By the end of the first day of the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championships, Mike Modugno had been relegated to a spectator.

        Modugno, an Upper Perkiomen junior, was eliminated from the tournament Thursday night at the Giant Center in Hershey after losing his initial two bouts.

        "I'm not too happy with my performance," he said.

        The wrestler expressed a determination to return to reach the medal stand at next year's tournament.

        "I have to keep pushing the entire off-season," he said.

        Despite suffering two shutout losses, Modugno (32-14) reached his goal of qualifying for states.

        "I had a pretty good year," he said. "It was better than last year."

        According to Indians head coach Sam Walters, the wrestler learned some valuable lessons to help him reach the medal stand.

        "Mike had a great year," Walters said. "I told him I am very proud of him. He put in a lot of work to get to states. If anyone deserves it, he does."

        According to Walters, Modugno displayed some pre-tournament jitters.

        "I could sense Mike was nervous because it was his first time being there," the coach said. "It was something he needed to adjust to. I don't know if he did adjust quick enough."

        Modugno opened the tournament against Andrew Boob, a Selingrove senior. Boob, the state's No. 2 ranked wrestler at 220 pounds, registered an 8-0 victory.

        "I was happy I kept up with Boob," said Modugno, who weighed in at 194 pounds. "But I gave up a dumb takedown at the end of the match."

        In his consolation bout, Modugno lost 3-0 to Muhamed Alic, a senior from Carlisle. According to Walters, Alic dominated his wrestler on top.

        "Alic was very strong," the coach said. "Mike could not escape from the bottom. Both the guys he faced slowed him down a little more than he was used to."

        Modugno, who described his second bout as winnable, said he did not perform like he should have. The ending has prompted him to ramp up his preparation for the 2016-17 season.

        "I'm way more determined than I ever was," said Modugno, who plans on building up his body. "I have a whole different game plan. I'm going to push myself the entire summer and participate in several tournaments."

        According to Walters, Modugno needs to improve on his feet and his defense. The wrestler said he has to get better at scoring the first takedown of a match.

        Modugno said he will ask Upper Perkiomen's coaching staff to challenge him physically more than usual. Walters expects the wrestler to attend his club practices, which began this week.

        "If I were a betting man, I would bet Mike shows up Monday night," the coach said.

        According to Walters, Modugno's ability to take the next step could very well depend on his willingness to improve his technique.

        "It's all up to Mike," the coach said.