Catasauqua head wrestling coach Joe Russo had a hoarse voice Sunday morning, but he was happy about it.

It was a result of a busy and successful weekend for the Rough Riders.

Catty opened its regular dual meet season with a 39-25 victory over Wilson last Friday night, and they finished fourth of 16 teams in their own Rough Riders Invitational that began the following morning.

“It was a good weekend for us,” said Russo. “We had a number of guys who did well, and we know we have a solid lineup.

“The kids deserve a lot of credit because we were there at 6:30 (a.m.) and got back at it at 9 (a.m.)

Russo pointed to senior William Bear (189), juniors Chad Beller (285), and Mikhail Hartranft (121) and sophomore Allen Starr all recorded pins in their respective weights in the Wilson win. Evan Reed (107) and Jaiver Sobrado (215) picked up forfeits, and Gavin Fehr (152) recorded a decision.

“Bear and Starr missed last year with injuries,” said Russo. “They both had pins and big wins.

“Beller moved up to 285 and pinned a kid who was 70 pounds more than him. He (Beller) has a lot of drive and is such a tough kid. Hartranft picked his kid up and the other coach thought he slammed him down. He was third in districts last year, and is going to have a big year for us.”

In the tournament, Fehr defeated Conwell-Egan’s Ricky Horgan, 3-2, for the title, and Hartranft lost to Egan’s Kevin Bagnell, 11-8, in a championship bout.

Reed and senior Brendan Nye (127) – the coach’s son who returned after playing basketball last season – took fourth, and Beller was fifth.

“Reed is a freshman who has a lot of potential and will be good,” added Russo. “It was good to see Brendan back on the mat. Beller was in a tough weight class.

“We had eight kids place in 12 weight classes. It was a good tournament for us.”:

The Rough Riders will have meets against Bangor (Dec. 7), Southern Lehigh (Dec. 14) and Salisbury (Dec. 20) before they enter the Jim Thorpe tournament (Dec. 27-28).

Russo is glad for the extended time.

“This will give us some time in the room to work on things,” said Russo. “The Jim Thorpe tournament is a very good one.

“We will be ready for the (Jim Thorpe) tournament, and also for the rest of the season.”