Muggli falls in epic match

In wrestling parlance they call it sudden victory, but for many it can be sudden agony. Despite being the aggressor throughout much of the match, Michael Muggli of Sidney High School suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in triple overtime, ending his bid for a medal at the 2014 NSAA State Wrestling Championships on Friday.

With one more win needed to assure a medal in the Class B 145 lbs. division, Muggli had the upper hand through much of the match against Ashland-Greenwood's Cory Washburn. But after the regulation three periods the score was deadlocked at 1-1.

"We had so many near takedowns, we just couldn't get it," said Head Coach John Ganser.

After the first period ended without a point being scored by either wrestler, Muggli took the lead in the second with an escape. But in the third period, Washburn scored the equalizer when he managed an escape of his own.

The draw sent things into sudden death overtime. Near the end of what was the sixth period, Muggli nearly had a takedown before Washburn managed to escape for the 2-1 victory. Washburn earned the sixth-place medal with the win.

The state champion in Class B at 145 lbs. was Colton Adams of Scottsbluff after he defeated Crete's Vince Thatcher 3-2 in the finals.

Thatcher was the defending champion at 145 lbs. while Adams is now a four-time state champion. Quentin Dawes of Gretna was third place finisher while Layne Laaker of Bennington was fourth.

For the Sidney wrestler it was the third time in as many years that he has qualified to wrestle at state. This season he stepped up to the heavier weight class after wrestling in previous years at 132 and 138.

"Michael had 36 wins on the seasson and that's about 81 in his career even after missing the first half of his freshman year," said Ganser.

While the loss was difficult on Muggli, the disappointment was also evident with his coaches.

"He really wanted a medal here," said Ganser. "He's a darn hard practice wrestler and shown good leadership all year."

Muggli began his tournament on Thursday by facing Tyler Berner of Syracuse. With a 2-point takedown in the first overtime session, Muggli earned the 4-2 win in sudden victory. He next faced eventual runnerup Thatcher in the second round on Thursday. Thatcher won by a technical fall to send Muggli into the consolation bracket.

On Friday the grappler from Sidney had the first round off before he met Chase Nelson of Beatrice. Earlier this season, Muggli defeated Nelson 4-0 at Lexington. He again won by 4 points, though the final score at state was 7-3.

The match with Washburn took place on Friday evening.