Consecutive losses ends Washburn medal bid

DES MOINES - Alburnett's Hunter Washburn was denied a shot at four state titles.It eventually led to him missing out on a third medal as well.

Washburn was injured during a quarterfinal loss to Lisbon's top-ranked Carter Happel, hindering him in an 11-2 lost to Audubon's Jake Mulford in the 138-pound consolation round of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A state wrestling tournament Friday at Wells Fargo Arena. The consecutive losses eliminated Washburn from the tournament without a medal after two straight state titles.

Second-ranked Washburn (35-7) was thrown to his back by Happel, who is going for his second title, and was hurt during the exchange

.'I felt maybe something move and a huge pop,' Washburn said.'It felt dead afterward. I couldn't move it, push, pull or drill or nothing.'

Washburn could be seen favoring the shoulder between rounds and even visited trainers to undergo tests. He said they determined he pulled the muscles surrounding his right rotator cuff. The Pirates junior tried to fight through the pain, but was ineffective against Mulford, calling multiple injury timeouts.

He wasn't going to be held off the mat.

'Maybe it's just heart,' Washburn said. 'Maybe I'm dumb, but it's the state tournament. I get (four) years might as well wrestle while I can.'

Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson consoled Washburn, draping his arm around him in the warm-up tunnel near the end of the round. Thompson considered holding him out to make sure he didn't worsen the injury.

"It teetered in my mind," Thompson said. "For him to go out and try, that's what he wanted."

Thompson choked up slightly discussing the turn of events. He mentioned that Washburn suffered through pneumonia during the sectional tournament, limiting his training.

"The kid gives everything he has," Thompson said. "He has had a tough go of it lately."

Washburn said he knows wrestlers who have had their careers shortened to injury. The finish was hard to swallow for an accomplished wrestler. He said he wished he had taken advantage of some situations and fight harder in his first loss.

'I'll look back and maybe regret some of the things I did in the quarters with Carter,' Washburn said. 'You can't do anything about it now.'