By Martin Cleary
Mary Ofili has an opportunity to achieve a rare feat in 2026, if she takes aim at the next OFSAA wrestling championships.
After winning a pair of bronze medals during her first two provincial high school championships as a Grade 9 and 10 student-athlete at St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School, she recently earned the girls’ 115-plus-kilogram gold medal during the 2025 OFSAA wrestling finals in Kitchener.
That puts the Grade 11 student on the pathway to manoeuvre for a fourth OFSAA wrestling championship medal in as many years in 2026. That would be a significant achievement, especially since wrestling is a varsity sport and open to student-athletes from Grades 9 through 12.
What makes this even more interesting is she almost didn’t give herself a chance way back in Grade 9 to put herself in a position for consecutive, annual medals.
“A friend told me about wrestling. But I had so much stuff going on. He told me to try wrestling, I’d be great at it,” said Ofili, explaining the opening chapter of her wrestling career.
Ofili somehow found time in her busy schedule to attend a wrestling practice session with the Coyotes. And then she found a lot of time for it.
“At my first meet, I fell in love with it,” she added. “Wrestling has allowed me to meet people, get the stress out and have fun.”
Practising, competing, building friendships and having fun have proven to be the recipe of success for Ofili.
The two-day 2025 OFSAA wrestling championships was really only a one-day adventure for her as there were a mere six entries in her girls’ 115-plus-kilogram division.
Ofili, 16, received three byes on her quiet opening day, which led directly into her semifinal against Precious Emeka of Bronte College in Mississauga on the second day. She also was the only wrestler returning to her weight class from the previous year.
While she defeated Emeka by a fall at 2:26 of the first round, she entered the match with a defensive mental approach countered by an offensive physical display on the mat.
“I was praying out of fear. I was terrified,” Ofili said about her approach to her first match of the championship. “I have got so close to winning before that I can’t lose, please, please, please.
“It was the match I wanted to win as the top seed. It was one of my best moments.”
As she awaited the final, Ofili was calm, but many thoughts were running through her mind. She was thinking about going back to school the next day with a medal, hopefully gold. She wanted to sleep. She wanted something to eat.
“I wasn’t that nervous,” she noted. “I had made it through to the final. I had made friends in all weight classes. I was talking, laughing and telling stories.”
Ofili met second-seeded Jameka Campbell of Sir Frederick Banting in London in the final and executed a 10-0 victory for her elusive gold medal.
“I was in shock,” Ofili admitted about the moment she won the top prize. “I didn’t think I would win. Oh my God, I need water. Oh my God, I got gold. I hugged my friends. I got gold. I got gold. I was so excited. It was the first time I had gone undefeated at provincials.”
There were many reasons Ofili was able to win her two OFSAA matches, after capturing the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association east conference and city titles for a third consecutive year, and her belief in God and following his direction also is one of them.
“God made me do this. There’s a lot I do for the school and it’s all to Him,” explained Ofili, who is considering studying chaplaincy at Western University in the future to become a religious advisor.
“I’ve made friends in this sport. My heart is filled with love and not hate. I want to make sure everyone is OK after their matches. I want to make sure everyone is happy.”
Coyotes coach Philippe LeFrancois was excited and proud of Ofili’s performance at OFSAA, which also earned the school its first provincial high school gold medal in wrestling.
“Mary did so well because of her dedication,” LeFrancois said in an email interview. “This is her third time placing at OFSAA. For the last two years, she merited the bronze medal and her persistence has gone hand-in-hand with a willingness to learn, to grow and to hone her wrestling skills.
“In my opinion, one thing that is most admirable is the way she perceives her adversaries as potential friends in the making. She will often chat with them and get to know them before and after the match.
“This year at OFSAA I noticed that when the wrestler she was about to face needed to briefly leave the corral, Mary looked after her water bottle and other belongings until she returned.”
As the wrestling season becomes a golden memory for Ofili, she has shifted her focus to the stage and to the track.
Ofili will assume multiple theatrical roles when St. Francis Xavier presents the stage play Annie from April 2-5. She also will participate in the school’s track and field program this spring in shot put and discus.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.
SOURCE: OTTAWASPORTSPAGES.CA
