Some of Eastern North Carolina’s best wrestlers were on display at Washington’s 9th Annual Eli Saleeby Lee Memorial Tournament on Saturday.

Edenton Holmes, Pamlico County, Hertford County, Dixon, Nash Central, West Craven, White Oak, Ayden-Grifton and Greene Central took to the mats along with Washington to honor the memory of Eli Saleeby Lee, a former Pam Pack wrestler who died in a high-speed crash in 2005. The tournament, which began as a fundraiser to replace a tattered wrestling mat, has raised thousands of dollars for the Washington wrestling team over the years.

This year, the Pam Pack did not disappoint. Coach Daniel Riggs’ squad won four of their five matches on the day, taking second place overall and improving their record to 7-2 on the season.

“I guess we’re like one big family,” said senior Jason Gardner. “We like to joke around, have fun. We like to win together. The fun part about wrestling is winning.”

Senior Devon Van Cura improved to 15-0 on the season, winning each of his five matches, while Thomas Remick also went 5-0 with three pins, improving his overall record to 20-2. As a unit, Washington kept it close against West Craven (40-37) and won big against Nash Central (63-15), Pamlico County (66-9) and Herford County (71-12). Their only loss of the day was to Dixon, 57-18.

Dixon would secure a first place finish with West Craven taking home third place.

Pam Pack wrestling is back in action this Tuesday with a tri-meet at Havelock High School. Weigh-ins begin at 4 p.m.