SOSSA boys wrestling: Phan hones technique
Governor Simcoe’s Keaden Phan has high expectations for the upcoming Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations wrestling championships.
“I want to podium at the very least this year but I think this might be my year to win it,” the Grade 11 student said, during a break at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships Thursday at Blessed Trinity. He would go on to win gold at SOSSA.
Phan’s first exposure to wrestling came when he was in Grade 8 and Blessed Trinity coach Megan Schweitzer came to his MMA gym to do a clinic on wrestling.
He started club and high school wrestling in Grade 9 and hasn’t looked back. He just missed qualifying for the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations championships in his first season and last year he advanced to OFSAA after winning all his matches at SOSSA by technical superiority. He had a .500 record at OFSAA but suffered a concussion during the meet.
This year’s confident attitude comes from the improvements he has made.
“I have levelled up so much in the past couple of years and Nate Nash is my main competitor and he is moving up to 61 (kilograms),” said the 57.5-kilogram competitor.
Brock Junior Badgers wrestling coach Ryan Weicker has seen a lot of progress in Phan this season.
“His technique, especially this year, has really taken a step to the next level and now he just has to make sure he is able to do the technique that he knows with the nerves and pressure of competition. That is the fourth step. Can he performs everything he knows while he is nervous, there is pressure and there is an opponent in front of him?”
Weicker has high hopes for Phan.
“He won SOSSA last year and didn’t quite have the results he wanted at OFSAA so we’re hoping this year he can go back and be on the podium. Technically, he is right there. He just needs to be able to put it together in a competition and show everyone how talented he is.”
Phan agrees with that assessment.
“That used to be a big issue for me. I used to get super nervous and I was afraid to shoot. I was thinking ‘What if he scores on me?’ I train really hard and I just have to put more faith in my training. I have the best coaches in Canada and I have to trust my coach’s ability to train me.”
The 16-year-old St. Catharines resident has become a student of the game.
“I have been doing a lot of watching wrestling on-line and seeing what the best guys do and see what I can pick up. Every time you go to practice you have to learn to pick up each technique and every little detail because otherwise it doesn’t work.”
And while an OFSAA medal is a big goal, there is an even bigger goal on the horizon for Phan in the summer.
“We will see what happens with the Canada Games. My goal has always been Team O (Ontario).”
West Niagara won the boys team title with 221 points followed by Ancaster (221), Blessed Trinity (210), E.L. Crossley (95) and Centennial (86).
Following are the top three boy finishers at SOSSA. The top two advance to OFSAA March 4-5 in Kitchener.
41 kilograms: 1. Gavin Newport, Ancaster.
47.5 kilograms: 1. Kiran Ramburn, West Niagara.
54 kilograms: 1. Eisa Ahmed, West Niagara; 2. Kyle Peters, BT; 3. Noah Imerese, Thorold.
57.5 kilograms: 1. Keaden Phan, Simcoe; 2. Chase Owen, Centennial; 3. Hunter Marcelline, Stamford.
61 kilograms: 1. Paulo Melo, BT; 2. Josh Fabina, BT; 3. Edrees Ahdulrahim Zai, Ancaster.
64 kilograms: 1. Tyler Schaefer, West Niagara; 2. Cecil Carver, Myer; 3. Memphys Philip, Crossley.
67.5 kilograms: 1. Brandon Hall, Ancaster, 2. Ayden Long-Jones, BT; 3. Hassan Ali, West Niagara.
72 kilograms: 1. Heath Ozog, Crossley; 2. Logan Simpson, Smithville Christian; 3. Cooper Dorrington, Thorold.
77 kilograms: 1. Darius Dodon, Ancaster; 2. Reed Ozog, Crossley; 3. Kamal Seghosime, Robert Land.
83 kilograms: 1. Adonis McDonough, West Niagara; 2. Rigon Muhnxahweri, Ancaster; 3. Yassine Bourenane, Ancaster.
89 kilograms: 1. Ethan Dobbie, Orchard Park; 2. Liam Beckett, Centennial; 3. William Peters, Robert Land.
95 kilograms: 1. Graydon Simpson, Smithville Christian; 2. Ryan Custers, Thorold; 3. Miles Goldsmith, Ancaster.
130 kilograms: 1. Adam Pereria, BT; 2. Ayden Stockman, West Niagara; 3. Sony Boa, Thorold.
130-plus kilograms: 1. Cillian Lawlor, BT.
