Strength is better in numbers.
That’s likely the mentality behind several Prince George athletes hoping to make their schools proud as they trek down to Langley for the 2020 B.C. Wrestling Championships this weekend.
Four secondary schools and 17 wrestlers will represent the city and north-central region in Langley amongst hundreds of others from across the province’s eight zones.
Provincials will also see the return of five local competitors to the mats Sunday (Feb. 16) and Monday (Feb. 17), all hoping to earn redemption from last year.
If all goes well especially for Kelly Road Secondary’s Kaily Pattison, she could see herself going straight to the top of the podium, matching her early-season first-overall provincial ranking.
The Grade 11 student lost her 57 kg division-championship final to settle for silver and claimed bronze a year earlier in 2018.
This time, Pattison sees herself in the 60 kg category against 19 other wrestlers with eyes on the gold medal.
From the boys side, Isaac Le Morvan has had a busy season in the province.
The Grade 12 student at Prince George Secondary was initially ranked third in the province, came in second at the 2020 Western Age Class competition and in third at SFU’s War on the Floor.
In 2019, Le Morvan just missed out on a B.C. medal in fourth place and he’s returning to the same 63 kg division this weekend.
Pattison and Le Morvan each won their respective North-Central Zone titles this past week at Duchess Park, two of 49 total regional athletes in the lower mainland for provincials this year.
The full list of local wrestlers is as follows in order of weight-class:
GIRLS
- Charmaine Stuart, Prince George (47 kg)
- Finished fourth at 2019 provincials in the 43 kg category
- Shelby Pattison, Kelly Road (54 kg)
- Finished sixth at 2019 provincials in the 47 kg category
- Alexis Graham, Kelly Road (54 kg)
- Brianna Watts, Kelly Road (57 kg)
- Parniya Peykamiyan, Prince George (57 kg)
- Kaily Pattison, Kelly Road (60 kg)
- Finished second at 2019 provincials in the 57 kg category
- Hanna Levine, Prince George (69 kg)
- Brooklynne Saunderson, Duchess Park (75 kg)
BOYS
- Ty Gould, Kelly Road (48 kg)
- Wyatt Elias, Prince George (51 kg)
- Mateus Cordeiro-Loiselle, D.P. Todd (54 kg)
- Dallas Hall, D.P. Todd (60 kg)
- Connor Lefevre, Duchess Park (60 kg)
- Isaac Le Morvan = Prince George (63 kg)
- Finished fourth at 2019 provincials in the same category
- Bryce Morris, Prince George (70 kg)
- Finished sixth in 2019 provincials in the 66 kg category
- Caleb Gould, Kelly Road (70 kg)
- Alex Bigler, Duchess Park (110 kg)
