Two years ago, Malquan Warren was ready to put wrestling in the rearview mirror.

The Whitehall junior had his first taste of high school wrestling as a freshman, and his overall 9-17 record didn’t sit well with him.

“I started wrestling in seventh grade because some of my friends talked me into joining the team,” recalled Warren. “At first, it wasn’t that difficult for me. I knew I had to work on the technique end of it. It was pretty natural to me.

“But I wasn’t very good in my freshman year. I didn’t have a good feeling about it, and I wasn’t sure what to do.”

Like he has, though, over the past few years, Warren got a boost from head coach Tim Cunningham.

“He kept me pushing then,” noted Warren about Cunningham. “He didn’t give up on me, and he told me that I am going to be a good wrestler.

“He told and convinced me that all of my hard work was going to pay off someday.”

Three years later, their time has come.

Warren recently finished third in the 189-pound Class 3A bracket at the Northeast Regionals, and he secured a spot at the state tournament in Hershey this weekend. Warren recorded a 5-3 decision over Alex Neely of Parkland.

At districts, the previous week, Warren finished fourth.

“It made me feel really good,” said Warren about his regional finish. “I knew it would be tough to get this far. But I felt really good about districts, and everything is beginning to pay off.”

Cunningham figured Warren could achieve his mark.

“Mel has been a pleasure to coach during the season and the offseason,” said Cunningham. “He does not miss a workout and outs in extra workouts with me on Sundays.

“He is a true example of the fact that there are no shortcuts to success. It’s just about good, old-fashioned work.”

Warren began to believe in himself after he finished as the runner-up in his weight class at the Falcon Tournament at Cedar Crest High School in early February.

“It was there that I felt I could make a run,” he said. “I got second in the tournament, and I gained a lot of confidence.

“I really began to feel good about my chances at districts, too.”

Senior Tim Cunningham, who was the runner-up at districts at 132, lost in the third round of consolations. Fellow senior Johnny Colon, who was fifth at districts at 126, finished six at regionals.