DENVER — It wasn’t the result that Fort Lupton’s Dakota Macy wanted from his final trip to the state 3A wrestling tournament.

But Macy managed to move up the awards stand to fifth place among 126-pound wrestlers after the three-day event at Pepsi Center over the weekend. A year ago, he was sixth.

Macy won his first two matches in the tournament. He cruised by The Classical Academy’s Matt Johns in the opening round, then earned a 7-3 decision over Mead’s Jesse Ortiz in the Feb. 20 quarterfinals.

“I went out there, wrestled smart, wrestled like I know how,” Macy said. “The hard work just paid off.”

Macy didn’t stray beyond his comfort zone during the quarterfinal win.

“It’s the technicality part. You have to know what moves are going to work and don’t do anything that you don’t normally practice,” Macy said. “Stay smart, pretty much. If you don’t trust it, don’t do it.”

Ortiz tried to be aggressive throughout the quarterfinal match.

“I’m a defensive wrestler, mostly,” Macy said. “That’s what I like to do.”

Lamar’s Michael Johnson, who finished second in the weight class, beat Macy in the semifinals. Macy split his two consolation matches Feb. 21. He beat Bennett’s Andrew Clark 9-5 to earn fifth place.

Macy, who finished 40-10 this season, was a four-time state qualifier. He placed three times. His best was a fourth-place showing in 2013.