A wrestling career that began at E.V. Cain Middle School in Auburn reached maturity last weekend at Granite Bay.

Many of his friends are wearing Placer’s green and gold, but Auburn resident Spencer Mason was wearing Woodcreek’s black and maroon singlet when he claimed the 119-pound title at the Sierra Foothill League Championships.

Mason’s father Doug coaches the Timberwolves’ wrestling squad. Spencer commutes with his father to the Roseville campus each morning along with his freshman brother Austin, who won a junior varsity SFL title at 130 last week.

Spencer is one of the favorites heading into Saturday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Championships at Del Oro. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the SFL Championships after his title run.

“He was voted outstanding wrestler by the coaches primarily because of the strength of his weight class,” Doug Mason said. ‘He could have easily taken fourth.”

The Woodcreek program is on the rise. Doug was part of the Timberwolves’ original coaching staff and took over as head coach five years ago. The Timberwolves had five SFL finalists last week and two champions.

Spencer, who is 27-8 on the season, said the foundation he got at E.V. Cain gave him a lasting passion for wrestling.

“That was the first team I was ever on,” he said. “I really liked it from the start. It’s a battle. Wrestling’s cool because if you win it’s all the glory for yourself, but it’s also a two-way street. If you lose, there’s no one else to blame.”

The Woodcreek senior has lofty goals for the remainder of the season.

“My goal is to place at state,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”

Spencer’s run at the D-II title began today at Del Oro with the finals set for Saturday afternoon. The top five finishers in each weight class will move on to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament next Thursday and Friday at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Top wrestlers from Woodcreek, Granite Bay, Roseville and Oakmont are in Loomis this weekend, joining Spencer in search, ultimately, of a trip to the state meet in Bakersfield.