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Denver — The wrestling legacy of the Iacovetto family at Soroco High School is now one wrestler deeper.

Freshman Justin Iacovetto earned a chance to be the second in his family and in school history to be a four-time placer.

"I think my uncle is the only wrestler at Soroco to place all four years," Iacovetto said after finishing second in the 103-pound Class 2A State Championship match.

But after losing 8-2 to returning state runner-up Grant Hobbs of Dove Creek, he wasn't satisfied with having a chance to be a four-time placer.

"Probably (Sunday) I'll be OK with it, but I'm not right now," he said. "I went into the match believing I was going to win."

That confidence helped Iaco--vetto earn a trip to the finals.

He won close matches, 3-0 in the quarterfinals and 5-3 in the semifinals, which is tough to do as a freshman at the largest high school athletic event in Colorado.

Iacovetto was winless against Hobbs in three matchups this season, including a loss in the regional championship.

On Saturday, Iacovetto gave Hobbs all he could handle. With 37 seconds remaining in the second period, Iacovetto took a 2-1 lead with a takedown. Hobbs scrambled and earned a reversal with 11 seconds left in the second.

The score stayed 3-2 until there were nine seconds left in the match, when Iacovetto lunged for a last-second takedown. Hobbs flipped him to his back for a five-point move.

"(Hobbs is) a tough wrestler," Iacovetto said. "It was an honor."

Justin's older brothers, Matt and Josh, were on hand all three days of the tournament.

They gathered with Justin after the loss.

"They're a big support," Justin Iacovetto said. "They've come to watch me a lot this year."

They have three more years to watch their little brother.

"I want to come back a little bigger next year," Iacovetto said. "I'll be back with what I've learned."

Schlegel's bronze effort

Soroco junior Joel Schlegel showed why he was thought of as one of Class 2A's top 112-pound wrestlers in three matches Saturday.

He earned two pins in his final two matches to finish third.

"I had to take a long road," Schlegel said. "After my quarterfinal loss, I had to wrestle a lot."

About the match for third place against Lyons' Matt Cushman, Schlegel said he "wrestled about as good as I could."

Schlegel and Cushman were close, with Schlegel leading 4-2 in the third period. Then the Soroco junior put Cushman on his back and got the pin with 26 seconds left in the match.

To get to the third-place match, Schlegel, who came into the tournament feeling sick, had to wrestle twice in 45 minutes.

First, he controlled Eads' Tyler McCracken 9-5 to ensure a spot in the medal round.

In the consolation semifinal round, Schlegel earned an unorthodox pin when Paonia's Mark Bejarano attempted to earn back points with a tilt.

Schlegel posted an arm during the tilt attempt and kept Bejarano on his back.

"It was tough because I had just wrestled 45 minutes ago," Schlegel said. "Keeping my arm posted made the difference."

It took the official 15 seconds to decide that Bejarano was pinned.

"He basically pinned himself," Schlegel said. "I didn't know if I was going to get the call though."

Soroco coach Doug Gates said he was proud of his two state placers.

"Those two make each other better," he said. "You could see the improvement that Justin made because of Joel throughout the year. I know they expect to come back better next year."

Ian Cropp of the Vail Daily and Phil Sandoval of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent contributed to this story.