It's been a great start to the 2024-2025 season for the Port Hardy Secondary School wrestling team.
After winning medals down island at two different tournaments, the team took a much needed break over Christmas and will now be getting back to evening practices again in the new year on Monday's and Wednesday's.
Head coach/team manager Paul Cagna noted PHSS has a "really good group of committed wrestlers that are showing up to practices day in and day out. We've got a really good core in Anthony Blacha, Jaden Jones, Hunter Stagg and Filipe Bettencourt De Rosas, and we're going to continue slowly building the team."
Blacha started the season off on the right path by winning bronze in Nanaimo in the 66 kg weight class, and then Jones followed that up by winning bronze the next weekend in Duncan in the 60 kg weight class.
When asked how he felt his students performed down island, Cagna said he thinks they've definitely surprised some of the teams.
"I think people understand that we're coming to wrestle," he said. "We're not going to these tournaments just to be pushovers. We've got a tough group of wrestlers that aren't going to just roll over and accept the pin."
Up next for the PHSS wrestling team is potentially the Comox Valley wrestling tournament that's coming up on Jan. 10.
"We haven't fully committed to it yet," stated Cagna, "but we are definitely going to the Campbell River tournament on the 18th. We always go to Campbell River every year because it's always good to support the clubs that are closest to you."
As for whether PHSS will ever host a wrestling tournament again, Cagna confirmed it's something he's been thinking about for awhile now.
"I think in the next few years, if we can get some mats together, it would be nice to host a tournament up here," he said. "That's something that I think we're inching towards and it's something that I'm looking forward to. We go to all these other wrestling tournaments in Nanaimo, Duncan, Port Alberni, Campbell River and the Comox Valley, and we're hoping that at some point, those teams will pay it back and come and join our tournament."
With the second half of the season now on the horizon, Cagna said he's excited to see his athletes start to get ready for the Island Championships and hopefully qualify for provincials.
"It's tough to predict whether they'll qualify or not," he said cautiously. "The 60, 63, and 66 kg divisions are generally always stacked with high calibre wrestlers from all over the island, 63 kg in particular, and finishing top five in any of them is never a guarantee so I don't want to say that we've already punched our ticket to provincials because we certainly haven't. There's a lot of work left to do."
Speaking of work, the PHSS wrestling team did their first ever bottle drive before the Christmas break in order to help fund the rest of their season, which Cagna noted was a successful fundraiser.
"We were really lucky that we raised about $450," he said. "We had three students show up to help collect and sort the bottles, and it's great when you get real commitment like that from athletes who are willing to do the fundraising to help build the team and give us opportunities to travel, which is always the hardest part for us. We would hit every tournament if we had the funding."
When asked how he rates this team, Cagna stated he feels this is a "unique year for us because, in my opinion, this is the most determined team we've ever had, and this feels like the best season we've had so far. Every year you get a crop of new wrestlers and old wrestlers, and this year I would say the vibes in the gym are different. It feels like the kids love the sport as much as the coaches love the sport, and that's a big deal."
While PHSS does have a young team, "we have a strong backbone in our team captain Anthony Blacha," added Cagna. "This is Anthony's third season, he started wrestling with us when he was in grade 9, and now he's on his way to having a breakout year. He's really mentoring these young kids and he's willing to get in there and help us coach as well."
