OMAHA, Neb. – There is something magical about Saturday at a state high school wrestling tournament.

The sights, the sounds, the emotion, the agony, the ecstasy – you see it all on the biggest stage most of these athletes will ever compete on.

The electric atmosphere on the final day of the Nebraska state tournament is difficult to match.

That was the case once again as fans packed the Qwest Center for the state finals on Saturday afternoon.

There were four mats placed in the middle of the arena for the four-class finals in Omaha. A few hundred fans were even allowed on the floor to catch a close-up glimpse of the biggest matches of the year. The event was carried live on statewide public television.

Nebraska wrestlers are fortunate to compete in the Qwest Center, a World class facility which hosted the 2010 NCAA Championships. There were 10 mats used in the early sessions and there was still enough room for wrestlers, coaches and media to walk around the outside of the floor area at the Qwest.

The Nebraska School Activities Association had a great set-up for the event. An elevated press row for the media ran all the way down one side of the arena floor. That makes a huge difference when you can work and watch the event at the same time.

Prior to the finals is one of my favorite moments of the three-day event. That’s when the Parade of Champions took place. All 112 finalists walked into the arena with Queen’s “We are the Champions” blaring as 10,000-plus fans stood and applauded.

There were 56 champions crowned and 56 wrestlers who fell one win short of their dream. The payoff for winning is huge for athletes who sacrifice so much while competing in such a grueling and demanding sport.

Seeing excited wrestlers leap into the arms of their coaches after winning state titles is a scene that never gets old.

Teams travel all the way across the state, from faraway places like Scottsbluff and Ogallala, to chase their dreams in Omaha.

It’s a reunion of sorts where you see anyone from long-time coaches like Tom McCann of Kearney, Paul Sok of Winside and Mike Braun of Papillion-LaVista to bright young head coaches like Chas DeVetter of Omaha Creighton Prep.

Grizzled media veterans like Ken Hambleton of the Lincoln Journal Star, Ross Jernstrom of WOWT-TV, Buck Mahoney of the Kearney Hub and Stu Pospisil of the Omaha World-Herald were on hand to cover the action. A large throng of reporters from smaller publications from around the state, including Michael Carnes of the Wayne Herald, made the trip to Omaha to follow the event as well.

My only problem is with people who are issued press credentials and violate media protocol by cheering for the athletes they are covering.

As usual, there were an abundance of great storylines that played out during the event.

The biggest story was Omaha Skutt’s run for a record 14th straight state title in Class B. The SkyHawks, decimated by injuries this season, fell just short as Central City captured the team title to end Skutt’s incredible run at 13 straight state titles.

Give Central City credit. They are deep, balanced, talented and well-coached. They turned in a strong performance.

Grand Island put on a tremendous display in winning the Class A title for the third straight time. The Islanders ran away from the rest of the field.

Wood River won the title in Class C and Amherst prevailed in Class D.

Omaha Skutt junior Thomas Gilman won his third state title after capturing Class B’s 119-pound crown. Gilman rolled past Auburn’s previously unbeaten Trent Mertes by technical fall in the finals.

Gilman looks like one of the best wrestlers this state has ever seen. He pushes the pace and he’s very advanced technically for his age. His all-out, aggressive style is what knowledgeable wrestling fans love to see. He won Cadet Nationals in freestyle in 2010, is ranked No. 2 nationally and is a big-time Division I college prospect.

It was sad to see some fans booing Gilman after he won his state title. The kid was simply the best wrestler, by far, of the 896 who qualified for this event. Gilman is a great kid who is very dedicated to the sport. He has traveled all over the country to compete and has excelled in numerous national tournaments at the age-group levels.

Fans should appreciate having a wrestler of his caliber competing in this event. Gilman may be the best wrestler to come out of Nebraska since Howells’ Brad Vering, who went on to win an NCAA title for Nebraska and a World Championships silver medal.

You couldn’t help but marvel at 6-foot-6, 290-pound heavyweight Mike Shoff of Cambridge. A prized football prospect, the junior repeated as Class D state champion and extended his winning streak to 77 matches. Shoff already is as big as some National Football League linemen.

Shoff pinned his first three opponents in a total of 51 seconds. In the finals, Shoff pinned Nathan Bazata of Howells in the second period. Shoff finished the season with a 41-0 record, including a whopping 37 pins. He is powerful and explosive.

This was the first time I’ve been back to the Nebraska state tournament in four years. I covered the event four times when I was a sportswriter at the Omaha World-Herald newspaper. I missed being around all the great people who are involved in the sport in this state. It was an enjoyable weekend.

It’s tough to beat the atmosphere on a Saturday at any state wrestling tournament, and this year in Omaha was no exception. It was an exciting and entertaining event.

Hopefully, I can make it back again next year.