I know plenty of kids are hurting right now that they didn't make the cut for State. Would anyone have any stories on wrestlers who did not make State as a Freshman but went on to have successful High School careers?

LOTS of freshmen don't make it to state, as well as many sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Going to State is not an entitlement. Lots of good, very solid wrestlers don't make it. Also, not making it to state does not mean a high school career was unsuccessful. I personally know a young man who was a solid, very solid, HS wrestler (20+ matches won his junior and senior years) but never made it to state. He went on to wrestle four years in college, and while he did not set the world on fire he did wrestle varsity from time to time. I know another young man who wrestled JV for three years because of the kids ahead of him on his team; his senior year he made it to State and won it.

I really have no uplifting story, just the suggestion that you tell the young man you are worried about that making it to State is not a guarantee or promise. He needs to work hard(er), get in the weight room, wrestle in the summer, compete year 'round in SOMETHING and wrestle each match like it might be his last.

I don't typically like to use myself as an example, but I started wrestling my freshman year weighing 85lbs soaking wet. I was horrible, I went 1-2 at regionals, and that was because the 2 guys ahead of me on the team quit. I worked hard that summer wrestling. The next year I was a regional champ and went 0-2 at State. I worked almost every day getting my butt thumped by my coaches and traveling to Topeka and Kansas City to hit my goals. My Junior year I was undefeated having pinned everyone I wrestled that year. There is no secret to this sport. If you want to get better have the right attitude and work ethic and things happen. Just another caviat, I was by no means a natural athlete either, in Junior High, a very small one at that I saw nothing but bench in basketball and football.