WILKIE — The ongoing, and growing, success story of McLurg wrestling continued at Sask. High School Athletics Association provincial championships. The girls won the 3A provincial championship, making for back-to-back wins. The boys are 3A provincial champions, making this their third title in a row.
Piper Kent went through an entire season undefeated, which concluded with a provincial gold medal. Andreea Tatarciuc also was a provincial gold medalist.
Coach Kent’s pride and excitement with the team was evident in his post-event comments.
“Wow, what a season. I am so incredibly proud of all of our wrestlers as every single one of you showed up for yourself and the team.”
With half of the wrestling team graduating in 2022, Kent said they knew there would be ground to make up but looked at it as an opportunity to fill the footprints of national and provincial champions that moved on.
“Wrestling isn’t glamourous, it’s a sport that is full of blood, sweat and accountability. The truly great people in our sport are known for their work ethic and not the amount of cars, sponsorships and mansions. We start this journey without ludicrous dreams of money and fame. We wrestle because it is hard. We wrestle because hard is where growth lives. Nothing changes under comfort. We choose the ‘hard’ because we chose to be better,” adds Coach Kent.
In a social media post bursting with pride on the wrestling page, Kent noted individual wrestlers’ accomplishments this season, as well as his thanks and praise for everyone who contributes to including coaches, managers and family support.
PLAYERS CHOICE AWARD #23 Easton Pfoh – Gilbert Plains/Grandview Spartans
AA Girls
Rosenort School
AWARDS
TOURNAMENT ALL STARS
Fiona Garcia – Virden Golden Bears
Maria Gundrum – Prairie Mountain / Nellie McClung
Shanti Church – Hapnot
Gianna Watt – Hapnot
Cassidy Friesen – Rosenort
PLAYER’S CHOICE AWARD Fiona Garcia – Virden Golden Bears
TOURNAMENT MVP Kara Bartel – Rosenort
AA Boys
École régional Gabrielle-Roy
AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE GAME
At the conclusion of each game a “Player of the Game” (selected by a selection committee) will be presented. Players selected will be asked to pose for a brief photo.
Game 1 – Virden Bears #10 Finn Abel Immanuel Christian #42 Cody Hofsink
Game 7 – Virden Bears #3 Francis Del La Cruz Prairie Mtn #14 Chad Pouteau
Game 8 – Gabrielle Roy #27 Stellan Chammartin Green Valley #13 Nash Braun
Game 9 – Hapnot #11 Carson Taylor Immanuel Chritian #9 Landon Nobel
Game 10 – Green Valley #1 Luke Giesbrecht Prairie Mountain #16 Riley DeRuyck
Game 11 – Gabrielle Roy #40 Carson West Virden #8 Jake Quizon
TOURNAMENT ALL-STARS
Chad Pouteau – Prairie Mountain/Notre Dame Ethan Giesbrecht – Green Valley Finn Abel – Virden Easton Dubois – Gabrielle Roy Marcus Cook – Gabrielle Roy
TOURNAMENT MVP Stellan Chammartin – Gabrielle Roy
PLAYERS CHOICE AWARD Bryson Dumas – Hapnot
AAA Girlsand Boys
École secondaire Neelin High School
GIRLS’ FINAL
ALL STARS
#15 Madison Kwiatkowski (Neelin)
#22 Danica Black (Neelin)
#2 MacKenna Cheys (Beliveau)
#11 Serena Paterson (Beliveau)
#8 Sam Robinson (John Taylor)
MVP #18 Jazmin Birch (Beliveau)
PLAYERS’ CHOICE #1 Tiffany Ortega (St. James)
Garden Valley Collegiate Institute
BOYS’ FINAL
ALL STARS
#6 John Salumu-Kasongo (Nelson McIntyre)
#9 Jeremy Slomiany (Neelin)
#5 Jahmar Bartholomew (Elmwood)
#0 Dante Dyck (Garden Valley)
#1 Jordan Hernandez (Nelson McIntyre)
MVP #8 Sam Bergen (Garden Valley)
PLAYERS’ CHOICE #1 Jordan Hernandez (Nelson McIntyre)
REGISTER TODAY! The 7th Annual CIAAA National Athletic Directors Conference will be held at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, April 20-22, 2023. The Conference will feature 9 LTP Courses:
Thursday April 20 @ 12:45 PM 501C: Philosophy, Organizational Structure & Professional Development 503C: Athletic Administration: Enhancing School-Based Athletic Programs 714C: Preventing, Managing & Transforming Challenging Behaviour
Friday April 21 @ 8:30 AM 506C: Legal Issues II – Enhanced Legal Topics for the Athletic Administrator 703C: Educational Athletics – Performance Beyond the X’s and O’s 735C: Effective Communication (*NEW)
Saturday April 22 @ 1:15 PM 602C: Creating Your Athletic Handbook 722C: Building a Positive School Culture Through Sport 726C: Student Leadership Development Check out full course descriptions
These content loaded courses are designed specifically for Canadian Athletic Administrators and will help enhance daily operations and improve school athletic programs. These courses are lead by knowledgable instructors and include resources, information and discussions with fellow ADs.
The National Conference is a great time to participate in live LTP training. Already registered and want to add another LTP to your weekend? Email: info@ciaaa.ca to get signed up. These LTP courses are also part of the CIAAA Certification Program: Take 501C for the first step in the CRAA Certification, or add 503C & 506C to work towards a CCAA designation. Conference Website Register by March 19th and guarantee your SWAG size requests Register Now! UPCOMING: LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM WEBINAR (Use #TAKE20 at checkout to receive 20% off course fee)
Thursday April 6 & Wednesday April 12 – 602C: Creating Your Athletic Handbook (*2 evenings)
Our mailing address is: Canadian Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association11759 Groat Rd NWEdmonton, AB T5M 3K6Canada Add us to your address book
School Sport Canada is looking to recruit 20-25 participants to be interviewed from provinces across Canada. To be eligible to participate, individuals need to be (a) 18 years of age or older, (b) have played high school sport in Canada for at least one season, and (c) be less than 24 months removed from playing high school sport. Click the link for more information.
Ryan Crosina (Cedars Christian), Viv Anderson-Francois (St. John’s), Jason Mvundura (Deer Lake), Jackson Tonsi (Nanaimo Christian) Jay Smiens (Unity Christian)
Cohen Cadieux (John Barsby), Jeremy McInnis (Westsyde), Nathan Chiang (Pacific Academy), Jaden Mesfin (Pacific Academy) Jose Zaluaga (King George)
BCSS AWARD BOYS BASKETBAL
AAA
AAAA
Champions
St Patrick Regional Secondary
Semiahmoo Secondary
Finalist
Dover Bay Secondary
Fleetwood Park Secondary
Tournament MVP
Irish Coquia (St Patrick)
Torian Lee (Semiahmoo)
Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Spencer Tatlock (M.E.I.)
Andre Juco (Semiahmoo)
Championship Player of the Game
Jovin Sunner (St Patrick)
Quinn Keast Foundation Player of the Game
Cole Bekkering, (Semiahmoo)
Most Sportsmanlike Team
North Delta Secondary
Braich Foundation Most Inspirational Player
Walker Sodaro (Keowna)
Most Inspirational Team
Kelowna Secondary
Wink Willox Most Sportsmanlike Team
W J Mouat Secondary
School Spirit Award
Fleetwood Park Secondary
First Team All Stars
Kaden Carrion (St. Patrick), Gabe Vig (M.E.I,), Dylan King (Lord Byng), Harvir Hothi (North Delta) Luke Linder (Dover Bay)
The Great Lakes Wolfpack won the boys’ team title at the OFSAA wrestling championship in Ottawa this week.
The Wolfpack also tied for second in the overall standings, but those results are being rechecked, because Great Lakes may have won the overall team title as well.
Brampton Fletcher’s Meadow is first in the unofficial standings with 159 points, one more than Great Lakes and Hamilton Bishop Ryan.
Two Wolfpack wrestlers also won individual gold. Kelso Jennings was first in the boys’ 95-kilogram division and Lucy Butler was first in the girls’ 38 kg division.
Jaylene McLean of Great Lakes won silver in girls’ 44 kg. Mason Flett of Great Lakes won bronze in boys’ 89 kg.
Duke Butler of Mackenzie (boys’ 51 kg), Jakob Wildschut of Great Lakes (boys’ 61 kg) and Bella Round of St. Patrick’s (girls’ 115 kg) won fourth-place medals.
Brock Callister of Lambton Central (boys’ 72 kg), Matt Anderson of Great Lakes (boys’ 77 kg), Griffin Wittliff of St. Patrick’s (boys’ 95 kg) and Devyn Manning of North Lambton (girls’ 54 kg) were fifth.
Great Lakes won the boys’, girls’ and overall team titles at the SWOSSAA championship recently. Manning was voted best LKSSAA female wrestler at the meet, while Wildschut shared the SWOSSAA boys’ MVP award with Daniel Piccolo of Windsor St. Joseph’s.
The SWOSSAA boys’ champions included Butler (51 kg), Wildschut (61 kg), Artem Greer of Great Lakes (67.5 kg), Callister (72 kg), Anderson (77 kg), Flett (89 kg), Jennings (95 kg) and Hayden Wilson of North Lambton (130 kg).
The SWOSSAA girls’ champions included Butler (38 kg), McLean (44 kg), Adelia Kontonova of Great Lakes (51 kg), Manning (54 kg), Breanna Trudgeon of Great Lakes (61 kg), Abby Willis of Great Lakes (67.5 kg), Victoria Guerette of St. Patrick’s (77 kg) and Round (115 kg).
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OFSAA Wrestling Championships make triumphant return
The OFSAA Wrestling Championships are underway at TD Place, and more than 700 students from across Ontario are taking part in the largest high school wrestling tournament in the country.
After a hiatus of three years due to COVID, the tournament is back, and it has added more spots for girls.
“This year we have the same amount of weight classes for both boys and girls. Before we only had 14 weight classes for girls. Now we have 17. So there’s more opportunity for girls to get involved. There’s a pathway for them to compete,” said Guy MacDougall, OFSAA Wrestling Championships Co-Convener.
For Grade 9 student Myla Blackshaw, this is her first provincial tournament, and she is excited to be part of it.
“It’s kind of overwhelming, but it’s really exciting to know that I can be involved in something like this so young,” said Blackshaw. “I like that you can always work on yourself and there’s never a limit of how good you can get.”
Meanwhile, Grade 11 wrestler from Bill Crothers Secondary School, Nathan Persaud, pinned his opponent in his first match. Even though he was nervous to be part of such a big event.
“Once I got that cross ankle, I was really in my zone. It’s like one of the biggest ones in Ontario, so my nerves are at an all-time high. But once I got on the mat, it’s all business,” said Persaud.
The tournament is more than just wrestling for some athletes. For Great Lakes Secondary School Grade 12 wrestler Abbagail Willis, the team environment helps her get through life situations.
“Coming here is way more than just wrestling. It’s a team. It’s building skills. I’m gonna be using this for the rest of my life,” said Willis.
“This is the pinnacle of our season, and it’s something that everybody, all the athletes and coaches look forward to,” says Willis’s coach Eric Clarke. “And it’s nice that it’s back. So we missed a couple of years with COVID obviously, so it’s nice to see it back. This is this is what we look forward to all year.”
As wrestlers take the mat, family members in the stands share their excitement.
“She’s on in number 406, I believe, is her next one. So yeah, we’re excited. Just so proud of her,” said Mary Chaulk, Myla’s grandmother.
Blackshaw won her second match of the day by making the adjustments she needed to. And she’s hoping to be on the podium when it’s all over.
“I went in with a game plan. It didn’t go too well,” says Blackshaw. “But you can always adapt to how it goes and figure it out.”
About 1,000 matches were held today, with the championships taking place Wednesday at 2 p.m.
