ASAA PHOTOS NICOLE MCNAUGHTON
Aayden Callan, of the Medicine Hat High Hawks wrestling team, flips Ryder Lowry from the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in thier match Saturday afternoon at Hat High during the ASAA provincial rural wrestling championships last weekend.
It was a weekend of success for the Medicine Hat High School wrestling team.
Sixteen Hawks wrestlers finished in the top three of their weight categories at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association provincial rural wrestling championships hosted by Hat High last weekend.
The tournament was hosted locally after almost being postponed due to COVID. It was supposed to be held by Slave Lake before Hat High offered a bid and took over the responsibilities.
Ninety rural athletes took part in the two-day event that was divided into a weigh-in on Friday and wrestling matches Saturday.
Eight Hawks wrestlers finished first in their weight class. Kimberly Maine, Kiana IveyFrancisco Candau, Mustafa Alani, Nathan MacKinnon, Steele Rushton, Clarke Campbell, Aayden Callan and Dylan Callan all brought home the gold, literally, at the provincial tournament.
Med Hat’s Ida Zapf, Mazin Al-Yassine and Joshua Lovis finished in second and took silver.
Amberlynn Burke, Cristina DeGuillerma, Yazen Al-Yassine and Cooper Ryckman all captured bronze medals for Hat High.
Besides medals, the Hawks wrestling teams captured enough wins and points from their matches to lead all schools in points on both the boys and girls sides. For the Hawks girls, it serves as their fourth time winning the team championship and the 11th year in a row for the boys team.
The tournament is the qualifier for the next competition in Calgary and the top three will compete against all the city champions from both Edmonton and Calgary.
Hawks wrestling coach Darren Klein said the hope for his team – in a year that has given them limited opportunities to attend competitions – is to demonstrate the grit and determination to get the onto the podium.
