‘I feel better than the old Adrian.’ After rough junior season, Curtis’ St. Germain captures third title in final trip to Mat Classic

Finally, vintage Adrian St. Germain showed up.

And he did it just in time to capture his third Mat Classic championship.

Once a standout for Vashon High School, St. Germain ended his high school career in the light-blue singlet of Curtis High School, putting on a convincing performance in the championship finals.

St. Germain dominated Kentwood’s Alexander Long, 14-2, in the Class 4A 152-pound bracket at Mat Classic XXI to cap a remarkable comeback year.

He also became just the second wrestler in state history to win three state titles with two different schools. The late Graham Morin was also a three-time winner — his first with Bellingham (1998), and the final two titles with Squalicum (1999-2000).

“One of the things my new coach (Shawn Gaspaire) helped me incorporate was staying out of my own head,” said an overjoyed St. Germain, whose smile was so big it could have dented the walls of the Tacoma Dome.

“I just wanted to have fun. You cannot lose when you are having fun.”

The last time St. Germain was in the finals, he won the second of back-to-back 2A titles with Vashon in 2017. He pinned La Center’s Jeffrey Mayolo in 23 seconds to win the 152 crown.

That summer, he transferred to Curtis for his junior season — which became one of the most miserable years of his life.

“I had a lot of difficulty at home,” St. Germain said. “I had a few personal problems. It was really tough to get through.”

Unfortunately wrestling wasn’t much of a salvation. He came into the season 30 pounds overweight, suffered a myriad of injuries and ended up not placing in the 152 bracket at the state tournament.

“It hurt a lot,” St. Germain said. “It is what motivated me this whole past year.”

He had both schools represented in his corner in the finals Saturday, with Gaspaire and Per Lars Blomgren, who was his assistant coach at Vashon.

“(Blomgren) was the one who taught me how to wrestle in the first place,” St. Germain said. “And the new coaches are the ones who put the polish on me.

“I feel better than the old Adrian.”