The Patrick County High School wrestling team met some of the toughest competition in the state when they traveled to Christiansburg for the Conference 32 Tournament.

The Cougars finished sixth behind 15-time sta

te champions Christiansburg and second place Cave Spring.

“We knew going in that this was going to be a tough tournament but sometimes you don’t really appreciate the level of talent in our conference until you sit back and start counting the state champions that are walking around,” said Cougar wrestling coach David Morrison.

Brian Lange (113 lbs.) and Ethan Rorrer (120 lbs.) finished third in the tournament, claiming tough wins in the consolation finals.

Jeremiah Gunter (132 lbs.), Tyler Stanley (145 lbs.), Jeremiah Anderson (152 lbs.), James Lane (220 lbs.) and Tyvin Martin (HWT) all finished fourth. These seven wrestlers will represent PCHS at the regional tournament Saturday at Christiansburg.

“We had a couple of guys this weekend who really stepped up their game,” Morrison said. “I think the lower end of our lineup really started rolling this weekend. We lost to some really tough kids, and that hurts, but at the same time, we had some guys who responded well to the level of competition and really rose to the occasion,” he added.

“Moving forward, we still have to focus on laying it all on the line early. This showed up earlier in the week and we talked about it as a team and a couple of guys got the message. It made a difference for them, but we still need to get the message as a team,” said Morrison. “Against great competition you can’t wait; you have to take the fight to them and bring your best stuff. Our focus has to be on fighting for every position and doing the honest work to win,” he said.

The following Cougar wrestlers also competed in the conference tournament and finished fifth or sixth: Colt Martin (138 lbs.), Jacob McNulty (160 lbs.), Shemar Hill (170 lbs.) and Hunter Kenyon (182 lbs.).