3A Wrestling | Flipping for championships

TACOMA — Three back flips for three state titles.

Auburn Riverside senior Michael Mangrum capped off his third consecutive Mat Classic championship Saturday night with his "trademark" back flips after beating Nick Gautreaux of West Valley by technical fall, 23-7, with 1:31 left in the match.

"It was my last one, so you might as well have fun with it," Mangrum said. "It's awesome. It's amazing."

In the team competition, Enumclaw won its first state wrestling championship, sealed by 160-pound senior Joey Pierotti's 15-3 major decision over Carter Nell of Eastmont. The Hornets finished with a 124.5 points, five better than second-place Yelm. Auburn finished third with 111.5. Six-time defending champion Sedro-Woolley took fourth with 105 points.

Mangrum's third title marked his 100th consecutive victory, and the top-rated wrestler in the state at 145 pounds finishes his career with a 130-2 record. The two losses came to former Lake Stevens state champion Kelly Kubec during Mangrum's freshman year.

"There was so much pressure," Mangrum said. "Right now, I just feel light. It was a lot of weight on my shoulders.

"I've been in this sport for 14 years now, and it's getting easier."

Immediately after Mangrum's victory Saturday, fellow Ravens senior Eric Jones stepped to the mat to pick up the title at 152 pounds with a 6-0 win over Alex Cannon of Shelton. Jones was state champion last year at 145.

"It's a good way to leave," said Jones, who went undefeated this year and 76-1 over the last two years. "Me and Michael really stepped up the wrestling program. It'll be a lot different now that we're gone."

Mangrum agreed and said he hopes the program will get better.

"Eric and I have made an impact on the way these kids wrestle," Mangrum said.

Enumclaw's Pierotti also took on the role of senior leader Friday night at the team hotel, where he rallied the team's younger members.

"We were a little discouraged" after Friday's first round, he said. "The captains told everyone to pick it up, and it paid off."

Enumclaw's victory was coach Lee Reichert's fourth state championship. He won three others at Kentwood.

"It feels so good because you're telling the kids every day to believe," Reichert said. "They showed it this week."

The Hornets crowned two other champions with undefeated Sam Bauer at 119 and Jason Gray at 125, who picked up a 6-5 victory over South Puget Sound League rival Matt Sencenbaugh of Auburn.

It was Gray's third victory in four matches with Sencenbaugh, who picked up a state title last year at 119 pounds.

Sencenbaugh came back from a 4-0 deficit in the third period, but Gray scored the decisive takedown with 35 seconds to go.

"I thought it was going to be close," Gray said. "I got really nervous."

Gray, who picked up his first title in two Mat Classic appearances, said the familiarity helped.

"I know how to score on him," the junior said. "It's pretty big."

After he came back in the third, Sencenbaugh said knew a takedown would win the match.

"He's a good wrestler," Sencenbaugh said of Gray. "You can't win them all, I guess."

Notes

• Justin Purves of White River lost in the semifinals during his bid to be the third Hornet to win two state titles. The senior won the 103-pound championship last year and finished in fifth place at 112 pounds Saturday with a 7-1 win over Bremerton senior Billy Richardson.

• Olympic 103-pounder Camie Yeik, a female wrestler in the boys tournament because of past participation, completed her career with a sixth-place finish Saturday. Last year, Yeik placed eighth.

• Auburn sophomore Kelly Maughan couldn't recover from Friday's four-overtime marathon in the second round against Sunnyside freshman Josh Romero at 119 pounds. Maughan finished sixth.

• Bauer capped off a perfect year with a 13-5 major decision over Tyee's Jesus Torres for the 119-pound title. Bauer, a junior, finished with a 43-0 record. Torres, a senior, was the first Tyee wrestler to go to the Mat Classic finals since 2002.