Nansemond River High School experienced the most success at the state level of any Suffolk school this season, thanks to senior 113-pounder Malcolm Dawson.

Dawson advanced to the finals before falling at the 2016 Virginia High School League Group 4A state wrestling championships over the weekend at Oscar Smith High School.

Additionally, Warriors junior Dia Gray took fifth in the 285-pound weight class, while sophomore 106-pounder Derrick Cannon went 0-2 but gained valuable experience for the future.

Nansemond River coach Tripp Seed said Dawson had the state title in his grasp, holding a 7-6 lead in the second round of the final before being pinned two minutes and 55 seconds into the match by junior Theo Thaxton of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke.

“He just made a mistake, one move, and it cost him the match,” Seed said of Dawson.

Thaxton took an early 2-0 lead, but Dawson rebounded and pulled ahead 6-2 before Thaxton began to close the gap.

Seed said he thought Dawson had got caught up in the moment a bit after he claimed the momentum.

“I can’t fault him,” the coach said. “He wrestles one way, and that’s all out.”

In the semifinal round, Dawson had faced the defending state champion, Matoaca High School junior Brandon Woody.

Seed said he, his staff and Dawson game-planned for Woody all week. They knew Woody likes to employ an underhook.

“We have a good defense for that,” Seed said. Though it did not necessarily translate into points scored against Woody, “we stopped him from scoring.”

Dawson ended up defeating Woody by a 3-2 decision.

“I was happy for him,” Seed said of Dawson. “He really deserved to win that match.”

The coach said the whole Nansemond River team was on hand to watch and was excited for Dawson.

Dawson’s journey to the final at the state tournament began with a victory over Massaponax High School sophomore Seth Wagner by an 8-1 decision.

Seed said he and his staff were proud of what Dawson accomplished over the weekend.

“It’s the second year in a row we’ve had a kid in the state finals,” Seed said, recalling James Boone, who finished as runner-up in the 120-pound weight class in 2015.

Dia Gray defeated Potomac Senior High School senior Aaron Porter-Wilkes by a 2-1 decision to start his run in the state tournament. This advanced Gray to the semifinals, where he faced the defending state champion, Matoaca senior Anthony Helm.

Helm, who ended up repeating as the state champ, defeated Gray by pinning him four minutes and 49 seconds into the match.

Seed said he and his staff had hoped Gray would come back and finish third, but he ended up having a hard-fought match against Potomac Falls High School senior Owen Bolyard, the Region 5A North champion. Bolyard defeated Gray in a tie breaker, 3-2.

In the fifth-place match, Gray triumphed against Porter-Wilkes again, this time by a 5-2 decision.

“We’ve got some goals this offseason we’re going to focus on with (Gray) to get him on top of that podium next year,” Seed said.

Nansemond River won 16 dual meets during the 2015-16 regular season.

“I think we had a pretty successful season,” Seed said. “It was by far one of the toughest schedules we’ve had throughout the years.”

The Warriors featured a lineup of eight underclassmen, three juniors and three seniors. Seed said it was a fun season for him as he watched his young wrestlers progress, become successful and become more dedicated to the sport.

The coach expressed confidence that Nansemond River will have some more wrestlers in state finals in coming seasons.

“The future’s bright, for sure,” he said.