It’s been more than 30 years since a Vernon Secondary School wrestler won a medal at the provincial championships.
A Grade 8 student has ended that drought.
Joe Eggert won bronze in the 38-kg division at the B.C. finals at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.
“It was a special moment not only for Joe but for the rest of the team knowing that the drought was finally over,” said VSS co-coach Brad Wyse.
Eggert came up short in his first match against an opponent from Burnaby’s St. Thomas More. Eggert was the aggressor but Wyse said the Burnaby wrestler had some counter-moves that scored more points.
The double elimination championship meant Eggert needed a series of wins to stay alive.
He was able to pin his next two opponents from Vancouver’s John Oliver Secondary and Mission Senior Secondary before facing a rival from Maple Ridge.
“These two had faced each other at the Abbotsford Invite in December, so they were familar with each other’s style,” said Wyse.
Early in the match Eggert was behind in points against the bigger opponent. In the second round Eggert’s quickness paid off and capitalized with a two-legged take down with a combined gut wrench that scored a series of points to win the match and the B.C. bronze medal.
Eggert was among four wrestlers from VSS competing in a tournament that featured more than 400 athletes from eight provincial zones.
Okanagan Valley silver medalists Sam Eggert (Grade 9) and Tyler Jackson (Seaton Secondary, Grade 8) finished top-16 in B.C. in their 48 kg and 51 kg divisions. Grade 8 VSS student Kalvin Blaeser was top-24 in the 57 kg.
“We like what we see with our core group of wrestlers,” said Wyse. “They are young, tough, and eager to improve. We look forward to returning to the provincials again next year with some additional success.”
This is the fourth season of wrestling at VSS and the first time the team qualified for provincials.
“With the skill set of our core group and the sponsorship of Dr, Rex Hawthorne, we told the boys that if they qualify then we’ll definitely compete with the best of B.C.,” said Panthers co-coach Rob Eggert.
