Both Upper Perkiomen wrestlers who competed in last week's PIAA Class 3A championships fell short of their goals of winning a medal.

                Mike Modugno and Jacob Folk were each eliminated on Friday, the second of the three-day state championship tournament in Hershey.

                "My heart goes out to these guys," said Indians assistant coach Mark Smith.

                Modugno (35-7) won his first two matches Thursday to reach the quarterfinals at 220 pounds, then dropped the next two bouts. Folk (32-11) lasted three bouts at 160 pounds, winning the middle one.

                Neither senior seemed overwhelmed by the stage, according to Smith, who led the school's contingency to states in place of interim head coach Jake Engle.

                Smith said the coaching staff thought Modugno, who was making consecutive appearances at states, had a good shot to reach the semifinal round, which would have assured him a medal.

                Modugno opened his tournament with a 3-1 win over Michael Leyland, from Roman Catholic in Philadelphia. He followed with a 12-10 victory over State College's Pete Haffner.

                In the quarterfinal match against Ian Edenfield, from Laurel Highlands, Modugno took a 1-0 lead but allowed a reverse in the 30 seconds and got caught in a cradle en route to a 5-1 defeat.

                "Mike controlled the pace," Smith said. "He just had a lapse of judgement." 

                In the consolation match, Modugno posted a strong first period against Greg Bensley. However, Bensley, a junior from Pocono Mountain West, ended Modugno's career with a 5-3 victory.

                "Underperforming at states sticks with you for quite a long time," said Smith, who said he was devastated after finishing fourth at states as a senior in 2002 for Upper Perkiomen. "Eventually, Mike can look back at his performance as a success. He did a great job."

                Folk opened his tournament with a 7-3 loss to Quentin Milliken, a junior from Cumberland Valley.

                In the consolation round, Folk rebounded with a 3-1 decision over Anthony Emig, a senior from Bethlehem Liberty. 

                "Jacob was very competitive in his initial two matches," Smith said. "He relied on his speed and technique to do very well."

                However, in his third match, Folk suffered a first-period fall against Caleb Baxter, a senior from Butler. According to Smith, Baxter was a head taller than Folk and significantly stronger. 

                "Jacob got desperate and ended up on his back," Smith said.

                According to the assistant coach, Folk's significant weight disadvantage "reared its ugly head" in the final bout. Smith said the senior was wrestling at an 8-pound disadvantage. 

                "If Jacob was in awe of the situation, he didn't show it," Smith said. "He didn't look phased. He warmed up just like before."