In at least one key manner, Sudbury high-school wrestlers have displayed a tendency to be a little “streaky”.

In that sense, there is at least some hope that Kane Chartrand might have started the ball rolling in the right direction last spring.

It was in March of last year that the then grade 10 student at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic School garnered the first medal for a SDSSAA wrestler competing at the OFSAA Championships in eight years, earning silver in the 57.5kg weight class in Kitchener.

Historically speaking, that was quite the drought for Sudbury and area mat talent, even while acknowledging two years missed due to COVID-19.

In 2017, the trio of Quade Howald (Sacré-Coeur), Zoe Mullin Belanger (Lo-Ellen) and Racha El-Darazi (Confederation) all finished third in their brackets, capping off a six year run that would see at least one SDSSAA athlete return home with some hardware following the high-school provincial wrestling meet.

And it wasn’t as though that run of success that featured the likes of Victoria and Alannah Day, Indira Moores, Jasmine Tessier and Emilie Charette represented the absolute glory days of the sport locally at that level.

With the exception of the 2011 OFSAA Championships which ironically enough were actually hosted in Sudbury, the nickel city would lay claim to boasting a gold, silver or bronze medal bearer in each and every single year dating back to at least 2003.

I say “at least” 2003 as this is as far back as I got in my research to cover that stretch of time running from my departure from a career in banking and my immersion in the local sports scene.

Boasting the likes of gold medal winners Spencer and Sheldon Burton, Mercedes Byrnes, Teena Lalonde, Celeste Rodrigues, Alyssa Unwin and Marissa Brown, that period reminded me of my high-school days (1976-1980) when my school (Ecole secondaire Macdonald-Cartier) could compete on a team level with the very best schools in the province.

And while no one is suggesting that the current crop of Sudbury secondary school wrestlers carry the type of depth of talent that has been seen in these parts at times, it is encouraging to observe the type of commitment being devoted to a sport that tends to draw in a wide and eclectic array of athletes to their midst.

Capturing silver at the Ron Preston City Meet in her very first year in the sport, Sophie Dutrisac of Macdonald-Cartier now has her sights bettering that performance with gold at NOSSA this year, earning the berth at OFSAA that accompanies this accomplishment.

“If I make it to OFSAA, I would love to aim for top six this season,” said the former figure skater, now in grade 11 at ESMC. “But even if I don’t accomplish this goal, it’s not whether you achieve the goal but more importantly, the person you become in the process. If none of this happens, I still became a super cool person in the journey by working extremely hard every day.”

A member of the Wrestling Sudbury Lutte club team, Dutrisac has every reason to believe that a second goal of reaching the podium at the OAWA (Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association) Championships and performing well at nationals are not unrealistic dreams.

“My confidence in wrestling has improved a lot and I’m no longer hesitating or second guessing myself during matches,” she said. “Although I still have an infinite amount to learn and improve on, I feel a lot faster than before and generally more aware of what I’m doing in a match.”

In that sense, Dutrisac has learned to try and assert her game plan versus any specific opponent - all while recognizing that this simply will not always happen. “If I am not able to execute the plan that my coaches have made for me because my opponent is awesome at defense or is pulling offense on me before I can even do anything to them, I just try and do whatever my coach in the corner is telling me,” she said.

“I know that my coach can see things I can’t.”

In his first appearance at OFSAA last year, Tyson Wensley dropped a close bout in round one but then reeled off three straight victories in the consolation round before being eliminated. It would seem that despite being slightly off-track with his knowledge of wrestling prior to first picking up the sport near the end of grade 11, the young man has still found a way to register far more wins than losses.

“When I started, I thought that all that mattered was how strong you were for your weight,” Wensley explained. “I thought I was just going to come through and clean house just because I was physically strong for the weight class I was in. That turned out to be wrong; technique is a big part of the sport.”

Though he will compete in the 51kg category in Sudbury, Wensley wants to drop back to the 47.5kg class in which he competed last year by the time that NOSSA and OFSAA roll around, making this one of his two key focuses with the city championships just weeks away.

“Getting down to weight safely and on time - and then being in the right head space come time of the tournament are most important in my mind,” added the senior at Lasalle Secondary School.

Longer term, it is simply a matter of growing the numbers which can help Sudbury regain its status of old in his opinion. “I would like to see wrestling being pushed to more and more people so matter what weight you’re in, you have multiple partners to train with.”

For many a SDSSAA wrestler, the sport becomes THE sport. Those who survive beyond a month or two swear by it. A 16 year-old grade ten student at St Charles College, Dexter Mailloux most definitely enjoys his time with the discipline of grappling, even if he knows that football is not likely to be unseated in his ranking of favourite athletic pursuits.

A key member of the Sudbury Jr Spartans program and a surprise 4th place finisher at OFSAA last June in the shot put, the talented young man somehow finds a way for all three sports, noting that the cross-training benefits are many.

“For me, football is my number one sport, but the other sports I incorporate help me on the field as well,” said Mailloux. “Wrestling helps me get better at tacking and the cardio (from wrestling) helps me to stay ready on the field.”

“Wrestling also helps me stay disciplined and better able to read my opponent to get the upper hand.”

City championships are slated for (Thursday) February 12th at Confederation Secondary School, with NOSSA hosted in Sault Ste Marie this year (February 20th) and OFSAA 2026 set for March 3rd and 4th in Peterborough.

"I feel confident - but I know it will not be easy," said Mailloux. "I have been preparing for this moment for the past few weeks, making sure I can win and place high in my bracket."