MAPLE PARK – Not only did Kaneland wrestling fans watch the Knights win their first Northern Illinois Big 12 East conference meet of the season Thursday, but they saw the competition sitting on padded auditorium seats instead of hard wooden bleachers.

The coaching staff decided the team should try a different venue from the Knights’ wrestling room to the school’s auditorium for senior night. The change of scenery and a fired up group of seniors led the Knights to a 43-15 conference win against Rochelle.

The Knights (12-13, 1-3 NI Big 12) dropped only one match by decision. The team took three contests by falls and the remaining ones by decision. Kaneland needed all three periods to win two contests and an extra period to take another two.