Members of the Carpenter High School Spartan wrestling team pose for a group photo. The team returned home with two gold medals from the O’Neill Titan Invitational in Regina. (Facebook/Carpenter High School)

By Kenneth Cheung

LOCAL TALENT

Carpenter High Spartan wrestlers strike gold at Regina invitational

Jan 22, 2026 | 11:37 AM

With the whistle blown and the mats crowded with competition, Carpenter High School’s Spartan wrestlers didn’t just show up in Regina, they fought their way onto the podium.

The Spartans returned home with two gold medals following a weekend at the O’Neill Titan Invitational, a large tournament that brings together both novice and elite wrestlers from across the province.

“It’s a big tournament and they have an elite division and a novice division, which is nice,” said coach Rufus Crawford. “So the new wrestlers can wrestle in the novice and don’t have to worry about wrestling really experienced wrestlers.”

The team travelled with seven athletes. Fourteen-year-old Patrick Newhouse captured gold in the novice division at 60 kilograms, winning all of his matches.

“To win gold, Patrick had to win all of his matches,” Crawford said. “He didn’t lose any and he won them quite handily.”

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Ed Hervey Tampering Window Opens!

Feb 02, 2026

Seniors Scene

New Year - New Habits

Feb 02, 2026

Simple Strategies You Can Use To Look and Feel Better Right Now

Jan 23, 2026

In the elite division, Eli Capelli competed in the same weight class and placed fifth in a field of 16 wrestlers.

“He was in a very large division,” Crawford said. “He lost a couple of really close ones, but did really well.”

The second gold medal came from Denzara Crawford in the girls’ 80-kilogram elite division. After receiving a first-round bye, she battled through multiple matches to reach the top of the podium.

“She got a bye in her first round, but then she won three matches straight,” Crawford said. “She was down 8-nothing and ended up winning the match.”

Denzara Crawford poses with her gold medal after winning the girls’ 80-kilogram elite division at the O’Neill Titan Invitational wrestling tournament in Regina. (Facebook/Carpenter High School)

Patrick Newhouse poses with his gold medal after winning the novice division at 60 kilograms at the O’Neill Titan Invitational wrestling tournament in Regina. (Facebook/Carpenter High School)

The comeback stood out as a highlight of the tournament for the coach, who said it was encouraging to see hard work paying off.

“We’ve come a long ways since the start of the season,” he said. “It was nice to see some of the things that we’ve been working on and fine-tuning really helped us out in this tournament.”

Beyond the medals, Crawford said the weekend was especially meaningful for newer wrestlers gaining their first taste of tournament action.

“And nobody got injured in any matches, so that’s always good.”

Looking ahead, the Spartans will continue their season with upcoming competitions, including regionals and the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games, as the program continues to grow.

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com