| Zack Burdick |
Carbon wrestling was off to a promising start after the first day of the state tournament at Utah Valley State College in Provo.
Seven Dino wrestlers had qualified for the tournament and six would be returning for the second day of matches.
Two wrestlers, Dallen McFarlane and Dustin Howa, had yet to lose a match and were still in contention for a state title.
But it was not to be.
McFarlane (145) and Howa (130) were both defeated in close matches, eliminating them from the championship match.
Despite the disappointment, both wrestlers secured a position in the consolation bracket and each took fourth place in their respective weight division.
Two other Carbon wrestlers made it to the third day of competition.
Brett Riche and Trent Greenhalgh overcame a loss on the first day of competition to wrestle on the final day for state placement.
Greenhalgh defeated Angleo Gallegos of Ogden to take third place in the 112 pound consolation match.
Riche was defeated by Carson Brown of Wasatch in the 140 pound bracket. Riche finished in sixth place.
Other Carbon wrestlers who qualified for the state tournament included Russell Scow and Tim Lasslo.
Courtney Ivory attended as an alternate for Carbon.
Coach Dave Smith said that although the losses were disappointing, he was very pleased with the performance of the wrestlers.
“Our kids really wrestled hard. Nobody went out for lack of effort,” he commented. “Every kid that qualified for the tournament won a match. I don’t think I’ve ever had a team before that has accomplished that.”