LATE TAKEDOWN — Blue Earth Area wrestler Luke Mertens (left) attempts a late takedown against New Ulm Area’s Jaden Drill during their heavyweight match Tuesday night in Blue Earth. Mertens earned the takedown to seal a 4-2 victory over Drill during the Big South dual meet. (Photo by Greg Abel)

BLUE EARTH — Nick Frank’s late pin sealed the dual-meet victory for the Bucs.

Class A No. 5-ranked Blue Earth Area beat New Ulm Area 45-33 in a Big South Conference wrestling dual Tuesday night in Blue Earth.

The meet was originally scheduled as a triangular, but out of an abundance of caution, United South Central backed out and did not compete.

The Bucs and Eagles went through the first dozen matches with 11 pins and a forfeit, with Frank delivering the final pin in the run.

Blue Earth Area led 36-30 entering the 195-pound matchup of the Class A No. 9-ranked Frank and New Ulm Area’s Caleb Arndt, but Arndt jumped ahead quickly.

Arndt took Frank to the mat 40 seconds into the matchup, then immediately turned Frank to his back for a three-point near fall. Frank escaped with 45 seconds left in the opening period and the pair battled to a stalemate until the end of the segment.

Arndt chose to start the second period in the down position and escaped 27 seconds in. Arndt then took Frank to the mat again with 1:16 left to go ahead 8-1 before Frank escaped with 25 seconds remaining.

As time in the second period ticked away, Frank earned his first takedown of the match with 6 seconds left and immediately put Arndt to his back, where Frank was able to pin him before the end of the period in a total time of 3:58.3.

“Nick Frank was in a tough spot, but he fought out of it,” BEA head coach Randy Wirtjes said. “He got thrown to his back, but he didn’t give up. He got out and whittled away until he got the pin. Nick is a guy that, he’s very mentally tough.”

The fall put BEA ahead 42-30 with only two matches remaining and 220-pounder Logan Johnson sealed the team win for the Bucs when the Eagles’ Julian Hernandez took a 3-0 decision.

Hernandez escaped from the down position in the second period, then forced a takedown as the second-period buzzer sounded to build his lead.

Johnson started the third period in the down position and resisted Hernandez’s attempts to turn Johnson to his back to put the score out of reach for the Eagles.

Luke Mertens finished the meet for the Bucs with a 4-2 decision over Jaden Drill during the heavyweight match.

Neither competitor earned control in the opening period, but Mertens forced a reversal out of the down starting position in the second period before Drill escaped control with 1:23 left in the middle segment.

Drill escaped the down starting position in the third period to tie the matchup, then with 30 seconds left, Mertens wrapped his arms around Drill’s back and worked to take him down.

As Mertens attempted to yank Drill to the mat, Drill continued standing until there was 1 second remaining in regulation, when Mertens was able to force him to the mat for a last-second decision.

“Mertens had a really nice win,” Wirtjes said. “From 138 on up, that’s where we are experienced and they pulled us through.”

Pins went back and forth through the lightweight matchups.

New Ulm Area’s Parker Kamm started the meet with a pin of BEA’s Cooper Peterson in 3:35.4 at 106 pounds, then Bucs’ 113-pounder Caleb Langager tied the meet with a pin of Kaden Wilson in 1:35.8.

The Eagles’ Logan Lee pinned 120-pound challenger Carson Sturtz in 3:54.1, then Winsten Nienhaus earned a win by fall for New Ulm Area in 58 seconds over Blair Lunz at 126 pounds.

Marquavian Haefner extended the Eagles’ early lead to 24-6 when he pinned Brody Anderson in 1:27.1 at 132 pounds, then BEA’s Ty Peterson broke the three-match Eagle run with a pin of Wyatt Pollard at 138.

Parker Meyers brought the Bucs within 24-18 when he used 3:29.2 to pin the Eagles’ Ryan Wiltscheck at 145.

Nick Nelson took the lone forfeit of the dual meet for the Bucs at 152 pounds, then Class A No. 2-ranked 170-pounder Max Ehrich gave the Bucs their first lead with a pin of Ty Frederick in 58 seconds during 160-pound action.

Kean Hicks kept the Bucs’ point run going with a pin of Aaron Kauffmann in 48 seconds at 170 pounds, putting the home team ahead 36-24.

Class AA No. 5-ranked 182-pounder Cole Ranweiler created the score of 36-30 going into Frank’s matchup with a pin of the Bucs’ Adam Schavey in 3:07.7.

“We were a little sluggish, but New Ulm wrestled pretty good,” Wirtjes said. “They exposed us where we were inexperienced. … They had some good wins in the low weights, that’s what we talked about, we’ve got to fight on the bottom, but our older guy’s experience really showed.”

Blue Earth Area (8-2) goes to Mankato West for a triangular at 6 p.m. Thursday against Mankato West and Albert Lea.

Blue Earth Area 45,

New Ulm Area 33

106: Parker Kamm (NUA) pinned Cooper Peterson, 3:35.4. 113: Caleb Langager (BEA) pinned Kaden Wilson, 1:35.8. 120: Logan Lee (NUA) pinned Carson Sturtz, 3:54.1. 126: Winsten Nienhaus (NUA) pinned Blair Lunz, 0:58. 132: Marquavian Haefner (NUA) pinned Brody Anderson, 1:27.1. 138: Ty Peterson (BEA) pinned Wyatt Pollard, 3:34.1. 145: Parker Meyers (BEA) pinned Ryan Wiltscheck, 3:29.2. 152: Nick Nelson (BEA) won by forfeit. 160: Max Ehrich (BEA) pinned Ty Frederick, 0:58. 170: Kean Hicks (BEA) pinned Aaron Kauffmann, 0:48. 182: Cole Ranweiler (NUA) pinned Adam Schavey, 3:07.7. 190: Nick Frank (BEA) pinned Caleb Arndt, 3:58.3. 220: Julian Hernandez (NUA) dec. Logan Johnson, 3-0. 285: Luke Mertens (BEA) dec. Jaden Drill, 4-2.

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Martin County 57, Medford 15 — The Class AA No. 3-ranked Red Bulls took five pins, three forfeits, a technical fall and a major decision to build a 42-point win over the Tigers during triangular action Tuesday in Madelia.

Rylan Cutler started the meet with a pin of Luis Lopez in 3:26 at 106, then 120-pounder Jesse Potts pinned Jack Meyer in 1:20. Aden Welcome pinned Kael Neumann in 1:18 at 138 before No. 3-ranked 138-pounder Lucas Jagodzinske forced George McCarthy’s shoulders to the mat in 1:07 at 145.

No. 2-ranked 145-pounder Connor Simmonds needed only 1:56 to end his 152-pound match with Garron Hoffman for the Red Bulls’ final pin of the meet.

Jaxson Rohman, the Red Bulls’ No. 1-ranked 126-pounder, needed only 3:20 to build a big enough lead for a technical fall against Alex Helgeson at 126 pounds.

No. 5-ranked 152-pounder Blake Jagodzinske earned a major decision with a 9-1 win over Tate Hermes at 160.

Tommy Elwood earned Medford’s first points of the day with a 6-4 decision over Cooper Steuber at 113 pounds and Josiah Hedensten took an 8-2 decision over Carver Rohman at 170. Dylan Heiderscheidt earned a 10-3 decision over Gage Cyphers at 182 pounds and Gavin Hermes earned the Tigers’ final points of the day with a pin in 1:29 against 285-pound opponent Alec Thompson.

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Martin County 84, Madelia/Truman/Martin Luther 0 — The Red Bulls built to the maximum score of 84 points against the host Jayhawks in their other dual Tuesday night.

Potts pinned Adam Rosengren in 23 seconds at 120 pounds, Jaxson Rohman pinned Ryan Koberoski in 19 seconds, Welcome pinned Jake Lehman in 1:23 and Lucas Jagodzinske pinned Gach Mar in 4:53.

Simmonds pinned Rayph Miller in 48 seconds and Blake Jagodzinske needed only 3:34 to finish his matchup with a pin of Logan Slater.

Cutler (106), Steuber (113), No. 8-ranked 132-pounder Kain Sanders (132), Carver Rohman (170), Cyphers (182), Wyatt Williamson (195), Max Olson (220) and Thompson (285) all took forfeits.

The Red Bulls (11-1) travel to St. James on Thursday to face the host Saints and Red Rock Central in a 5 p.m. triangular.