PARK CITY – Hutchinson High 220-pound senior Francisco Escamilla’s incredible story had the perfect ending on Saturday at the Class 6A State Wrestling Championships at Hartman Arena. Plus, his state championship victory even had a dramatic, breathtaking finish to spice things up even more. After missing the early stages of the season recovering from a concussion suffered during football season, Escamilla pulled off a takedown out of nowhere with just under 20 seconds left against Noah Ornelas of Wichita Northwest. It gave the senior a two-point lead down the stretch, and he held on for a victory in a 3-1 decision. Escamilla became Hutchinson’s first individual state champion since 2012. Because of the concussion and setbacks, Escamilla had to pinch himself after the win and said the adversity he overcame made the win feel even more amazing. Still, as confident as he was heading into the match because he beat Ornelas last week at regionals in Maize, even Escamilla had to admit that ending his career as state champion was a little bit unexpected. “No, not at all,” Escamilla said laughing and shaking his head in disbelief. “It makes everything I went through just more rewarding just to have this big of payout. It’s just incredible. This is the best feeling in the world right now.” Hutchinson coach Mike Garcia couldn’t be happier for Escamilla. Garcia said he worked hard to regain form and get back into shape after injuries. “I’m just so proud of him,” Garcia said. “He’s one of those kids you just want to see good things happen to. It was so good. It worked where he didn’t have to compete the whole season. He got things going at the time he needed to.” After a scoreless first period, Escamilla took the match’s first lead on an escape move. Ornelas tied the match up later and down the wire, the championship was still completely up for grabs. It was nearly Déjà vu for Escamilla. Last week against Ornelas, he pulled the win off late and won in a 3-1 decision. With under 20 seconds left, Escamilla’s inner clock was ticking and he knew it was now or never. As he went for the win, he said years of practice and primal instincts took over. “I knew there was little time left and I felt there was a lot of urgency,” Escamilla said. “And then I don’t even know what happened. It was all kind of like a blur I guess. It was basically just like second nature thanks to all the drills in practice.” Once he had the lead, Escamilla kept Orleans at bay and won the state title. Last week’s win was very special and emotional for Escamilla. He joked that taking first on such a grand stage made that moment seem almost normal. With a career ending in fairy tale fashion, Escamilla said his teammates – especially wrestlers Lucas Dunbar and Ricardo Roman – who pushed him hard every day on the mat helped lead him to this glorious moment. “I think it would have to be wrestling,” Escamilla said. “I mean nothing gets you better prepared for wrestling than actually wrestling. And I’d love to thank my wrestling partners that worked hard with me every day at practice." Other Hutchinson wrestlers: Hutchinson freshman 106-pounder Brian Gates earned a sixth-place medal in his state tournament debut. Gates battled through the consolation bracket and picked up two wins before falling to Lawrence Free State freshman Tate Steele in the semifinals. Steele topped Gates with a technical fall 15-0 victory at 3:22. In his fifth-place match against Topeka Washburn Rural freshman Gunnar Murray, Gates fell behind early in the first period. Murray kept Gates on his back en route to a 5-0 decision. Additionally, Hutchinson 126-pound junior Hagen Kent’s meet ended in the consolation quarterfinals. Kent lost to defending state champion Clay Weil of Dodge City in a 5-0 decision.