DENVER — The opening round of the CHSAA State Championships went by quickly for the majority of the Moffat County High School wrestling team.

And, in most cases, yes, that was a good thing.

MCHS has seven athletes progressing to Friday’s quarterfinals: seniors Anthony Duran, Caden Call, Ryan Duzik, and Pepper Rhyne, and juniors Kaden Hixson, Michael Voloshin, and Makaela Simpson.

While Duran outlasted his Severance opponent 2-1 to move forward in the 126-pound class, the rest of the Bulldogs claimed a pin Thursday afternoon to mark their win at Ball Arena.

Hixson (120), Call (138), Duzik (152), Voloshin (160), and Rhyne (170) all took a victory via fall in the first period of their starting bout. Simpson (185), who competes for the Soroco Rams girls team, did the same with a 40-second pin to join teammates Larhae Whaley (100) and Mckenzie Clark (147) in the next round.

Of the 11 Moffat County wrestlers in the mix, four will battle back in the consolation brackets. Junior Billy Lawton (182) and sophomore Blake Hill (195) each faced tough foes and were pinned in the second period, while sophomore Eli Fredrickson (132) struggled to gain any points in a 6-0 decision.

Though he led most of his match, senior Kalub West was surprised in the final 30 seconds as Elizabeth’s Kyle Owen came back to win it 7-6.

By the end of the first day, Moffat County stood in third place among 43 3A teams with 22 points.

State rounds continue at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Ball Arena in Denver.