GREENSBORO - Cardinal Gibbons seniors Matthew Williams and Patrick O'Neill - friends since middle school - each wanted to end their high school careers as champions. And to do it on the same mat, one right after the other.

It is as lofty a goal as a pair of teammates can have in the sport. Yet they did just that as Williams captured the 3A crown amongst 132-pounders and O'Neill won at 138.

"It was our goal to have that moment where he was a champ and I was about to be," O'Neill said.

Williams, who won a state title as a freshman in the 119-pound class, won 8-4 to give his career two championship bookends.

"My freshman year, I was sort of naive in the sense that I had no pressure on me," Williams said. "This year, I really felt the fact that it was my last year. But I didn't let it get to me, and I wrestled tough."

O'Neill, meanwhile, had some drama, giving up a takedown with 1:15 left to fall behind 3-2. O'Neill's opponent was called for stalling seven seconds later, and his opponent allowed the escape to put the Gibbons senior up 4-3 - a lead which he almost lost as time ran out.

"He got in on my leg, and I was almost a little bit frantic," O'Neill said. "There was one point where he was close to getting the takedown and I heard all his fans shouting 'two! two!' "

Williams and O'Neill's championships helped the Crusaders to an eighth overall finish at the tournament.

On the 4A level, few Tri-Nine Conference wrestlers and teams had a noticeable impact on the final day.

Cary senior Bo Mulligan (160-pounds) and Holly Springs sophomore Parker Ragsdale (113) each finished third.

Apex junior Jake Castagnero (182) took fifth. Middle Creek senior Alex Battaglia (120) was sixth

The highest Tri-Nine team finish in the tournament was Cary at 25th.