Petsinger tops the 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 in a 120-pound title match that involved some third-period heroics.

After trailing, 4-2 in the third, 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.

While Petsinger did not secure the pin in the finals, she did manage to pin both her quarterfinal and semifinal opponents.

When all was said and done, and the bright lights of the state tournament shone down on her as the 120-pound champ, Petsinger took time to reflect on her storybook day.

“I’ve wanted to win state since I was little. I didn’t think it was going to happen when I was a little three-year-old watching the tournament, but here we are,” she said with a smile.

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

With the win, she became Larson’s first-ever state title winner across both boys and girls wrestling.

“I just wanted it so badly for her. It was a fantastic win and I just hope her accomplishments inspire more girls to come in and give the sport a try,” said Larson.