Highlanders Host 29th Annual Wrestling Invitational

On January 18, the King’s-Edgehill Highlander’s wrestling team hosted their 29th annual Wrestling Invitational. One hundred and sixty wrestlers from all over Nova Scotia came to compete in the biggest wrestling event in the province in the past several years.

Despite having a few student-athletes on the injury list and having a large number of people brand-new to the sport, we posted some excellent results. The senior boys team finished in third place, missing first by only five points.

Cam Morton '26 had no competition in the 125kg class, so he took home an automatic gold medal. However, he contributed throughout the day by filming from morning to evening.

Aidan Donovan '27 proved that his positive attitude is helping him improve his skills when he finished second place in the 110kg class.

Gavin Power '26 finished in second place in the competitive 92(a)kg class. He proved himself to be very coachable when he learned quickly by following his coaches’ advice to the letter.

Cameron Bradbury '26 and Colton Phillips '26 continued to improve, thanks in large part to their impressive coachability paired with their athletic prowess. They will continue to be very valuable members of the team as we approach regionals and provincials.

Max Proctor '27 secured fifth place during his first time in competition against very skilled opponents at 92(b).

Wesley Oulton '25 continued his winning ways in the 80 kg class, finishing second place against a particularly skilled lifetime wrestler from Ukraine. Wesley was the only one who could give the gold medal winner a serious challenge.

Recently named team captain Hugo Montgomery '27 returned to the mats after a long hiatus and finished fifth place in the very tough 71 kg division. Once he shakes off the ‘mat rust’ he will be in the running for some first-place finishes.

Kenta Matsuda '27 continued to be the most cerebral of our student-athletes. He learns from every source he can find, and he applies his knowledge against his opponents. He finished second place, losing only to the most technically skilled wrestler in the province. We are confident that Kenta will triumph against this opponent before the season is over.

Romina Rivas Gutiérrez '25, our sole female competitor on the weekend, finished fourth place at 69 kg. Romina deserves special credit for, most of the time, being the only female at practice. Her dedication and perseverance helped her wrestle some of the very best matches she has had over the past two seasons.

Finally, our junior titans in the 42kg class Ewan Shaw '30 coming second, Caleb DeCoste '30 placing fourth, and Tim Oulton '31 fifth, put on some of the most entertaining nail-biters of the day. No one is as fast or as aggressive as these young men, and we are looking forward to seeing them develop as the season and the years go by.

Hosting a tournament is a huge amount of work. Much of the work is seen, but most of it goes unseen. We would like to thank the many people who were involved. Mr. Brandon Jodrey and the maintenance crew were invaluable in the setup before and the cleanup after. The many student volunteers who put in long hours to help with everything from the clock tables and putting the mats away. Our medical team made of Mr. Kyle Seagram and Mrs. Dawn Klein, who always take such good care of the athletes. Many of our parents who show their support, especially those who live close enough to make it to the tournament in person. We would like to give special thanks to the Montgomerys, who helped raise money with the 50/50 draw. Ms. Kyla Walsh, in addition to coaching, organized the volunteers and all the hospitality. Even though Mr. Kim Walsh, the expert in all things wrestling, is retired, he gave a lot of advice in running a successful tournament. That advice took a lot of the burden away from Ms. Walsh and me. Finally, our wrestlers deserved a lot of credit for their hard work and for being such a class act in everything they do.