Both the Hazelton Secondary School (HSS) boys and girls won the team zone championships in wrestling in Prince Rupert Feb. 8-9.
Patience Muldoe, Fiona Sullivan and Willia Lee all won their weight classes to qualify for provincials.
Smithers Secondary School (SSS) also made a good showing with Reuben Hunter continuing to rack up wrestling accolades.
The SSS wrestler is now the Northwest Zone champion in the 66kg weight class.
Hunter defeated HSS’s Curtis Spooner to take the gold. He also won an exhibition match against the much bigger 90kg zone champion on technical superiority.
The win qualifies the Grade 11 homeschool student for the provincial championships this weekend in Langley.
Two other SSS athletes, Isaiah Clunie-Mcleod, Sages Brunham also qualified for provincials, although by default because there had no competition in their respective weight classes.
READ MORE: Smithers wrestler tops podium in Prince George
“We were able to get each of the kids exhibition matches where they were able to demonstrate their skill and grit against much larger opponents,” said Smithers head coach Addison Bree.
Hunter has had a great season so far. In early January he topped the podium in his class at the prestigious Kelly Road tournament in Prince George where he was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler.
In between that tournament and zones he competed at the Western Canada Age Class Wrestling Championships in Abbotsford finishing fourth and travelled to Edmonton for the Golden Bears High School Invitational and won bronze.
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