first-period fall during 120-pound action Saturday at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — “Our guys needed some good competition, and we definitely found it today,” Martin County head wrestling coach Adam Williamson said in reference to his Class AA No. 3-ranked Red Bulls’ triangular against the Class AA No. 2-ranked Kasson-Mantorville Komets and the Morris Area/Hancock Area/Chokio-Alberta (MAHACA) Tigers on Saturday in Fairmont.

The Red Bulls opened the double-dual competition by recording six falls to help pace a 51-21 non-league triumph over MAHACA at Cardinal Gym before experiencing their first loss of the season — a down-to-the-wire 36-33 decision to Kasson-Mantorville.

“It was a tale of two halves of the dual,” Williamson said in reference to the Red Bulls’ clash with the Komets. “They had too much (varsity) experience on us in the upper weights, and it didn’t help that we were missing (195-pounder) Max (Olson) again today.

“I’ll take a three-point loss to the No. 2 team in (Class) AA any day over getting a win by wrestling against an opponent that only has a partial lineup.”

Freshman Rylan Cutler produced an incredible turnaround during his 106-pound match against the Komets’ Luke Swanson to stake the Red Bulls to a quick 6-0 lead.

Swanson built a 7-1 first-period edge over Cutler, led 9-2 after two frames and opted for the down position to open the third. Cutler, however, put Swanson on his back and earned the slap of the canvas with just 20 seconds left in regulation.

“Cutty (Cutler) gave us the early momentum by turning what looked like an apparent three- or four-point loss into a pin and six points in our favor,” said Williamson.

Cooper Steuber then eked out a 1-0 decision over Sam Graunke at 113 for the Red Bulls before Jesse Potts needed only 59 seconds to press Kody Fleck’s shoulders to the mat at 120 for a 15-0 team lead.

No. 1-ranked 126-pounder Jaxson Rohman, who coasted to a 13-3 major decision over No. 3-ranked Ethan Lebrija of MAHACA earlier Saturday, added six more points to the Red Bulls’ ledger by building an 11-2 lead before sticking the Komets’ Joseph Kennedy in 2:41.

No. 8-ranked 132-pounder Kain Sanders utilized four takedowns to pace an eventual 9-3 win over Dominic Mann for Martin County before Aden Welcome narrowly missed a major decision at 138. Welcome posted a 7-1 victory over Henry Paulson to widen the Red Bulls’ margin to 27-0.

No. 1-ranked 145-pounder Logan Vaughan of the Komets and No. 3-ranked 138-pounder Lucas Jagodzinske of the Red Bulls then matched each other point-for-point through the first 5 minutes of their clash of titans at 145.

Jagodzinske’s reversal to open the third period knotted the score at 5-all, but Vaughan later recorded an escape, a takedown and a three-point near-fall to exit the canvas with an 11-5 win.

No. 2-ranked 145-pounder Connor Simmonds then bumped up to 152 and delivered a fall in 1:08 over Tyler Paulson to extend the Red Bulls’ lead to 33-3.

Unfortunately for the Red Bulls, the Komets reeled off winning decisions in the final six matches, including five by pin, capped by No. 4-ranked heavyweight Anthony Moe Tucker’s meet-clinching fall in 1:34.

No. 4-ranked 160-pounder Cole Glazier of the Komets outlasted No. 4-ranked 152-pounder Blake Jagodzinske in a 160-pound good-to-the-final-seconds clash by a 5-2 decision to trigger the No. 2-ranked lineup’s avalanche of points.

No. 5-ranked 170-pounder Kail Wynia earned a fall in 3:18, unranked Eli Richardson netted a pin in 1:46 at 182 before No. 1-ranked Bennett Berge and No. 5-ranked 195-pounder Jackson Kennedy each wrestle up a weight class to record respective falls in 28 and 33 seconds.

Potts (120), Welcome (138), Simmonds, Blake Jagodzinske (152), Carver Rohman (170) and heavyweight Alec Thompson each earned falls to highlight the Red Bulls’ 30-point margin of victory over MAHACA earlier Saturday.

Lucas Jagodzinske contributed a 23-8 technical fall at 145, while Rohman delivered a 13-3 major decision at 126 to pack scoring punch for Martin County against the Tigers.

Kasson-Mantorville defeated MAHACA, 54-22, in the middle dual meet of the triangular.

The Red Bulls (9-1) travel to Madelia on Tuesday for a triangular against Madelia/ Truman/Martin Luther and Medford starting at 5 p.m.

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Martin County 51,

MAHACA 21

106: Tyce Anderson (MAHACA) dec. Rylan Cutler, 8-5. 113: Dallas Walton (MAHACA) dec. Cooper Steuber, 7-5. 120: Jesse Potts (MC) pinned Andrew Marty, 1:03. 126: Jaxson Rohman (MC) major dec. Ethan Lebrija, 13-3. 132: Davin Rose (MAHACA) dec. Kain Sanders, 3-0. 138: Aden Welcome (MC) pinned Breighton Logan, 2:41. 145: Lucas Jagodzinske (MC) tech. fall Caden Rose, 23-8. 152: Connor Simmonds (MC) pinned Dain Schroeder, 1:17. 160: Joseph Forsberg (MC) won by forfeit. 170: Blake Jagodzinske (MC) pinned Hunter Messner, 1:31. 182: Carver Rohman (MC) pinned Toby Messner, 3:33. 195: Hunter Gibson (MAHACA) pinned Wyatt Williamson, 0:27. 220: Brock Marty (MAHACA) pinned Tristan Peterson, 0:26. 285: Alec Thompson (MC) pinned Carter Gibson, 1:31.

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Kasson-Mantorville 36,

Martin County 33

106: Rylan Cutler (MC) pinned Luke Swanson, 5:40. 113: Cooper Steuber (MC) dec. Sam Graunke, 1-0. 120: Jesse Potts (MC) pinned Kody Fleck, 0:59. 126: Jaxson Rohman (MC) pinned Joseph Kennedy, 2:41. 132: Kain Sanders (MC) dec. Dominic Mann, 9-3. 138: Aden Welcome (MC) dec. Henry Paulson, 7-1. 145: Logan Vaughan (KM) dec. Lucas Jagodzinske, 11-5. 152: Connor Simmonds (MC) pinned Tyler Paulson, 1:08. 160: Cole Glazier (KM) dec. Blake Jagodzinske, 5-2. 170: Kail Wynia (KM) pinned Carver Rohman, 3:18. 182: Eli Richardson (KM) pinned Gage Cyphers, 1:46. 195: Bennett Berge (KM) pinned Wyatt Williamson, 0:28. 220: Jackson Kennedy (KM) pinned Tristan Peterson, 0:33. 285: Anthony Moe Tucker (KM) pinned Alec Thompson, 1:34.

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Kasson-Mantorville 54,

MAHACA 22