Pretty representative.

Four schools in the Federal Way area and a state championship match representative from each one, and that's got to be a first that's happened in decades -- not years -- of state wrestling at the Tacoma Dome.

Representing Decatur was Dylan Aparis. TJ had Kyle McIntosh, Beamer had Ares Carpio, for boys, and Federal Way's Jocie Weinberger represented for girls.

So, four out of four, that's...

"Very cool," said Travis Mango, the Eagles' second year coach, slowly, but surely turning that program a great direction starting with their girls where he had senior Weinberger in the 130-pound final, getting second along with Maria Manzueta (119) taking third and freshman Bianca Arizpe finishing fifth. All medalists, otherwise known as "placers" at state and that was very cool in the end to get the Eagles in the top 10 in the state. Something none of the boys teams did, even though boys for the area all-in-all performed well, too.

So, let's hear it for the girls!

Girls like Manzueta, who will be back, being only a sophomore. She lost a tough first round match to Ricardo Garcia (Mount Vernon), 6-4, before storming through the loser's bracket for four straight wins, only losing in the third-fourth match, 1-0, to Elle Mustion.

"Chess match," said Mango.

Manzueta lost to the runner-up (Garcia) and Mustion, who lost 5-3, in overtime, to Chelsea Bailey (Chewelah), who won state at 119 for girls.

So same place, same time next year for Manzueta except...

"Higher," she said, finishing the sentence.

Highest finishing at state would belong to the sophomore, Carpio, at 119, for Beamer, and also for the senior at TJ, McIntosh, the big bulging-muscles kid who would win his final and then soar a finger in the air, pointing to the TJ section crowd in the T-Dome after disposing of Pedro Mendoza of Kamiakin (Kennewick) in the 145 pound final by a 10-7 score.

McIntosh possessed good incentive to beat Menodoza, according to his coach, "Kyle beat him earlier this season in a tournament and the kid said to him, 'Next time, I will really wrestle you.'"

Well, this was next time, and although Mendoza put up a good fight, so to speak, the power of McIntosh which excudes not only from his massive arms and legs, but also from McIntosh's smart mind, just not letting the more athletic Mendoza slip around him to ever even lead in the match.

McIntosh led 4-3 after the first round, 8-5 after the second, and though tied on an escape early in round two McIntosh seemed always in control and never trailed in the match.

"Kyle is so strong, he overwhelms other wrestlers," said Workman, a state champ himself in the heavyweight (275) division back in 1997 for Lincoln High School.

McIntosh's road to being champ started with a win over Taylor Lyman of South Kitsap (10-4) before stopping Ben Snow of Mead (12-2) and Niko Hughes of Kelso (12-4). No pins, just an overpowering presence by McIntosh in the mat "ring."

Kudos to McIntosh, giving the school a first state champ in Jess Workman's seven-years coaching time there and there weren't too many others before that in longtime coach Terry Botnen's days, getting a state champ either.

"He's worked hard for it," said Workman, who watched McIntosh compile a 38-1 season record.

Can't leave out Beamer's first state champ ever, in it's schools' eight year history, Carpio. He went to work in the final against Rogers of Puyallup's Joey Palmer, a kid that beat Carpio recently twice in the league and regional tournaments preceding state.

Not this time.

Carpio, after he lost to Palmer in the regional final, 6-4, "I need to focus on myself a little more."

Now, to some, that might sound like pretty selfish thought...

Au Contraire. In fact, just the opposite, as Carpio now explains that statement.

"I was thinking too much about him," said Carpio.

Giving Palmer too much credit, maybe a little too in awe of him?

"Yes," said Carpio, adding, 'I wasn't able to wrestle my match."

It's all in your head. You've heard that phrase before and, in wrestling, it's certainly true, because wresting is so much mental in addition to just brute strength and hard work off the mat.

Carpio beat Palmer this time around, in the one that mattered most -- state -- by a 9-3 score. Palmer had lost only one time prior to state while Carpio was with four losses against 30-something wins.

"Third time they wrestled, he got it when it counted," said Thuney.

Carpio was quick to admit that it was not just him making him do so good at state. It was others, like past teammates, Trevor Mills, who took second at 135 at state last year, and Tyler Enos, fourth at 130.

"Can't do it without any of these guys," said Carpio, afterward, Mills, Enos, and, also an assistant coach from his club team nearby, Andy Solomon, was with him congratulating him. Carpio mentioned his dad, too, who head coaches the Federal Way Spartans club wrestling programs which gets kids prepared for the rigors of high school wrestling.

But Mills and Enos have been hands-on helping Carpio this past season. Quite an act.

"We've been helping him, wrestling him, me and Tyler beating up on him" said Enos, smiling, who wrestled at state last year at 135 and was a running back on the Beamer football team.

"They've been good helping me," said Carpio, smiling, his arms around each state-placer's neck, on opposite sides of Carpio. "Beating me up."

What better way to improve than your excellent alumni sacrificing their time to hammer on you, only to make you tough as nails, as indeed Carpio proved he was.

What about your coaches, Ben Thuney, Brett Lucas, and assistants like Randy Burns and Michael Markey?

"They help me open up mentally," said Carpio. "They get me physically ready."

Not just Carpio at 119, but Tre Uson was a state participant as a sophomore, Aaron Set-Heit another state participant as a sophomore, and DeShar House another sophomore. That's a pretty good foundation to build on.

"We brought seven kids and all but one won at least one match," said Thuney."Trevor (Mills) was our first finalist and now we got our first state champ."

What about those two guys, Enos and Mills? What do they mean to the program, their second and fourth places at state last year, the best ever marks for your school?

"Same things about them as Ares," said Thuney, who said of Ares, "Anything you ask of him, he would do it in a heartbeat. You couldn't ask for a better kid to do it."

Decaur's Dylan Aparis was 34-4 this season but he did not even make it out of the first day of state last year (two and out). He went all the way to the state final for the decade-long success of coach Mike Bressler's program. Aparis beat Anthony Dimaggio of Monroe, by pin, 41 seconds into the first round.

Then he stopped Cody Rush of Pasco, 12-6, before major decisioning Nick Hunt of Wenatchee, 16-7. Then continuing taking on over-the-mountains wrestlers, he met Ryan Zumwalt in the championship and lost in the second round by pin.

But it was a great round of action from all our wrestlers, as just making state is a great accomplishment in itself.

Beamer wrestler, senior Ben Draeger, who did not make it to state last year or any other year he's wrestled, had a goal to make it to state this year.

Then he said after a second place showing in regionals the week before state, "I am not going to participate, I am going to place."
And "place" he did.

Draeger took fifth place at state, as he won his first match, 9-1, before losing his second to the eventual state champ, Jake Hanson of University, a two-time state champ.

And it took Hanson into the third round before he got the pin on Draeger, who fought gamely after that, too, against James Souza of Emerald Ridge. He lost that one by pin in round two before coming back in the fifth-sixth match to beat Kent Meridian's Nick Lemmon, 3-2.

Another Beamer wrestler, Connor Gleason, was a placer too, at state, after having taken third at regionals.

Brandon Barcelona, a senior Beamer 215 pound wrestler, made it to state, too.

Decatur wrestlers also participating were Eric Godfrey and Tyler Thomas.

Also, for Jefferson, not to be left out, Ivan Mukamol, at 135, lost his first match to Grant Steen of Graham-Kapowsin, 5-3, before coming back through the loser's bracket to win five straight matches for third place. Mukomol beat Durant Fish of Heritage (Vancover, Wash.) first comeback wrestle, by fall 44 seconds into the second round. Then Mukomol survived a close one against Nate Kegan of Kamiakin.

Then he won another nail-biter, 3-1, against Jordan Higa of Tahoma. Mukomol follwed that up with a 7-3 win over Kevin Harder of University in the third-fourth place match.

Higa was one wrestler Mukamol has not done so well against earlier this season.

"The kid Ivan beat (Higa) he wrestled twice this season already and lost twice," said Workman.

Mango's Federal Way team was led by Weinberger, losing 3-0 in the final but before that Weinberger pinned her first round foe, Megan Dunham of Washougal (4:59), then Whitney Weinert of Stanwood (1:52), and Nakasha Custer of Ilwaco (3:47) before the tough three-point difference loss to Liezl Mondoc of Rochester in the final.

Manzueta was tough as already said and so was 103-pounder Arizpe, who did great, getting to state and winning a couple matches even at state. And, that effort was good enough for fifth place, as previously stated.

"Very excited for her future," said Mango. "She is only a freshman. And most freshman don't place at state. I'm very excited about what she will bring to this program."

Others competing, besides Weinberger, Manzueta, and Arizpe were sophomore Axa Molina and senior Kaylee Harris.

One other participating but not placing at state was, for the boys, another "Kyle," Kyle Williams, who got a loss his first match before winning his first match in the consolation bracket, 16-0, by technical fall.

The end was after that for Williams, who did a great job, like all these wrestlers, for their schools, and Williams is only a sophomore so he will be back to help his program build for a couple more seasons.