“I thought about it from the beginning, but I didn’t feel any pressure.
With the score tied 24-24 and only the 189-pound match left, the Tigers’ title hopes all came down on the shoulders of Kinsey, who, ironically, missed most of the season with an injury to his right shoulder.Īfter the 215-pound match was drawn as the first bout of the match, Kinsey knew it all might come down to him. But you get someone on their back, you should pin him. Senior Eric Kinsey, who lost the championship-deciding final match - pinned by La Cueva’s Luke McPeek with 43 seconds left in the match - was taking the loss especially hard. There was one Tiger wrestler who wasn’t feeling happy at all. “They almost had it,” said head coach Tom Torres after the Tigers’ 30-24 loss to La Cueva. But Saturday at the Class 5A State High School Duals Wrestling Tournament at Rio Rancho High School, they came about as close as they’ll ever get and they felt good about it. The Tigers, who have won five state titles, had some excruciating close calls over the years that broke their hearts. Ten times, to be exact, they have finished as state runner-up. The Los Lunas Tigers have come close to winning state high school wrestling titles many times before.
