PORTLAND Glide had all but wrapped up its Class 3A State Wrestling Championship going into the finals on Saturday night at Portlands Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Second place was as good as locked down, too, by Willamina.

But third place? That was still within reach for the Riverside Pirates. Theyd need to double up with lightweight champions to get there, though.

Pirate finalists Gustavo Madrigal at 106 pounds and Hans Rockwell at 113 pounds each captured individual golds to help Riverside edge out Nyssa and Vale for a third-place team performance. The Pirates finished with 121.5 points about 60 points behind Willamina in second but with just four points of cushion ahead of Nyssa. Vale was only three behind that for fifth.

The Pirates needed every point they could get, Rockwell said, so he stopped going for takedowns against Michael Reyes of Willamina in the championship. He needed the pin.

He squashed Reyes face into the mat, working to tilt the wrestler over and go in for a fall. In the meantime, he rode Reyes like a backpack and locked his legs around the Willamina boys torso.

I knew I had to (get the pin) and I dont pin a lot of people, Rockwell said. It was very important because we were so close with the score. My coaches were saying that if me and Gustavo each got pins in our finals matches we had a very good chance at taking third or fourth.

Both would win by pin, Madrigals coming over Rogue Bergerson of Warrenton.

Both matches were leaning in the Pirates favors before the referee signaled the pin. The 106-pound senior Madrigal did most of his damage by firing for his opponents legs and tripping Bergerson up. When Bergerson tried a similar move, Madrigal was ready to catch him and turn the assault around.

He had a pretty good shot on me and I had to fix that and once he shot again I was able to toss him and put it away, said Madrigal, a state champion as a sophomore before missing all of his junior year because of disciplinary issues.

Wrestling has become a sanctuary for him, Madrigal said.

It keeps me out of trouble, gives me something to focus on, he said. I had to make a lot changes in my life to get back in here, you know? It feels good to get back on top.

For Rockwell, hes never left the top. The Pirate sophomore completed his second consecutive undefeated season for Riverside with another state title. The encore actually came easier, he said.

It felt a lot easier but if I would have been at this weight, I would have had a tough time, he said while watching the 120-pound finals. Rockwell will likely compete in that division as a junior next season. These guys are much bigger than I am.

The Pirates didnt get to No. 3 on the backs of just two champions, though. Riverside had seven placers overall of their nine wrestlers at state. Daniel Puerta at 182 pounds and Charlie Torres at 106 were the next highest finishers in fourth. Gilberto Silva was fifth in the 113-pound bracket and Martin Herrera and Mario Sepulveda each came in sixth. The last two wrestled at 138 and 145 pounds, respectively.

The Pirates put two wrestlers into the semifinals of both the 106 and 113 brackets for a pair of friendly fire matches. Madrigal was forced to beat Torres, pinning the latter boy in the third round, and Rockwell did the same to Silva.

Madrigal, Herrera and Puerta are all seniors and will be leaving the program this spring.

Contact AJ Mazzolini at ajmazzolini@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0839.