Senior Trey Lally had qualified for state for his first time at the University of Illinois where he struggled.

At state, Lally won his first match and then he lost his last two matches on Feb. 16.

“When he found out he made it to state at sectionals, he had a big smile on his face. He gave the coaches a big hug and he was pretty happy,” coach Jamie Phillips said.

Lally ran out of time in his last match at state.

“He got caught in a move that put him behind. He tried to get back but could not catch up and he was close to winning the match,” Phillips said.

Despite Lally not moving to the final round, he ended his season as one of the top 20 wrestlers in the state.

“Out of 144 kids, he ended up being 16th, which is impressive. He would have received a medal but would have needed to be in the top 10 which is a pretty good accomplishment,” Phillips said.

Lally has improved as a wrestler.

“Throughout the season he got more focused, he worked a lot harder and got stronger. He now has more confidence,” Phillips said.

Lally declined to be interviewed.