East Rowan took down a wrestling powerhouse and then fell hard to another Thursday in the 3A state dual-team playoffs.

The Mustangs defeated Monroe Piedmont 51-25 in the state quarterfinals. Shortly after, Newton Foard, which beat Enka in the other third-round match, ended the Mustangs’ dual-team season with a 57-10 win in the state semifinals.

“It was a good night, and the kids had an opportunity to come and win,” East Rowan head coach Barry Justus said. “To split 1-1 against that caliber of teams is nothing to dip your head over.”

The four teams competing at Foard had only 10 losses among them before things got under way.

A wave of momentum carried the Mustangs (20-4) to their resounding victory over Piedmont.

“Going into the match, Piedmont was very good on their feet, but once they got on the mat, the kids wiped them out,” Justus said. “Once they started winning, everybody started winning.”

Those getting the victories were Sam Cornacchione at 106 pounds, Landon Carrico at 113, Logan Haas at 120, Jeffrey Burrell at 126, Luke Miller at 150, Max Wall at 160, Daniel Muncy at 171, Shiheem Saunders at 182, and Cody Hiatt at 220.

“Against Piedmont, we’re trying to beat a team that was 36-4, and it was having kids understand that they could win and gave themselves an opportunity to be successful and win,” Justus said.

That was much tougher against the Tigers. Foard has ascended to elite status under head coach Mike Carey. The school is a three-time region finalist, captured the 2013 dual-team state championship and was state runner-up last season.

The Mustangs were able to secure just two wins in their Western region final. Wall picked up a pin, and Saunders won by major decision.

“We didn’t get beat up in matches,” Justus said. “There were many matches we lost by a point.”

The loss ended in what can still be considered a good campaign for the Mustangs. Justus, who appreciated the support of fans and parents, said it had been since the 1990s for the Mustangs to make it to a state semifinal in the dual-team playoffs.

He said he is “very proud of what they accomplished and bringing home the hardware from being in the top four teams in 3A.”