Four Hillsboro Trojans wrestlers competed in the 3-2-1A state wrestling championships in Hays on Friday and Saturday, and the experience will benefit two who will return next year.

Travis King wrestled in the 126-pound division, losing by fall in his first match and by points in his second. Nathan Simhiser lost both matches he wrestled in the 195-pound class by decision. Both are sophomores, with two more seasons to pursue state crowns.

“Travis battled hard against two quality opponents,” coach Scott O’Hare said. “Nathan lost two hard fought decisions. He really started to come on strong over the last month, and it carried over into the state tournament. I’m excited to have both Travis and Nathan coming back next year, joining Levi Mendoza as team members with state experience. They will give us a solid foundation to continue to build on.”

For seniors Jon Carey and Jesse Meier, the tournament brought to a close their high school wrestling careers.

Carey, at 132 pounds, had the most success among Hillsboro wrestlers, scoring the team’s only points of the tournament.

He won his first match by decision over Rusty Inkelaar of Douglass, then dropped to the consolation bracket with a loss to eventual runner-up Macrae Migchelbrink of Rawlins County. He rebounded with a win over Cameron Adams of Fredonia, but lost his final match to third-place finisher Colby Johnson of Burlington.

“Jon wrestled well and came up just two points short of advancing into the consolation semifinals, which would have secured him a top-six finish,” O’Hare said. “His last match literally came down to fractions of a second in two different situations that could have turned the match in his favor.”

Meier, at 170 pounds, lost both matches he wrestled by fall, one against the eventual state champion, Josh Nelsen of Marysville.

“Although the results show Jesse losing by fall in both matches, he was competing well in both, and they were close matches at the time of the fall,” O’Hare said.

“Both Jon and Jesse have been great young men to have in our program,” O’Hare said. “They both have great character, a great work ethic, and both have developed into outstanding leaders. Although it is always disappointing to leave Hays without some of the hardware, I can honestly say I am proud of these four young men for their efforts.”