Overall, the Tri-County Conference made a strong showing with four teams finishing in the top 10 behind state champion East Gaston.
Wrestling in the 112-pound class, Boyle lost to state runner-up Ty Roach of West Cartaret (6-0) and Matt Ghantt of North Gaston (5-0). The sophomore finished the season with a record of 30-17.
Dunlap, a senior in the 135-pound class, dropped a 3-0 decision to Shane Crenshaw of Forestview in his opening match.
He defeated Ronald Lynn of C. B. Aycock 12-6 in his first consolation match before being eliminated by Doug Miller of Northwest Carrabus in a 6-2 decision.
Dunlap finished the season at 47-11 and 124-56 for his Viking career.
Both Vikings qualified for state by finishing fourth in the Mid-West Regional held at Weddington High School the previous weekend.
Viking coach Matt Ragsdale said that he was satisfied with their performances in Winston-Salem.
He said that being there for the first time and being nervous probably had something to do with their not advancing farther.
Ragsdale said that watching Pinecrest’s Zack Martin win a state 4-A championship at 125 pounds in his second trip to states helped make it an exciting state tournament.
“I’ve gotten to know Zack Martin,” Ragsdale said. “He’s a good kid. We were real happy for him. We (Union Pines and Pinecrest) watched each others matches and we pulled for them, and they pulled for us. Zack’s accomplishment is another advancement for Moore County in wrestling.”
East Gaston took the 3-A team title by winning individual championships at 103, 112, 119 and 125.
The Tri-County Conference teams finishing in the top 10 were Eastern Randolph (second), Ragsdale (third), Southwestern Randolph (sixth) and Southeast Guilford (10th).
