BARRING THE ARM — Martin County Red Bulls wrestler Cooper Steuber (top) bars the arm of Maple River/United South Central opponent Chad Shull during their 152-pound match on Tuesday night at Cardinal Gym in Fairmont. Steuber went on to produce a fall in 3:24. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Even though Martin County has not been able to fill out a complete lineup with healthy wrestlers to this juncture of the season, the Class AA No. 7-ranked Red Bulls keep piling up the victories.

Tuesday night’s triangular at Cardinal Gym was no exception as the Red Bulls flattened the St. James Area Saints by a 72-9 avalanche before fending off the Maple River/United South Central Longhorns by a 48-33 decision in Fairmont.

“We’ve got sick kids, banged-up kids, kids still recovering from injuries,” said Martin County head coach Adam Williamson, “but as a team, you have to battle through the adversity.

“We inserted some new faces in seventh-grader Kaedin Lange and senior Riley Cole — who just came back to the sport — into the lineup tonight, and they stepped up and earned their first varsity wins.”

Lange generated one of the Red Bulls’ seven falls against St. James Area, while Cole rallied to earn a pivotal pin to trigger Martin County’s four-match string of wins in a hard-fought win over the Longhorns.

Pierce Rohman and Torrey Paplow staked the Red Bulls to a quick 12-0 lead over the Longhorns by recording back-to-back falls at 106 and 113 pounds, respectively.

Rohman built leads of 9-2 and 14-3 over Noah Gonzalez through the first two periods of their opening clash before the Red Bulls’ eighth-grade phenom pinned the Longhorns’ eighth-grade rival in 5:16.

Paplow needed only 1:14 to earn the slap of the canvas over Maple River/USC’s Eric Ridler at 113. Paplow shot for the quick takedown off the whistle and put Ridler on his shoulders with 46 seconds showing on the scoreboard.

Wyatt Walters countered for the Longhorns by pinning Lange in just the Red Bull seventh-grader’s second varsity contest right at the end of the first period in 120-pound action.

Isaiah Gonzalez then posted a 12-5 win over Martin County’s Maddex Faber, who was wrestling up two weights from his usual spot, at 126 before Maple River/USC’s Kolt Bullerman received a forfeit at 132 to put the Red Bulls behind 15-12.

Trailing 6-0 in the second period of his 138-pound bout, Cole delivered the ultimate reversal of fortune with a reversal. Cole then pinned Braxton Simon in 3:03 to regain an 18-15 lead for the Red Bulls on the team ledger.

“He (Cole) really came up with a momentum-changing win for us, and the middle of our lineup followed suit to nearly put the dual meet out of reach,” said Williamson.

Aden Welcome coasted to a 13-0 lead over Garrett Bollmann during 145-pound action through two periods before the Red Bull senior earned the slap of the mat in 5:15 to extend the home team’s lead to 24-15.

Cooper Steuber, who received a forfeit in his first match back earlier against St. James Area, then displayed his prowess before spending the first part of the wrestling season on the DL. Steuber, who broke his hand in football, built a 7-1 lead over Chad Shull at 152 pounds before earning the fall in 3:24.

No. 5-ranked 160-pounder Carver Rohman then needed a mere 52 seconds to flatten the Longhorns’ Gavin Bird to widen the Red Bulls’ team lead to 26-15.

Maple River/USC’s Byron Getchell answered in kind with a 52-second fall over Ty Kolbe at 170 only to watch as Martin County’s Gage Cyphers earned a fall over Tyler Hollerich in 2:59 in 182-pound action.

Class A No. 4-ranked 182-pounder Cooper Ochsendorf moved to 195 and pinned the Red Bulls’ Riley Allen in 1:27 before Longhorns’ teammate Dizel Butler netted a fall in 3:28 over Colby Schwichtenberg at 220.

Class AA No. 2-ranked heavyweight Max Olson received a forfeit at 285 to cap the Red Bulls’ 15-point margin of victory.

Olson spent only 18 seconds on the mat in disposing of St. James Area’s Willie Curry during heavyweight action earlier to polish off Martin County’s string of seven falls.

The Red Bulls combined their pins with five received forfeits to collect nothing but six-point decisions en route to the rout over the Saints.

Pierce Rohman took a forfeit at 106 before Paplow needed only 26 seconds to press Keyan Roloff’s shoulders to the canvas at 113.

Lange kept the points rolling higher on the home side of the scoreboard by pinning Eva Romsdahl in 3:18 at 120 before Faber and No. 7-ranked Rylan Cutler received back-to-back forfeits en route to a 30-0 edge.

Kollin Anderson ended the Saints’ scoreless streak by earning a 9-3 decision over Cole at 138 pounds before Welcome countered with a fall in 5:37 over Levi Miest at 145.

Steuber received a forfeit at 152, Carver Rohman required just 1:21 to flatten Hayden Davis at 160 and Taylor Austin took a forfeit at 170 for the Red Bulls.

Cyphers disposed of Peyton Wolner in 1:03 during 182-pound action before Martin County’s Riley Allen earned the slap of the mat over Jarrett Durheim in 2:55 at 195.

Julio Esqueda produced the Saints’ second win of the dual meet by pinning Colby Schwichtenberg in 2:27 during 220-pound action.

The Red Bulls (3-0) are idle until facing Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Area and Le Sueur-Henderson on Thursday, Jan. 5, in a triangular in Nicollet.