By Paul Klose
Published March 7 2017
HHSS was proudly represented by eight members of the Red Hawks wrestling team at the OFSAA Wrestling Championships held on March 1 to 3. Just under 800 wrestlers from all over Ontario participated in the tournament which was held at the Powerade Centre in Brampton.
Red Hawks wrestlers who competed at OFSAA this year include Hannah Riopelle Karissa Riopelle Noelle Dupret-Smith Emily Klose Chloe Samson Matt Manning Dylan Freake and Aidan Coles.
As expected the competition was incredibly fierce as regional champions from around the province battled for a spot on the podium. On the first day the Red Hawks finished 26 matches in total with a team record of 13 wins and 13 losses.
Coaches Dan Fockler and Paul Klose are encouraged by this result since all but one of the HHSS wrestlers will be returning next year.
“This year we had a very young team representing our school in a senior tournament. Our athletes should be very proud of their accomplishments at OFSAA. As a team they won 50 per cent of their matches on day one of competition. They were competitive and the experience here this year will bring huge benefits for next year.”
Three Red Hawks wrestled well enough to advance to the second day of competition. Grade 10 student Chloe Samson finished among the top 12 with a record of three wins and two losses. Rookie wrestler Hannah Riopelle continued to improve throughout the tournament and finished with five wins and two losses. Hannah represented HHSS on the podium with a fifth place finish.
In men’s competition Coles surprised many senior wrestlers with his grit and solid technique in a challenging 89 kilogram weight class. Coles finished with four wins and two losses to rank in the top eight in Ontario.
To cap it off Coles’ quality character was noted by the OFSAA officials. Each year the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Officials Association (OAWOA) gives out a sportsmanship award. Daryll Owen a referee from Toronto nominated Coles for the award stating that he is a “mature and classy wrestler” with a positive attitude toward the sport and his opponents. Coles was this year’s recipient of the Officials Award for Sportsmanship. Congratulations Coles on earning this recognition!
Congratulations to all wrestlers on the entire team. “It takes a team to make a champion.”
Submitted
