BUTLER TWP — The 2017 wrestling season did not begin nor end the way Christian Sequete wanted.

So he extended it.

The Butler junior — who missed the first half of the season while recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus — fell a match short of qualifying for the PIAA Championships by losing a narrow decision.

“It was all about conditioning for me,” Sequete said. “I never got caught up that way after missing all of that time early.

“I'd get involved in close matches late in the year and I'd lose ... because I was gassed.”

Sequete ended the season with an 18-4 record and more than 10 pins. But he still felt a little empty about things.

“I felt like I had more to do,” he admitted.

So the 182-pounder entered the 2017 FloNationals — a high school wrestling tournament that attracts some of the top grapplers in the country — last weekend at the Kovalchick Center on the campus of Indiana (Pa.) University.

The FloNationals consisted of more than 1,000 wrestlers from 39 states, Canada and Mexico. Sequete was unseeded at 182. He wound up placing eighth.

Among the nine seeded wrestlers in his weight class were returning national finalist Jekani Embree from Michigan, state champions from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Washington and Florida, three other state placers and the Virginia state tournament runner-up.

“That is a tremendous tournament because it's scheduled shortly after the high school state championships are over,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said. “If wrestlers want to push themselves a little farther, this offers a golden opportunity.

“And it's great for Western Pa. wrestlers because it's not far from home.”

Stoner said the FloNationals are held in Indiana “because Pennsylvania is a true hotbed for high school wrestling.”

He pointed out that 50 of the NCAA Division I national qualifiers this year are from Pennsylvania. No other state had more than 30.

Penn State had four former WPIAL wrestlers in its starting lineup this season.

Sequete won three matches and lost three at FloNationals. One of his wins was by pin.

He lost the seventh/eighth place match by a 7-3 decision to Levko Higgins of Palmyra.

“The competition was off the charts,” Sequete said. “I'm very excited to place there. Those were some of the best wrestlers in the country.

“Most of the regular season, even when I came back, my knee was still bothering me. I just wrestled through it. My knee is 100 percent now and I showed myself what type of level I can compete at.”

With his senior year remaining, Sequete will wrestle this summer for the Pitt Wrestling Club. He plans to play football for the Golden Tornado — at outside linebacker or halfback — in the fall.

He did not play football last season.

“I needed to take a break,” Sequete admitted.

Sequete has ambitions of wrestling for a major college, perhaps the Naval Academy, and Stoner is hoping he aptly prepares for such a venture.

“Christian needs to get into an intensive wrestling camp at some point,” the coach said. “He needs to seriously train, as if he was going into major college wrestling this year.”

Stoner has no problem with Sequete playing football.

“Absolutely none,” he said. “I'm glad he's playing. I'm a coach who believes kids should experience other things. You can't fear injury. You can't participate in sports that way.

“You can get hurt on the football field. You can get hurt wrestling in practice. It happens. Christian will be in great shape and he'll make the transition from football to wrestling when the time comes.”

Sequete will be ready when it does.

“My goal next year is to just do the best I can,” he said. “Go on the mat and do what I can do. I'm going to prepare myself to do a lot.”