Evanston’s three man state team fell in the first round this past weekend in Champaign, ending a grueling season that the Kits hoped would end in glory.

Seniors James Marshall-Davis and Zach Warhus finished their ETHS wrestling careers with disappointing defeats in the first round of state competition. Marshall-Davis discovered on the bus ride down to the tournament that he would be unable to compete due to severe knee injuries, and unfortunately Warhus was against the odds with a tough opponent from Marmion Catholic.

The team’s third representative, junior David Rivera-Kohr, lost his first match 6-2 against a wrestler from St. Rita, and lost a heartbreaker in his wrestle-back. In a last second attempt to salvage his season, Rivera-Kohr’s opponent caught him off guard and pinned him down to win the match.

Although the results were far from what the team expected, each wrestler knew that their months of hard work and preparation could end at any given moment this past weekend. Whether it be getting a tough match up or suffering a sudden injury, wrestling is a sport where results can be unfair for the amount of work that each individual puts in.

Despite his season ending in disappointment, Rivera-Kohr knows that preparation for next season starts today and he can lead a younger group of wrestlers that ETHS has to even greater heights next year.