Each year the White River Classic brings together some of the top teams in the state for early-season drama. Saturday was no exception, as defending two-time state champion Enumclaw eked out a 12.5-point victory over No. 1-ranked Class 3A Yelm and defending state Class 1A champion Orting, which placed third.

Yelm made a run for the Hornets in the finals, putting five wrestlers in the championship round and coming out with four champs. Orting put six on the mat and came out with three title-winners, but it was Enumclaw, with five in the finals – Hunter File, Lucas Somera, Josh Musick, Kario Wallin and Steven Knapp, with Musick and Wallin winning crowns, that wound up with the big trophy.

Fourth-place Bonney Lake put three in the title round – Nick Bendon, Josh Peart and Jared Dorsey – with Peart and Dorsey capturing titles. Host White River finished seventh with Caden Pugmire taking a runner-up finish. Sumner finished 15th in the 16-team tournament.

“It was just what we needed,” said EHS coach Reichert, who was not able to put his starting lineup on the mat due to injuries. But those who came, came to compete and stepped up. “It sets the tone and lets us know we’reon track.”

With two championship mats running simultaneously, EHS’s 215-pounder Knapp found himself up against defending state champion Alec Bird of Everett. Knapp kept it close, but found himself as runner-up, 7-2.

EHS’s File also kept his 125-pound title match close, losing 4-1 to Antonio Brown of Orting. At 130 pounds, freshman Somera won all three matches by fall on his way into the finals, then lost a 5-4 contest to James Bradley of Yelm on a last-second penalty that broke a tie score.

Wallin was the Hornets’ first champion of the night, picking up a 5-1 win over Nikko Veltri of Orting at 160. Musick scored a 17-1 technical fall over Caden Pugmire of White River in the 152-pound final for EHS’s other title.

It was a team effort that pushed the Hornets to the title with eight other EHS wrestlers placing. Due to time constraints, wrestlers were awarded third- and fifth-place ties.

EHS’s Travis Reano, 119, Andrew Fox, 135, Kyle Young, 140, and Colton Malek, 189, were third, while Riley Klein, 130, Marcus Nichols, 135, A.J. Molieri, 145, Marcus Madden, 171, and heavyweight Jeff Wiltse finished fifth.

Dorsey kicked off Bonney Lake‚Äôs big night with the heavyweight championship. After a first-round bye, Dorsey picked up his third straight pin in the finals with a fall at the 3-minute, 42-second mark over Everett’s Levi Carroll.

Panther fans got a bonus when Bendon at 140 pounds and Peart at 145 wrestled their matches side-by-side. Peart, trailing in the early going, finished his title match early, picking up his third pin of the night, taking Orting’s Bardy Maris to the mat in the second round, 3:40. Bendon had a tougher go with Caleb Thornhill of Yelm, losing 8-5.

Bonney Lake’s Andrew Cunningham, 112, and Jake Leuders, 152, were third. Bobby Slick was fifth at 119 pounds for the Panthers.

For White River, other than Pugmire’s appearance in the finals, the team was boosted by a slew of third- and fifth-place finishes.

“We always aspire to finish higher,” White River coach Joe Klein said, but was pleased with the way his wrestlers stepped up in a tournament loaded with state place winners, especially since the Hornets are still without heavyweight David Meagher and saw 215-pounder Chase Myers go down with an injury early in the tournament.

Robert Kautzman, 130, Alec Williams, 140, Austin Bethel, 160, were third for the Hornets. White River’s Richard Geddes, 103, Nathan Lindner, 119, Brandon Short, 125, Jeff Kisner, 171, finished fifth.

White River travels to Auburn Mountainview for league action at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, and then heads to Bonney Lake for Saturday’s Invitational. In addition to hosting its tournament Saturday, the Panthers were scheduled to meet up with cross-district rival Sumner at 7 tonight, Wednesday. Enumclaw hosts Lakes at 7 tonight and then heads north to the Sedro Woolley Invitational Saturday.