Five entrants, three medals is how Big Spring wrestlers will fare in the PIAA Wrestling Championship brackets this weekend.
And four of those five wrestlers will return next season.
All in all – and it's far from over – not a bad three days at the office. Or in this case, the Giant Center.
Senior Dustin Rook (126), juniors Chad Wickard (138), Greg Warner (145) and Cody Seibert (170) and sophomore Tommy Rayhart (195) came in as three District 3 runners-up, a third-placer and a fourth-placer, and Rook, Wickard and Rayhart will leave Giant Center with medals between third and eighth.
"They all wrestled hard. I can't take that away from them,'' Big Spring coach Dave Cox said. "Rook a 2-1 (decision) and Wickard a 3-1; Seibert losing in overtime ... and Rayhart.
"It's been a great day of wrestling,'' Cox said. "We just have to come back and try to get that third-place medal. Once match at a time, that's all I can tell them. Just go out and give it all you've got.''
Consolations aren't where you want to be, but once you're there you'd better be in a good frame of mind.
"I think they're good that way,'' Cox said. Wrestlers have to wrestle again within an hour or so after losing in the quarterfinals. The semifinals are similar.
"That's why they call the semifinal round the blood round,'' Cox said. "If you lose you gotta come back and wrestle right away. It's tough. But they seem to bounce back really well.''
"We can't be happy with top eight; you have to try to place as high as you can.''
More PIAA wrestling tournament coverage
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» PIAA winners' brackets: Class AAA | Class AA
» PIAA consolation brackets: Class AAA | Class AA
» Complete Day 1 coverage: AAA | AA
» Complete Day 2 coverage: AAA | AA
» PIAA wrestling tournament schedule