Rockbridge County High School senior wrestlers Markus Nelson and Graham Niebur both went 0-2 at the Class 3 state tournament on Friday at the Salem Civic Center.
Nelson, competing at 157-pounds and making his second state tournament appearance, was pinned by Christiansburg’s Zack Hudson in the first round in 1:09. In the first round of the consolation bracket, Nelson lost in a 10-0 decision to Culpeper County’s Arturo Alvarez.
Niebur, making his state tournament debut at 138, battled hard against Petersburg’s Nasir Goode in the first round, but Goode prevailed in a 16-14 decision. In the first round of the consolation bracket, Niebur was pinned by Fauquier’s Zach Marshall in 2:32.
The Wildcats did not score any points. Skyline was the winning team, defending its title with 211.5 points. New Kent placed second of 50 teams, tallying 143.3 points, while Staunton River (125) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Christiansburg (105) and Culpeper County (97.5).
The Wildcats, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mike Wood, were a young team this season and will graduate just three seniors: Nelson, Niebur and Carlos Reynolds (113-pounds).
The future looks bright for the Wildcats, who had two juniors, 10 sophomores and seven freshmen.
