Falconer/Cassadaga Valley senior Dalton Caldwell wrestles a Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Panama/Clymer opponent during a match earlier this season. Photo courtesy of Michelle Gilbert | MaxPreps

Dalton Caldwell had the opportunity of a lifetime taken away from him Saturday.

Since eighth grade, the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley senior had dreams of wrestling for a state championship.

With the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships two weekends away, Caldwell’s last chance to qualify was at Saturday’s Section VI Division II state qualifier at Lake Shore High School.

But during the morning’s routine “skin check” something came up and Caldwell was disqualified.

The purpose of this isn’t to point fingers.

The doctor didn’t do anything wrong to disqualify Caldwell.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley’s coaches didn’t do anything wrong in preparation.

Caldwell himself didn’t do anything wrong.

It’s just an unfortunate situation — and there’s no way to rectify it.

“That’s going to bug me for a while. Great kid, does all the right things, worked his tail off from eighth grade through today,” Falconer/Cassadaga Valley head coach Drew Wilcox said at the end of the day. “To see that happen is tough.”

Caldwell was the No. 1 seed in the 189-pound weight class entering Saturday. He entered the weekend with a 42-8 record on the season.

Anything can happen in any given match, but against Olean’s Chris Bargy — the No. 2 seed in the weight class after Caldwell’s disqualification — just last weekend, the Falconer senior won a 14-7 decision in the finals of the Section VI Class B tournament.

Caldwell did not wrestle Matt Trim — the eventual 189-pound champion Saturday — this season.

The fact that Caldwell was disqualified for what was likely a minor skin irritation is the problem.

If the condition was deemed contagious, that makes it worse, but wrestling is a sport where stopping the match for “blood time” is common.

Wrestlers aren’t tested for bloodborne diseases, which can be far more dangerous and life-changing than skin infections.

There is always an inherent risk with the sport.

Every student-athlete takes the mat knowing in the back of their mind the competition could end in serious injury — dislocated joints, broken bones, concussions, etc.

Teenage boys have all kinds of problems with their skin. Acne; knicks and cuts from their first time shaving; grabbing, slapping, scratching each other daily at practice, weekly at dual meets and throughout weekend tournaments is going to leave its mark on their bodies.

During the coronavirus pandemic, wrestling season was postponed a few months before resuming with wrestlers wearing masks, while still in direct contact with each other constantly.

One local coach, speaking off the record Saturday, raised several questions.

Is it possible a wrestler could transmit an infection to his fellow wrestlers? Sure. Is that infection deadly? No. Will the itch or rash be gone in a few days? Likely. Are there two weeks in between the sectional state qualifiers and the state meet to give most conditions time to clear up? Yes.

There were 129 other wrestlers taking part in Saturday’s state qualifier in Angola.

You’d be hard-pressed to find one that would’ve handled the situation better than Caldwell.

The all-state running back from the Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove football team has already signed a letter of intent to attend Alfred University and play football for the Saxons next fall.

An 18-year-old young man, who just found out that he likely wrestled the final match of his life a week earlier, didn’t storm out of the Lake Shore High School gymnasium Saturday morning.

You couldn’t blame him if he did.

Instead, Caldwell stayed with his teammates and rooted for them. More than 200 matches were wrestled, beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m.

Caldwell never wavered — as teammate Austin Chase was crowned the 145-pound champion, and as two more teammates, Brodie Little and Dylan Newman, punched their tickets to MVP Arena in Albany for the state tournament Feb. 24-25.

“His leadership came out during one of his toughest days. He was matside cheering his teammates on all day,” Wilcox said. “It didn’t go unnoticed. He earned a lot of respect from his teammates and coaches today.”

And hopefully the respect of everyone else who learns his story.