Kiryk wins silver at Montana state championship

Given the stellar season that Moose Jaw wrestler Devin Kiryk has had this year, particularly during visits to Montana, he can be forgiven for being a bit frustrated in his silver medal at the State Championships this weekend.
But there's certainly no reason to feel shame for yet another stellar performance from one of the best young wrestlers in Saskatchewan.
"He did awesome," said Kiryk's coach and father Rob Villeneuve. "The tournament (had) 519 of some of the best wrestlers from Montana."
Kiryk went 4-1 at the high-level tournament, losing in the gold medal match by one point to a wrestler who had dropped down from a higher weight class.
"The bracket he was in was extremely . . . competitive," said Villeneuve. "One of his matches was against last year's state champion.
"Devin's lost to him all season long. We studied his tapes and we found a flaw and when they met this time it was a completely different story. Devin totally ruled the mat."
The medal was a fantastic way to cap a phenomenal season for the 11-year-old, who among many accolades on both sides of the border earned a provincial title.
"We're extremely proud. We know his opponents spent countless hours training and worked long and hard, because they want to keep the Montana state championship for themselves, and they knew this kid from Canada was coming across the border," said Villeneuve. "Every one of his matches pushed him right to the limit, but at the end we did come back across the border with a silver medal across his neck."
Kiryk is already looking ahead to improving on his performance next year.
"At the end of it, he was a little disappointed that he didn't get it, but he's a pretty positive kid," said Villeneuve. "He's already looking forward to next year. He says he's not going to leave any room for doubt as to who the winner's going to be next time."
The year is not quite over for Kiryk, who will travel to South Dakota for the Grand Nationals in June. In 2007 he won a silver at the tournament, and last year he impressed the Montanans enough that they asked him to be their representative. This year, he'll be competing for Canada, and he's happy to have that chance.
He's already got his eye on the hardware.
"Top three," said Kiryk when asked about his goals. "Last time I got fourth, so I'm just looking to get a little better."
As for training in the off-season, Kiryk is looking forward to taking a bit of a break from his busy sport. But he's not about to let his athleticism slide.
"Maybe running in the summer, but not anything too serious."

Taylor Lambert can be reac hed at 691-1260