Exhausted and disappointed – and as his blood-stained singlet suggested – Decatur’s Quinzy Salu left everything on the state wrestling mat Saturday night.

Somehow, it just wasn’t enough to bring home a title for the senior heavyweight.

“I just kept giving it my all,” said Salu after dropping a 13-10 decision to Kennedy Catholic’s Bowen McConville in the 285-pound 4A finals at Mat Classic XXX in the Tacoma Dome. “He was pretty good. We both made mistakes. I just think I made more mistakes than he did.”

Salu scrambled back, erasing a 12-4 deficit with a third-period flurry that came up short. The match was interrupted so that mat-side medics could treat McConville’s bloody nose.

In defeat, Salu – who is bound for the U.S. Naval Academy to play football – kept it all in perspective as he capped a solid career at Decatur. He also took silver in last year’s state final.

“The experience was a lot of fun,” Salu said. “I’m not so worried about winning or losing this match right now, there’s a more of how much fun I had (feeling).”

If anything, wrestling brought perseverance to Salu.

“It teaches a lot, not just the physical strength but also the mental strength that is required to push through it and finish matches, tough matches like I just had with McConville.”

Salu rolled to the final. He scored a 10-2 major decision against Pasco’s Davion Pruitt in Friday’s opener, then pinned Newport’s Charlie Baumann in the second round later that day before beating University’s Neftali Lopez 12-4 in the early Saturday semifinals.

In addition to Salu, Decatur’s day was highlighted by Jacob Cassaday’s third-place finished at 182 pounds.

In girls bouts, Federal Way’s Mariah Stewart pinned Jasmine Fryer of Sokane’s West Valley in one minute and five seconds to capture the 235-pound title. Stewart, a senior, finished the season 33-2.

Also for Federal Way, Amanda Henderson (115 pounds) and London Houston (120) delivered sixths, and Anjilia Sumandig (110) finished seventh.

As a team, the Eagles finished fourth.

Decatur’s Quinzy Salu, right, battles against Kennedy Catholic’s Bowen McConville in the 285-pound 4A finals at Mat Classic XXX in the Tacoma Dome on Saturday. McConville beat Salu for the title. Mark Klaas, Auburn Reporter