WRHS BOYS WRESTLING: Kurtz, Meagher wrestle titles

White River High wrestlers Trevor Kurtz and Dave Meagher won crowns Saturday at the 14-team Panther Invitational in Bonney Lake.

White River High wrestlers Trevor Kurtz and Dave Meagher won crowns Saturday at the 14-team Panther Invitational in Bonney Lake.

The pair were among 11 place-winners for the Hornets, who finished fourth behind tournament title winner Centralia, host Bonney Lake, and Burlington-Edison.

Kurtz scored his third pin of the day taking Meridian’s Troy Rathjen to the mat at the 2-minute, 45-second mark in the final to win the 112-pound championship.

Meagher also scored three pins for his heavyweight title. He tallied pins of 53 and 44 seconds before nailing Centralia’s Garrett Pankuk to his back in 2:17.

Austin Shirey, 140, and Jeff Kisner, 215, were third-place finishers.

Hornets Richard Geddes, 119, Brandon Short, 140, Caden Pugmire, 171, and Brennan Gulin, 160, finished fourth.

Noah Geehan took fifth at 171 pounds, while Chris Skinner was sixth at 189 and Tony Tyler was seventh at 145.

Before the home crowd Thursday, the Hornets earned a 63-15 victory over Eatonville in their South Puget Sound League 2A opener.

The Hornets picked up seven pins on the night, including four matches that went less than 45 seconds. Lucas Doll earned a 45-second pin at 103 pounds. Short, 140, and Shirey, 145, picked up back-to-back 37-second pins over their Cruiser opponents. Geehan posted a 32-second fall at 189 pounds.

Tyler earned a 1:02 fall at 152. At 160 pounds, Gulin pinned his Eatonville mat mate at the match’s 4:24 mark and Kisner scored a 2:14 fall at 215 pounds.

Carl Klein was the only decision winner of the night, picking up a 5-1 victory at 125 pounds.

The Hornets also picked up three forfeits.