Kelsey Ervin, bottom, holds tight to her Vernon club opponent at the recent Ogopogo Invitational in Kelowna.

The newly formed 100 Mile Wrestling Club may be short on experience, but they proved long on talent at the recently held Ogopogo Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

It was held on Jan. 12 in Westbank with wrestlers coming from all over British Columbia and some from Alberta.

The local club sent 17 of its 40 members, who brought back 14 medals and topped that off by clinching the overall third place team title.

“To bring less than half of our wrestlers and place third overall is amazing,” said their coach, Craig Ervin. “I was very pleased with the results.”

Horse Lake Elementary School also sent about one dozen of its wrestling team members.

Ervin said there are approximately 260 youth wrestlers in the South Cariboo who are spread among his and the various school teams.

The 100 Mile Wrestling Club saw its share of gold medals, with Jake La Plante taking one among the Grade 9 competition. Grade eight student, Trevor Vanstraaten also struck gold.

“Trevor is a very intelligent wrestler,” said Ervin. “Part of the game is how you react to your opponent and Trevor reads his competition very well.”

Another gold medallist, Bo Stich, who is in Grade 8, was described by Ervin as very strong and one to watch in the future.

Aidan Fentiman, in Grade 6, also took gold.

“He loves the sport so much. It’s his passion,” said Ervin.

Grade 9 female wrestler, Trista Souther came out of a one year layoff to win a gold medal.

“She came out aggressively and is just getting back into it mentally,” said Ervin.

Ervin’s own daughter, teeny but tough, Grade 7, Kelsey Ervin also struck gold, as did Grade 7’s, Isabel Pavlik.

“She’s (Kelsey) very strong and we have lots of hope for her at the BC Northern Winter Games,” said Ervin.

Taking a silver medal in Grade 8 competition was Eli Roy-Brown and Ervin said he delivered his absolute personal best.

“One match was technically phenominal,” he said.

Among the Grade 7 silver medallists were Anika Buurmeester and Clarissa Parma. Both will be competing at the BC Northern Winter Games.

At Ogopogo, Buurm-eester took on older competitors and won, all but one, of her four matches, even defeating a Grade 12 student in an exhibition bout.

Amanda Spurr, Grade 6, also took home a silver medal.

Mitchell Lambert, in Grade 6 as well, was awarded a silver in the gold medal final, but took it out on a stretcher. He mildly injured his back in the final bout but Ervin said that officials chose to err on the side of caution, stopped the match and sent him to the hospital for a thorough check.

Chase Ervin, in Grade 5, took silver in his category.

Bronze medal competition saw Robert Parma, Grade 5, a winner.

Taking home medals for the Horse Lake Elementary School team were Codie Sampson, in Grade 6 and Jesse Stich, in Grade 4, who each won gold.

Ezra Stich, in Grade 6 and Nicole Walry and Conner Edle, both in Grade 5, were silver medallists.

Maddy Montgomery, in Grade 4, won bronze.

The next major competition for most South Cariboo wrestlers is Smackdown 2008, which takes place Feb. 2 in Williams Lake. Following that, on Feb. 13, will be a local match for elementary school-aged wrestlers, to be held at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School.

Grapplers pick up two more

By Bob Ullman

Thu Jan 17, 2008, 12:27 PM EST

Co-captains Neal Nelson, Derek Ullman and Andrew Corson all pinned their opponents, with Nelson’s http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jan/12/locals-shut-out-at-matman/and Ullman’s coming in the first period, and Corson’s in the third, following a nice reversal and escape. Derek Ullman’s victory was especially sweet as he wrestled for Hanover during his first two years in High School.

At 125 pounds, John Greco fell late in the first period to a pin, but was quickly followed by a Matt Moi pin in the second for six points. James Hatfield, Steve Morris and Oisin O’Donnelly each chalked up pin victories. Garrett Lincoln won his match-up on a forfeit, while the heavy weight class also went uncontested. A great day for the Hingham Varsity wrestlers.

Keefe Tech wrestlers traveled to Hingham for action under the light on Jan. 9. It was an outstanding opportunity for our JV wrestlers to shine as every contest resulted in a Hingham win. Ben Knox won via a cradle, Brandon Kim via a spladle, and Matt Constantine via pin in the first. Dan Pattavina won his matchup on points, 6-3. Congrats to our JV for a terrific performance.

In varsity action, co-captain Neal Nelson pinned his opponent in the second period following a nice reversal. At 135 pounds, Garrett Lincoln fought a good three period match, and after a nice takedown pinned his opponent with 1:26 left.

Co-captains Derek Ullman and Chris Constantine both pinned, in the third and first periods respectively, with Constantine’s coming in just 30 seconds. Oisin O’Donnelly, Jeremy Gifford and James Hatfield all came out victors, all via first period pins, with points victories being scored by co-captain Andrew Corson as well as Steve Morris, who also showed the crowd a nice escape and reversal.

Next on the schedule for our grapplers was the annual Cohasset Tournament, where 10 teams participated in all day action this past Saturday. The Cohasset Tourney is an all Varsity, double elimination event, and Hingham wrestlers proved just how good the team is this year with multiple podium placements: three 1^st places (Garrett Lincoln and co-captains Neal Nelson and Chris Constantine), one 2^nd place (Oisin O’Donnelly) and three 4^th places (Dan Goldstein, John Greco and Abbey Nestor).

Though there were many exciting matches the big highlights were as follows: Dan Goldstein’s final match for 4^th which had his opponent looking at the clock wishing it were over, Abbey Nestor’s second match which was a 10-5 win; and Garrett Lincoln’s match for 1^st place, against a tough Rockland opponent. This is Lincoln’s first tournament win, and it was well deserved!

Abbey Nestor was the lone female wrestler at the tourney and her first varsity win helped her to achieve a 4^th place finish overall. This is a great achievement as it is the first time a girl in HHS wrestling history has ever placed at a tourney.

In other tournament action, the event marked co-captains Chris Constantine and Neal Nelson’s second tournament win. Constantine breezed in his final match to get a pin in the 1^st against Nauset. Nelson wrestled the Marshfield 103 pound champ who was seeded first for 112 pounds but bumped up a weight class. Steve Morris had a terrific first match against Marshfield. He was evenly matched against his opponent and the point count kept switching, but at the end victory was his, by a score of 18-16.

H.S. Wrestling: Montville's female wrestler as tough as she is smart

Dec 26, 2007 @ 12:20 AM

By MARC ALLARD

Norwich Bulletin

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jan/12/locals-shut-out-at-matman/

Tali Greener/Norwich Bulletin

Tali Greener/Norwich Bulletin Montville's Jess Bennett, top, holds down Killingly's Tom Lombardi in the during the final rounds of Killingly Christmas Duals on Saturday. Bennett isn't just won of the best female wresters, she's one of the best wrestlers at 103 pounds — period.

DANIELSON — Academics getting in the way of athletics.

It’s a parent’s dream.

You see, Montville High School junior wrestler Jessica Bennett is ranked No. 1 — not in her weight class, but in her junior class. She’s just as worried about that, maybe even more concerned, than the fact that she has the chance to finish the highest a girl has ever finished in a state championship meet.

To do that, according to Montville coach Gary Wilcox, Bennett has to finish in the top three in Class S in February.

“Do I think she can do it? Yes, I do, but I don’t underestimate or overestimate,” Wilcox said. “She is a girl and, in that sense, she doesn’t have the muscularity and the testosterone that the boys have but her technique, her vision and her dedication are better than most kids in high school.”

“I would like to finish as high as I possibly can. If that’s better than fourth, great. If it’s third, second or first, that would be as much as I could achieve, but I want to set the bar high and if I fall short, as long as I put forth my best effort, I’m happy,” Bennett said.

Aspirations are high not only in her sport but also in her studies, and that has actually been a bit of a problem early this wrestling season.

“Jessica has three advanced placement courses and she studies till 1 a.m.,” Wilcox said. “She needs to find a happy medium and start getting a little more rest because she’s not quite as sharp as she should be. Some of that is studying and grades have to come first, but I think, at this point here, she’s ready to wrestle.”

Bennett has been wrestling since she was about 7 years old, inspired by her brother, Dylan, who is now a senior on the Indians squad.

“He’s been an idol for me ever since I was little. He’s a very good role model, very dedicated athlete and good student. He always puts in a good effort and when he started (to wrestle), it looked like fun and I tried it and here I am,” Jess said.

If only every parent could be so lucky.

Kimberly Bennett has two children who like one another and like school work as well as athletics.

“Dylan and Jessica are as close as a brother and sister can be,” Kimberly Bennett said just before a match between Montville and Killingly last Saturday. “He hasn’t wrestled to the level that she has, but he certainly inspired her and he certainly has been a great sport. She earned her varsity letter before him and he’s never been upset about that. He’s only cheered her on.”

Her mother’s daughter

Not that Kimberly has always been that supportive of her daughter’s decision to wrestle into high school, but it was the mom’s own words that got her into trouble with the daughter. Jess remembered something her mother said to her early on and it was an answer that Kimberly found hard to refute and, she said, now has the gray hairs to show for it.

“Jessica, when she first wanted to wrestle, reminded me when I told her that she couldn’t, that I was the one who told her that this is a little bit of a man’s world and don’t do something you want to just because you’re a girl. She reminded me of that, so I signed off on the deal and I support it, but it’s very hard,” Kimberly said.

The logic is even harder to argue because this is a young girl with a vision as she knows what she wants and is working hard to get it.

“Everything I do in life is to put myself in a position where I can do as well as I can personally and give back to society. I hope to use wrestling to further my education, become part of a women’s team if I can, and get a higher education and get a decent job,” Jess said.
Another good answer and one you might expect from a student with a 4.4 GPA.

Jess, who weighs only 100 pounds, took her lumps last season when Wilcox had to bump her up. Nick Perry was locked in at 103 as he was a better wrestler and took second in Class M. That didn’t mean she didn’t wrestle; it meant she wrestled at 112.

“I told her, ‘Jessica, you’re going to take a pounding here. Don’t get pinned, be tough and hang in.’ I don’t cut kids slack whether they’re female or anything, I have high expectations. My expectations to her last year was that she was going to go through the fire to get tough and we’re still putting her through the fire. It’s tough on her because I treat her like every other wrestler, she gets no breaks.”

Losing to a girl

On Saturday, Bennett was the one not giving breaks as she scored a major decision win over Killingly wrestler Tom Lombardi, 9-1.

Lombardi wasn’t Bennett’s first victim and won’t be her last, and the young wrestler took it in stride.

“If you’re really man enough, you know that a girl is just another person and it shouldn’t even bother your self-esteem,” Lombardi said.

“It was my first time against her and I was pretty surprised. She’s best at the legs, she kept my legs controlled the whole time and I really couldn’t move,” he added.

Bennett said she really doesn’t know how it feels for a guy to lose to a girl since she isn’t in those shoes, but she hopes they mirror Lombardi’s attitude.

“I hope they see me as another wrestler, not a girl,” she said. “I want them to realize that I’m a female athlete, but, at the same time, treat me as an equal.”

That, for the most part, has been the case, although Wilcox said it’s a tough question when asked if guys hated to lose to a girl.

“There’s a respect because all of the fighting arts carry with them a respect just for doing it,” Wilcox said. “Boys are smart enough to know that if Jess was wrestling 125, that’s a whole different testosterone-filled category. At 103, the guys are smaller, they’re probably not hitting their full stride, so I don’t think it’s a big thing because the guys get stronger and bigger while Jess will probably be at 103 next year, too.”

On the horizon

As for the future, beyond the state championship meets this season and her senior year, Bennett hopes it means wrestling and studying to be a veterinarian.

“There are more every year,” Bennett said when it comes to women’s college wrestling programs. “It’s one of those things that are right on the edge. We need to push the envelope as far as getting more people to participate. It recently became an Olympic sport, so there’s a lot of opportunity out there and it’s coming to the attention of more and more people.”

Jess has her eyes set on one school that fits her dream criteria, the University of Northern Michigan.

“That school offers a pre-vet program and is also affiliated with the Olympic Education Center, so if she could do that, she would get everything she wants in life and that’s what she’s focused on,” Kimberly said.

That’s not only a dream for Jess, it’s one that is shared by her coach.

“What my hope is for her is that some coach in his right sense will give her a call and offer her some money because she’s that kind of kid that deserves a full ride,” Wilcox said. “She’s No.1 academically, she’s winning matches in the boys division, she would be a good find for any girls program and I’m hoping that happens.”

Wrestling Preview The Last of Her Kind

BY Jeff Graham | jgraham@kitsapsun.com
Thursday, November 29, 2007

Photos by Lenna Himmelstein | Kitsap Sun Olympic High senior Camie Yeik, top, puts a move on teammate Jesse Borcherding during a recent practice. Yeik is one of the top-rated wrestlers in the state at 103 pounds.

As rain changed to snow Monday evening in Silverdale, Camie Yeik found herself inside the dimly lit confines of Olympic High School's wrestling room, sweating through the final portions of a preseason practice.

It was the first time Yeik had touched a mat in more than a week. Did one of the Trojans' most dedicated grapplers suddenly turn into a slacker?

Yeik's tan face helped reveal the answer.

The top female wrestler in the state — who last season became the third girl to earn a medal competing against boys — just returned from a family vacation to Hawaii.

Scuba diving off beaches surrounding the Big Island sure beats the bumps and bruises associated with a sport as physically demanding as any in high school today.

"I do a lot of traveling," Yeik said. "But most of the time it's for wrestling."

Hitting the road for tournaments is commonplace for Yeik, now in her sixth year of competitive wrestling.

After Yeik took eighth place at 103 pounds in last season's Class 3A tournament, she attended a fistful of national tournaments in various locations — Michigan, New York, Colorado and Arizona were just some of her stops.

One of Yeik's top finishes came at the Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., in July, where she placed fifth at 102 pounds.

Wrestling six to seven days a week — sometimes in a barn-turned-practice facility complete with a full-size wrestling mat on her family's property — has helped Yeik go from being average to exceptional.

"You just don't wrestle during high school season and get better," she said.

Yet as she enters her senior season with the Trojans and prepares for what could be a record-setting performance at the 2008 state tournament, Yeik isn't satisfied with being known only for the sport she does best.

"There's more to me than just wrestling," she said.

For instance, Yeik is a heck of a runner who finished 33rd at the Class 3A state cross-country meet. Running is easier on the body than wrestling and is something Yeik can see doing later in life, she said.

"I love it," she said, mentioning she might one day compete in a triathlon.

Looking at life after high school, Yeik visited Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., two weeks ago and plans to visit Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Both colleges have women's wrestling programs and offer a strong academic curriculum.

As for what Yeik might study, she is considering following in her father's footsteps and becoming a veterinarian.

Brent Yeik is glad to hear his daughter is planning for life after wrestling.

"You don't feed your family on the sport," he said.

But you can win medals — and the Yeik family certainly has captured plenty of those.

Camie's younger brother Brandon, a sophomore 130-pounder at Olympic, has won titles in freestyle, folkstyle and Greco wrestling on the state level. Youngest brother Cody, an eighth-grader at Fairview Junior High, has excelled as a member of the Northwest Wrestling Club.

Much of Yeik's notoriety, however, has come because she competes against a different gender at the high school level.

Last season, Yeik posted a 28-9 record and joined former Puyallup wrestler Whitney Condor and current Willapa Valley senior Megan Martin as state medalists competing in the boys tournament. Condor took sixth at 103 pounds in the Class 4A tournament in 2005, while Martin finished eighth at 103 pounds in the Class 1A/B the same year.

Yeik was glad to medal, but she doesn't view last year's tournament as a complete success.

After winning two of her first three matches to get into medal contention, she lost to Lakes' Fred Conde and Yelm's Patrick Benson.

"I didn't wrestle good that second day," Yeik said.

Neither of the defeats — both first-round pins — sat well with Yeik considering both Conde and Benson placed lower than her at the regional tournament.

"I thought she got taken out of her game mentally," Olympic coach Bobby Manglona said. "That's not the Camie I know."

This year, Yeik is serious threat to better Condor's sixth-place finish. She's currently ranked No. 3 at 103 pounds behind Sunnyside's Steven Romero and Conde.

Competing for a state title means more to Yeik this year than ever.

With the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association offering an official girls-only state wrestling tournament next year, this is the final year girls will be allowed to compete in the boys tournament.

Yeik didn't like when the decision was announced earlier this year, and she still disagrees with it.

"I don't believe what the state is doing is right," she said.

Yeik's father, who has seen his daughter more than hold her own against boys, holds the same opinion.

"I think they're fools," Brent Yeik said. "Color, creed or gender, if you are capable of competing, you should be allowed. That's the beauty of the sport."

Manglona would like to see Yeik challenge for a state title. If anything, it might sway those "people who want to see her fail," that girls can wrestle with boys and succeed, he said.

"I really want her to be top four this year," Manglona said. "I think she can pull it off."

A Classic Finish?

Here's how Olympic senior Camie Yeik has performed in her first two boys state tournaments.

2006: Went 1-2 overall to finish out of medal contention. She lost to fellow female wrestler Whitney Condor by pin in her final match.

2007: Lost in first round, then won two matches in consolation bracket to finish eighth, becoming the third girl to medal competing against boys.

Locals Shut Out at Matman

By Jeff Graham (Contact)
Saturday, January 12, 2008

Silverdale

Larry Steagall | Kitsap Sun Olympic's Camie Yeik gets pressured by Lake Stevens' Josh Heinzer in the 103-pound final match at the Matman Classic tournament Saturday at Central Kitsap. Yeik was one of two Kitsap-area wrestlers to make the finals.

Second place at Saturday's Matman Classic wrestling tournament left Olympic senior Camie Yeik feeling ultimately unsatisfied.

For North Kitsap's Jeff Jones, a runner-up position wasn't a bad place to be at all.

Yeik and Jones were the highest local finishers at the 16-team invitational at Central Kitsap High School. Lake Stevens captured the team title for the second year in a row, edging Enumclaw by a score of 188.5 to 182.5.

Out of the 10 Kitsap-area wrestlers to make the semifinals, only Yeik and Jones advanced to the finals.

And Yeik was in no mood to celebrate after falling to Lake Stevens' Josh Heinzer by a score of 10-0 in the 103-pound championship match.

When asked if she felt satisfied with her second-place showing, Yeik said, "No, I didn't win, why would I be?"

Jones seemed to be in better spirits after his 135-pound finals match, a 9-1 defeat to Lake Stevens' Alex Pellegrini.

"It's huge for me and come out here and do as well as a I did," said Jones, one of only four seniors competing for the Vikings this year. "My goal was to make it to the semifinals. I went out and won that match. I'm definitely excited.

"Right now, (Pellegrini) is better than me. But we'll see when it comes to state."

After winning his first two matches, Jones knocked off top-seeded Jacob Jokela of Enumclaw, 6-3, in the semifinals to reach the championship round.

"I knew he was the No. 1 seed, but that's all I knew," Jones said. "I didn't know anything about him, and I didn't want to know. I wanted to go out there and wrestle my game.

Through he appeared to tire in the last two rounds against Pellegrini, Jones said better conditioning helped him win three of his four matches Saturday. He trained hard with fellow senior Anthony Lindfors — in and outside of practice — during the week leading up to Matman.

"That's what I felt got me through the semifinals," Jones said. "I think what you do outside the wrestling room is just as important."

Jones, whose father is an assistant coach with the Vikings said dropping down in weight from 140 to 135 also paid off.

"This is the first time I've gotten down to 135 and I feel like it's home for me," said Jones, who reached the state tournament last season competing at 140. "Before, I felt I wasn't stronger than everyone. Here, I feel like I have a little bit more experience and I'm strong. These guys are equal to me. They're not muscling me around and throwing me."

Yeik's second-place finish helped Olympic place highest among area teams. It took sixth with 101 points, ahead of Central Kitsap (96.5). But it was a tough day overall for the Trojans, who lost two wrestlers to injury.

Sophomore Jesse Borcherding suffered a concussion in his 112-pound quarterfinal match against Lake Stevens' Zach Zweifel. Borcherding smacked heads with Zweifel late in the match, a 3-2 defeat.

"It literally looked like Jesse ran into a wall out there that last eight seconds," said Olympic assistant coach Tim Aiken.

Aiken estimated Borcherding would likely miss a week before undergoing tests next weekend.http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jan/12/locals-shut-out-at-matman/

Olympic also lost 171-pounder Shane Galeski to an ankle injury. Galeski was forced to take an injury http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jan/12/locals-shut-out-at-matman/default in his semifinal match against Enumclaw's Casey Park.

Trojans senior Ivan Gaeta (knee) injury defaulted in his 160-pound semifinal match against eventual champion Joey Pierotti of Enumclaw, but returned later to pin South Kitsap's DeAndre Jackson in the consolation bracket to tie for third.

"With postseason a couple weeks away, we don't want to push the kids," Aiken said. "It's Matman, yeah, it would be nice to win a sweatshirt. But there are bigger fish to fry at the end of the season. That's what we're working for."

Aiken, who has already lost 189-pounder Laurice Gerig for the season with a torn knee ligament, learned recently he will also be without the services of 144-pounder Billy Neary, who quit the team.

Both Gerig and Neary were expected to be state medal contenders this season.

"That could be 30 points at state for our team score," Aiken said.

Bremerton's Billy Richardson settled for a tie for third place after falling to eventual champion Efrain Aguilar of Graham-Kapowsin in the semifinals, 10-0.

"I didn't feel like myself," said Richardson, who felt he didn't get a chance to properly warm up in Central Kitsap's crowded gymnasium.

Richardson bounced back to defeat A.C. Davis' Courtney Nalley in the consolation bracket.

Among other local competitors tying for third place were Olympic's Brandon Truini (119), Brandon Yeik (130), South Kitsap's Adam Ferguson (125), Brad Fedderson (189), Central Kitsap's Franco Cruz (140), Chad Massidda (152), Michael Crowley (171), North Kitsap's Paul Coulter (152), Bremerton's Andres Garcia (189).

South Kitsap placed 11th as a team with 82.5 points, while North Kitsap (49) and Bremerton (40) took 13th and 14th, respectively.

Matman Classic

Team scores

Lake Stevens 188.5, Enumclaw 182.5, Graham-Kapowsin 164.5, Rogers 147, Auburn Riverside 113, Olympic 101, Central Kitsap 96.5, Shelton 96, A.C. Davis 95, Tahoma 87, South Kitsap 82.5, Mount Spokane 72.5, North Kitsap 49, Bremerton 40, Spanaway 31, Newport 11.

Championship round

103—Josh Heinzer (LS) d. Camie Yeik (Oly) 10-0. 112—Efrain Aguilar (G-K) d. Zach Zweifel (LS) 6-5. 119—Sam Bauer (Enu) d. Zach Nalley (ACD) 6-5. 125—Jason Gray (Enu) p. Brian Bitney (Rog) :46. 130—Kevin Tao (Tah) p. Wayne Horton 5:20. 135—Alex Pellegrini (LS) d. Jeff Jones (NK) 9-1. 140—Jared Sterling (Rog) d. Josh Eacrett (LS) 6-5. 145—Michael Mangrun (AR) d. John Buban (Tah) 11-5. 152—Eric Jones (AR) d. Brad Sweet (G-K) 9-3. 160—Joey Pierotti (Enu) d. Michael McAlister (Rog) 17-1. 171—Ronald Yates (She) p. Casey Park (Enu) 3:53. 189—Michael Rossi (Enu) d. Zach Folden (G-K) 15-2. 215—Shayne Ericsson (G-K) d. Isaac Garfias (She) 10-5. 285—Zach Teuber (LS) d. Elijhah Ruhl (Tah) 4-2 OT.

Local wrestlers rustle up medals at Okanagan match