This page was exported from Bancroft this Week [ https://www.bancroftthisweek.com ] Export date:Fri Jan 23 12:50:09 2026 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: NHHS wrestling team preparing for Bay of Quinte --------------------------------------------------- By Bill Kilpatrick According to the North Hastings High School wrestling coach, Barb Gillis, the 2025-2026 wrestling team has “taken off with lots of pins and techs (winning by over 10 points).” The small but mighty team of nine has participated in three invitational tournaments so far at Trenton High School on Dec. 16, Uxbridge Secondary School on Jan. 8, and at Bayside Secondary school on Jan. 14, and they have been proving that they are a force to be reckoned with. At the Trenton invitational tournament Mia Marshall, Carson Grant, and Odin Worsley came in first in their weight classes. Placing second was William Young, and Levi Watts, third was Braden Cox and Bruce Porter, and fourth was Parker Gillis. At the Uxbridge competition Marshall continued to dominate with a first-place finish, Parker Gillis came in second and Bruce Porter came in fourth. The team continued to improve achieving three first place finishes at Bayside by Marshall, Worsley, and Porter, in second was Grant, and third was Watts. The team's next invitational meet is on Feb. 5 at I.E. Weldon in Lindsay, followed by the Bay of Quinte championship on Feb. 10 at Bayside Secondary School, the Central Ontario championships on Feb. 18 in Cobourg, and finally the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) championships from March 2-4 in Peterborough. Community coach and former educator Lyle Collins told Bancroft This Week that wrestling is a tough sport and It's not for everyone. He pointed out that the team had 12 kids back in December, but three decided it was not for them. Collin's assessment is that many students do not fully understand what the sport is all about or they have a preconceived notion of what wrestling is which is often quite different from reality. “Nobody in our area knows what wrestling is like,” said Collins. “It's not what you watch on T.V. This is a different sport. So, when they come out they don't realize how tough it is.” And because of this, he says, they always lose a few kids throughout the year. Collins says that wrestlers need to have three things come together in order to make them successful: technique, speed and strength. He says that he can help wrestlers with the first two, but the students have to work on strength themselves which means they also have to have discipline which, according to Collins, many young people seem to lack these days. Coach Gillis echoed similar sentiments adding another three traits that she sees as being vital to a wrestler's success. She says, “Wrestling is a sport that is a true test of an athlete's ability to react in the blink of an eye to an opponent's move, all while trying to pin their opponent at the same time. The sport is not just about how physically strong one is, but how prepared they are to push through fatigue and physical pain and stay mentally focussed.” Sean Roulston, another community coach, not only works with students at the high school, but also works and trains within the larger community at Bancroft Boxing and Grappling. Roulston is happy with how the season is going so far. “We have a solid group of veteran wrestlers…and a nice crop of rookies,” said Roulston who is also pleased that Bancroft Boxing and Grappling is helping train young people which is building more interest in the sport. “It will be a nice little feeder program for us in the future,” stated Roulston. Marshall, who is currently undefeated this season, and Porter who has finished first, third and fourth, also train at both at the high school and Bancroft Boxing. The owner of Bancroft Boxing, Cody Purtell, who was on the wrestling team when he was in high school, says their success is a direct result of their effort. “This is a prime example of how hard work, dedication, and extra mat time can impact an athlete's performance. I am a proud coach,” said Purtell. Gillis is also proud of the students and thankful for her coaching staff as well. “I am so proud of our athletes' progress this year despite all the snow days. They all commit to practice and work hard to learn new moves, both offensive and defensive too. We are grateful to our three community coaches, Lyle Collins, Sean Roulston, and Sara Vader who continue to invest their time and expertise every practice and tournament.” Already the coaching staff are looking forward to the Ontario championships where they are hoping to send multiple wrestlers again this year. --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2026-01-23 07:47:15 Post date GMT: 2026-01-23 12:47:15 Post modified date: 2026-01-23 07:47:17 Post modified date GMT: 2026-01-23 12:47:17 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com