PORTLAND — It wasn’t perennial power Crescent Valley that brought home the Class 5A state wrestling title, nor was it Mountain View, Canby or Dallas, who had the most wrestlers qualify for the state meet. And it wasn’t even Thurston, who loaded the championship round with wrestlers.

Instead, it was the underdogs.

Redmond, for the first time since 1959 and second time ever, won the 5A state team title Sunday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.

“We thought we had a good shot at bringing home a team trophy after what we did at districts,” said Redmond coach Kris Davis. “But I never really imagined that we would come up and wrestle this well in this environment.”

Claiming a trophy as one of the top four teams was certainly achievable, but bringing home the blue first place trophy?

“I was expecting third or something,” said Redmond’s 126-pound champion Ansen Widing. “I didn’t think we would be up at first. Everyone has pulled through the blood rounds to keep wrestling.”

The Panthers found themselves in a close team race against Thurston, one of the favorites to claim the title, especially with eight Colt wrestlers in the finals.

But the Colts went 3-5 in those title matches. And when Crescent Valley’s Daschle Lamer pinned Thurston’s Sawyer Casarez in the 170-pound championship match, it sealed the victory for the Panthers.

One of the biggest matches for Redmond on Sunday came in the 126-pound final, when Widing squared off against Thurston’s Colton Annis.

Widing did not surrender a point in the entire match against the lengthy Annis.

“I knew he was long and I couldn’t get under him,” Widing said. “I knew I had to work side to side and stay loose.”

With a 7-0 lead in the match, the grin on Widing’s face encapsulated the weekend for the Panthers as the final seconds of the match ticked away.

“I just had to keep smiling and have fun,” Widing said. “It is a tough sport mentally, you have to do whatever you can to keep sane. You have to have fun with it.”

The Panthers scored most of their points in the consolation brackets, as eight more wrestlers landed on the six-person podium: Ryder Lee (second place, 113 pounds), Billy Jackson (second, 120), Joseph Downing (fifth, 145), Jared Ake (third, 152), Deandre McDonald (third, 170), Ryan Batti (fifth, 182), William Witcraft (fourth, 220) and Ashton Fields (second, 285).

Even the wrestlers that did not reach the podium were able score a ton of points for the Panthers, aiding in the victory.

“Those are unselfish kids who fought for each other — we are a family,” Davis said. “It is a program for all of us, from youth to middle school to high school.”

Its first state team title in 64 years was not the only milestone that Redmond wrestling achieved Sunday afternoon. MacKenzie Shearon became the first female wrestler to claim a state title in program history, winning the 140-pound championship match 4-2 in thrilling overtime fashion over Forest Grove’s Kennedy Blanton.

“I knew I had one chance and if I let her score, it would all be over,” said Shearon, a sophomore. “We have never had a girl state champion and I’ve always wanted to be the first one — and I achieved that today.”

Shearon began wrestling in fourth grade and is the pioneer of the Redmond girls wrestling team.

“She goes out and recruits the hallways, gets girls to join the team,” Davis said. “She is a grinder. And that is the kind of kid that we like. She represents Redmond very well.”

Panthers wrestlers and coaches were welcomed home to Redmond High Sunday night by hundreds of supporters — and the team bus even had a police escort as it approached the high school.

The state meet was a bit of a mixed bag for Mountain View, which finished fourth behind Thurston and Crater.

This year brought in higher expectations for the Cougars with the potential to claim the first state team title in program history. But Mountain View still finished with three individual state champions, the most in school history.

Drew Jones repeated as a champion for the Cougars, winning the 132-pound title match over Thurston’s Jaden Ellis in an 8-2 decision. Jones picked up two pins in his four matches.

During a break in the action with less than 10 seconds remaining in his championship match, Jones took a couple of seconds to look around at the crowd, knowing that he had his second state title in the bag.

“I have put a lot of time into this, but a lot of people have put in the time to see me and take me to tournaments and help me,” Jones said. “So when I have a moment like this, it is sharing the moment with everyone who has helped me.”

Mountain View’s Scout Santos was literally doing backflips after winning his title. After two runner-up finishes in the previous two state tournaments, the 120-pounder finally reached the mountaintop, beating Redmond’s Billy Jackson in the finals.

All four of Santos’ matches ended by pin.

“I’ve never felt this before,” Santos said. “It is a whole new experience. I like the feeling.”

To be a champ, Mountain View’s Jackson Potts had to beat a champ. In the final round of the 160-pound weight class, Potts met Ridgeview’s reigning champ Dylan Lee (who wrestled for Redmond last year) in the title match.

In the end it was Potts who narrowly defeated Lee, holding on for a 4-3 win to claim the state title.

“He was super slippery, I didn’t think I could hold him,” Potts said. “I just relied on my defense from there.”

Santos and Potts will have the chance now to join the two-title club next year as seniors.

“I’ve been waiting for this one,” Potts said. “I’ll be ready to get one next year.”