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Michel Cote is looking forward to coaching wrestler Pierre Philippe Ouellet in the years to come.

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Peter Assaff/Northern Light Photo

Wrestler Pierre- Philippe Ouellet is poised for a shot at a national title.

The 15-year-old son of Pierre Ouellet and Renee-Claude Comeau Ouellet of Beresford may not have won a medal at the Canadian Cadet and Junior Wrestling Championships earlier this month in Saskatchewan, but he gave his reason to smile.

"He impressed me a lot at the tournament this year," said Cote. "He was in a very tough weight class."

Cote has coached his share of national champions over the last 25 years, and believes Ouellet has what it takes to win a medal at a Canadian championship over the next couple of years. As a matter of fact, the Grade 10 student at Ecole Secondaire Nepisiguit was less than 30 seconds away from guaranteeing himself a top four finish, when a mistake cost him his quarter-final match at the nationals in Saskatoon on April 13.

Leading the match by one point at the time, Ouellet allowed his opponent to score two points by exposing his back.

"It was a good experience," he said. "There were a lot of good wrestlers and the intensity level was pretty high."

After finishing seventh at the nationals, Ouellet took part in the FILA championships (Federation International de Lutte Amateur) the following day, for a chance to wrestle internationally. Although only the top wrestler from each weight class qualified to attend international events, Ouellet made it all the way to the semi-finals and wound up third in his weight class.

"He won a lot of matches that were really close at the FILA," pointed out Cote. "During the nationals he wrestled outstanding but he lost some close matches."

"I lost in the semi-finals against the guy who won it," said Ouellet, who wrestles in the 63-kilogram weight class. "From the beginning of the (nationals) until the end of the FILA's I could tell I improved."

It is Ouellet's second year wrestling for ESN and his second time attending the nationals. He's also had a strong showing at a meet in Mohawk Valley, N. Y. last month, when he finished second in both the freestyle and Greco Roman disciplines in his weight class.

"I like wrestling because it is a mental and physical sport," he explained. "You have to have a good combination of both."

Concluded Ouellet: "It depends on the guy I'm wrestling, but usually I try to be patient and wait for him to make the first move, but if I need a point then I am just going to go for it," he concluded.