Jake just made a couple of mistakes and like a good wrestler does, Blanton took advantage of the situation on the mat.

I know this experience will only help him and I look for him to be back contending for the state title again. I know he will work hard and continue to give the kind of effort to get him a shot at the state title next season.

Jake lost to an outstanding wrestler. He's a two-time state champion and ranked second in the nation.

We will be heading into the meat of our schedule, so it will be important for us to be prepared and have our best foot forward. I feel we have some potential, but I want these wrestlers to respond and give the kind of effort I know they're capable of on the mat. When they do, I'll be glad to praise their performance.

We had good opportunities and couldn't score and they took advantage of our mistakes. It comes down to that.

It kind of fell apart a little bit. Mistakes defensively, a couple walks, the team capitalizes, and things got away from us a little bit.