Campbell River high school wrestling had its best result in 15 years last weekend at the 2015 BC high school wrestling Championships.
Ten wrestlers returned with six medals and seven top six finishes.
Timberline’s Conlan Foy entered the tournament ranked first. He turned in a dominant performance, going undefeated on the day and captured his first provincial gold medal.
In the finals, Foy defeated his opponent by a score of 16-6.
As a Grade 11 student, Foy will have a chance to defend his title next year.
“I don’t know how to put this into words….five years of visualizing myself winning a provincial championship every night,” Foy said.
“My teammates put in the work to keep me on track for years and the coaches have helped me do what I need to do.”
Also from Timberline, Grade 12 90kg wrestler Dawson Mckay earned a silver medal.
Mckay, ranked fourth, wrestled his best tournament ever.
A leader on the team, excellent wrestler, and exemplary student, McKay has been recruited by both University of Calgary and Simon Fraser University to wrestle for their programs.
Coach Paul Murphy had this to say, “I could not be more proud of Conlan and Dawson. They have worked so hard for so many years and deserve these results. They are both athletes who make coaching worthwhile.”
Carihi’s top placer was Grade 11 student Ali McPhee.
Wrestling at 64 kg, McPhee earned her second provincial medal, following a gold last year. Coming off a severe knee injury, McPhee turned in a gutsy performance to earn this result.
Also on the girl’s side, Grade 12 student Hailey Dean finished fifth, capping a long and successful high school wrestling career.
The Carihi boys acted as dream wreckers at this tournament. Mike Herman (54kg), Alex Jinda (74kg), and Petro Kindy-Olesen (78kg) all entered the tournament unranked. They turned in excellent performances, knocking off the fourth, third, and second ranked wrestlers respectively. All three earned bronze medals.
Herman finished his high school career with a medal after missing last year and most of this year with a severely dislocated shoulder. Jinda exceeded all expectations, avenging two early season losses with thrilling and gritty come from behind victories. Kindy-Olesen earned his first provincial placing with dominant performances over ranked opponents, falling eventually to the eventual champion in the semi-finals.
Carihi Coach Jason Kerluck said, “as a team, we turned a corner this weekend. We have become the opponent that the rest of the province doesn’t want to wrestle. Coach Mckenzie and I can’t wait to see this team continue to dominate next year.”
Carihi athletes Jocelyn Staniforth and Corinne Holmes, along with Southgate wrestler Joel House also attended the tournament. All three competed hard and look forward to returning next year.
In the team race, Timberline and Carihi boys finished seventh and ninth respectively out of more than 30 teams. Coach Scott Mckenzie says, “two top ten finishes from a town the size of Campbell River is almost unheard of. It was an awesome weekend.”
Next up for the Campbell River wrestlers is the National Championships in Fredericton, New Brunswick.