Local wrestlers grappled in a number of tournaments this past weekend with Tahoma hosting its own event while Kentwood was at the Jaguar Invitational and Kentlake went to the South Kitsap Invitational.
For the Bears, four wrestlers were crowned champions in their respective weight classes at the Tahoma Mat Classic on Saturday.
Steven Hopkins dominated the 112 bracket by pinning his first opponent, winning 18-2 in the second match then beating Daniel Page of Tumwater 9-2 in the final match.
Tyler Lamb pinning his first three opponents before beating Nick Bendon of Bonney Lake 14-4 in the championship round.
In 215 Nick Bayer pinned his way to the title, putting down Chad Turner of Tumwater in 1:34 in the final match.
Finally, Konner Knutdsen finished the tournament off for Tahoma with an 11-1 win over Jared Dorsey of Bonney Lake in the championship match in the 285 pound class.
Down the road at the Jaguar Invitational at Emerald Ridge on Saturday, Kentwood’s Ruben Navejas (103 pounds) continued his dominance in the lightweight division. Navejas, the defending Class 4A state champion, barely broke a sweat, pinning his first two opponents before ripping apart Kelso’s Josh Newberg to a 16-0 technical fall in the title match.
Navejas was joined atop the podium by teammates Jose Hernandez (125) and Nathan Herrick (285). Hernandez worked a 7-4 decision over Decatur’s Tyler Phelps for the title. Herrick earned an 8-0 major decision over David Meagher of White River.
It’s Hernandez’s first tournament title of the season.
Kentwood brought home third place from the tournament with 137.5 points. White River won the tournament (191 points) followed by second-place Kelso (146.5).
Kentlake also jumped into the championship mix on Saturday at the South Kitsap Invitational. Kentlake’s Tyler Potts (125 pounds) pulled out three tough matches en route to winning his respective weight class. Potts, who won his first two matches 9-4 and 9-3, remained consistent, putting away Wes Wynn of Peninsula 9-8 for the title.
Sean Cavanaugh (145) added a second-place finish for the Falcons while Ben Ritchie (152) took third. Overall, Kentlake took third place with 134.5 points.
