Mat Classic XXXVI: Harding, Salguero Jr. guide Orting to fourth consecutive 2A state title
Salguero Jr. was sure to hug Mom and Dad first, but the senior superstar made plenty of time for the crowd, shaking hands and taking photos after claiming Saturday night's 2A 138 championship at the Tacoma Dome.
'This is our dynasty, the Orting dynasty,' Salguero Jr. said of his teammates, coaches, and supporters. 'It's really awesome.'
This wasn't any state title win: It was Salguero Jr.'s fourth Mat Classic title, a symbol of perfection at the highest level. He took down Deer Park's Gavin Carnahan in a dominant shutout that ended via technical fall (15-0, 2:27) to make history, becoming just the 25th wrestler all-time to win four Mat Classic titles.
'I'm just really thankful,' he said. 'I get to experience this with my friends and family. It's really special to be a part of that four-time group.'
Cardinals senior Quentin Harding followed suit, claiming his fourth Mat Classic title in a similar, suffocating fashion, and the Cardinals crowned six state champions in all. Orting piled 434 points and completed their banner year with another 2A team title, the program's fourth in a row.
'It's funny sometimes,' Orting's Levi DiCugno said, Saturday night's 2A 175 champion. 'People say, 'It's amazing Levi, you won state!' And I'm just thinking, like, 'Well, Q and AJ won it four times.'
Orting's complete list of Mat Classic XXXVI champions:
Nery Rivas (106): 'I've always dreamed about this. Being on this type of team, the support from Q-Harding, all of the seniors like AJ… really motivated me to be better.'
Trevor Anderson (120): 'We had to come and dominate. We've been dominating all year at every tournament. I felt like we just had to. It was meant to be, you know? I could not see Toppenish beating us. I couldn't see us taking second this year. It just doesn't go through my mind, taking second.'
Alan Salguero Jr. (138): 'The goal I've (had) since I was a kid was to become a four-timer. I wasn't going to let anything stop me from achieving that. I wanted to go in with a calm mind, and just do what I was going to do. Just let things fly and see what happens. I wanted to be relaxed and flowing.'
Michael Fritz (144): 'I've got my parents (watching) up there. I've got my whole family. It's really special. My wrestling family. I've grown up with all of these people, so it feels like home.'
Quentin Harding (157): 'It's everything I've wanted since I was little. … It's like, 'I'm going to be a four-time state champion. I'm going to be a four-time state champion.' I kind of tricked myself into thinking I'm going to be a four-time state champ. Now I am a four-time state champ.'
Levi DiCugno (175): 'One of my favorite wrestlers always says: 'Listen like a robot, practice like a dog.' Listen like a robot in practice, record everything you hear, and get on the mat and wrestle like a dog.'
Harding expected another state title, but he didn't expect to face longtime Orting teammate Will Lowery in the 157-pound championship. It took nearly five minutes, but Harding prevailed via technical fall (20-4, 4:59) and held up four fingers on each hand for the home crowd.
'We're teammates, we love each other, but we're going to go at each other the hardest we've ever gone at each other because we want the state championship,' Harding said. 'Shoutout to Will. He was overlooked the entire time in the bracket. They said a couple of other kids were dark horses, never mentioning his name. He showed out today. He was amazing.'
Orting's Nery Rivas pinned Black Hills' Roberto Rivera-Jesus for the 2A 106 title and Cardinals sophomore Trevor 'TJ' Anderson smothered Woodland's Mathis Johns via technical fall, building a 17-0 lead in the championship's first period.
Anderson said Friday he wanted to pin or tech each and every opponent he faced at Mat Classic XXXIV. Consider his mission a major success.
'Just stay dominant' was Anderson's mindset. 'I knew I could turn him on top, because I knew on his feet, he's good at those throws. I took him under… and dominated him.'
Michael Fritz (2A 144) captured his second Mat Classic title over Burlington-Edison's Chase Weber via 7-1 decision, and Levi DiCugno won his second championship over Bainbridge's Garrett Goade in a physical 5-2 bout. Orting's Ty Satiacum Jr. (2A 126) and Dominic Thomas (2A 132) finished runner-up.
'This group ran on all cylinders,' Orting head coach Jody Coleman said. 'I love this group of kids. I'm bummed we don't have practice on Monday, and I hope some of them feel that way, too.'
Harding and Salguero Jr. never lost inside the Tacoma Dome — and their team never lost, either.
For a fourth straight season, the 2A team title heads to the same trophy case at Orting High. The Cardinals' 434 points were far and away the most by any team in any classification at Mat Classic XXXVI, adding to a dynasty that was already cemented.
For Orting's seniors, winning at the Tacoma Dome is all they'll ever know.
'It's what we do,' DiCugno said. 'I just got used to it. Orting wins state, that's what we do. It's what (we) grew up with. They see all their friends winning it the years before, and they want to win it, too. I think it's a great community there.'
Orting (434) pulled away from Toppenish (317) in the closing hours, fending off their rival in a two-man race between two of the state's premier programs. Both outscored 2A's third- and fourth-place finishers combined (Othello, 178.5 and W.F. West, 127.5).
'You're seeing talent from all different places,' Thomas said. 'You're seeing a lot of different wrestling styles, so you're adapting to all of them. Everybody's a killer in that room.'
Anderson embraced the renewed rivalry after the Wildcats rose to 2A last fall. In the early hours of Friday's first rounds, he called his shot: 'A lot of (fans) came here to watch us beat Toppenish this year.'
It wasn't an option, he said.
'We were both going for four straight team titles,' Anderson said. 'It feels good to stop their run.'
It's way too early — but when Orting enters Mat Classic XXXVII next year at the Tacoma Dome, why not five straight titles?
'We're losing five really tough kids,' Coleman said, 'and we're getting five really tough kids in the door.'
2A BOYS — Orting (434)
2A GIRLS — Toppenish (273.5)
1A BOYS — Wapato (300.5)
1A/2B/1B GIRLS — Granger (184)
2B/1B BOYS — Tonasket (276.5)
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