The three Redmond High wrestlers at last weekend’s Mat Classic XXI found out that the competition was tough as ever.

Catherine Kelly, the first first female Mustang to make it to state, along with Nolan Thomas and Esteban Herrera each won a match at the Tacoma Dome, but all three failed to advance to the second day of the double-elimination tournament.

Kelly, wrestling in the 112-pound division, lost a tight opening match to Emma Destromp of Kelso, 4-3. She then bounced back and beat Connell High School’s Lupita Mendez in the consolation bracket, but then was pinned in by Roxanne Rosas of Mount Baker in a loser-out bout.

Nolan Thomas, at 135 pounds, was outmatched, 21-5, by the eventual third-place finisher Brandon Riehle in his first-round matchup. He then won an a 7-5 overtime thriller against South Kitsap’s Kris Fenton before being knocked out of the tournament by Cameron Chlarson of Moses Lake High School by a 18-3 technical fall.

Esteban Herrera, who went 0-2 at the Mat Classic last year, lost his opener in the 215-pound weight class, but then outlasted Battleground’s Miguel Simon, 4-3, in a consolation matchup.

Herrera befell the same fate as his fellow Mustangs when he lost to Zach Folden of Graham-Kapowsin, 19-4, in an elimination match.

“I’m very proud of the way all three wrestled,” said Mustang head wrestling coach Paul Mullen. “Each got a win at a tough state tournament and never gave up.”

In addition, the Mustangs named two wrestlers to the all-state academic team: Andrew Colleran, wrestling at 160, who earned a 3.80 GPA and Jeff Geddes (189), a 3.85 GPA student.

“I’m pretty proud of that,” Mullen said. “These young men worked hard at school work and their wrestling.”