Cowichan Valley wrestlers were here, there, and everywhere last weekend, competing in various events in Calgary, Vancouver and Nanaimo.
”It was a really busy weekend for all our wrestlers,” said coach Nick Zuback.
First, Rei Nagatomi (Francis Kelsey) and Carter Zuback (QMS) represented Team BC at the Jurassic Wrestling Tournament and Dino Duals events in Calgary.
“The tournament brought the best from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan together in two tournaments,” Nick Zuback said.
Nagatomi went 3-1 finishing second in the 69kg girls weight class. Also, from Cowichan, competing in the 69kg girls’ class for her club team was Cassidy Pace (Francis Kelsey), who took home the bronze medal.
Carter Zuback competed at 55kg boys and went 4-0 capturing the gold medal.
“Both Carter and Rei helped Team BC finish on top of the team rankings and ultimately taking home the Jurassic Cup,” coach Zuback said. “The second day of the wrestling was another competitive one. Carter showed no signs of fatigue, winning all three of his matches, capturing his second gold medal of the weekend. Rei also wrestled extremely well, capturing another silver medal.”
Meanwhile, on the Saturday, 13 wrestlers from the Cowichan Valley competed in the Duke’s Cup at Vancouver’s British Columbia Regiment on Beatty Street.
“The atmosphere was amazing as the Canadian military was present in full gear and there were numerous military memorabilia for the athletes and spectators to admire,” coach Zuback said.
Leading the girl’s division was Georgia Bond (QMS) who won all of her matches to capture gold in the 61kg class. Following in her footsteps also taking first in the 51kg class were schoolmates Rose Wu and Emma Greenwood, who was first in 69kg.
In his first competition this year, Ross Meiner showed very little signs of mat rust, capturing gold in the boys 65kg class. Another strong showing was from Leon Tsuboi (QMS) who captured gold in the 45kg boys’ class.
Also showing great results and capturing second place in their weight classes were Gabe Carreiro (Kelsey) in the 110kg boys event, Jordanna Crawford-Starter (Kelsey) in the 47kg girls group, Matin Taghi (QMS) in the 57kg boys group, and Jordyn He (QMS) in the 61kg girls event.
Taking home bronze with strong finishes were Elijah Cote (NCS) in the 48kg boys events, Jacob Meiner (QMS) in the 63kg boys group, and Ripley Fox (QMS) in the 61kg girls group.
Rui Wang (QMS) also wrestled really well taking fourth in the 61kg girls weight class.
QMS finished second overall, Cowichan 10th, and Kelsey 11th in the team competitions.
On the Sunday, a small contingent of six Cowichan wrestlers drove up to Nanaimo for the Vancouver Island Opener held at NDSS.
“It was a great day at the Nanaimo Opener for all of our wrestlers,” said coach Ryan Yewchin.
Taking silver in their respective weight classes were Gabe Carreiro (Kelsey), Ronny Carreiro (Kelsey), Georgia Bond (QMS), and Beatrix Klatt (Quamichan). James Corely (Quamichan) took bronze and Nate Garstang (Kelsey) was fourth in their respective weight classes.
Next up for all the Cowichan wrestlers will be the Campbell River Invite Jan. 14 where they will be looking at seeding points for the Island Championships which will be hosted by QMS Feb. 10-11.
