By Terry Douglass
terry.douglass@theindependent.com

Santin, who placed fifth at state last year as a freshman, made the jump to state champion at the Qwest Center with a 9-1 major-decision victory over Nicholas Thies of Randolph. The sophomore concluded his season 41-0 to become Palmer's eighth state champion in school history and the Tigers' first winner since 1991.

"It was just an amazing feeling better than anything I've ever felt," said Santin, whose celebratory hug bloodied the lip of assistant coach Greg Bader, who was almost knocked over by the elated wrestler. "I didn't know if I could do it this year, but I was able to and now I want to do it next year and the year after."

Palmer coach Nathan Glause said Santin is definitely a deserving champion.

"Riley has worked his tail off to build those muscles you see," Glause said. "He's obviously very well-developed for a sophomore, but wow, undefeated as a sophomore. That's a great job."

Glause said that not only does Santin have an excellent work ethic, but he's also a perfectionist on the mat.

"There are times when he may beat a kid down, but if he makes any type of mistake, he is not happy about the match," Glause said. "He's very driven that way."

Santin said that's simply the way he approaches athletics.

"When I do something wrong, I always seem to focus on what I did wrong and not what I did right," Santin said. "If I don't live up to my own expectations, it's hard for me to be happy.

"I think it's just our entire family. We're pretty competitive all the way through."

That's yet another reason Santin said he's thrilled to be the first state champion in his immediate family. His father, Tom Santin, and his brother, Ryan Santin, each recorded second- and third-place state finishes during their high school careers.

"I really wanted this for them," Santin said. "My brother has really helped me out a lot. He's had faith in me all through my life, so I really thank him for that."

Palmer scored 87 points to end fifth as a team. The Tigers medaled all five of their state qualifiers as Jack Wardyn (second at 285), Dillon Glause (third at 112), Morgan Glause (fifth at 125) and Tyler Wichmann (sixth at 152) joined Santin in taking home hardware.

"We all worked very hard this year during and even after practice we did extra," Santin said. "I know I've been working out pretty hard these last couple summers for this.

"I got fifth last year and was really disappointed, so this year I was coming down looking for the win."