Jake Gunning didn't want to say that losing in the third place consolation finals Saturday night in Hershey would have ruined his final weekend as a Liberty wrestler, and thankfully, he didn't have to worry about it.

Gunning ended his Liberty career with a bronze medal around his neck, posting a 3-2 decision over Solanco's Bo Spiller in his final match of his senior season.

On a weekend where Liberty placed two of its four wrestlers in the state's top-eight, Gunning's achievement was the most memorable. He finished the season 40-5, which sets a school record for wins in a single season, along with district and regional crowns.

After finishing his freshman year 0-23, Gunning was proud of how he was able to leave Hershey's Giant Center.

"After losing in the semifinals, I didn't want to leave here [Hershey] with more than one loss," Gunning said. "I wrestled hard, came back and took third. I'm happy with how I ended the year. It's a little sad for this to be my last tournament, but I had a great time."

Gunning will take his talent to the University of Buffalo next year, but finishing the job in Hershey was the most important factor after he lost to Jordan Wood of Boyertown by a 3-1 margin in the semifinals.

Coming back to take third isn't the easiest thing to accomplish at the state championships, but wrestling, as evidenced from his freshman year, has never been easy for Gunning.

That's why Gunning gave off a sense of accomplishment no matter what would have happened in his final bout.

"I was always try to look for the greater things in these type of matches," Gunning said when asked if a loss in the third place consolation would have ruined his tournament. "I wouldn't say that it would have ruined my tournament, but after my freshman year I would have never expected to place third in this type of tournament. This is an awesome achievement for me to end my career at Liberty."

And Gunning wasn't just happy for himself, but also for what the future may hold for the Hurricanes, as freshman Luke Werner (106) stubbornly settled for eighth place after losing to Riley Palmer of Council Rock South 5-2 in the medal round.

Needless to say, Werner wasn't thrilled about his finish.

"It was nice being out here and all, but I'm not really happy with this finish," he said. "I just wish I would have wrestled better."

Senior Orlando Miller (195) went 1-2 in Hershey, earning a 3-1 decision over Adam Gilson of Cedar Crest in the consolation round for his only victory of the tournament.

Junior John Ritter (126) also went 1-2, as he won his first match 1-0 off a tiebreaker to Tristan Watts of Exeter, but then lost his next two matches to get bounced.

Gunning knows that despite whatever downfalls his teammates may have went through during the postseason, that they have to keep their chins up moving forward.

"Luke took eighth but he's only a freshman and next year hopefully he'll have some teammates out here with him," Gunning said. "These guys just need to work hard in the off-season and keep a positive outlook from here. It's all about having a positive outlook and I'm just excited to keep wrestling in college."