Feb. 15, 2008. It's a day that will live in infamy for brothers David and Joe Vetter of Bismarck.

That's the day David, the top-seeded St. Mary's 160-pounder, lost to Jake Cooley of Grand Forks Red River in the semifinals of the state wrestling tournament.

David's setback came just six days after his brother, Joe, saw his season end in the West Region tournament. Joe, a two-time state placer, suffered a rotator cuff tear in his left shoulder during the 145-pound semifinal round and had to default out. He was ranked third in the state at the time.

"Once I lost in the semifinals I was just heartbroken,"David said as he looked back on that dismal week. "My dream was to be a state champion and it came to an end right there."

As was the case with his brother, David saw his championship aspirations dissolve due to circumstances beyond his control. He didn't know it then, but he was suffering from a case of shingles, a rare ailment for a healthy teenager.

"The whole right side of my face swelled up. …I didn't know what it was," David said. "Icouldn't breathe during matches or practice because my glands were so swollen. … I was weak and I couldn't eat. I weighed 158 on the last day of the state tournament. Icouldn't eat even when I wanted to."

David described shingles as an adult's version of chicken pox. "They said it's rare for a young kid to have it. It's like an older version of chicken pox," he said.

Especially disappointing to the Vetters was the death of a dream that Joe and David had harbored for over a decade.

"We were both bummed, but I felt worse for my brother because he was a senior,"David said. "Ihad a year left."

"He's been my practice partner since kindergarten," David continued. "… This is the first year we haven't practiced together. Everything that I've learned (about wrestling) has been with him.We drilled together and learned new moves together. … It was always our dream to win state together."

Joe is a freshman at North Dakota State now, so that dream can never be realized.

David isn't dwelling on what might have been. His focus is on what he can control, such as the coming season.

David ended his seven-year devotion to football to focus solely on wrestling. His ambitions as a senior are huge, and so is his drive to get there.

"This is my last year and I want to make sure Imake the best of it," he said. "… I'm just going to focus on wrestling this year and see what that brings me. I've been doing a lot of off-season training for wrestling - summer camps, lifting, running and wrestling with Derek Lee, who's up at Century."

Lee, who ended Joe's season, went on to win the regional and state 145-pound championships last season.

David's career record at St. Mary's, 105-38, has earned him three state tournament places - eighth at 130 as a freshman, fourth at 145 as a sophomore and third at 160 last winter.

This year he's raising his sights a long way.

"My main goal is to be a state champion, but my ultimate dream is to go undefeated," he said. "I've been training for it and getting my mind ready for it."

David said he'll remain at 160 without a lot of weight cutting.

"I'm only about 164, so after a practice I'm right on," he said.

Five of the top six placers at 160 last season graduated, leaving only David.

"Iheard (Joe)Latham from BHS might be there," David said. "Iknow Derek (Lee) is going to 152."

Despite the nasty derailment at the end of his junior season, David said he doesn't really feel cheated. After all, he did win the Rotary and West Region tournaments en route to a 44-3 season. Going into the state tournament he had just two losses, both at the hands of Bismarck's Tyler Johnson, the undefeated state 152-pound champion.

"It was a good year. Ican't take it back. All I can do is learn from it," he said.

"I'm thankful that Ihave one more year," he added. "That's why I've been working hard in the offseason.I want to get ready so nothing stops me this year."

David said it's hard to remember when wrestling wasn't his passion.

"I love the sport. It's something I've been doing since kindergarten. It's always been my thing," he said.

That was probably inevitable. As the son of Joe and Berna Vetter it was in his genes.

"My mom's brothers on the Weigel side (Allan, Randy, DuWayne and Bernhard)were all wrestlers at Napoleon," David related. "My uncle Allen was a state champion and Ithink my godfather,Randy, was a state runner-up."

Allen took the 145-pound title for the champion Imperials in 1981 and Randy finished second at 105.

St.Mary's opens its season Dec. 4, playing host to Century for a dual. The next two days the Saints dive into their first tournament, the Mandan Lions.