Second state title feels different from the first for Mountain View's Scout Santos: Oregon wrestling 132/120 big-school roundup

“This one still feels great, but it won’t compare to the first one”

Mountain View senior Scout Santos will never forget winning his first state championship last year. 

“That first one meant a lot to me,” Santos said Saturday night after completing a second title run in the Class 5A 132-pound bracket at the OSAA state championships at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

“This one still feels great, but it won’t compare to the first one. I felt the nerves. There was a lot more pressure.”

Santos pinned Thurston’s Sean Regas with 40 seconds left in the second round to finish a career that saw him place fourth and second in his first two seasons wrestling at the 6A meet before the Cougars dropped to 5A in 2022-23. 

Santos finished the season winning his final 21 matches, starting with the third-place match at the Rollie Lane Invitational and including his first Reser’s Tournament of Champions title.

“The beginning of the season was a little slow, but once I hit the halfway point, I told myself I wasn’t going to lose no more,” said Santos, who went 123-17 during his career.

6A: Newberg sophomore Gavin Rangel, who lost to Santos in the Reser’s TOC final, came through with his first state title with a third-round pin of Moises Lopez of Aloha, who finished second for the second consecutive year. 

“That loss (to Santos) in itself was enough to get through,” Rangel said. “It was pretty bad, but I got over it.” 

6A/5A Girls: North Salem senior Mariko Sonis closed her career by winning a second consecutive title, earning a 6-1 decision against Mia Pedersen of Redmond in the 120-pound final. 

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Meet the champions: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Vote for best wrestler: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Previewing the state meets: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

Recapping the district meets: Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A/1A | Class 6A/5A Girls | Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF 2024 OSAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Photos by Taylor Balkom