In her last match at the DeKalb Sectional on Feb. 14, Ema Durst lost for the first time this season.

She’s had two weeks to sit with that defeat at the hands of Minooka’s Ezra Rodriguez. But the Sycamore 140-pounder will be back on the mat starting Friday at the IHSA State Tournament in Bloomington, opening against Springfield’s Kimoreyee Ballard (25-10).

“I need to use this as fuel essentially for the next two weeks,” Durst said after the sectional loss. “I need to learn what I did in the match and what caused this upset. For the next two weeks I have to grind as hard as I can.”

Durst (31-1), Jasmine Enriquez (31-5 at 235) and Frankie McMurtry (31-9 at 170) will represent the Spartans at the season finale, the most qualifiers in school history.

DeKalb is also sending a program-best four wrestlers. Alex Gregorio-Perez (36-3 at 100) is making her fourth trip and seeking her third medal after two sixth-place finishes. Larisza Gomez-Guevara (38-6 at 105), Kara Zimmerman (31-11 at 135) and Aarianna Bloyd (32-8 at 235) also qualified.

Junior Angelina Gochis (27-2 at 120) is seeking her third state title for Kaneland and will be joined by Sadie Kinsella (28-9 at 190).

Durst lost 9-4 to Rodriguez. Any potential rematch wouldn’t likely come until Saturday’s medal rounds as the two are on opposite sides of the bracket.

“My last match I went against a pretty good wrestler and didn’t wrestle how I usually wrestle,” Durst said. “It happens.”

Enriquez opens up against Romeoville’s Henessis Villagrana (38-4). She went 0-2 last year in the state tournament and is looking for more than the minimum this year.

“I didn’t do too well last year,” Enriquez said. “But this year, looking for good things.”

Gochis said if she wants to come away with her third state title, she’s going to have to get to her attacks quickly.

She’ll open against Frankfort’s Catelyn Reese (25-9). There’s a pair of 40-win wrestlers lurking in her half of the bracket in Glenbard West’s Karolina Konopka (41-3) and Marion’s Alauni Pruitt (44-2).

“I have to keep working hard and have to understand I have to have a good mindset going into it,” Gochis said. “Anything can happen, but working hard I should get a state title.”

DeKalb coach Conor Infelise said Gregorio-Perez is a strong contender for a state title. No Barb has ever finished higher than sixth at the tournament.

Gregorio-Perez has a tough opener against Lincoln-Way Central freshman McKenzie Steinke (40-0). Gregorio-Perez is one of the Barbs who started the girls’ program four years ago.

“You can’t put into words what she means for us,” Infelise said. “She’s earned everything she’s gotten. She’s started not even close to where she is right now. The state title is the goal right now for Alex. That’s the only goal for her right now.”

The Barbs have put together a strong postseason so far, finishing with the highest team point total at both the regional and sectional.

Infelise said his seniors are a big, but not the only, part of that.

“The girls have been working hard, working hard on building our culture here,” Infelise said. “We have our kids club girls here. We have the help and support of everyone in the community, the boys’ program. We would not have been able to get to this point in four years without them either.”