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No. 9 Red Bulls wrestlers nip St. Peter by 1

LEVERAGE — Martin County Red Bull wrestler Maddex Faber (top) utilizes his leverage to tilt St. Peter opponent Brock Guth to his back for near-fall points during Thursday night’s Big South Conference dual meet’s 106-pound match at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. Faber went on to post a 15-1 major decision. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

FAIRMONT — Class AA No. 6-ranked 220-pounder Max Olson gives Martin County head wrestling coach Adam Williamson incredible flexibility in the upper weights.

Trailing 31-26 on the heels of five consecutive St. Peter victories from 160 to 220 pounds, Olson stepped to the Cardinal Gym canvas at heavyweight and needed only 12 seconds to help the No. 9-ranked Red Bulls fend off the Saints, 32-31, during a Big South Conference clash Thursday night.

“It helps to have a guy at the end of the lineup who can slam the door on opponents,” Adam Williamson said in reference to Olson’s dual meet-clinching fall at 285. “We (coaching staff) said before the meet that if the score’s close down the stretch, we’d flip-flop Max and Alec (Thompson) at the last two spots.”

Seventh-grader Maddex Faber, who tipped the other end of the scales at 106, stampeded the Red Bulls out of the starting gate by amassing a 15-1 major decision over Brock Guth, but the Saints would counter to set the tone for a tug-of-war on the scoreboard.

St. Peter mentor Keith Hanson shifted Charlie Born from 120 to 113 and netted the first of the Saints’ three falls to swing a 6-4 lead to the visitors. Born pinned freshman Berent Kosbab in 2:53.

Rylan Cutler, however, answered with a pin of Deontre Torres in 3:01 during 120-pound action to regain a four-point margin for the Red Bulls at 10-6.

“They were a lot of toss-up swing matches tonight. Some we got, some they got,” said Adam Williamson. “You have to give St. Peter credit for getting some of the matchups they wanted.”

The Saints gave a forfeit to No. 9-ranked 132-pounder Jesse Potts at the 126-pound spot in the lineup as the Red Bulls led 16-6.

Evan Walter then eked out a 2-0 decision via a third-period reversal against Martin County’s Cooper Steuber at 132 in a defensive-oriented clash to narrow St. Peter’s gap to 16-9.

Taylor Austin then turned the tables on St. Peter’s Nakiye Mercado during action at 138, squeezing out a 3-1 victory on the strength of a reversal with 20 seconds remaining in the third period. Austin’s decision restored a 10-point lead for the Red Bulls at 19-9.

“In close duals like this one, there’s always one nice surprise for coaches and tonight it was Taylor Austin,” said Adam Williamson. “He lost to Mercado earlier in the season, but he did a nice job of turning that around in his favor tonight to earn three big team points for us. That was pivotal.”

No. 10-ranked 145-pounder Kain Sanders built leads of 4-0 and 6-1 after the respective first two periods before earning a 10-2 major decision for the Red Bulls over Taylen Travaille to extend the home team’s margin to 23-9.

Martin County’s Aden Welcome widened the point differential a little more by posting a 7-1 triumph over Harold Born during 152-pound action to create a 17-point advantage, but St. Peter would rally down the stretch.

The Saints’ Brogan Hanson used a late third-period takedown to help fuel a narrow 5-3 win over No. 9-ranked 160-pounder Carver Rohman before St. Peter’s No. 6-ranked 182-pounder Kole Guth dropped to 170 to earn a fall in just 59 seconds over Gage Cyphers.

Trailing 26-18 on the team ledger, Cole Filand pinned Riley Allen in 1:10 at 182 to inch St. Peter within 26-24 on the scoreboard with three matches remaining.

Leighton Robb then swung a 28-26 lead to the Saints by downing Wyatt Williamson on the strength of an 18-5 major decision at 195 before St. Peter teammate Oziel Hidalgo edged Alec Thompson in 220-pound action, 6-4. Thompson normally wrestles ‘up’ in the heavyweight bracket.

St. Peter’s usual heavyweight Connor Travaille did not wrestle due to an injury, therefore leaving Olson to face sophomore Jose Romero in the decisive 285-pound bout. Olson pinned Romero in just 12 seconds to transform a five-point deficit into a one-point win.

The Martin County Red Bulls (8-0) will grapple three dual meets at the Plum Creek Invitational in Tracy, starting at 4 p.m. today.

St. Peter (8-3) hits the road to New Ulm on Tuesday for another conference dual meet.

Varsity Meet Results

Martin County 32,

St. Peter 31

106: Maddex Faber (MC) major dec. Brock Guth, 15-1.

113: Charlie Born (SP) pinned Berent Kosbab, 2:53.

120: Rylan Cutler (MC) pinned Deontre Torres, 3:01.

126: Jesse Potts (MC) won by forfeit.

132: Evan Walter (SP) dec. Cooper Steuber, 2-0.

138: Taylor Austin (MC) dec. Nakiye Mercado, 3-1.

145: Kain Sanders (MC) major dec. Taylen Travaille, 10-2.

152: Aden Welcome (MC) dec. Harold Born, 7-1.

160: Brogan Hanson (SP) dec. Carver Rohman, 5-3.

170: Kole Guth (SP) pinned Gage Cyphers, 0:59.

182: Cole Filand (SP) pinned Riley Allen, 1:10.

195: Leighton Robb (SP) major dec. Wyatt Williamson, 18-5.

220: Oziel Hidalgo (SP) dec. Alec Thompson, 6-4.

285: Max Olson (MC) pinned Jose Romero, 0:12.

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