FORKS — Port Angeles captured second with three individual champions at the Forks Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday, finishing as the top North Olympic Peninsula team at the event.
Host team Forks had two individual champions in the seven-team tourney.
The Roughriders, who won the tourney the past two years, compiled 149 points to earn runner-up honors behind Klahowya, which had 219.
Anacortes took third with 126 while Forks, which was second a year ago, was right behind in fourth with 124 ½.
Tenino claimed fifth (122), followed by Sequim (106) and South Whidbey (86).
“This is the lowest we’ve been in quite awhile,” longtime Forks coach Bob Wheeler said.
The Riders had the most area winners with state veteran Adam Raemer capturing first at 145 pounds, Nathan Cristion taking the 189-pound title and freshman Josh Basden claiming 103 pounds by default.
Raemer won this tourney for the first time, winning his first two matches by pin. He beat three wrestlers to take first.
“Winning the tournament was one of his goals, and he was able to pull it through,” Port Angeles coach Erik Gonzalez said.
Cristion also took his first two matches by pin and beat teammate Jacob Dostie in the semifinals. Dostie ended up in third place.
The Riders had three other wrestlers earn third place, including Andrew Symonds at 135, Brandon Vaught at 171 and Stuart Des Rochers at 285.
“We got a nice solid group of kids, and it was a good first outing for us,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez is looking forward to taking on tourney champion Klahowya.
“We get Klahowya again on Wednesday, so we’ll see what it’s like in a dual meet with those guys,” he said.
The Riders will have a double-dual with Klahowya and North Mason.
Spartans who won individual titles were brothers Dayne House at 125 pounds and Tanner House at 285.
Dayne House won the championship with a pin in 31 seconds while Tanner House beat teammate Joe Salazar in the title match.
The Spartans also had three other athletes earn second place.
Tyler Cortani was runner-up at 112 while Cutter Grahn was second at 119 and Travis Petrovich second at 152.
“That’s going to be our core group of kids,” Wheeler said about his wrestlers finishing in the top two.
“I would expect all of them to be at the state tournament. Whether they place or not is going to be up to how hard they work.”
Forks next will take on Metro League powers Bainbridge and Chief Sealth on Tuesday.
“Bainbridge is big but normally we’ve competed quite well with them,” Wheeler said.
The Sequim Wolves did not have any individual champions but did get a second place from Kawika Yasamura at 160 pounds.
Three Sequim wrestlers took third place.
Claiming third were Austin Middleton at 130 pounds, Dakota Hinton at 152 and Clay Charlie at 215.
Taking fourth place for Sequim were Derrek Fruin at 119 and Winston Baab at 140.
Sequim next will be at the Battle of the Border in Blaine next week.
