Wrestlers from Campbell River schools competed in a tough tournament in Port Alberni last weekend.
Athletes from Carihi, Timberline, Phoenix and Southgate found success against opponents from all of Vancouver Island, as well as the Lower Mainland.
Phoenix, a program which has a history of being a powerhouse school on Vancouver Island, was lead by Logan Courtenay, who earned a gold medal at 98 kg in the School Boy division. Also winning a gold medal was the school’s sole female wrestler of the weekend, April LaCoste, in the 62 kg School Girl division. Other results from the team include third place winners Lochlan Burton (35 kg), Kodiak Stones-Quinn (43 kg) and Sylas Thompson (57 kg); and fourth place winners Ronin Jordan (37 kg), Torin Brooks (41 kg) and Michael Grothen (51 kg), and fifth place winner Nathan Landa (49 kg).
Southgate wrestlers had a lot of fun while fighting their way to some respectable finishes. Their sole gold medallist this weekend was Alex Jackson, who wrestled in the 54 kg School Boy division. Fayth Pontious, Southgate’s sole female competitor, earned a silver medal in the 59 kg School Girl division. Other results include third place winners Michael Samuel (39 kg) and Grant Matthews (66 kg) and foutth place finishers Jamie Calanan (39 kg) and Darius Martin (46 kg).
Timberline’s sole wrestler, Gage Balle, wrestled his way to a fifth place finish in a very competitive, 63 kg Cadet Boys category. Also competing in the Cadet Boys division, Owen Olney of Carihi fought his way to a bronze medal in the 57 kg weight class. Carihi’s sole female competitor, Sadie Dowler, earned a silver medal in the Cadet Girls 51 kg division. Leader of the team, Alex Anderson, also earned a silver medal in the Juvenile Boys 78 kg division. Le Le of Carihi also fought his way to a respectable sixth place finish in the 60kg Juvenile Boys division.
Next for our athletes is the Island Championships, being held in Nanaimo this Saturday, which will qualify athletes in grades 8-12 for the upcoming Provincial Championships.