Over 250 wrestlers from across the province, as well as Alberta and Manitoba, took to the mat at Peacock Collegiate on Saturday for the 2017 Moose Jaw High School Wrestling Tournament.

There was 34 wrestlers from the local high schools taking part and were able to put together a stellar showing with 17 podium finishes, including four gold medals.

Peacock grade 12 Ben Helland picked up a silver in the Elite Male 75-80 kilogram division with his only loss coming to Prince Albert St. Mary’s Trevor Bannerman in the final.

“There’s always the unexpected curve ball, but all my matches have went as planned,” said Helland.

He scored wins over Riley Richards from Yorkton Regional, Josh Keller from Swift Current Comprehensive and Ryan Verbeem from Weyburn Comprehensive.

Helland attributes his strong showing over the weekend and his success so far this season to putting in work over the offseason.

“I feel physically stronger, I put in a lot of time in the gym during the offseason, so that’s really paid off this year,” said Helland. “Can still work on my conditioning though.”

Peacock grade 9 Dylan Yamniuk was busy throughout the day as he competed in two different divisions.

Yamniuk ended up placing fourth in the Elite Male 64-65 kilogram division, going 1-3 during his four matches. He did collect some hardware with a silver medal finish in the Novice Male 62-64 kilogram division, posting a 3-1 record over his four matches.

During his silver medal performance, Yamniuk beat Owen Wall from Regina Miller; lost to Cody Barden from Carpenter High School; knocked off Ethan Arcnad from Prince Albert St. Mary; and won over Dalton Chalk from Swift Current Comprehensive.

Coming out of the eight matches, Yamniuk said he saw areas where he still needs some work and some areas that he’s showing signs of improvement in.

“I need to work a bit more on my offence and aggression, just taking advantage of my opportunities, but I’m doing pretty well on the defensive side,” said Yamniuk.

Moving up into the high school ranks this year after seven years as a youth wrestlers, Yamniuk said he’s enjoyed the challenge so far, “It’s much different than when I was younger, it’s much harder in high school,” he said.

The local wrestlers will now turn their attention to the regional championship tournament, which is coming up on Mar. 11.

Click here for full results from Saturday’s tournament.