The Winside wrestling team came home with two third-place medals Thursday from the 2021 Nebraska State Wrestling Championships in Omaha.
Cayden Ellis lost a heartbreaking 3-2 tiebreaker to eventual 120-pound champion Scout Ashburn of Plainview, but rebounded with two wins, capped by a 9-5 win over Zach Hartl to claim consolation honors.
Gabe Escalante took a similar road to a third-place finish at 145 pounds. After losing in the semifinals to all-time Class D wins leader Rugar Reimers of Palmer, the Wildcat junior came back with a pin and claimed third place with a 9-4 win over Xavier Perez of Elm Creek.
Jacoby Mann and Art Escalante both came up a match short at 126 and 138 pounds, respectively. Both wrestlers lost in the heartbreak round with defeats in the consolation quarterfinals.
Winside finished 12th in Class D with 51 points.
