Petsinger tops state podium

NRHEG’s Annabelle Petsinger made school history this weekend by becoming the Panthers’ first-ever girls' wrestling state champion.

Petinsger was dominant from start to finish across her two days at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and capped her tournament with a 10-4 decision win over Stillwater Area’s Audrey Rogotzke that involved some late-match heroics.

After trailing, 4-2 in the third period, Petsinger managed to score a takedown to tie the match before earning two, three-point near falls to close out the match at 10-4.

“I felt the pressure going and I just tried to roll with it. Then, I just tried to get her on her back as soon as possible and try to finish the match… because if you pin her, you win,” said Petsinger with a laugh.

Petsinger’s win was not only a special one for the NRHEG junior, but also for her head coach, Shawn Larson.

With the win, Petsinger became Larson’s first-ever state title winner.

Also placing high atop the podiums at the state tournament were Cael Robb, Makota Misgen, Tate Hermes, Aliah Fischer and Bo Zwiener.

Owatonna’s Robb took second place after making it to the finals and suffering a 13-3 major decision against undefeated Lakeville North wrestler Zach Hanson.

Coming in third place were NRHEG’s Misgen and Medford’s Hermes.

Both wrestlers took losses early on day two, but rebounded well to win their last two matches and claim third place.

Rounding out the day for Steele County competitors were Fischer and Zwiener, who took fifth and sixth place respectively.

Owatonna’s Fischer got her podium finish in the girls’ 138-pound bracket, and Westfield’s Zwiener competed at 132.

The end of the individual tournament marked the official end of the 2022-23 wrestling season.