Saturday Feb. 14, senior Dameion Rutledge and sophomore Robert Clark both competed in the semi-state wrestling tournament. While Clark did not advance, Rutledge managed to pull out the two victories that secured his place in the state finals.

Rutledge won his first match 7-0 followed by winning his second match in overtime to ensure his spot at State.

“We we’re extremely excited,” head coach Dave Walpole said. “We knew (Rutledge) had the opportunity in front of him, and he sees the opportunity. He sees the moment and the day, so to speak.”

Walpole says Rutledge’s success thus far can be directly attributed to his hard work in practice. Walpole says Rutledge getting past semi-state and moving on to the state finals can be credited to his teammates supporting him all season long. Walpole believes Rutledge’s achievements are the team’s achievements as well.

Rutledge will have his next opportunity to compete this weekend on Friday night at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse at the state finals. This will be Rutledge’s first time competing in State, and he says he intends to win. Walpole says Rutledge has put in the work and has enough support from his teammates to win the finals.