EPRHATA — Both Mac Laird and his father, David, were on pins and needles in the Tacoma Dome on Saturday as the Ephrata senior went for the title, whether the other knew or not.

“I was a nervous wreck,” David Laird said. “I remember I was with Coach (Will) Anderson and (Patrick) Mitchell right before the match. Mitchell was nervous too. We both looked over at Mac, and he was so loose.”

David laughed after his son, Mac, admitted he was nervous before going on to become a state champion in his final trip to the Mat Classic.

“It kind of brought us back, calmed us down, seeing him over there smiling,” David said. “He didn’t appear nervous. He was Mac.”

The senior Tiger left little doubt in his final showing on the mat for Ephrata, defeating Nouh Hammou of North Kitsap by a 14-6 major decision for the 195-pound 2A title. The title bout was Mac’s first appearance in the second — or third — round of the weekend.

The times on Mac’s first three bouts, 1:34, 1:22 and 1:12.

As the final buzzer sounded in the Tacoma Dome, Mac described the feeling as just pure excitement. The senior’s face washed from a look of disbelief into one of exuberance as he left the mat, only to jump into the waiting arms of his father and coach.

The title also capped off an undefeated season for the senior after finishing second at the Mat Classic as a junior.

“Last year, the whole way home was what could have been,” David said. “This year, it was just replaying the match. I didn’t rewatch his match from last year until, maybe, a couple of weeks ago. We just didn’t watch it. I think I’ve watched this year’s match maybe 100 times.”

Mac talked about what falling just short meant in the successful journey back to the finals this season.

“I feel like I improved a lot over the summer,” he said. “The fact that working so hard and still falling short made me want it even more.”

While the senior Tiger admitted nerves were present before his first-place bout, Mac said the experience of having been there before gave him confidence heading into Tacoma last weekend.

2019 state runner-up, undefeated record coming in, David said he knew there was a lot of pressure on his son going into the weekend. As a junior, David said Mac had only things to gain after receiving a tough draw coming in. As a senior, Davis said the senior had “everything to lose.”

“As an adult, you see those moments, and you understand that you don’t get a lot of opportunities like that,” David said. “So we wanted him to finish it right. And we knew he was the best wrestler in that weight class, but sometimes it doesn’t always work out. This time it did.”

Now a 2A state champion wrestler, the Ephrata senior can add that honor to a football career that has him headed to Dickinson State University next fall. Mac is also gearing up for his final baseball season with the Tigers this spring.

David said something that’s helped Mac develop as an athlete is that he doesn’t specialize in one particular sport, something he believes can hurt young athletes who feel they need to zero in.

“Mac has shown that you don’t have to specialize to be successful,” David said. “If you’re an athlete, don’t have to be a great athlete, and will let yourself be coached, you can be successful in a lot of things.”

The one-on-one aspect of wrestling brought him back each year, Mac said, bringing a camaraderie that’s free of conflict.

“No matter who’s on the team, in baseball or football, there’s always conflicts at some point between teams,” he said. “And with wrestling, it’s just you.”

With just one sports season left on the calendar before his time with the Tigers is up, Mac said the feeling really hasn’t hit him just yet.

“I feel like that will be a different story once summer hits, and I’m done with everything,” he said.

Once summer does hit, Mac said he plans on spending his free time fishing, boating and hanging out with his friends before heading off to North Dakota in the fall.

David said he’s just looking to enjoy the time left with his son before he heads off to college.

“Up until this point now, I’ve been very fortunate,” David said. “Not a lot of dads get to experience what I got to experience. I’ll just enjoy the time I have left. And, hopefully, when he goes off to college, we did things right, myself and his mom, and he’s able to see that through. I’d love to see him come back here.”