FIFE — The Port Angeles wrestling team continued its impressive start to the season with a third-place finish at the ninth annual Larry Brown Invitational at Fife High School.
The Roughriders were third out of 17 teams while fellow North Olympic Peninsula school Forks took eighth.
The tournament included 30 regional wrestlers, 12 state placers and one state champion from last year.
No other Port Angeles details were available by press time.
Grahn leads Forks
Cutter Grahn remained undefeated on the season after claiming the 138-pound division for Forks.
The four-year senior won four matches to win the title, including a narrow 5-4 win in the final over Fife’s Maverick Reddway. Grahn is now 8-0 on the season.
“That was a tough match [in the final]. He had a tough semifinal match, too, but ended up pulling away a bit at the end,” Forks coach Bob Wheeler said.
Grahn was the lone Spartan to reach the finals, with six others tying for fourth place and Shane WhiteEagle tying for third at 182.
Among those tying for fourth were Sebastian Barragan (126), Enrique Barragan (132), James Salazar (170), Gavin Castaneda (195), Jake Claussen (285) and Stephen Smith (285).
“Considering what we have, that’s not bad,” Wheeler said.
“Here we’ve got a lot of bigger schools, and we have this young team again that placed in the middle of the pack . . . so that’s not too bad.”
Boys Basketball
Forks 50,
Neah Bay 33
NEAH BAY — Braden Decker scored 17 points to spark the Spartans to the nonleague victory Saturday.
The Red Devils scored only two points in the first quarter and were down by 23 points in the first half but came surging back to make a game out of it.
“They are fast and athletic,” Forks coach Scott Justus said about the Red Devils.
Just fresh from winning the Class 1B state football crown, all Neah Bay scorers are from the football team, including Josiah Greene, Zeke Greene, Michael Dulik, Titus Pascua and Leyton Doherty.
“They still have their football legs,” Justus said. “They were flat and worn out.
“When they get their basketball legs, they will have to be reckoned with.”
The Spartans, meanwhile, were sluggish, committing a lot of fouls.
At one point in the third quarter and another point in the fourth period, there were four Forks starters sitting on the bench with foul trouble.
The Spartans also got poor scoring from their three post players, who combined for just 10 points.
“That’s not good enough,” Justus said. “We need to do better.”
Forks is taller than Neah Bay, and should have scored more from the post position despite the speed and athletic ability of the Red Devils, Justus said.
The Spartans next open SWL-Evergreen Division action Tuesday night at home against Rainier.
Forks 50, Neah Bay 33
Forks 13 15 10 12 — 50
Neah Bay 2 11 13 7 — 33
Individual Scoring
Forks (50)
Decker 17, Castellano 4, Cress 4, Harris 4, Dean 8, Leons 2.
Neah Bay (33)
J. Greene 8, Z. Greene 9, Dulik 2, Pascua 6, Doherty 8.
Girls Basketball
Neah Bay 65,
Forks 25
NEAH BAY — Kaela Tyler ripped the nets for 20 points and Cherish Moss added 16 to spark the Red Devils to an easy romp over the Spartans in nonleague action Saturday.
Faye Chartraw added nine points for Neah Bay.
Courtnie Paul had a team-high seven points for Forks.
The Red Devils led 15-4 after one quarter and 43-13 at halftime.
Neah Bay 65, Forks 25
Forks 4 9 6 6 — 25
Neah Bay 15 28 10 12 — 65
Individual Scoring
Forks (25)
Sherriff 4, Paul 7, Raben 6, Price 2, Weekes 4, Williams 2.
Neah Bay (65)
Hahn 2, Thompson 4, Tyler 20, Murner 5, Winck 4, Cherish Moss 16, Cierra Moss 4, Chartraw 9, Hill 1.