Wrestlers from Elphinstone Secondary School did themselves proud with excellent results at the North Shore high school championships last Friday at Rockridge Secondary School in West Vancouver.
The big results came from the girls' team that finished fifth overall.
Charlie Daigneault finished second in the 51-kg class, Amy Barnes was fifth in the 54-kg class, Claire Fearnley was fourth in the 64-kg class and Telicia Hlatky was second in the 69-kg class.
Carson Graham, the defending B.C. girls' champions, won the girls' team title at the North Shores with 124 points. Rockridge was second with 50 and St. Thomas Aquinas third at 40. Balmoral and Elphi rounded out the top five with 35 and 33 points, respectively.
On the boys' side, Rockridge outpaced their competition to win the juvenile title with 177 points to Collingwood's 91. St. Thomas Aquinas was third with 76, Windsor fourth at 70 and Argyle fifth at 48.
On the senior boys' side, Rockridge was again atop the pile with 140 points to Aquinas' 65. Elphi was third with 40 points, while Balmoral and Sentinel were fourth and fifth with 31 and 30 points.
In individual results, Elphi's Mike Rines won the 63-kg class, while Stephen Despins was fourth. In the 48-kg class, Shaun Stephens-Whale finished fourth. Mike Fryer from Chatelech Secondary School was fourth in the 78-kg class while Ty Dempster from Elphi was fourth in the 84-kg class.
"We have a novice team, but all our athletes worked hard and had some great performances," said Elphi coach Clint Fox. "The kids have been working hard in practice. That is paying off and the skill levels are rising. For quite a small girls' team to finish in the top five is a real accomplishment."
North Shore league chairman and Balmoral Junior Secondary School coach Ian McDonald said he was pleased with the turnout at Friday's event. More than 175 athletes in 17 boys' divisions and 13 girls' categories suited up for the local championships this time out.
"We had record numbers of schools and participants," said McDonald. "We have new programs at Argyle, Windsor and Howe Sound this year."Elphi is off to Port Alberni this weekend for a major invitational meet that will see some of the top wrestlers in the province compete.
"We have some great competition on the North Shore, but Port Alberni is probably the most prestigious club meet in the province," Fox added. "They excel in hosting the event. It will be a real eye-opener for our team, and I think a real learning experience too."
Fox plans to take eight wrestlers to the meet and will use the event as a warm-up for the zone championships, which will take place at either Charles Tupper or Balmoral on Feb. 11.
The top five wrestlers in each boys' and girls' division at the zone championships receive a pass to compete in the B.C. high school championships, set for Coquitlam's Pinetree Secondary School Feb. 24 to 26.
- With files from Jan-Christian Sorensen/NS News
