ORTING, Wash. — Thirty miles north of Mount Rainier, you'll find an old gym tucked into the Orting Valley.
"This place is like another home to me, " said AJ Salguero, a three-time state champion.
There are more motivational quotes posted on the walls. A game clock from the 50's, but not even a modern-day scoreboard could keep track of all the success produced in this gym. It has built champions and helped the Orting Cardinals enjoy two decades of dominance.
"I love this room," said Michael Fritz, another state champion. "I've been wrestling in this room for years now. I grew up in the junior club here, so I've been wrestling on these mats since I was a little kid, and they have a lot of sentimental meaning to me so they're pretty special."
Since 2005, the Orting High School wrestling team has not placed lower than third place at the mat classic, with seven state titles.
"We've just been blowing that tournament out of the water," said Quentin Harding, a three-time state champion. "Every single year I've been in high school we've won state. I don't think a lot of people could say that."
"Yeah, it's been, it's been a lot of fun," said Jody Coleman, Orting wrestling coach.
This year's team features five state champs and six additional state medalists.
"Everyone's just super talented and surrounded by a bunch of really good wrestlers just super awesome to be here," said Levi Dicugno, state champion and captain.
Dicugno is trying to win his second state title.
"People just love wrestling here," Dicugno said. "It's just a town that loves wrestling. I think that's what makes us so good."
Salguero and Harding are hunting for their fourth individual state title. Only 17 wrestlers in state history have ever done that.
"It'd be amazing," Harding said. "That's been the goal since I was little. Me and my club coach Brandon Cruz and Jeff Taylor, (they) sat down with me and said, 'This kid's going to be a four-time state champion.' He really made me believe that ever since I was growing up, so that's always been my goal."
"It'll be cool and all, but it doesn't define me as a person who I am," Salguero said. "Like I don't keep my medals at all. I always give it to my grandparents or someone that supports me."
Coleman said having a great junior program has helped build champions. There's also talent in every corner, and they push each other.
"I think with some of the leaders we have, the other kids see that those kids work the hardest every day and so they start to emulate that," Coleman said.
"We're in here grinding every day making each other better," Fritz said. "Like iron sharpens iron, you know."
Despite all of their success, the Cardinals said they won't be complacent.
"There's always a bigger fish, you know, you got to keep getting better and if you don't, you're going to get eaten," Dicugno said.
The state wrestling championships take place this week at the Tacoma Dome.